We moved - he won't go poop outside

[respondent50]

First off. I hope this is the right place to post this. Second, new to the forum. I look forward to coming back.....without any problems.

Our GSD has been, is, great. Four year old rescue dog. Smart, sharp, affectionate, and fun. Great dog.

So, we moved into a smaller house last week. He won't go poop outside. He went twice in the house over the past week and this morning he went in the SUV on the way to a hike. This has NEVER been a problem before. He'll walk outside, sniff around, and come right back in.

Losing my mind. Wife losing her mind. Looking for help. ANY HELP would be great.

Respondent50

[Jax08]

I just went through this with a foster. He's stressed. Keep him on a leash. You have a different situation but there's still lots of helpful posts.

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubb...rue#Post1146042

[Mandalay]

Mandalay will not go potty anywhere but our yard if she is able to wait...and she has gone to the point where she was practically crossing her legs and barely made it to the grass in our yard to pee before! When we moved, I took her with me a few times as we were moving to let her get used to the place a little and sniff around. I agree with the leash idea. That is what I did with her. I would stand in the yard with her on a leash and I would wait. And wait. And wait. I knew she has to poop. She knew she had to poop. She knew I knew she had to poop. It was just who was going to give in first.

[3K9Mom]

Don't give him any options. Crate him. Then take him for walks, long walks.

My puppy only went potty on the grass in our yard. Like Mandalay, he'd wait until we got home even if he was about to burst. Then we went on a two week vacation. Uh oh! He learned really quickly that he CAN go elsewhere. Now, he can go potty anywhere pretty much. He only needs one dead blade of grass to go potty. A patch of ivy or a tuft of daisies will do in a pinch.

That's what you need to do. Right now you're giving your dog options, like going in the house or the SUV. So for now, keep him crated a lot. Then take him outside to the yard, take him on walks. If he's a marker, take him to stop signs and fire hydrants. He just needs to learn that he can go elsewhere. He'll get it. Yeah, being confined to his crate won't be fun, but he'll get it pretty quickly. You just need to be super consistent til he does.

[srfd44-2]

This will sound strange, but..... the next time he goes anywhere pick it up and put it in your yard. There may have been another dog in the yard before and he may feel a little intimidated. By placing the poop in the yard it will be as if he is "marking" his territory. Just a thought.

When we moved to our house Ringo staked out his "territory" .... my infant son's bedroom ! He left a pile in the middle of his room even though he had access to the yard. He was always my son's guardian and this was his way of letting people know. THIS IS MINE !!!

[WiscTiger]

Excercise other hand walking is usually a really good way to stimulate a bowl movement. Take the dog out play some ball or two ball and hopefully thta will do the trick outside. Inside don't give him the ability to go any where in the house.

Val

[respondent50]

I appreciate all the responses. He's back to going outside again. The long walks have helped a lot. He and I used to hike 5 or 6 miles a day, but we haven't been able to with the move and job changes.

I think he's finally settling in to the new place. He DOES NOT like change. I'm guessing it's from his days prior to rescue. No telling what his life was like or how he was treated except for the 35 pounds he's gained (and carries very well) since we got him.

Thanks again. I'll be back. Hopefully, I can help someone in the future as well.

[Sillyexistence]

Hello Everyone,

I seem to be having a very similar problem. The quick back story is I've recently relocated from the country to the big city. Work has been insane, so I've been bringing my 6 year old GSD down to the city on the weekends only (till now) to be fair to him, as well as to give him a nicer transition....He loves coming and has quickly adapted to our new home and our walks with all the new sounds. I'm trying to dedicate this week to getting him used to being here for longer than three nights, as well as my new schedule. That said, he has "issues" with #2 in his new territory. The back yard is something he's not loving very much at the moment. ..He's slowly gotten used to it, and we have had several breakthroughs and now it's snowed and he refuses to go. Peeing and eating haven't been a problem, so all systems are in working order, but he's clearly stressed enough that he's refusing to defecate out back.

I guess my questions are, how long do I wait for him to go (it's his second day without defecation) before I aid his bowl movements? Also, what's the best method, as I do not want to upset his stomach, or anything else for that matter. I've heard about the match-sticks, the canned pumpkin....Would truly appreciate the help!

Thanks!

S