Getting dog to go to toilet before walk

g6fdyotp5nj2l7

Hi no matter how long I leave my dog in the garden before I take him walking he won't go to the toilet, yet five minutes from the house he goes.
I don't mind picking up after him but the route I take him doesn't have bins so I end up carrying a bag of dog s###e for a couple of hours.
It's not that he won't use the garden to go to the toilet it seems to be more after walking for a few minutes he gets the urge. I've tried walking him around the garden on the lead but doesn't work.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

seamus

They prefer to not do it in their own territory. I don't think there's anyway you can force him to.

Mine is too old now to walk much more than a couple of hundred metres. My life is spent cleaning her crap from the back garden, I'd much rather she did it on a walk so we can clean as we go tbh.

g6fdyotp5nj2l7

seamus wrote:

They prefer to not do it in their own territory. I don't think there's anyway you can force him to.

He has no problem going in the garden when he's around at home. Just can't get him to go there before I take him walking.

hairyprincess

If he goes five minutes after you leave the house, would you not just go back to the house with the poop bag?

harr

Our lad used to be the same , no problem going in garden any other time but he knew the times he was going for his walk and would always hold off till we got out.. his routine I suppose.
I used to just bag it and leave it hidden and collect on way back from the walk.

g6fdyotp5nj2l7

hairyprincess wrote:

If he goes five minutes after you leave the house, would you not just go back to the house with the poop bag?

I've done that but it's not always 5 minutes could be 10 or 15 either

tk123

You need to mark when he goes with a word/phrase/sound and treat/make a big deal out of it and then in theory he should go when you ask him ie once he's associated going to the loo with you saying eg get busy/poo/whatever with and getting a treat and lots or praise.

Now normally you do this when you're training eg a pup at home - I'm not sure how you feel about having a street party when he poos outside for a while until he's learned what you want him to do lol

g6fdyotp5nj2l7

tk123 wrote:

You need to mark when he goes with a word/phrase/sound and treat/make a big deal out of it and then in theory he should go when you ask him ie once he's associated going to the loo with you saying eg get busy/poo/whatever with and getting a treat and lots or praise.

Oh I've tried this without any luck. Maybe I'm not a good trainer :-( I didn't have him as a pup he's a rescue. I firmly believe he knows what I want him to do just won't oblige :-)

D3V!L

My lad will only go for a number 2 at home. Never does it out and about thankfully. No training involved, must be his personal preference.

g6fdyotp5nj2l7

harr wrote:

Our lad used to be the same , no problem going in garden any other time but he knew the times he was going for his walk and would always hold off till we got out.. his routine I suppose. I used to just bag it and leave it hidden and collect on way back from the walk.

Sounds exactly like my fella. I do leave it hidden and collect it on the way back when I can. Unfortunately one of his (and mine) favourite walks is a loop.

granturismo

Rosalyn Helpless Specs wrote: »

.. I do leave it hidden and collect it on the way back when I can. Unfortunately one of his (and mine) favourite walks is a loop.

Maybe you could do the decent thing and always go back and collect it.

g6fdyotp5nj2l7

Maybe you should haul in your neck I obviously don't leave it there if I'm doing the loop.

Rubberchikken

i trained pups for.the guide dogs years ago and they would be trained/encouraged to go in garden before walk with time and patience.
i can remember telling each one to 'get busy' and loads of praise when done.
it does take time. it might be harder with an older dog though.

volchitsa

IME it's being on the leash that makes them reluctant to go to the loo until they really need to. Take off the leash and that's pretty much the first thing they'll do.

Is there anywhere near the start of the walk that you could take your dog off the leash for a few minutes, wait till he does his business, clear it up and then hide/dump it and not have to worry about it for the rest of the walk? If it's not too far from home you could then pick it up at the end of the walk?

Always Tired

Rosalyn Helpless Specs wrote: »

Oh I've tried this without any luck. Maybe I'm not a good trainer :-( I didn't have him as a pup he's a rescue. I firmly believe he knows what I want him to do just won't oblige :-)

No, he just prefers to go on the walk where it isnt messing up his own territory. You saying he goes when he's left outside alone just means he eventually goes when realizes this is going to be the only option.

My dog also only poos on walks, and I much prefer that myself, as would most owners.

The dog is house trained as it is but now that's not good enough and you want him to drop turds on command, that's completely ridiculous. Within reason you should work with what your dog will do naturally. Find an area that is near some brush or woods and toss the bag in there, as long as it's not somewhere people will be walking and the bags are biodegradable (most are).

Choc Chip

Always Tired wrote: »

Find an area that is near some brush or woods and toss the bag in there, as long as it's not somewhere people will be walking and the bags are biodegradable (most are).

You mean to collect later, right? You're not suggesting littering woodland with dog poo bags (irrespective of whether they're biodegradable)...?

g6fdyotp5nj2l7

volchitsa wrote:

IME it's being on the leash that makes them reluctant to go to the loo until they really need to. Take off the leash and that's pretty much the first thing they'll do.

It's no bother to my fella to do his business on the lead that's the problem :-)

g6fdyotp5nj2l7

If I was prepared to do this I wouldn't have posted in the first place.

punisher5112

I trained my 2 labs to do this years ago...

It took not long though as they would be praised and a treat for going but also saying go to the toilet....

I would have leads in hand and if they didn't go I'd put the lead back... This worked wonders and the routine was, are we going for a walk? Then open back door, they'd go running to go toilet and then if it was the case they had already or just didn't need to they'd run up to me sit down and beg with 2 front paws up.... They done this themselves.

Choc Chip

Rosalyn Helpless Specs wrote: »

Oh I've tried this without any luck. Maybe I'm not a good trainer :-( I didn't have him as a pup he's a rescue. I firmly believe he knows what I want him to do just won't oblige :-)

Hey Rosalyn Helpless Specs, like tkc said, would you train him to go on the lead to a word?

I know you said you've tried it before but if I were you I'd have a go again. It's worth the time if it's really annoying you?

I'm not a dog trainer but I'd approach it this way (someone might come along and correct/refine this):

1. stick something amazing in your pocket before you leave on the walk - cubed cheese / chopped hotdog etc.
2. when you're on your walk and you see him sniffing/ moving like he's about to go to the toilet, say your word (I use "quick quick") and after he's finished give him one of your amazing treats. Timing is everything - you want him to be finished pooing so that he doesn't get distracted, but if you leave giving the treat too long he wont associate it with the action.
3. repeat every walk for a few weeks - he should be looking at you for a treat when he's done by the end.
4. test it outside by using your word on the walk and seeing if he changes his behaviour and looks for somewhere to go. If he does, brill, you can move to trying it in your garden.
5. If your test at step 4 fails, go back to 3 and repeat, occasionally testing and seeing whether he's associated your word with the action yet.
6. If your garden test fails, it's not that he's being awkward, he just hasn't generalised that your command for the walk should apply in the garden. Test it on different places on the walk, move it closer to the house, keep moving it closer until he'll go when asked to in the garden.

Sorry for the essay, it's not a quick fix, but that's how I'd go about it if I was trying to do it (I'm not, i'm delighted if mine go in the field out the back rather than my garden :pac: ).

tk123

OP another thing to add to your list - maybe a strip of grass/turf that's in a set place in the garden and he might go on it? One of my dogs will poo anywhere in the back garden..- the other will only poo in either corner of the front garden lol - I guess he prefers the flowerbed (well really it's all weeds/grass lol)!

g6fdyotp5nj2l7

Thanks for the suggestions everyone

AryaStark

My girl wont go in the garden but I bring her out to some overgrown grass outside the wall and she will go... its so handy. She will also always go on a walk and she does her best to do it where I cannot pict it up.. she will look at me and go right down to the canal or into a ditch or as far as she can away, I have the feeling she thinks I am mad for picking up her ****.

The puppy ****s out in the front yard and I am dying for him to learn from her and start holding it until we walk or at least down the garden and not where we like to sit out!

I would imagine that as your guy is older he is being clean and doing housekeeping.

tk123

AryaStark wrote: »

The puppy ****s out in the front yard and I am dying for him to learn from her and start holding it until we walk or at least down the garden and not where we like to sit out!

Oh god Lucy poo'd a few times as we were crossing the road!! :rolleyes: lol

banie01

D3V!L wrote: »

My lad will only go for a number 2 at home. Never does it out and about thankfully. No training involved, must be his personal preference.

Plenty of people I know won't crap away from their home loo either

lulu1

D3V!L wrote: »

My lad will only go for a number 2 at home. Never does it out and about thankfully. No training involved, must be his personal preference.

Ours is complete oppisite wont do no 2 at home for love nor money