[Mizbri]

Hey All!

I have read post after post about dogs who won't relieve themselves outside and then come inside and go in the house. I have not found ANYONE who's had a situation like mine...so here goes:

Chuck Norris is a Sheppard/Chow/Mutt, 6 years old, rescued 4 yrs ago. Chuck won't relieve himself in our yard and generally won't "go" unless he is walked, and sometimes he even won't go on walks. He doesn't relieve himself inside either. I have seen him "hold it" for THREE DAYS! We have taken him to the vet, he is very healthy, even recieved a second opinion...Chuck is a healthy dog.

A little about him: He is LAZY...he would rather lie in the grass than chase a ball, and sometimes pulling him out of his bed to do his business is a chore. He also only eats about every other day. My guess is that he just doesn't burn enough calories to get hungry. He does enjoy walks, but hates to jog with me, he leaves that up to our other dog. Chuck is also very protective, we have a chihuahua that he guards and he guards me vigialantly as well.

My theories:
Perhaps he is too lazy to go to the bathroom.
Perhaps his eating habits create a strange bathroom routine, although he drinks water regularly and still doesn't urinate as often as he should.
Perhaps he is too busy guarding us to relieve himself.

A bit about our lifestyle:
We recently returned from an 8 month RV trip. On the trip his bathroom habits were a bit better. It's strange how he was more relyable when we were in new territory every few days, and then as soon as we return to our normal routine, he is reluctant to "go".

Your opinions would be great! Thanks!

 

[trainingjunkie]

He may just have a really slow metabolism and insist on keeping his waste away from his home.

My male runs to the back of our property and aims himself so his feces fall on the outside of our fence. He is dedicated to this.

Perhaps jogging hurts him or is uncomfortable. He may over-heat or the stride my tweak on a hip or something. There are a lot of dogs who enjoy a walk but aren't good candidates for jogging.

When you were in the RV, he probably didn't feel like he was soiling in "his" area and may have felt that he was marking new territory.

Sounds like you got a good but quirky dog.

 

[Amaryllis]

I find it hard to believe that any healthy dog would be eating every other day, laying around all day and only pooping every 2-3 days. Either this dog is much older than 6 or he is not in good shape.

What are you feeding him?

No dog is too lazy to poop. Yes, not eating every day probably would cut down on pooping a lot, but then we're back at why isn't he eating. There are lots of guard dogs that poop, so I don't think it's that, either.

 

[ManyRoses]

That is definitely an odd situation!!

I would go back to feeding and potty 101. Feedings for 15 mins at a time, 2-4 times per day to encourage regular eating habits (regular eating helps promote regular bowel movements). If you have the time in your schedule, try giving shorter, faster walks more often to keep those calories burning and to rev up his metabolism - if he likes to play with other dogs, the dog park can be a great way to make sure that he gets some rambunctious exercise time in!

Then work on potty training 101. Take him out in the morning, stay in one spot, say "go pee" etc etc. If he has an aversion to going in your yard, find a nearby patch of grass, or go to the further corner.

But I wouldn't worry too much if you have had multiple vet checks and they agree that he is in perfect health....

 

[Mizbri]

Thank you everyone for your opinions. I agree with the fact that he doesn't want to soil his territory, and he needs more exercise. At the dog park he plays for a while, then stands in front of me guarding me from the others, at that point we leave because he is not exercising, just watching. But he WILL poop 3 or 4 times at the dog park...hmmmm. Is there a pattern here? Likes to poop at the dog park, but not so much on walks or in his yard. Walking him is about the only excercise I can do with him, since he loses interest in most activities quickly and just wants to relax in the shade. His personality is super duper mellow, and yes, my boy is lazy.

@Amaryllis, He is 6, and according to mulitple vets he is in perfect health...not sure how many other opinions I need to collect to prove that fact, but I am happy with the diagnosis. He is a happy boy. He eats Iams, which his vet recommended. Seems like you are questioning my parenting, and knowledge that my dog is healthy. If I thought he was unhealthy, I would not be seeking advise of a web forum, I would be taking him to the doctor. This seems behavioral.

 

[check6]

When you consulted the Vet, did they check a thyroid level? Just a thought.
It does sound like a great, if not quirky, dog. But then again, aren't we all a bit quirky?
Best of Luck.

 

[zeronightfarm]

Ok I know this thread is a few weeks old, but I just want to comment.

Iams, is a VERY low quality food. It might be part of the problem.

 

[Mizbri]

Ok I know this thread is a few weeks old, but I just want to comment.

Iams, is a VERY low quality food. It might be part of the problem.

Yes after reading other posts I have concluded the vet reccomended the Iams based on some sort of promotional arrangement, not because it's a good food. Thats really lame of him! I haven't switched because he has a sensitive tummy but I have been supplementing the kibble with a frozen raw food that he loves. So he gets about 25% raw, just as a supplemental treat until we can slowly switch him to something higher quality.

 

[Nuclear_Glitter]

A good way to switch dog food is to buy the new type and have some of the old type, too. Then Start mixing portions of the dog food together, you will begin with lots of the old food, and a little bit of the new and slowly increase the new, and phase out the old. You can do this over the period of a month or two and he should be fine. I would recommend a dog food with less, or no grain. Raw is also a very good diet.