Help needed for my Depressed Lab

[slushy06]

I recently put a fence up around my lawn to stop my toilet trained 7 month Lab from poohing on the grass and digging it up, So the kids have a nice bit of garden to play on.

The remaining part of the garden is the bigger part but since putting the fence up my Lab has refused to pooh outside and is looking depressed. He used to pooh on the patio sometimes but now he is back to poohing in my house. Any advice on encouraging him to pooh outside before I give in and take down the fence because I am fed up of my dog looking so sad .

Just to add sorry, lots of people have told me to keep him outside but I don't want to do that because I like him lying down with my ds while he is reading or playing. Also I dont think he would get enough attention if kept outside.

As a long time dog owner, almost 25 years experience I find a lot of dogs really don't like to poo on concrete, does your dog have access to a piece of grass other than the main lawn? I wasn't clear from your OP. If not I would look at moving the fence to allow him a patch of grass that was his, and as he is quite young I would almost treat him like a small puppy for a while and re toilet train him, by taking him out regularly to that piece of grass and encouraging him to use it. Does he know a phrase to tell him to go to the loo? Mine always knew "Be clean", and if you repeat that till they do something and give lots of praise it is useful to be able to tell them what you are wanting them to do.

No he doesn't have a piece of grass away from the lawn but I thought He would be okay because if we are out he poohs on concrete in favor of grass, and he often poohed on the concrete before.
So I didn't really think it would be a problem he has also always peed on the the concrete never on the grass and now he wont pee on the concrete either. Why do dogs dislike concrete?.

I tell him outside if he wants the toilet and then he will do his business.

To make it clear I cant move the fence because it had two purposes one of which was my neighbors wall is short and he escaped into their garden and then got out the other side.

I do a 20 minute school run but as he is still young and likes to chew electric wires I can't let him have the run of the house so I shut off the kitchen where all wires are out of reach and let him have the kitchen and garden while I run too the school so I cant move the fence and risk him escaping.

I don't know why they don't like it, just something I have noticed with mine over the years. Perhaps it is just that the garden has changed and he doesn't like it and I suppose he doesn't have the choice now, whereas before he could choose whether he went on the concrete or not. I still think if he is being dirty in the house that taking him outside more often might be helpful. Hope somebody else can come along with some more suggesions

I have been leaving the back door open all day and going out every hour I am beginning to wonder if he just being stropy.
Thanks for the advice I was afraid you were gonna say dogs don't like the concrete I guess worst case I could dig some of the cement up and lay a small lawn.

He is very young, the change in his environment may have frightened him, does he seem reluctant to go out?

Dogs prefer absorbant surfaces to toilet on, that's why they generally won't poo on concrete.

I think you just need to go back to basic toilet training with him - ie. monitor him constantly and if he poos/wees in the house lift him up and put him on the concrete and praise and treat him when he goes in the right place.

Our dogs used to just pooh on the concrete as we gated off an area there for them, but it really stank in Summer as obviously concrete doesn't absorb it. Now they have the run of the garden and if they do go I clear it up immediately.

Also, if they have two long walks a day, they generally will only use the garden to toilet in last thing at night before bed.

Hopefully someone like Bella will be along shortly with some expert advice for you :-)

No he is happy to go out he has been lying out there all day. But he sulks alot if I tell him no chewing something he will sulk and he refuses to eat the same brand of dog food he wont eat if I don't switch between foods.

Does he get enough exersize? If you take him out for a walk twice a day (after meals, but leave it for about an hour due to risk of bloat) he should hopefully do his "business" while out on walkies.

He gets walked at 7.30am in the morning before my partner goes to work and he gets walked at about 7.30pm.

I cant walk him because I have a young baby and he takes advantage if he sees the pram.
He usually has about 3 poohs a day though and alot of pees which he is holding and I am worried he is gonna get ill.

Would the smelly paper things help do you think? Sorry don't know the name.

I think I have discovered the problem apparently next door has bought a staff who is jumping in the garden and poohing on the grass.

Just to add and to bump it up the thread to see if I get any more suggestions after starting retraining he is more than happy to pooh outside but will not pee outside it even went as far as too pee in his bed today. The staff has now been stopped but he still won't pee outside.

First thing I would like to say is that dogs do not sulk or get stroppy! He is a 7 month old pup and his environment has changed so he is obviously disorientated.

He needs gently persuasion that the new situation is ok for him. Yes it is back to basics take him to the area you want him to poo in and praise him like mad when he does it. You will have to do this several times a day for several days.

He is not sulking when you tell him off for not chewing but is anxious. Do not leave things around that he should not chew, make an area safe for him to be left in if he can not be supervised. Give him toys he can chew.

What do you mean by playing up with the pushchair again I feel you have misunderstood this - a 7 month old pup is not there thinking hey the pushchair now I can really annoy her! A pushchair is actually a great device to help to get a dog to walk to heel.

If I walk him with the pushchair he pulls but if I walk him without the pushchair he does not pull.

I don't believe in punishing a dog when I say tell him off I mean if he has one of the kids toys that they have left out telling him leave it at which point he gives me his puppy eyes I stroke him and he is forgiven.

We have a very good relationship. He has about 15 toys which I rotate and a kong ball for if I am busy we do about two hours of game playing a day things like I put a piece of food down tell him to leave it and he gets a treat. Or we teach him tracking or fetch or I build a tunnel and teach him over and under he gets two 30 minute walks a day so I don't think he is under stimulated.

But he does sulk if I say no I cant play a minute he goes and sits with his back to me. Surely all dogs have a personality and my dog knows that if he wants me to play or give him what he wants he has to look sad and I will go and play with him.

With regards to toilet training I take him outside every hour and after meals and sit out there with him until he comes back in if he does anything we have a supply of treats specially for toilet training which he is given if he wees I just ignore and clean up.

Just a tip which might help: IME owners often leave the door open all day for dogs with toilet training problems. I think this makes it worse for them because it makes the line between indoor and outdoors less distinct and therefore makes it less clear to the dog where it's OK to toilet. So try keeping the door shut and making frequent trips outside with him and rewarding heavily when he does go outside.

Have you tried using a sling to carry baby while you walk? Might help if you feel he's easier to walk without the pram. Thant way you could take him out say early afternoon which may help things along

Thanks ohfuck I have tried a sling but when he tried to jump on a lady he pulled me over and I nearly hurt the baby luckily a man was behind me to catch me.

But I was leaving the door open as well as going outside with him so I will definitely give that a try.

I think the main problem is with the pooh I caught him poohing and said outside and he went out thus solving the problem but if I say outside when he is peeing he doesn't stop just leaves a trail and doesn't get any outside.

When he was a puppy I picked him up but I don't think I can pick up 30kilos of dog. I haven't taken it out on him but it is really frustrating when I am outside with him and he walks past me to pee in the house.

And I know I could take the fence down and supervise him and it is all well and good saying that but if one of the kids fell I would probably end up turning away or if they were in the house running back in to see they were ok and then I could lose him.

Problem solved I posted on a pet forum about my dog's problem and was told by a pet trainer it could be one of two things it could be that he is anxious in which case to take him out and treat him outside to ease any anxious feelings and also to go out and play with him outside.

Or it could be that he is hitting adolescence and me changing the fence during a sensitive time is making him want to push the boundries in which case give a very special treat (we choose stake) every time he poohs and hopefully he will start peeing to get the steak.

I started both and less than a hour after initiating both training we have had a pooh and a pee. Now I just need to get a good supply of steaks in .

Thanks to all those who helped I really am grateful for the advice you inputI know I still have a way to go but I feel like I turned a corner