New Sheltie- bathroom issue

J

Jim Danhoff

Forums Novice
I have a new 3 year old Sheltie. He is delightful save one issue. He hardly ever relieves himself. We are trying to get him to go in a specific place so he won't litter our yard or kill the grass. He has gone in this location twice, but now he won't go there at all. We've had him for 11 days and he hardly ever goes prior to putting him to bed (in his crate in our bedroom). He sleeps all night, but when I get him up in the morning, he doesn't go. He eats all of his food but doesn't act like he needs to relieve himself. Is this normal Sheltie behavior? We have had goldens prior to this and they always went as soon as they got up in the morning and they were easy to train to go in the right location. I would appreciate any advice.
 
How many times a day does your dog go to the bathroom? The fact that he doesn't go in the mornings may not be that unusual. My 3 year old sometimes would rather have breakfast/take a nap than go to the bathroom. We take him out every morning, but sometimes he doesn't poop until the afternoon. He can hold it for a very long time. Sometimes he only poops once a day. Mostly he goes twice, either in the morning or the afternoon and at night.

My dog is also really picky about where he goes. If a place is too "saturated" he doesn't like to go there. Even if there is no visible poop, he would rather go elsewhere. I've never trained him to go in a specific place or not, so I'm not sure how I would get around that.

Also, you say that you have only had him for a little over a week. He may still be developing his routine at your house. It may become more consistent after he settles in a bit more.
 
Shelties can be fussy above going in new places until they get use to it. My bi blue girl on her first trip away from home to a dog show refused to go for for 36 hours finally she peed and it took a couple more hours before she decided she could have a bowel movement. Once she realized she could safely go I've had no problems since. My Tri girl only took 12hrs to go pee on her first trip. We try tp get her to go in the cedar chips they put down at shows and in atleast 10 shows waiting and waiting she has still not gone in the cedar chips. One show had no grass so she didn't go all day until she got back to the hotel.

That being said 2 times in 11 days is usual. Is he going somewhere else? Sneaking off to do his business? I wonder if he is. If not as long as he is active and eating he should be fine. Dont let him out of your sight, take him to his spot and praise and treat like crazy if he goes. Crate if your not watching him every second.
 
When we got our rescue, that was our main concern. I even have a thread around here somewhere about it. Abbie still doesn't go as much as I thought she would have to go. I was used to my 8 lb Papillon, who will go every single time you take him outside just to get praised, and Duncan who was a 9 month old puppy at the time. Duncan goes less often now, but more frequently than Abigail.

After about 3 months, Abigail has a bowel movement about 2-4 times every 4 days. She has had very few accidents in the house. Most of them have been toward the end of her threshold (which is 48 hours) and we weren't taking her out often enough.

We let her have free reign of the downstairs when she has gone during the day. If she doesn't go again, she sleeps in her crate (not as a punishment as she loves her crate very much). If she goes, she has a pad next to the bed she likes to sleep on. She stays mostly in the crate until she's gone again. This does mean quite a bit of crate time, so we try to make going a big deal with a run or letting her and Duncan play outside or something she really likes. Also, we exercise her enough to counter it.

My feeling is that larger Shelties probably go less often. Rescue Shelties are probably used to holding it for much longer. I would be worried if Pierre didn't go in two days, but have accepted it for Abbie.
 
Size does seem to matter, and I think the boys can hold on for longer. Deska doesnt go that much - tends to save it all for marking. Like yesterday he went out twice to toilet during the day, today I got up at 11.30am and he still hasnt toileted. Little Tully on the other hand has only been able to hold her bladder overnight for the last year or less. My previous sheltie boy got locked inside by accident for 48hrs (forgot to leave the dog door open and I went away), and he didnt toilet once in that time - but boy he was busting to widdle by the time I got home.
 
As an owner of 10 mostly rescue shelties, we have run into this many times. Poor Scarlett would only go outside once a day when she first came here. Took about 4 months for her to feel secure enough to go a couple of times a day. Maizie can go all night and half the morning without having to go potty Some of my dogs took monthsa to get into a regular routine. I've also discovered many shelties like a little privacy. I have and have had shelties who would not go if I was looking or watching them.

As Far as not going in a specific area, have you tried putting the dog on a leash and taking him to the area you want him to use the potty. It takes most dogs far longer then 11 days to catch on to the exact area you would prefer to have him go potty.

Repetition and consistancy are the things that will help him out in this case
 
Thanks for your ideas...I think Diego is holding it in so he can mark his territory. The problem is that it is so concentrated that one spot on the lawn is killing the grass. Any ideas on how to accelerate his feeling at home so he can go where we want him to?
 
Justicemom said:
Shelties can be fussy above going in new places until they get use to it. My bi blue girl on her first trip away from home to a dog show refused to go for for 36 hours finally she peed and it took a couple more hours before she decided she could have a bowel movement. Once she realized she could safely go I've had no problems since. My Tri girl only took 12hrs to go pee on her first trip. We try tp get her to go in the cedar chips they put down at shows and in atleast 10 shows waiting and waiting she has still not gone in the cedar chips. One show had no grass so she didn't go all day until she got back to the hotel.

That being said 2 times in 11 days is usual. Is he going somewhere else? Sneaking off to do his business? I wonder if he is. If not as long as he is active and eating he should be fine. Dont let him out of your sight, take him to his spot and praise and treat like crazy if he goes. Crate if your not watching him every second.
Click to expand...

My parent's sheltie Milo has always been picky about where he goes and who's looking. If you go out with him and he feels pressured, he won't go. Since he wasn't taught to do so as a pup, I firmly believe he's a dog that you couldn't train to go in a certain place. He's nine years old though.

Milo for years would also only relieve himself in my parent's yard, never on a walk. He'll now pee on walks but that's it, he has to pee in his yard.

Milo also prefers to only go twice daily. If you put him outside more often than that, he'll often refuse, especially if the weather is bad.

In bad weather its not uncommon for him to slow down his eating and drinking and refuse to go out for 17 hours. He is a stubborn little guy!
 
It sounds like the shelties going through a bit of an insecure transition phase. My understanding is it takes longer for adult dogs to adjust during these transitions than it takes for puppies. It took my pup Vash between 2-3 weeks to really open up to me and start acting like his normal self after bringing him home.

If it is marking...well that's always fun to deal with. One sheltie I know of would have me walk him miles and miles on end just spraying a drop or two on every vertical object he came across, then still complain he had to pee when we were done.

If your concerned about your grass, they make products you can spray on your lawn to help minimize the damage, but a simple option available to you is to simply hose down the area he pees immediately afterwards with water, this should help minimize the damage to the lawn.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top