Help! My dog has ADD.
June 30, 2010 9:04 PM Subscribe
My dog is too distracted to do his business outside. Suggestions please.
I've had Milo for two weeks. He's a two-year-old rat terrier mix, possibly with chihuahua. Eight pounds, he was adopted from the local animal shelter after being caught as a stray. He was either not house trained, or is currently too anxious to remember being house trained. Plenty of energy, very cuddly, doesn't bark, loves to chew on toys and not shoes... aside from his problem with distraction, he is an excellent dog.
The advice I've been given, which is working to some extent, is to crate him. More specifically, I take him out 4x/day: upon waking, noon, before dinner, and before bed. He is fed after his morning walk and right after his dinner walk.
He pees every time, but there is currently no pattern to his pooping, despite his regular feeding schedule. The only thing that works to get him to not go in the house is, if he doesn't "make a deposit" outside on his walk, he goes right into the crate until it's time for the next walk. Sometimes he has to go first thing in the morning, sometimes noon, sometimes dinnertime, sometimes before bed. Sometimes a combination of two or three of these. No rhyme or reason. The only thing I can be sure of is that if he doesn't go outside on his walk, and he is not put in his crate when we get inside, he will surely poop in the house.
It seems like his main issue is that he gets so distracted outside. Smells, people walking by or even down the block, a dog within earshot or sight or a child within earshot or sight, everything distracts him, even if he is really close to "going." He then "forgets" that he has to go and can't be "reactivated." It's as if my dog has ADD.
What are some things I can do to help him gain focus so he can poop without distraction?
(As per MeFi cultural norms, here is a picture of my dog.)
I've had Milo for two weeks. He's a two-year-old rat terrier mix, possibly with chihuahua. Eight pounds, he was adopted from the local animal shelter after being caught as a stray. He was either not house trained, or is currently too anxious to remember being house trained. Plenty of energy, very cuddly, doesn't bark, loves to chew on toys and not shoes... aside from his problem with distraction, he is an excellent dog.
The advice I've been given, which is working to some extent, is to crate him. More specifically, I take him out 4x/day: upon waking, noon, before dinner, and before bed. He is fed after his morning walk and right after his dinner walk.
He pees every time, but there is currently no pattern to his pooping, despite his regular feeding schedule. The only thing that works to get him to not go in the house is, if he doesn't "make a deposit" outside on his walk, he goes right into the crate until it's time for the next walk. Sometimes he has to go first thing in the morning, sometimes noon, sometimes dinnertime, sometimes before bed. Sometimes a combination of two or three of these. No rhyme or reason. The only thing I can be sure of is that if he doesn't go outside on his walk, and he is not put in his crate when we get inside, he will surely poop in the house.
It seems like his main issue is that he gets so distracted outside. Smells, people walking by or even down the block, a dog within earshot or sight or a child within earshot or sight, everything distracts him, even if he is really close to "going." He then "forgets" that he has to go and can't be "reactivated." It's as if my dog has ADD.
What are some things I can do to help him gain focus so he can poop without distraction?
(As per MeFi cultural norms, here is a picture of my dog.)
My dog, also a mixed rescue dog with unknown origins and easily distractable, did this until fairly recently. She seemed fond of going in certain spots and I would make sure to take her there. If she didn't go at those spots I made an effort to walk an extra five or ten minutes and return to the spot. That usually worked but not always. I don't feel that distraction is really the core issue here. Your dog probably just doesn't connect outdoors with going number 2 yet.
Eventually my dog just understood that outside is poo time and now goes pretty quickly. I also reward her with treats and/or praise when she goes. Positive reinforcement is your friend when it comes to housebreaking/pooing on command issues. If it helps, it took me about eight or nine months to get to this point. I think you're in a difficult situation because your dog is not housebroken. Most likely, this issue will resolve itself once he starts to understand what you want from him. In the meantime, it can get frustrating, but dog training definitely has its "pay your dues" nature to it, but it will get better.
posted by damn dirty ape at 9:43 PM on June 30, 2010
Eventually my dog just understood that outside is poo time and now goes pretty quickly. I also reward her with treats and/or praise when she goes. Positive reinforcement is your friend when it comes to housebreaking/pooing on command issues. If it helps, it took me about eight or nine months to get to this point. I think you're in a difficult situation because your dog is not housebroken. Most likely, this issue will resolve itself once he starts to understand what you want from him. In the meantime, it can get frustrating, but dog training definitely has its "pay your dues" nature to it, but it will get better.
posted by damn dirty ape at 9:43 PM on June 30, 2010
2nding the long walks. I have an easily distracted young pup and sometimes have to double my walk if too many people pass by.
Fireworks and thunder are a real problem. In the last storm I got thoroughly drenched waiting for her to do the final night business. What also seems to help when she's scared is to keep the leash short and not let her wander very much.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 10:14 PM on June 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
Fireworks and thunder are a real problem. In the last storm I got thoroughly drenched waiting for her to do the final night business. What also seems to help when she's scared is to keep the leash short and not let her wander very much.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 10:14 PM on June 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
Definitely exercise! You wouldn't think it'd be the case, but I had a rescue pup who would always wait until the last leg of the trip. I guess he was too tired to wait/hold it anymore. He would also poop every time we took him to the dog park. It was so funny! He'd play, play, play, play... go run off to a corner to poop... then play, play, play, play.
It's like when you have to pee. You can ignore it as long as you are up and walking around, but the moment you stop to do something that requires even a little concentration (or just standing still) it hits you. OMG! I have to pee.
Like that. So, try running with him at first, then take him to a few spots and let him get used to the surroundings (that is, so the distractions are no longer that interesting). Maybe a park with benches?
Good luck!
posted by two lights above the sea at 10:15 PM on June 30, 2010
It's like when you have to pee. You can ignore it as long as you are up and walking around, but the moment you stop to do something that requires even a little concentration (or just standing still) it hits you. OMG! I have to pee.
Like that. So, try running with him at first, then take him to a few spots and let him get used to the surroundings (that is, so the distractions are no longer that interesting). Maybe a park with benches?
Good luck!
posted by two lights above the sea at 10:15 PM on June 30, 2010
A family friend got a new puppy (lab) this winter. The breeder told her to sprinkle pine shavings in the spot where she wanted the puppy do do her business. So perhaps a consistent scent + a consistent location will help remind your dog to poop?
posted by oceano at 10:53 PM on June 30, 2010
posted by oceano at 10:53 PM on June 30, 2010
the advice above is good, let me add a couple of things..
Try taking her out AFTER meals, not before.
Be patient.
And, two weeks is WAY too soon to establish a poop pattern, give it some time.
posted by HuronBob at 4:36 AM on July 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Try taking her out AFTER meals, not before.
Be patient.
And, two weeks is WAY too soon to establish a poop pattern, give it some time.
posted by HuronBob at 4:36 AM on July 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Young Terrier? Welsh owner here pic. The inability to focus is def exercise related. If our boy doesn't get a long walk/run/time in the dog park AT LEAST every other day walking him his infuriating. Add in living in a very dog dense area and there are days it takes him 45 minutes to calm down enough to think about pooping. Even with the exercise. Just be glad your guy isn't in love with the rain. Guaranteed hour walk no matter what. I find that when I want to take him out for a longish trip usually the first 20 minutes involve a lot of commands and more then a bit of leash pulling.
posted by JPD at 4:42 AM on July 1, 2010
posted by JPD at 4:42 AM on July 1, 2010
He's cute, cute, cute! Make sure you give him praise and a yummy treat every time he poops outside, using extra special treats (at least at first) like a nice little bit of steak left over from your supper, a little chunk of chicken, a hunky cube of cheese - that kind of thing, something better than whatever you usually use as a treat.
We trained our mixed-breed rescue, who had some potty issues (she was scared to pee or poo... probably because she had been punished in the past, and so tried to never do either, especially when we were around!) using this method, and she was perfectly trained in a few days.
And, yep, it is very difficult for them when there are people and especially other dogs around, so try to choose times and paths that give him a bit more privacy.
Good luck!
posted by taz at 6:52 AM on July 1, 2010
We trained our mixed-breed rescue, who had some potty issues (she was scared to pee or poo... probably because she had been punished in the past, and so tried to never do either, especially when we were around!) using this method, and she was perfectly trained in a few days.
And, yep, it is very difficult for them when there are people and especially other dogs around, so try to choose times and paths that give him a bit more privacy.
Good luck!
posted by taz at 6:52 AM on July 1, 2010
Two weeks is a very short time frame for what you are trying to accomplish. I have a chihuahua (possibly a mix) that I adopted at 7 months and between him still being young and being a stray, it was a good 6 months before we had his housetraining on schedule.
He's now 6 years old, and regular as a clock. He is EXTREMELY distracted everytime we walk. Leaves, squirrels, neighborhood cats, other dogs, water, wind, cars, you name it he stares, chases or barks at it. The very least amount of time I can walk him is 20 minutes. Usually it's 30 to 45 minutes every time.
I do keep him close to me and at a brisk pace for the first 10 minutes or so. He knows that if he takes care of pee and poo at the beginning he gets unlimited sniffing time for the rest of the walk. That does not work everytime (especially after it rains!), but enough that the walks are much more relaxing for the both of us.
Be consistent and give it time!
posted by lootie777 at 8:31 AM on July 1, 2010
He's now 6 years old, and regular as a clock. He is EXTREMELY distracted everytime we walk. Leaves, squirrels, neighborhood cats, other dogs, water, wind, cars, you name it he stares, chases or barks at it. The very least amount of time I can walk him is 20 minutes. Usually it's 30 to 45 minutes every time.
I do keep him close to me and at a brisk pace for the first 10 minutes or so. He knows that if he takes care of pee and poo at the beginning he gets unlimited sniffing time for the rest of the walk. That does not work everytime (especially after it rains!), but enough that the walks are much more relaxing for the both of us.
Be consistent and give it time!
posted by lootie777 at 8:31 AM on July 1, 2010
Adorable pup. Just give it time. You'll find a routine that works for both of you. Dogs are distractible by nature, but once he gets into a routine, it will likely stick. I've never tried it, but I know people who have "trained" a word associated with pooping (one woman at our dog park tells her dog to "do your taxes!") and then the dog poops and gets a treat for it. As you settle into a routine, you might reward him when he poops, using a specific word and a treat, and then (several hundred reinforcements later) when he gets distracted you have a command to give him.
posted by judith at 12:18 PM on July 1, 2010
posted by judith at 12:18 PM on July 1, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Only thing that works is mountains of exercise and really long walks, tire and bore him into submission basically. Caveat: you may tire well before he does!
posted by merocet at 9:16 PM on June 30, 2010