They won't go to the "spot" any more

[pjaynen]

Hey Mike,

First off thanks for your quick response and help with my questions about our pups. Have been re-reading and finding it all helpful again. Ok so we take Stella and Donovan to the same spot to go potty everytime. We also give a command of "better go now" and a good boy or girl when they go. My thinking was keeping 4 boys shoes poop free. We clean it every day or ever other at the least. Suddenly, Donovan (male) refuses to go there and just becomes dead weight and "goes" in the middle of the drive way. They have been with us for 2 months, have always gone to same place, this just started this past week or so. How do I handle this? Pick him up? pull? Deal? we have had only a handful of "accidents" and they go when we say. just not sure how to handle this one.

[Mike D'Abruzzo]

My first thought would be to maybe take a slightly different route to the "spot" if possible and if not possible and either way head to the spot with some excitement - maybe even with a treat lure or toy to distract until you reach the "spot". then, give your command to "better go now" and then definitely reward with a treat or the toy. If Donovan stops along the way to pee - if still possible scoop him up as quick as you can and bring him to where he can finish. If it is one specific spot that he has recently gotten into the habit of going you can become creative and lay something like a tarp, shower curtain, aluminum foil, etc over the spot to throw him off while you cruise past it. You can also put a harness or other safe collar (not any choker types) on him and just run or move very brisk to that spot with a purpose and act very happy - if he slows down to dead wait just keep the feet moving and keep praising so he cannot get comfortable to pee or poop until he gets there, so even if he tries it isnt as pleasant as if he goes to the bingo spot. If anything seems too stressfull for the dog or you back up and rethink the plan.

Dogs are creatures of habit so it is definitely easiest at this stage to take advantage of that and make it almost impossible for him to go anywhere else when he initially leaves the house except for that spot. If you find something that works stick with it for at least a month before you think of letting your guard down. Remember to give him that extra reason to go in the bingo spot by giving him a treat.

keep the posts coming to keep us updated. we're in this together!

[pjaynen]

Hey Mike, So I got out the treats and made it all about fun and it is going much better. I also found it seemed to be worse when the grass was longer so we mow more often. Donovan almost always gets to the spot now. And even when he stalls, he still gets there eventually. We walk out the door and jog there all happy, then a treat and "good boy" when we arrive and another "good boy after he goes. Thanks for your help.