Adult GSD Potty Problems

Alexandria610 · 09-25-2011, 11:26 AM

So I'm not sure if this goes here or somewhere else, so if it belongs somewhere else will someone please re-direct it?

Anyway, so most of you know of my pup, Alexandria, by now, and know she was a rescue and had/has some emotional issues, etc. I haven't had a chance to really go into her biggest problem, but it was really tearing on me this morning and I had to mention it to see if anyone can be of further assistance.

So as some of you know, she seems to somewhat fear the leash. She's not as bad as she used to be when I first got her from the rescue (4 1/2 months old), but she still seems to shy away from it when we are getting ready to go somewhere. When they first brought her to me, she refused to walk on the leash and had to be carried everywhere. I figured it was a natural puppy thing, probably never having been walked on a leash or introduced to it for that matter, since she was abandoned in a home with two other puppies and basically left for dead. So I figured it would be something to work on, and that the fear would sort of dissolve after she got used to the leash.

Now, here's where you can smack my wrist - I did make mistakes in 'potty training' her in the beginning. I was afraid that with her fear of the leash and her uncertainty and timid-ness of everything including me, that if I leashed her to go potty she wouldn't go, and it would be a bad experience. So instead, I would carry her to a specific potty spot, and make sure she didn't stray from this spot until she pottied. Potty training was a breeze for her, but I never once used the leash.

Now I have noticed, as she ages and I take her for more trips, outings, and visits, that she refuses to go potty outside of my backyard. She won't even go in my front yard. I thought 'perhaps it was the leash problem' and got to work on doing re-potty training with the leash. She passed with flying colors.......so long as we were in the back yard. I tried this for about a week and built her up with so much happiness and praise everytime she pottied on the leash in the back yard (which she did each and every time I tried with her), but when I tried to do it in a familiar yard that she never would potty in (our front yard) she wouldn't go.

The only time she has EVER gone potty outside of my back yard is once at the little desolate park by my parents' house - she peed. And once two weeks ago when she randomly pooped at a dog park she'd never been to. Both times I was so overwhelmingly excited for her I couldn't STOP praising my baby. She seemed content with the praise, and it seemed that she might realize that she could do her business in these places and enjoy it.

Has she done it again? Nope. In fact, she will hold her bladder/bowels so much if we are at my mothers' house, that she will end up peeing out of sheer inability to hold it any longer. This really upsets me because I know it isn't healthy, and she gets upset when it happens (because I think that the 'breeders' of her must have screamed at her when she went in the house - she came to me almost fully house-trained, and the fosters/shelter barely worked with her at all on potty-training, having said that she 'pretty much was' when they rescued her from that house).

So.....what do you guys think? What can I do to try and help her go outside of the back yard? Is there anything else I can do besides giving her insane praise when she finally DOES use the potty outside of that one space? I feel at wits end here. I just want my girl to be comfortable enough to use the potty anywhere she is.

And I can't figure out if it's a leash problem or a territory problem.

Mary&Stella · 09-25-2011, 11:36 AM

Stella is 11 months old and has never ever peed anywhere but in our yard, dont know why its just how it is at the moment, she can be out on walks or with other dogs that are marking and peeing but she will not do it until we get home, we have has some luck with pooping however she has pooped a grand total of 3 times away from home! It does not seem to bother her, and I figure she will pee where she likes!!

Alexandria610 · 09-25-2011, 11:39 AM

My trainer said he has a dog that does the same thing, and one day just started going outside of his territory. I'm not sure if it is something I should worry about or just stay frustrated about until she actually starts going somewhere else. I just wish I could keep her places longer than a few hours, because I don't want her to make a mess or hurt herself. It's just so frustrating.

Jax08 · 09-25-2011, 11:41 AM

Jax would do the same thing. She held it all day long (and I mean ALL day) at a WYNOA race. She almost knocked me over getting out of the car when we got home. The only places she's pooped is at a friend's house where she is very comfortable and at my trainer's place of business where other dogs go. I don't think you've created a situation at all. I think it is their personality and age. Jax will pee in strange places now that she is older.

Alexandria610 · 09-25-2011, 11:44 AM

Thanks for the advice, Jax08. That makes me feel a little better. I was really worried that by not doing the leash-potty thing I made her unsure of what I wanted her to do while on the leash. I'd felt like 'ah darn it...I ruined her...'

I hope that maybe this is the case. Is it perhaps a GSD thing? Or just a finicky dog thing....she seems so particular about certain things sometimes. Sometimes it is hilarious. Sometimes it is downright annoying (like this potty thing).

BowWowMeow · 09-25-2011, 12:37 PM

What I would do now is to put peeing and pooping on command. Wait until you know she is going to pee or poop, give the command and then reward immediately. It should be pretty easy after that to get her to go outside of your yard.

That's what I did with Rafi (because I have had the same problem with previous dogs and I travel a lot with my dogs) and now I can just give him the command and he will go no matter where we are.

Alexandria610 · 09-25-2011, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BowWowMeow

What I would do now is to put peeing and pooping on command. Wait until you know she is going to pee or poop, give the command and then reward immediately. It should be pretty easy after that to get her to go outside of your yard.

That's what I did with Rafi (because I have had the same problem with previous dogs and I travel a lot with my dogs) and now I can just give him the command and he will go no matter where we are.

That's good advice, but what if she already does go on command, just not outside of that yard? I worked on that when she was a puppy and continued to reinforce it when I was trying to re-potty train on the leash, and she seems to understand it but still won't go outside of the yard.

Perhaps I'm not doing something right with the command? She will sniff and sniff and act like she's going to go outside her yard after I say it, but then she will either get distracted by nothing (no kidding, there will be nothing to distract her) or she will just lift her head up and not go.

Jax08 · 09-25-2011, 12:44 PM

Jax pees on command as well but I think they are so busy looking around and experiencing new things they just sometimes will not go. That race we were at, she had plenty of cornfield for privacy away from the noise and excitement but still wouldn't go. Went for icecream afterwards, still no go. Got home and she couldn't get out of the car fast enough. She'll either outgrow it or you'll never have to clean up after her in a public place.

As long as it's not causing her health issues, I wouldn't be concerned.

Alexandria610 · 09-25-2011, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jax08

Jax pees on command as well but I think they are so busy looking around and experiencing new things they just sometimes will not go. That race we were at, she had plenty of cornfield for privacy away from the noise and excitement but still wouldn't go. Went for icecream afterwards, still no go. Got home and she couldn't get out of the car fast enough. She'll either outgrow it or you'll never have to clean up after her in a public place.

As long as it's not causing her health issues, I wouldn't be concerned.

Thanks, again, for the encouragement. I hope it is just something she grows out of. I think there's a good possibility it could also partially be from the fact that she doesn't have as much confidence as a well-raised, well-adjusted puppy that has had a good start in life. She's a lot more confident than she used to be, but still has her moments where she's unsure. I'll wait it out and see what happens

Kittilicious · 09-26-2011, 06:59 AM

My golden does this same thing. She will even do her "potty" bark in the front yard if she has to go and we have to bring her into the fenced in backyard. The only place she will go without hesitation is my parent's lake property which we spent a lot of time at in the summer. A few weeks ago we were a few miles from town helping with a garage sale and she was doing her potty bark... I did talk her into going potty finally, but she kept doing the bark and then running to my car. Silly girl had to poop LOL After we got home she went right into the backyard and did her thing

The only time I've had it be a concern is when we've been out of town overnights with her. I worry that she's holding it too long but eventually she will go.

It's actually nice to know there are others that have this issue.

09-25-2011, 11:26 AM	#1 (permalink)
Alexandria610 Elite Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Central Florida Posts: 1,159	Adult GSD Potty Problems So I'm not sure if this goes here or somewhere else, so if it belongs somewhere else will someone please re-direct it? Anyway, so most of you know of my pup, Alexandria, by now, and know she was a rescue and had/has some emotional issues, etc. I haven't had a chance to really go into her biggest problem, but it was really tearing on me this morning and I had to mention it to see if anyone can be of further assistance. So as some of you know, she seems to somewhat fear the leash. She's not as bad as she used to be when I first got her from the rescue (4 1/2 months old), but she still seems to shy away from it when we are getting ready to go somewhere. When they first brought her to me, she refused to walk on the leash and had to be carried everywhere. I figured it was a natural puppy thing, probably never having been walked on a leash or introduced to it for that matter, since she was abandoned in a home with two other puppies and basically left for dead. So I figured it would be something to work on, and that the fear would sort of dissolve after she got used to the leash. Now, here's where you can smack my wrist - I did make mistakes in 'potty training' her in the beginning. I was afraid that with her fear of the leash and her uncertainty and timid-ness of everything including me, that if I leashed her to go potty she wouldn't go, and it would be a bad experience. So instead, I would carry her to a specific potty spot, and make sure she didn't stray from this spot until she pottied. Potty training was a breeze for her, but I never once used the leash. Now I have noticed, as she ages and I take her for more trips, outings, and visits, that she refuses to go potty outside of my backyard. She won't even go in my front yard. I thought 'perhaps it was the leash problem' and got to work on doing re-potty training with the leash. She passed with flying colors.......so long as we were in the back yard. I tried this for about a week and built her up with so much happiness and praise everytime she pottied on the leash in the back yard (which she did each and every time I tried with her), but when I tried to do it in a familiar yard that she never would potty in (our front yard) she wouldn't go. The only time she has EVER gone potty outside of my back yard is once at the little desolate park by my parents' house - she peed. And once two weeks ago when she randomly pooped at a dog park she'd never been to. Both times I was so overwhelmingly excited for her I couldn't STOP praising my baby. She seemed content with the praise, and it seemed that she might realize that she could do her business in these places and enjoy it. Has she done it again? Nope. In fact, she will hold her bladder/bowels so much if we are at my mothers' house, that she will end up peeing out of sheer inability to hold it any longer. This really upsets me because I know it isn't healthy, and she gets upset when it happens (because I think that the 'breeders' of her must have screamed at her when she went in the house - she came to me almost fully house-trained, and the fosters/shelter barely worked with her at all on potty-training, having said that she 'pretty much was' when they rescued her from that house). So.....what do you guys think? What can I do to try and help her go outside of the back yard? Is there anything else I can do besides giving her insane praise when she finally DOES use the potty outside of that one space? I feel at wits end here. I just want my girl to be comfortable enough to use the potty anywhere she is. And I can't figure out if it's a leash problem or a territory problem. __________________ Lauren, proud owner of: Alexandria ("Alex") - GSD (June 9, 2010) Dixie - Russian Blue Cross (June 1, 2009) Isabel - Chihuahua (March 14, 2009) Mar - Tabby (Summer 1998 - January 2012)

09-25-2011, 11:39 AM	#3 (permalink)
Alexandria610 Elite Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Central Florida Posts: 1,159	My trainer said he has a dog that does the same thing, and one day just started going outside of his territory. I'm not sure if it is something I should worry about or just stay frustrated about until she actually starts going somewhere else. I just wish I could keep her places longer than a few hours, because I don't want her to make a mess or hurt herself. It's just so frustrating. __________________ Lauren, proud owner of: Alexandria ("Alex") - GSD (June 9, 2010) Dixie - Russian Blue Cross (June 1, 2009) Isabel - Chihuahua (March 14, 2009) Mar - Tabby (Summer 1998 - January 2012)

09-25-2011, 11:44 AM	#5 (permalink)
Alexandria610 Elite Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Central Florida Posts: 1,159	Thanks for the advice, Jax08. That makes me feel a little better. I was really worried that by not doing the leash-potty thing I made her unsure of what I wanted her to do while on the leash. I'd felt like 'ah darn it...I ruined her...' I hope that maybe this is the case. Is it perhaps a GSD thing? Or just a finicky dog thing....she seems so particular about certain things sometimes. Sometimes it is hilarious. Sometimes it is downright annoying (like this potty thing). __________________ Lauren, proud owner of: Alexandria ("Alex") - GSD (June 9, 2010) Dixie - Russian Blue Cross (June 1, 2009) Isabel - Chihuahua (March 14, 2009) Mar - Tabby (Summer 1998 - January 2012)

09-25-2011, 12:37 PM	#6 (permalink)
BowWowMeow Crowned Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 14,797	What I would do now is to put peeing and pooping on command. Wait until you know she is going to pee or poop, give the command and then reward immediately. It should be pretty easy after that to get her to go outside of your yard. That's what I did with Rafi (because I have had the same problem with previous dogs and I travel a lot with my dogs) and now I can just give him the command and he will go no matter where we are. __________________ Ruth & the 4 Legged Rescue Gang Rafi the malaroo http://www.dogster.com/dogs/693238 Gio & Varda, the krazy kittens ....In my heart: Cleo Kitty Chama Kai Basu Massie

09-25-2011, 11:36 AM	#2 (permalink)
Mary&Stella Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Germany Posts: 336	Stella is 11 months old and has never ever peed anywhere but in our yard, dont know why its just how it is at the moment, she can be out on walks or with other dogs that are marking and peeing but she will not do it until we get home, we have has some luck with pooping however she has pooped a grand total of 3 times away from home! It does not seem to bother her, and I figure she will pee where she likes!!

09-25-2011, 11:41 AM	#4 (permalink)
Jax08 Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NNE PA Posts: 14,330	Jax would do the same thing. She held it all day long (and I mean ALL day) at a WYNOA race. She almost knocked me over getting out of the car when we got home. The only places she's pooped is at a friend's house where she is very comfortable and at my trainer's place of business where other dogs go. I don't think you've created a situation at all. I think it is their personality and age. Jax will pee in strange places now that she is older.

09-25-2011, 12:44 PM	#8 (permalink)
Jax08 Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NNE PA Posts: 14,330	Jax pees on command as well but I think they are so busy looking around and experiencing new things they just sometimes will not go. That race we were at, she had plenty of cornfield for privacy away from the noise and excitement but still wouldn't go. Went for icecream afterwards, still no go. Got home and she couldn't get out of the car fast enough. She'll either outgrow it or you'll never have to clean up after her in a public place. As long as it's not causing her health issues, I wouldn't be concerned.

09-26-2011, 06:59 AM	#10 (permalink)
Kittilicious Elite Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,101	My golden does this same thing. She will even do her "potty" bark in the front yard if she has to go and we have to bring her into the fenced in backyard. The only place she will go without hesitation is my parent's lake property which we spent a lot of time at in the summer. A few weeks ago we were a few miles from town helping with a garage sale and she was doing her potty bark... I did talk her into going potty finally, but she kept doing the bark and then running to my car. Silly girl had to poop LOL After we got home she went right into the backyard and did her thing The only time I've had it be a concern is when we've been out of town overnights with her. I worry that she's holding it too long but eventually she will go. It's actually nice to know there are others that have this issue.

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