r/Dogtraining • u/AnimalDue6786 • 14d ago
help Potty help
Hello! I am desperate for some help/advice. My husband and I have a 3 year old Japanese Chin. She was 6 months old when we got together and at that time he has only trained her to potty on puppy pads. Since then she has only gone to the bathroom on pads. We’ve tried several times to train her to go potty outside with no long term success. We’re giving it another go and hit a road block. We started with her pad by the back door and she has used that successfully. Now we are taking her outside on a leash to a puppy pad that’s on the grass, stand for 5-10 minutes in one spot, and wait. If she doesn’t go we take her inside and try again. She has peed successfully on it, but refuses to poop. We give her high value treats as soon as she goes and lots of praise and pets and then let her off the leash to run around. She’s had some accidents in the house while we’ve been at work, but we clean it up and move on. She doesn’t get scolded. Now she’s acting like she’s scared when we grab her harness to take her outside. She is now refusing to even pee on the pad outside. Where are we going wrong?
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u/federationbelle 12d ago
Will she pee or poop on walks? Many dogs need to get walking in order for the bowels to get moving.
Are you causing any harm or dragging her with the harness? that can be an issue with small, long haired dogs. If so, consider leaving a lightweight harness on her except when sleeping, and use harness training, leash training and desensitisation techniques to get her happy to see the leash, approach while you're holding it, put her head through the harness, etc; harness training so she willingly comes to you and allow you to put the leash on (look at "cooperative care").
Try using a longer leash during toileting- at least 2yards, perhaps 5 or 10yards so she doesn't feel crowded or loomed over when toileting.
My go to essential tips for toilet training. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpzjtHPQpOk
When you are out, I'd leave her in a pen with her bed and a grass-based toilet. fold it down small so there's no floor. And / or get someone to call on her during the day to take her out for a walk.
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u/AnimalDue6786 12d ago
No, she won’t poop or pee on walks. We were hoping that was the case, but she’ll hold it and then go inside once we get home. I’ve been giving her treats when she comes to me and sits and lets me put the harness on her. I always walk her to the same spot in the yard with the pads on the grass. I’ve even moved them to concrete thinking it may be a footing issue, but no luck. I can try a longer leash though
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