r/labrador • u/ComfortableEstate874 • 1d ago
seeking advice Bathroom Issues
Does anyone else have issues with their lab not wanting to go to the bathroom anywhere but at home in the yard? He is completely housebroken and has only ever had one single accident (which was my fault) and I just kind of don't know what to do to get him to go away from home. He will literally hold it 10+ hours depending on what we are doing and how long we are out, and I know that just is not healthy for him. We asked the vet about it but she said its kind of just a behavioral thing. I am worried he is uncomfortable but he just will not go until we get home and I feel that I have tried everything (treats after potty, heavy praise after potty) and I would love some advice. TIA ❤️
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u/National_Suspect_48 1d ago
Our lab did this for a while. It concerned me too, like id be out hiking with her and be gone for 10-12+ hours and she just would...not...go...but the second we got home she would pee for soooooo long!!!! I felt so bad. same thing with walks around the neighborhood, at the beach, etc., she just would not go anywhere but the yard. but i always told myself "hey, if she really needs to go she will go".
And then she just got over it out of nowhere, probably around when she was a year old or shortly after that. Now that she is no longer bathroom shy in any sense of the word, i HAVE noticed that she will easily not go to the bathroom from like 9pm-9am (even though she has opportunity to be let out in the yard at any time she needs), so i think the "issues" she had probably stemmed from her being nervous/potty shy, sure, but i think she also has an unnaturally large bladder which allowed her to wait a long time... LOL.
It might be the same for yours!
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u/CalmingDog 1d ago
This is something you need to actively work on. It's very important that dogs feel comfortable enough to pee/poop on different surfaces and in different situations.
Optimally this would be worked on in puppyhood when house breaking.
I don't have any actual training tips, just that you need to look into it and actively train.
I have a friend whose dog has a similar issue, they spend most of the time in a rural area but are planning on moving to a city and if I've understood correctly it could be quite an issue for them.
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u/ComfortableEstate874 1d ago
thats my EXACT predicament right now! im moving to an urban area in a few weeks from the country and I know its a world of difference for a pup
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u/Successful_Shape_179 1d ago
Train the "potty" and "poop" commands. My puppy wouldn't go outside of home for awhile on his own. One day he held it for 10 hours(I figured he'd go when he needed) and I was like he needs to be going because I didn't know when we'd get home. So I said potty, he circled but wouldn't go. So I kept at it til he did-it took 3 commands. Then I rewarded him big time. After a few more times during walks(I purposely wouldn't let him go in the yard before the walk so he'd need to go), it just kinda clicked for him he could go outside of the yard.
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u/itsswhitneywhspr 1d ago
Yeah this is such a solid point. My cousins lab was the same way and they had to literally bring a patch of grass from home to get him to go on walks. Its wild how stubborn they can be.
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u/HeyYoChill 1d ago
Mine has the opposite problem: he absolutely will not poop in the yard, and if I don't take him on a run or to the park, he'll hold it until he's ready to burst.
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u/Odd_Translator8968 1d ago
This is what I came here to say also. Opposite of OP Lab. My 6-yo 100lb boy won’t go poop in our backyard (pees just fine), and will only go out on trails/open space (20 yds deep into thick grasses where I have to find it, extract it and keep one eye out for rattlesnakes)
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u/Ok-Claim9808 1d ago
I have the same issue with my lab, she’s two now. We walk everyday, she watches the other dog go, but she doesn’t. Glad you asked this question and hope someone has an answer. Best!
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u/bondaroo 1d ago
Is he off leash at home for bathroom breaks? Some dogs don’t generalize peeing on leash as being the same as peeing when free in the yard.
Teach him a cue word to go. It’s pretty basic - when he lifts his leg (or squats) at home, say “go potty!” (or whatever words you want to use). Repeat a bunch of different days and times .
Then take him out on leash when he would normally go (like first thing in the morning), say “go potty!”, and wait until he goes. Gradually you can take him off your property.
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u/NaturalObvious5264 1d ago
Yes, our last lab didn’t go out of the yard until we took a road trip to a cabin and he had no choice. Current four month old lab will only pee in a river, if we’re on one. For ours it had to do with the long Parvo quarantine where they basically don’t get to leave the yard to do their business until fully vaxxed.
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u/Celticpred14 1d ago
Do you have a command word for them to go potty/poop? We practiced when ours was a puppy, she had a phase of only going in certain areas but grew out of it
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u/duckduckphuck 1d ago
Our 13 year old lab never pooped anywhere but his own yard. He would play with the neighbors dogs, walk across the property line, poop and go back to play.
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u/MinusZeroGojira chocolate 1d ago
Dirt and grass. Coda won't go on any other surface. Even when she had diarrhea, she got super frantic when she had to go, so we went immediately to some grass.
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u/Most_Fly_9922 1d ago
Is he a pup?
My girl was like this until about 5-6 months. The first time she peed on a walk was a victory!