Had to change potty location - help!

[trufflove]

So, I received a call from my apartment yesterday, and they said someone had reported an issue with our dog - apparently, they accused us of taking him out to the garage on our floor, letting him go to the bathroom, and NOT cleaning it up. We have always cleaned everything up and they were saying their cleaning staff had to take care of it.

Long story short, we are now bringing him downstairs, to a grassy area to go to the bathroom, which is fine with me because I'd like him to get used to the grass, anyway. However, Truffle is SO not used to it - he will sniff, run around, look at the cars and the people...basically everything BUT going potty, and then when we bring him up, he'll go right away, or scratch for the garage. We'll have him start going, pick him up quickly, bring him to the grass, but he doesn't continue.

I know it took us a couple of weeks to have him get used to the garage, and this will also take time, but does anyone have tips as to how to get this going? My boyfriend goes back to take him out during the day during lunch, but he can't afford to stay an hour and a half feeding, and hoping he will go out and bringing him out numerous times. It's always been a 45 minute break, but with this sudden change, we can't blame the puppy but would also like to make the transition as smooth as possible, being that he's been a quick learner.

Thanks everyone!

 

[OntarioSheltie]

I've found crate training to be the easiest way to potty train. If he won't go where you want him to, bring him back inside and crate him. Bring him out again (carrying him at first so he doesn't make a mistake), bring him to the spot you want him to go. If he doesn't go, bring him back inside and wait for another 10-15 minutes. Eventually he'll HAVE to go where you want him to, at which him you get excited and give him lots of praise.

Shelties are so smart, you should only have to do this a couple of times before he gets it.

 

[Mikos_Mom]

I've found crate training to be the easiest way to potty train. If he won't go where you want him to, bring him back inside and crate him. Bring him out again (carrying him at first so he doesn't make a mistake), bring him to the spot you want him to go. If he doesn't go, bring him back inside and wait for another 10-15 minutes. Eventually he'll HAVE to go where you want him to, at which him you get excited and give him lots of praise.

Shelties are so smart, you should only have to do this a couple of times before he gets it.

ITA with this advice. You've really got nature on your side... #1. He can't hold it forever, so he's going to end up having to go wherever you bring him. #2. Shelties really are very smart.. he'll quickly figure out what you want from him if you praise him when he goes in the correct spot.

 

[cisobe55]

I also agree with going back to crate training. We moved our Golden's pee place 4 times since we got him at 8 weeks. We had him upstairs in the bathroom when we first got him, then moved him downstairs when he out grew the bathroom. Then we stupidly decided to get him a pet loo (big plastic pan with fake grass, the sort of lets the pee drain into a pan), which lasted all of a month before it got too stink and nasty to continue with. Then finally, we transitioned him to going outside.

It took us quite a long time to get him to go outside. He would hold it till he came in, then would go pee on his pads. We finally decided to try crate training him again, and he picked it up with in a couple weeks.

(side note: we puppy pad trained him because he didn't have all his vaccinations, and Parvo is supposedly pretty bad here in Hawaii).

We are going through the same thing with our sheltie puppy (minus the moving of the pad, and pet loo). He has one more shot to go, and we will begin the transition to going outside.

Good luck!