Hi guys,

I am not actually sure where I should post this question, so I thought here would be ok. Alrighty, so my 11 month old GSP refuses to go out side and relieve himself when the ground is wet, it's raining, or there is snow on the ground. I am not kidding. You can stand there all day with him and he will not go if the conditions are like that outside. We found out later from the breeder that she didn't take them outside because of the weather was too cold. The litter was born at the end of September. Tobias does not have accidents in the house, but he will hold it, which of course can lead to health issues. So, I guess my question is how do I deal with that? How do I get him to relieve himself outside when the weather is not the greatest?

Thanks for you help
Elissa

Where has the dog been relieving himself since Sept? I'm sorry - am I missing something?

Well he has been going outside...we live in the hot sunny Okanagan (desert climate) we don't get much rain. We got him when in December, and because he was so small we had to shovel snow off his area to relieve himself, otherwise he would not go. It's now coming in to the season of wet weather, and I am wondering how do I fix his problem of not wanting to relieve himself outside in wet conditions. I don't feel like standing out there all day with him. He is not allowed to go just anywhere in the yard. He is trained to go in a certain area

Is his issue with being rained/snowed on or wet beneath his feet?

 Quote: Elissa Hardy

How do I get him to relieve himself outside when the weather is not the greatest?

Put him on a leash and keep walking until he empties. Not terribly convenient for the human, but it's really the only way. This is from the owner of two wimp little dogs who are weather-aversive as well.

Need to expose your dog to weather in general, too. Take long, long walks in the rain or in the snow. He needs to get the idea that the weather won't hurt him (plus when you get his body temp up from the exercise, he won't be cold).

A GSP should be able to handle almost any weather you put him in (except possibly extreme heat).

 Quote: Barbara Schuler

Where has the dog been relieving himself since Sept? I'm sorry - am I missing something?

I laughed out loud at work over this comment. Poor guy, talk about endurance.
Barbara, you're funny.

 Quote: Elissa Hardy

we had to shovel snow off his area to relieve himself,

We too have the extreme conditions, desert in the summer, plenty of snow in winter. Although we have larger dogs, even for them, assuming the position in even a foot of snow does not always work out well logistically. On top of that, the one boy is very unsteady on his feet and meticulous about not getting them wet. Relieving himself in winter conditions is a real struggle just to stay upright, let alone everything he’s got going on mentally with the process.

Just like we shovel snow off the porch and a path for the vehicles, we always shovel routes for the pups. We don’t have a designated area is the summer but in the winter, the path naturally guides them to the shoveled out area. I know they appreciate this and always use the same area. We also have a set of leather booties for husky in the winter.

When it’s just raining, the boots are a bit extreme but sometimes he won’t go out without them. Often though, I’ll just put a bit of Vaseline on his pads (standing on mat by the door). He gets a bit frustrated with me doing this but then he’s ready to go out. Somehow he knows I’ve taken care of feet “issues”. It also repels the wet just long enough for him to run around and do his thing.

I would think shoveling snow for this process is quite normal. You might want to look into some kind of coat or rain slicker for him. The booties and Vaseline help our guy with his finicky feet issue.

Just a few thoughts along with the excellent recommendations to get him used to the different weather conditions.