With me are my maltese, Ma Cherie, and orange marmalade cat, Jean Pierre. Naturally Jean Pierre is strictly an indoor cat. Ma Cherie, the dog, is well trained when it comes to potty time. She waits as long as she can for me or dog walker to take her outside. If not, she has her wee wee pad. However, in the past three years I notice she no longer does #2 on the pad. She can really hold her bowel movement. If there were a contest for "How Long Can Doggy Hold It?" She would win!
Ma Cherie in 2003 (Three doggie years old)
One day, when feeling very exhausted and attacked by the flu, I decided to try something different. I told her to go potty on her pad and closed the door as I used to seven years ago. She wouldn't do anything. This was not a good sign as I will soon explain. Then I went through the ritual of brushing her hair, putting on her leash and readjusting her bow. Then I walked her down the hall but back to the condo and parked her on her pad. Still nothing.
So what's the problem, you're wondering? In less than one month I will be moving to a new condominium where there is no covered dog station. So my question to all of you smart dog owners and successful trainers, how do I retrain an eight-year old dog to go potty on a designated spot, indoor or outdoor? I thought of simulating the covered dog station with soil covered in mulch.
Please, I have less than 30 days to train her. Thankfully my new condo is all tile floor, although I will be buying large area rugs. However I am worried. Is there any potential harm to her when she holds her bowels that long? Until she has an accident?
No matter if you read this posting in the next few days or weeks, I eagerly await your insightful feedback and suggestions!
Desperate Doggy Owner
Christine
4 comments:
Christine - I hope some small dog owners / apartment dwellers will respond, since this is a problem I've never had.
Where I live, I can just let the dogs outside on their own. My only problems have been when traveling and they have to be on leash... they have to hunt for the right spot for a half hour and then make sure that no one is watching.
Privacy is important!
I do have a couple of ideas - maybe someone will chime in and tell me if they're crazy.
One would be to take the potty pad outside and put it where she usually "goes." Another would be to "seed" the indoor pad with poop scent. That sounds disgusting, but it might give her the idea.
And of course, as you already thought of, a low tray full of dirt, or of sod if she's used to grass, might help her get the idea.
Okay, I've been thinking about this problem. The good news is that dogs clearly differentiate place to place. It's the reason that your solidly potty trained dog will have an accident in someone else's house. They actually need direction about where to use the bathroom at every house they go to.
That being said, you probably don't need to re-train the dog at your current house, but quickly show the dog the system at the new place. Since you originally trained with pee pads, I would re-introduce those at the new place. Make a big fuss about her going outside at the new place. Take an umbrella for rainy days so she can get used to walking on the wet ground, but won't have to get soaked either.
You might also try taking her a few new places where she'll have to make a bowel movement between now and then so she can start to see that she needs to go other places. A friend's place perhaps or even the park. Take her when you know that she's got to go based on her schedule, and wait.
You can buy indoor simulated grass systems, but they're pretty expensive and I would guess take up quite a bit of space.
It will probably involve some waiting on your part, but be patient, she'll get with the new system eventually.
My guess is that dogs can hold it a day or so before it becomes a problem, but if she's still holding it after you move, you might consult your vet about a bowel-mover to force her to go. I bet though she'll realize that she's in a new place and will figure out the new system.
Good luck!!
Lauren
Thanks for adding your advice Lauren - we appreciate you taking the time to think about this and reply!
Thanks Lauren, I will keep you posted of the progress once I move. Yes I considered simulated grass (for when it rains) but was thinking of hiding it in stairwell since no one takes the stairs when you're 39 floors high. Christine
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