Hi, We have a 13 week old black lab named Forrest. A problem we are having with him at the moment is that after he has been toilet in the garden he simply won't come back inside. We leave him to have a roam about the garden after he has been toilet but this soon leads to some serious digging. Unfortunately, as we are a new build property he is discovering everything which the builders have tried to bury out of sight in the garden i.e. bricks, safety glass etc. If we get his attention he simply looks at us and then turns away. The only way he comes back in is if he hears the treat jar being undone. He now has also taken to sitting to the back door whining to go out, usually this means he needs the loo however, he now has started doing it even after just having been to relive himself. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I wouldn't let him play unattended in the garden at all. Stay with him, take toys and treats and do some training then come back in. It sounds like he's bored to me - more walks, socialising and training are the answer.
Yep, absolutely. My puppy at 8 months is not left to wreak the garden unsupervised. I could leave my older dog in the garden alone but that's the last he wants. He wants to be with me, not on his own in the garden. Focus on getting your puppy's attention, and then keeping it. Getting him to have a wee on cue, then re-engage with you. Do some fun stuff, and come back in together.
This is interesting. I used to leave my first lab out to the garden on her own and when she was done, she would give one bark to be let back in. Sometimes she would lay in the sun in the warmer months for the longest time. Always one bark to be let back in. I can't remember what age she was when she started doing this. I can't let Corona out on her own either or I'm in the same boat as Ainsley and she's 5 months. I was really hoping with the colder weather that I could just stand at the door and wait for her to be done. Maybe I'm dreaming. At what age were you able to let your dog out to the garden on her own?
He isn't allowed out on his own simply because there is so much he is discovering left over from the builders. In the morning we take him to the local dog park just down the road which we are so fortunate to have for socialisation and to walk around off leash. So far he has been fantastic with all the other dogs, though seems to forget he's not one of the big boys yet! No problem getting him back to us in the dog park. Just at home once he has finished toileting and playing its somewhat of a challenge to go back indoors. We'll try mixing up the toys we take outside with us. Treat wise we are being a little cautious as we are still trying to find the right treats that doesn't upset his stomach after discovering Waggs puppy treats was a big no no for him.
Well, I don't know - because I never did. If I leave my older dog in the garden on his own now, say I accidentally shut him out when I'm getting logs or something, he just stands on the back step waiting to come back in. If I left my puppy to her own devices in the garden, she'd just chew all the plants and dig up the water irrigation system. So I don't leave her to her own devices and have no plans to do so either. I can stand at the door, tell my puppy 'have a wee' and she'll go and have a wee and come back to me though.
We do a bit of everything with Ella. She can and will wee on cue if asked. Sometimes this is useful if I'm going out as I can get her to do a wee before I leave her inside. But there are times that I'll let her out and shut the door as I just don't have the time to stand there (life with an 11month old child can get a little hectic). The funny thing is, I open the door to let her back in and sometimes she trot straight in but other times she just gives me a look "no thanks mum, I'm enjoying myself out here" so I shut the door and leave her. Then, any time between 10 minutes and 1/2 hour later she'll come up to the window and give me the "ok, im ready now" look. Obviously this arrangement might not suit everyone as it does involve a little more up and down letting her in and out but it suits us
Oh, in answer to earlier questions, Ella would have been 12 months before we started leaving her outside by herself for any length of time
OUrs loves to go gardening out there - eating twigs, plants, pulling out small plants (ie gardening). Its not the best idea but have tried to redirect to the grass runners - at least they are softer to chew up and eat. How do we get her back in - with food has always been food. Use to have to make the bag make sounds now I just tell her to come inside as there is food. Not a permanent solution but she's a puppy and obedience training, good behaviour on walks and pretty much any time I I need to grab somethign off her I just use food. And follow through with food if you tell the puppy there is food you have to give them something so it remains effective. Basically when it was 2am Im not standing about waiting for her to finish playing and going out on a lead in the dark not practical once she was big enough to go out herself I assume they do lose interest in gardening when they get older.....
If I call Coco in from whatever he's doing, I always reward (usually food) even and 2 and a half years old - I see no need to stop. He has, after all, successfully recalled from a distraction - so I pay him.
I also use food to recall Bailey - depending what he is doing, depends on the value of the reward offered.
I have a cue 'in' it means go through the door, turn round and wait. I don't use a recall in the garden, my recall is too important to use casually like this day to day. So I just train 'in'. In also means 'out'. It just means go through the back door.
I use "comeontatzewhatareyouwaitingforitsfreezinggetamoveon!" My pups wee beautifully on cue. Tatze? Sort of, sometimes - when she feels like it!
Charlie wees on cue, but it's near useless. He dribbles out 2 drops, honking unhappily at wasting good wee when there is nothing interesting to mark, and then comes for a treat. He is reliable though. He will do this on his own cue 'peep peep' and on Betsy's cue 'have a wee'.
