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Our puppy, a year and a half, will not go outside or for a walk. We moved to Texas last year, and this is the first full summer. It is of course extremely hot, however early in the morning or late at night she still refuses to go outside or walk! She'll sit down and not budge as soon as we open the front door.
She is sleeping all day, not getting any exercise. And of course the worst, relieving herself inside.
Lure her outside with a treat. Have a nice area shaded area set up for her, complete with a bed and fresh water. Go outside with her, and bring her favorite toy. You can also introduce a new toy that she can only play with outside the house. Show her that it is fun to be outside.
Leave her outside with water and toys until she goes potty. She is a dog and you are her owner - like a child, she must obey you. Right now she has you trained and you are spoiling her while she ruins your house. Dogs that refuse to go outside like this will often develop separation anxiety because they have never been made to leave the owners side and develop some independence.
For now I would feed her a large meal outside in the morning when she wakes up, then keep her outside until she goes potty, even if it is hours. The temps are cool in the morning, so this will allow her to be out until she goes, and putting her on this strict eating schedule will regulate when she had a bowel movement, so you can maintain better control over her potty training. Feed her a 2nd very small snack in the evening then follow up by keeping her outside and not allowing her back in until she goes potty. Puppies who eat all day, will pewp all day, making training impossible.
My dog went through a phase like this, we realized she had been stung by a bee in the yard and was afraid to go back outside.
If she is small enough, put a leash on her, pick her up and carry her a short distance away from the house, then put her down. She might be more comfortable away from the immediate area.
Lure her outside with treats and your presence. Keep a close eye on her to make she she isn't exposed to some hazard that created the fear to begin with. If the ground is uncomfortably hot, try to keep her to grass, or spray the driveway with cool water before she walks on it.
If this is a new behavior, I would move forward slowly. Something made her afraid of the outside. If this has been her habit all her life, then you will have a hard time breaking this.
Thanks all. Just a reminder we are in Dallas. It is 100 degrees and very humid. Leaving her outside until she goes potty is extremely cruel I would imagine, I can't last more than ten minutes!! We have tried treats, she refuses. I pick her up and go outside with her, she scratches the door to get inside. Yes, she has us trained very well!!!
Your dog will be fine as long as she has water that is kept in the shade. As the pack leader, you have to teach her what is acceptable. Otherwise, just get used to your home smelling like dog poop and urine, amongst other bad behaviors that will come out if there is no pack leader in the home.
Thanks all. Just a reminder we are in Dallas. It is 100 degrees and very humid. Leaving her outside until she goes potty is extremely cruel I would imagine, I can't last more than ten minutes!! We have tried treats, she refuses. I pick her up and go outside with her, she scratches the door to get inside. Yes, she has us trained very well!!!
Wet down the concrete when the ground gets too hot. If you have a grass plot, set her down on the grass. I have three small dogs and they love being outdoors. Walk around the yard with her, and let her explore. You have to show your dog it is fun outside, and I doubt she will refuse a Pupperoni treat.
One of my dogs, a young female, doesn't want to go for proper walks until my other two dogs and my husband accompany us. This itself isn't consistent; she has gone on walks with me alone before. She does tend to soil the house, and while I still have the time to do so, I take her out for a "pee-pee" break every 4-5 hours. At my old home, she would still make mistakes but I saw her use the wee-wee pads. I'm in as much of a quandary over this as you are over your situation.
Our dog started doing this not long after we rescued him. We took him to the vet and found out he had a UTI. That was treated with no problems but for the longest time he associated the pain with trying to go pee with our yard. I would have to carry him (he's a dachshund thank goodness) down the road a bit before he would consider doing anything. We gradually got closer and closer to home and now he is OK. He still won't go on longer grass though, tickles the belly or something I guess!
Veuvegirl, I'm with you. I live in Texas too and no way would I leave my dog outside in this heat, especially if they are not used to it.
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