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QUIRKY BEHAVIOR, PART 2
In last week’s article, I mentioned a dog named Leesa who got jumpy and mouthy just before having to poop. George, a rescue dog currently in a pet/prison program, also displays similar behavior when he has to poop, typically going over threshold a couple of times every day. At 70+ lbs., that’s a lot to deal with.
In George’s case, things are a bit more complicated because he doesn’t yet know how to poop when he’s ON leash. Further, it’s been reported that he needs to run two laps in the yard, off leash, before he’s able to go over to his favorite corner to poop. Gaining access to this fenced yard, where the dog can be off leash, is restricted at certain times of day. At other times, the dogs are only brought to a grassy potty zone where they must remain on leash.
Our goal this week is to teach George that he actually CAN poop while he’s on leash! This is what I suggested:
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Let George run his two laps with a leash dragging on his harness.
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As soon as the second lap is completed, pick up the leash and follow him to his favorite corner. If he poops, reward generously and give him some freedom to romp again.
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If he doesn’t go, allow a bit more running around, then pick up the leash to bring him back to the corner to poop.
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When he learns how to poop on a leash, gradually begin to reduce the amount of running he does beforehand, until he finally is able to poop first and then run around!
Have you worked with a dog before who didn’t know how to eliminate on leash? If so, what strategies did you employ to help the dog learn how to do this?
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8 Replies
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I can only imagine the physical release this big dog needs in order to get relaxed enough to poo in that environment.
One of my girls really really prefers privacy for her normal bowel movement. “Going” on lead is tolerable only if the situation is desperate.
One thing that has seemed to help is if I pointedly turn away from her while she’s sniffing a spot.
For the record, I prefer privacy too. 🤣
My other dog feels a need to look directly into my eyes while eliminating at my feet, off lead, with freedom to go anywhere else. She remembers the treats from the early days for doing just that.
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Direct eye contact while pooping — priceless!! 🤣
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I have a similar situation with my foster dog, Dolly. She will pee and poop on our walks in the morning and I take her out to the back yard a couple more times during the day. But at night when we do our nighttime walk, she just wants to hunt – we have rabbits in our neighborhood as well as toads and lizards that she likes to hunt. She will only pee on our nighttime walks if she’s desperate. I try not to take her out too late in the afternoon so she can build up and be able to pee but sometimes that does not work. We have tried walking until she pees. One night we walked almost 3 miles. So when we get back home I have to take her out to the back yard and walk her around the house. I keep her on leash for these attempts. That can be an excursion because there are lizards there too (tiny, albino lizards). Once she catches a lizard then she will pee. If there happens to be no lizards that particular evening (I think they are on to her), well, we just keep walking around the yard.
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Oh my goodness, @Handymandy , that is a challenge!
Do you think there’s any chance that you could substitute a fake lizard (maybe attached to a line so you can make it move swiftly) for Dolly to “catch” in your backyard in the evening, to see if that would satisfy her so that she’d pee afterwards? Or, do you think flirt pole play would satisfy her hunting urge and then make her more willing to pee after a couple minutes of chase?
Imagining extreme temps or other inclement weather, I’d personally hate to be required to take super-long walks at night before a dog finally decides to pee. Instead — though it would be quite tedious to do the first few evenings — I’d go out to one area of the yard that is the least likely area to harbor lizards, give her a few minutes to pee, and come inside if 1) she doesn’t go within that allotted few minutes, or 2) she begins to hunt. Repeat every 15-30 min. until she’s successful and *then* give her permission to engage in a bit of hunting afterwards.
Do you think any of those ideas might work with Dolly?
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Thank you for your suggestions. I like them both. I”m going to look for some fake lizards on Amazon and try that as well as try the other. I can take her out to the front yard where there likely won’t be any lizards.
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Cool! Please let us know what you try and how it goes!!
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I ordered some fake 3″ rubber lizards. Last night I took Dolly outside in the back and as she started her hunting routine, I threw one of the lizards ahead of her. She saw it land and immediately jumped at it and grabbed it in her mouth. This is what she does with the live lizards. She carries them around in her mouth. So she had this rubber lizard hanging from her mouth as we continued to walk around. It didn’t take long and she peed. First time was a success!! Thank you for the suggestion!
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@Handymandy — YIPPEE!!!!! Thanks for sharing your success. I hope it continues. Please keep us posted.
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