I am still having problems getting my 6.5 mo old schipperke to go outside.

I've been seriously tethering and housebreaking for two weeks, I've had her for three weeks.

We have good days and bad days. She has only gone in the house twice (poo) in the past week. This is due to the tethering.

However, now, it's like she is holding it and won't go at all.

Yesterday, She pee'd in the am and several times through mid afternoon. She never poo'd at all. So last night I put some cooked hamburger in her food thinking that would be change enough in diet to make her really want to go. No go.

I kept her out of the crate yesterday. She was only in the crate about 30 minutes one time yesterday as I kept her tethered and took her outside lots.

This morning, I kept her outside about 15 - 20 minutes. She didn't even pee. It had been wet and rainy here and she acts like she doesn't want to get on the grass. I walked her several different places, still not go.

I brought her in and put her in the crate. She started scratching about 15 min later (she doesn't usually scratch and whine that loud). Took her back out and she FINALLY peed after about another 15 min. Still no poo.

We came back in and I kept her tethered for a few minutes, then I let the leash down so she had just a little more room and, voila, she tried to poo on rug. I scooped her up mid way while saying no and took her out and she finished outside.

Is it possible that she is intentionally holding it? And if so what can I so to encourage her outside.

Like I said, she isn't going inside, she just isn't going.

Thanks for any advice.

Nora

ps

I started this on a new thread as the other one was getting long.

Thanks

 Quote: nora ferrell

Is it possible that she is intentionally holding it? And if so what can I so to encourage her outside.

Thanks

Little dogs can be very difficult to housebreak. I would start crating her more since she was scratching in the crate to let you know she had to go.
This will help you learn her "schedule".

When she goes, make it a BIG party (use a high value food reward). Are you walking her on leash when outside? If so, how long is it. Some dogs will resist when on lead. I am not saying take it off, but maybe try a longer one at first, she may be not wanting to go while so close to you outside.
She is probably going in the house while tethered because she just cannot wait anymore or she feels more comfortable in the house.

 Quote: Nora Ferrell

... I've been seriously tethering and housebreaking for two weeks, I've had her for three weeks.
However, now, it's like she is holding it and won't go at all.
.... It had been wet and rainy here and she acts like she doesn't want to get on the grass. .... I brought her in and put her in the crate. She started scratching about 15 min later (she doesn't usually scratch and whine that loud). Took her back out and she FINALLY peed after about another 15 min. ..... We came back in and I kept her tethered for a few minutes, then I let the leash down so she had just a little more room and, voila, she tried to poo on rug. I scooped her up mid way while saying no and took her out and she finished outside. ... Is it possible that she is intentionally holding it? And if so what can I so to encourage her outside. ....

She may not like being on deep soaked grass, but there must be other spots outside.... ? Other than that, no, I doubt that she's deliberately holding it. Did you find out from a log what her normal times are to poop? Those times would be when you want to take her out and walk.... not just wait. Exercise gets it going. I imagine that the exercise of being outside got it started, too, since shortly after coming back in, she had to go.

Encouraging her outside, as Carol says, is making sure she is outside a lot - enough so that you have the successes to reward, and then rewarding them well, with high-value treats and lots of praise.

I'd grab a raincoat and rain-hat and be prepared to stay out there until she goes, and then party up so she gets the idea of how worth it the whole thing is. If there are big sheltering trees, walk her briskly over to them so she's not getting poured on, and then move around until she goes.

A couple of weeks isn't bad at all, but the opportunities for her to be successful (outdoors when she has to go) need to be plentiful.

P.S. I have one short dog who hates tall wet grass, and when I was training him I bit the bullet and brought him onto the dirt (mud) where he wanted to go and had a big old towel spread out inside the door for the muddy prints..... just to get the success started.

Thanks, Connie. I am taking her to spots where there is low grass, no grass, etc. Heck, at this point, I would be glad for her to go on the asphalt driveway. She has just started (past three days) with not wanting to be on the grass, probably due to the weather. When it was raining this weekend, I put an umbrella over her.

Also, I am keeping her out anywhere from 5 - 20 minutes and have also tried a real walk, not just walking around.

I'm not a total greehorn. I have trained dogs in the past but I have never had a problem with them going. I've never used a crate and tether before. And, certainly, I am cleaning almost no messes in the house whereas the old fashioned way of watching them, you get to clean a lot more.

But, she doesn't seem to be going as much as I think she should.

Could it be just me and when she whines in her crate, I think she wants to go. Soooooo, I take her out and she plays and doesn't go? Am I starting a habit. I've been taking her out at the very least every hour and sometimes more if I am not working.

And, like I said, yesterday I didn't put her in crate all day (except for a few minutes) and she didn't go in house. But not outside either except for mid afternoon. This includes after I fed her.

I am starting to wonder if it is the food. I still have her on the Natural Balance that came with her. It is all natural and orgainc. So, when I put the hamburger in it last night, she really ate up. I put hamberger in it this am, too. I fed her after the near accident this morning. And she still hasn't gone either way since about 8:30 (It is noon here).

Is it plausible that she doesn't need to go as much as I think? And if she doesn't, do I still leave her in the crate?

Thanks,

Nora

ps on not being in the crate yesterday. We weren't real active yesterday, either. I watched movies and let her on the bed with me.

An update. FINALLY. Got her to poo outside. After she enjoyed the hamburger so much last night, I put some in her food this am, too. I live in a one horse town and trying to find anything extraordinary is next to impossible. I am at the mercy of Kroger and Wal-mart. The only thing I could find that was on the food list on this web site was the Newman's Own. However, it had less than 10% protein. The had another soft pouch called Three Dog Bakery that had 10% protein, so I got that. The Natural Balance kibble I have her on is 23% protein. I mixed them together and she ate like there was no tomorrow and then she pooped outside like no tomorrow.

I am thinking more and more that the food is not enough for her to poop regularly and that is why I can't come up with a diary of specific times she goes.

I probably need to post this in the feed forum but I think this food is a part of her not going regularly. Also she has not relised eating. It would take her up to thirty minutes to eat and then she would just pick at it. I know she has a good food drive because of high value treats.

The thing is that the Natural Balance kibble I have her on is higher in protein, fat, etc and more closely resembles the ingriedents list of the foods listed on this web site and so I wondered if that was why I was having bad luck getting her to poo outside. (More natural = less poo.)

Is it bad to mix the pouch with the kibble? Does all good quality kibble make them not go as much? If I can't go to raw, what about cooked?

Another update. FINALLY, I think we are making progress. Had a perfect day and the weather is still lousy.

I think her going ouside is directly related to the food now. I am mixing the kibble with some other natural stuff I got in a pouch, the best you can find so far as natural and organic here in bodunk KY. She is eating with relish now and she is going more regularly which in turn is giving her more success and me the opportunity to praise her. Everytime except one, today when I took her outside potty, she went. Although the consistency is much softer, almost mushy.

Is this normal when going to different food (probably) but is it cause for concern?

I'm afraid this all seems so trivial, but I have never had this much trouble getting a dog to understand outside. Or getting them to like their food, either.

Thanks

If you switch foods or add too much of a new food when transitioning dogs usually get loose stool. It takes about a week for it to firm up.
One thing that could contribute to the loose stool is mixing the kibble with raw. (sorry I don't remember if the yummy stuff is raw or cooked). If it is raw I realize it's a necessary evil right now in the interest of house training.

Thanks, Debbie.

The yummy stuff is cooked. I'm not ready for a raw diet but this is organic and the best I could find around here so far as something decent.

I thought I read some where about not mixig the kibble but do you not want to mix it with raw or with cooked or both?

Also, I know that raw is best, and that may be in my future, but what is the basice difference in cooked vs raw, all things being equal nutritionally?

She is such a small dog that doing a raw will be really inconvenient. I am trying to experiment with ready made food for the time being, but if cooked is nutritionally equal to raw, I can see me being able to make it at home.

You can mix cook with kibble just not raw. It is because the kibble takes longer to digest than raw.

I am not sure, but wouldn't cooked food have the same digestion rate as raw, or at least shorter than kibble?

I would not feed any "real" food with kibble. Just separate the meals, if you are going to feed both.