[chungaroo]

Hi all, new to the forums here.

I have a small, high-energy terrier cross breed who's about 10 months old. I've read alot of good dog training books, but we still have a few questions:

Pooping while walking: This is something that's completely baffled us. Tess will, on occasion, decide to relieve herself mid-stride in the middle of a walk or jog. We walk her before going out to see if she needs to go, but she usually doesn't. Then in the middle of the walk, she'll suddenly squat and poop. We're still working on loose-leash walking, and she's almost there, but she's still super curious and tugs sometimes. It's hard to tell when she's just sniffing and when she really needs to go. What's even more confusing is that it's usually at a time when she doesn't go to the bathroom. Does anyone else have this problem?

Also, is it possible to teach a dog to stay out of certain parts of the house? When I'm not able to supervise her, I do keep her in a safe part of the house, but was just wondering if this was possible until she understands what she can and can't chew. How long does this process usually take?

 

[midnight mojo]

Needing to go in the middle of a walk isn't that strange. My last dog would always go when we went on a walk, even if he went before we left. I can't say for sure why, but I always assumed it was much like it is for some humans, you get up and start moving and it can get everything else in you moving too!

It is possible to teach a dog to stay out of certain areas but I wouldn't trust a puppy who is still learning about approriate chew toys to always do this. You'll need to train her to stay out of those areas and keep them blocked off until she stays out reliably. The amount of time it will take is going to vary by the dog, but I'd expect to really spend some time working on it.

 

[chungaroo]

Well it's not so much that she goes while walking. It's that without warning she'll stop mid-stride and poop on the sidewalk. Is this normal?

 

[Trainer]

Walking stimulates bowel movements. Most all dogs will poop on a walk. Mid-stride is another question.

It's not real difficult to teach what is ok and what is not ok to chew. She should have only 3 or 4 chew toys. No more. Dogs can't count very high and if they have 50 chew toys, in thier mind, everything in the world is a chew toy. They can learn 3 or 4 pretty easily. You must watch her at all times. The very instant she puts her mouth on something inappropriate, in a calm voice say, "no no no, here chew on this" as you put one of her toys in her mouth. Pretty soon she will know what is ok to chew on.

 

[poodleholic]

Well it's not so much that she goes while walking. It's that without warning she'll stop mid-stride and poop on the sidewalk. Is this normal?

Absolutely! Walking, as was mentioned above, stimulates the bowels. When housetraining, I usually keep the puppy/dog on lead, so that we can get some fast movement to get those bowels moving!

Also, is it possible to teach a dog to stay out of certain parts of the house? When I'm not able to supervise her, I do keep her in a safe part of the house, but was just wondering if this was possible until she understands what she can and can't chew. How long does this process usually take?

Yes, it's possible to train a dog that certain rooms are off limits. As for chewing, and how long the process takes, that varies with each dog. I prefer to be proactive, rather than reactive, so I don't allow the dog freedom of the house, and prevent inappropriate chewing through the use of baby gates or crates if I cannot diretly supervise.

 

[chungaroo]

Yes, it's possible to train a dog that certain rooms are off limits. As for chewing, and how long the process takes, that varies with each dog. I prefer to be proactive, rather than reactive, so I don't allow the dog freedom of the house, and prevent inappropriate chewing through the use of baby gates or crates if I cannot diretly supervise.

Will restricting the dog's movements eventually lead to a dog that knows what's appropriate to chew?

 

[rosemaryninja]

^ Not necessarily, but allowing the dog to get away with chewing stuff while unattended is teaching the dog that chewing furniture is okay. If you contain the dog while he can't be watched, you're preventing unwanted behaviour from being rehearsed and subsequently learned. In other words, you're not necessarily teaching him any good habits, but at least he's not learning any bad ones in your absence. You'd be surprised at how much this speeds up the training process.

 

[poodleholic]

Will restricting the dog's movements eventually lead to a dog that knows what's appropriate to chew?

What rosemaryninja said above.

 

[dakotajo]

I have to confess years ago with my old dog she did this when she was young. I was walking her and right in front of a store she squatted and pooped and I just kept on walking! I never had a bag or anything. Now I look back and think how could I have just left it there!