[Nugent]

Bit of an overstatement, but on walks he likes to smell & often pee. He is 10+ years old, neutered male.

When we are walking downtown, I don't like to see him peeing on so many things, otherwise I only mind when it stops me walking at a good pace.

Is it possible to have him not pee when I don't want him to - like downtown, or on people's lawns, etc?

Is it a behavior issue that he does this more than I'd like? Does it interfere with his respecting me if I always allow it?

Just wondering. Thank you.

 

[Knute]

Ahhhh....... this is part nature and part training.

The nature part is about communication between dogs. Think of the dribbling on everything as Doggy Facebook. Dogs are wired to sniff and mark.

The training can be handled. Generally, on the walks I am sure you can tell when his tank is empty. This typically occurs in the first 10 minutes or so of the walk. Now, is the time to walk with intention. Pick up your pace and use your command for him to walk with you on leash. You may need to use a firm leash tug to keep his attention on walking when he wants to stop. Occasionally, allow a stop for Doggy Facebook time. Don't dwaddle, give a few moments then command and walk.

Teach him commands like "Pass" or similar and a command like "Piddle" when its ok to Doggy Facebook.

The 3 commands I use are "WC" means to empty or piddle, "Pass" to skip an object, "Come" to walk with me. During the time until my dog is empty, I will allow "WC" pretty much as he pleases, unless the object is inappropriate which is "Pass".

 

[PatriciafromCO]

Think it is.. There were several times my dogs could not pee or poop in out door areas areas and they were able to change their tendencies to wait for appropriate areas. Im sure in training I kept them on short lead tight heel until we got to a location, let the leash out for looe lead where they could pee and poop. After that it was verbal commands even when off leash about no potty.

 

[Nugent]

Thank you, very helpful
BTW, are you English (LOL - the "wc" thing)

 

[Nugent]

Thank you, very helpful

 

[Jen2010]

What Knute said.

You can reduce the peeing by keeping up a good walking pace and just simply not stopping when he wants to "FaceBook" (I love that term btw). Use a command like "keep moving", "let's go", or "not now". Whatever works for you.

Pick a spot somewhere along your route where it IS okay for him to pee and let him spend a few minutes sniffing/peeing. He will eventually learn that he can't pee on everything, but he'll get his chance.

I also find it helpful to have the dog on the street side, rather than on the house side when walking. Sometimes in the quiet residential areas I'll actually walk ON the street instead of on the sidewalk, just to get farther away from all the tempting areas where all the other dogs have peed.

 

[Knute]

Nugent. No, I'm an American. The "WC" is an adopted term I use in China. They commonly refer to the toilet as WC when they speak English. Sorry, I can't pronounce the Mandarin term for toilet. Anyhow, the dog doesn't know the real meaning of the word. They only know the desired action when they hear a specific command sound.

You could have the toilet command be any word, like fork. When the dog hears the sound fork, he would know its is time to Facebook. Be careful in your word selection and try not to have too many commands. Many times a well chosen word will suffice for many different situations.

In my case, my Mini Schnauzer knows the word "Come". This is generally used when I want him to come to me. I may be walking with him on leash or ready to groom him or want to pet him or wanting him to leave a person alone........ He knows to Come to me. I also have a nice little command for inside a crowded elevator or other crowded areas where we are standing. It is a simple double snap of me fingers. My dog will come to me and stand or sit between my feet. This took many repetitions for him to learn, but he is very good at this command. We can be in a lift and as the lift fills with people, I can double snap and my Shadow will place himself between my feet. Many times, the people in the lift don't realize the command was issued, just that the dog is now quietly between my feet.

My point is the command can be any sound or gesture. The only downside to a gesture is the dog needs to see the movement. MiniS always has his nose on the ground.