Hi this is my first post although I have been following for some time. So far all my questions have been answered but now I have a question / potential problem. Emba, a female lab. is now 7 months and has been using the garden as her toilet since she came to us at 8 weeks. Now it has rained for the first time in many months she is refusing to enter the garden and will simply hold on so we are having to take her for short walks to empty. This is not a problem in itself and we are sure it will get sorted eventually. The potential issue is that we have heard that her sisters are coming into season so we need to overcome this issue soon, before Emba's season. Any suggestions...............
Hi @Emba, light rain increases the scent of things in the back garden. Can you think of any aversive that now has a stronger scent?Tiny bits of fecal matter you may not have been able to clear up will have a stronger smell. Dogs are reluctant to step on such matter. Is it possible to cut the grass with a catcher! And then water heavily the area? Equally the dog may may have developed a self rewarding pattern that it gets to go out for walk if she holds on. I would say a cue when she urinates and defecates. Mark and treat. Once she is doing that consistently, cue the behaviour in your back garden with the highest value treat you can think of. You may have to lure her into the back garden with a trail of treats in order for her to get the jackpot. It is of course possible that she was frightened in the back garden by say a cat and that the rain is just coincidental to the issue. I do not know how your home set up. If you can, play a high drive game in the house that spills out into the garden. Ball thrown one metre into back garden. She retrieves it. Big reward. And then thrown a little farther. Let us know. The problem you have is a puzzle and I would like to learn what works to mitigate it.
Hi @Emba, light rain increases the scent of things in the back garden. Can you think of any aversive that now has a stronger scent?Tiny bits of fecal matter you may not have been able to clear up will have a stronger smell. Dogs are reluctant to step on such matter. Is it possible to cut the grass with a catcher! And then water heavily the area? Equally the dog may may have developed a self rewarding pattern that it gets to go out for walk if she holds on. I would say a cue when she urinates and defecates. Mark and treat. Once she is doing that consistently, cue the behaviour in your back garden with the highest value treat you can think of. You may have to lure her into the back garden with a trail of treats in order for her to get the jackpot. It is of course possible that she was frightened in the back garden by say a cat and that the rain is just coincidental to the issue. I do not know how your home set up. If you can, play a high drive game in the house that spills out into the garden. Ball thrown one metre into back garden. She retrieves it. Big reward. And then thrown a little farther. Let us know. The problem you have is a puzzle and I would like to learn what works to mitigate it.
It's two weeks since my first post and we finally have some success. She is still not keen on the wet grass in the garden, there is no problem out and about, but if she can she will avoid crossing it at home. The thing that got her out wasn't to do with any of the training we have done with her......... No, I accidentally left the rasberry pen open and she couldn't resist letting herself in and grazing all the ripe fruit. Now she will wait for her share when I go out to pick some.
Well done @Emba. You have stumbled upon some useful information. You can use raspberries as a really high-value treat when she goes on the grass. Dog training is a series of hills, valleys and plateaus. Don't expect continual success at each and every training session. Fairness and consistency will get you will get there.
