# potty training outside



## gill5444 (Apr 3, 2011)

hi poppy is about 4 months old (we dont know for sure,we bought her from a pet shop as could nt bear to see her there on her own is such dirty cramped conditions they could nt give us her exact date of birth) she was trained to go potty in a litter box very easily with the help of crate/playpen. i have been trying to get her to go outside for a few weeks now which has been quite hitty/missy. i ve put a piece of pee pad where i want her to go and have put a pee post there too but she will sniff round for maybe 30 mins and as soon as we go in she goes in her tray or if we go for walk she doesnt pee she goes in her tray even if i wait in the back garden for a while before we go in. i am grateful we arent having any accidents in doors but can anyone share some advice as my previous dog a schnauzer was very easily trained so i m not sure what else to do or am i just being impatient. thanks


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I would give the dog no more than 5 minutes unless you are taking a walk. If she does not go, take her inside in and crate her for 15 minutes. Then try again. Repeat until she goes outdoors. Remember to have a food reward and praise for when she goes outdoors.


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## Aarianne (Jul 22, 2005)

You should probably carry a really tasty treat with you every time you take her out to her spot and if she does go, give her the tasty treat and lots of praise. It might take a few times before she catches on, but then she'll probably start holding it until you take her to her outside spot so that she can get that special treat. 

I wouldn't bring out the wee wee pad personally. I assume the goal is for her to pee on the grass, so I would just take her out on leash directly to her spot on the lawn and wait a bit and reward her whenever she goes on the grass. 

Crating will help... if she has had to hold it for a little bit in her crate and you expect that she'll need to go soon, then you can take her directly outside to relieve herself and reward her. If she doesn't go in a few minutes, you can take her back in, but take her directly back to her crate for another 5-10min., then take her straight back to the chosen potty spot outside again for a few minutes. If you keep doing this until she goes outside, you'll be able to give her a big reward for going in the right spot sooner and speed up the process.

It's best to keep her leashed and go out with her so you can take her to the right spot and be right there to reward immediately after she goes. Plus if she's off leash and loves wandering around, sniffing, playing, and generally enjoying being outside, then when she goes, you reward her, but take her back inside, she may learn to hold off until the very last minute so that she can stay out and play as long as possible. If you take her to the same spot with the same boring smells (including leftover urine), she'll know to just pee and get it over with. If you know she loves being off-leash in the yard or going for walks, you can always use that as a bonus reward sometimes after she goes.

If she doesn't go relatively quickly, a little exercise can help with getting her to go sooner too--especially if you're trying to get her to poop outside as well. I walk or jog mine around the yard for a little bit when I need them to poop sooner, like in the morning when I need to get going for work and I know they need to go before I leave. I don't let them wander and sniff stuff casually... I encourage them to keep moving briskly and slow down periodically to see if they show signs that they're ready (mainly circling or butts changing). 

Scheduled feeding helps too. If you always feed at the same times of the day and put the food dish away in between, her pooping will get on a schedule too, making it easier on both of you.

You might want to add a short phrase or word when she goes... like I say "empty" as we get to the spot and then they squat and go. I say "do your poop" after a little bit of brisk walking or jogging around the yard when I need them to hurry up and go. Usually they'll start turning then, preparing to get in position. If they get distracted, I walk/jog them a bit more and try again.

That's all I can think of... hope that helps!

Btw, buying a puppy from a pet shop to save it, sadly just means another pup gets put in her spot sooner and more animals suffer. As long as they make money, sadly they'll keep doing it and usually the dogs in pet shops come from puppy mills with even worse conditions than the pet shops. So, I know it's hard when you see the sweet, dirty face in the window, but please consider next time that it's much better to have your money going to support a reputable breeder or rescue so you're paying good people for good behaviour and care of animals--not the other way around, as it is with pet stores. If the conditions in the pet shop are terrible, you can always report them too. :thumbsup:


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## snowflake526 (Feb 23, 2011)

here! here! excellent advise for potty training I can cry very easily when I see animals being mistreated.


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## gill5444 (Apr 3, 2011)

thanks guys, sadly in cyprus they treat dogs very badly and there s no rspca or animal protection body like in england, people have reported pet shops to the police and the prosecution rate is minimal. the british service personnel out here end up rehoming lots of dogs and take them back to the uk or germany with them when they leave but its a very sorry state of affairs out here. it s heart breaking and i understand what you say about not buying from petshops but its not that easy to walk away.


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