Going to the bathroom in the right place..

[JaspersFam]

So Jasper is good about going to the bathroom outside... BUT every now and then as soon as we put him out he will just pee directly on the concrete in front of him and i'd like to break him of that habit. Also i had been basically just putting him outside to use the restroom and not really making sure where he went but my wife made a good point that we should try to curb him using the restroom on the grass now... any ideas on the best way to do that?? taking him out on a leash and making him go in certain area? try to create a "sandbox" type area?

 

[raisingboys]

This is one of my big concerns with bringing home our new puppy! I can't wait to read the responses to this. My husband and I talked about just making a designated area like you said about the "sandbox" just for her. I want to train her right from the beginning where ONLY she can go. I have heard about putting rocks down and training them to go only in the rocks and its easier to clean up, but I do not know.

Our other Boxer pretty much had free reign because our yard was bigger in SC. Now, we have a smaller yard that wont work with that type of free spirit!

As far as breaking Jasper of not going on the concrete, can you just carry him out and then sit him EXACTLY where you want him to go? Maybe, he just can't hold it and he MUST go?

 

[baxtercruz]

I have a pretty big yard and let Baxter go out without much guidance as to where to pee- but when he was little, my mom would come to check him and let him out to potty. Our yard wasn't fully fenced then, and she didn't trust him to stay with her, so she would just take him out on a leash to where she wanted him to potty. I wasn't really concerned about WHERE he went, but he seemed to like those specific spots she took him to, and goes potty there all on his own even now. So I think that would be a pretty easy thing to try first- and give lots of praise when he goes in the right spot.

 

[LILYLARUE]

Just a thought as to getting him to go further into the yard to potty. Maybe toss a treat out to the area so he runs for that instead of stopping to go on the concrete first. After a while he will go to that spot right away to search for his treat. And by that point his routine is set and he won't need treats anymore.

There are objects you can buy that mark specific pee spots. They even sell plastic Hydrants for this purpose. To train, you must use a leash first, and treats if needed, til the routine is established. Maybe this could be something you can get to "mark" their pee territory.

 

[JaspersFam]

As far as breaking Jasper of not going on the concrete, can you just carry him out and then sit him EXACTLY where you want him to go? Maybe, he just can't hold it and he MUST go?

Blahahaha!! getting a puppy to sit in one place is easier said than done.... and i think that he pees sometimes to spite us because he's mad about something...

not really too too much of a problem but we will try to monitor him more

 

[whiskers]

My 8 week old does this. She's too small to do the deck stairs on her own, so I carry her down the stairs and set her down as soon as we get on the patio (I want her to get used to having to walk on her own to her potty spot), and many times she'll just pee right there. I still praise the heck out of her because peeing there is much better than peeing in the house, , but it would be nice if she'd wait until she was in the grass.

But ya know, my other dog had a similar problem when she was a pup. She wouldn't pee in the grass, she'd always go over to rocks or pavement to pee. Not really sure what the deal was, but she outgrew that on her own.

 

[Savvy]

Going in the desired place.

This is one I have been working on for the lasat week with our 7wk pup. I have a kennel run along the side of the house and each morning I have been carrying him to that location to relieve himdelf. I know he would much rather go on the grass but I dont let him by me untill he goes. As soon as he finishes I click and treat with a bunch of hot dog pieces and hooplah. He loves it. If he goes anywhere else I have been ignoring it. His little brain is starting to put the pieces together. This week I will start walking him on a leash to this spot each time he goes outside and once he goes I will click and treat along with letting him off the leash. I will post our progress in a week or so.

Jim