Peeing on home turf

[Parodius]

Over the last few months Neo has become less and less inclined to toilet in the garden to the point where he now won’t go at all, even when he’s clearly desperate. It’s normally not an issue as we have several bushes and patches of grass nearby he deems ‘suitable’ so I just pop him out and straight back if need be but with the temperatures going up again I worry about his paws as we have to walk on tarmac to get to them. I always test the pavement first and it’s less than100m but it can get pretty hot at times. Also if he’s unwell it’s not ideal as I have to follow up with bottles of water and cleaning equipment (should point out I’m talking about verges etc not anywhere kids would play or anything).

He used to go in the garden no problems and has always been highly praised/treated for toileting there. I thought I’d attached a cue but that doesn’t seem to work so clearly I didn’t! Not sure if he sees the garden as an extension of the house or something? Anyone got any tips on encouraging a reluctant dog to at least pee in the garden? Thanks.

 

[JES72]

Homer doesn't like peeing in the garden. When he was younger he would be quite happy to give our bamboo a good watering every morning and throughout the day. As he got older he'll hold it in for walks unless for some reason he is desperate. The last time he peed in teh garden was the morning after he had an anesthetic to x-ray his teeth and remove a lump on his paw. He will also prefer to poop on his walks rather than in the garden, we have a small paved garden with raised beds as well as a special poop areas of woodchip that we set up when he first arrived as a small pup. I'm not sure when the change happened but it was a few years ago.

 

[Atemas]

I have no tips but I understand your predicament especially at the moment with the very hot weather. Red has become more and more reluctant to ‘go’ in the garden. She used to use the garden first thing but is now hanging on until she’s taken for her walk. During the day during this hot spell, I take her out in the garden just before she has a kong and say ‘go wee’. She’s keen to get her kong so she goes - I am sure she is thinking ‘ I better do a wee quick so I can have my kong’

I am taking her out around 8 pm to some grass near here and generally she has a but I know she wouldn’t go in the garden. I check the tarmac and then we swiftly go walking on the shadier side of the street.

I’m not sure why she’s stopped going in the garden - I suppose I have put it down to the dog problem/weird neighbour at the bottom of our garden even though it’s much less a problem now. Both the dogs and the woman’s voice frighten her

 

[Selina27]

I haven't got any tips sorry . I think it's quite a common thing for dogs not want to pee or poo in the garden.

 

[kateincornwall]

I feel for you , Reuben is also very choosey about his toileting , especially for a We take our two out very early morning but thats it , I have to go and sit out with Reuben early evening when the sun has gone off the garden and wait , and hope , much fuss if he produces the goods I do love summer but will be quite pleased when the temperatures return to something like normal x

 

[SwampDonkey]

No delicacy or reluctance here it's s very forthright and earthy kind of house.

 

[Candy]

No delicacy or reluctance here it's s very forthright and earthy kind of house.

Same here, funnily enough, GGJ has no qualms....if she needs to go in the garden, she goes in the garden! We always taught our dogs 'Be quick!' as a cue to have a wee and it seems to work still. Particularly useful in between trains on long journeys. Guide Dogs are taught 'Spend!' so I have to remember this when Keir comes to stay.
Sorry, I haven't actually given you any helpful advice, but I'm sure someone will have some ideas.xx

 

[Loraseal]

Can't help either but Hunter will not pooh or wee in our tiny garden. He only does it if in emergency. It does mean we have to shade jump and zig zag on our walks in the summer heat.

 

[Parodius]

Interesting that others have similar issues, I guess it’s a bit more common than I realised. For a dog that sometimes pees on his own feet I’m surprised Neo is that fussy about where he goes!

It does mean we have to shade jump and zig zag

I think this is what we will have to continue doing in the meantime if he really needs to go. He had an upset tummy at the end of last week so we were in and out in the heat more than I would have liked. On the back of that I panic bought a cooling coat to help. It arrived this morning, here he is modelling it in the garden, whilst still refusing to pee!

 

[Stacia]

We built a special area for Rourke, he will pee in it on command in the morning and he might let himself out at night through the dog flap, otherwise I have to take him to the field gate about 75 yards away to pee and he does poo down the lane. Interestingly I am feeding the hedgehog at the Old Rectory (while they are in Australia for a month) and the first thing he does when I go into their yard is to pee!!

 

[MellowYellow]

What a handsome boy he is.... Is that real grass?? If so - wow!! If not, maybe that's why he won't pee on it, because the smell does not really dissipate?

My two use the garden - but only right down the end, far away from the house. I think they sometimes feel that the garden is an extension of the home, so don't like to toilet there.

 

[Selina27]

I think they sometimes feel that the garden is an extension of the home, so don't like to toilet there.

Yes, I think you're right , I have a small garden which Cassie will use in emergencies but I know she'd rather not. She always gets herself as close to the fence as she possibly can.

 

[Parodius]

What a handsome boy he is.... Is that real grass?? If so - wow!! If not, maybe that's why he won't pee on it, because the smell does not really dissipate?

My two use the garden - but only right down the end, far away from the house. I think they sometimes feel that the garden is an extension of the home, so don't like to toilet there.

No, it’s not real grass unfortunately. We have cleaner for it and wet it down, luckily it doesn’t get the sun for a lot of the day so doesn’t get too hot, but it’s not ideal. I’d never had artificial grass before and did wonder if this could be putting him off, although there are other gravelled areas he could use if he wanted.

We moved here a couple of years ago and the intention is to replace it with real grass but the whole garden needs an overhaul due to some bizarre landscaping choices by the previous owners so we’re saving up. Maybe he will be more inclined to pee if he feels the real thing under his paws!

 

[Parodius]

We built a special area for Rourke, he will pee in it on command in the morning and he might let himself out at night through the dog flap, otherwise I have to take him to the field gate about 75 yards away to pee and he does poo down the lane. Interestingly I am feeding the hedgehog at the Old Rectory (while they are in Australia for a month) and the first thing he does when I go into their yard is to pee!!

Aww, I love hedgehogs. We came across one the other night on a walk, Neo was intrigued! I kept him away so as not to scare it and it’s long gone now but he still checks the same hedge every time we walk that way.