DogBoston Interactive Forums » Ask Jo - Dog Behaviorist

1. Anonymous
   Unregistered

   On the leash!! My husband and I adopted a Vizsla :-? :-? in November who was used to a country setting and did not have to be on a leash to go to the bathroom. Well now she is a city girl, and while we don't have a yard, we have many fenced in dog parks right in our neighborhood, one of them being across the street. Unfortunately when she is out and about with us and not able to be let off the leash, she will not go to the bathroom. She has peed a few times in grassy areas, but thats it. She has tremendous holding power, and we have already tried avoiding the parks and she will just wait until the next time she has access to a park. If anyone has any advice to share it would be much appreciated!!!

   Posted: 2006-04-21 08:47:30 #

2. snickdog
   Member

   Hi,
   First of all, congratulations on your new addition!
   Okay -- what you and your new Viszla are experiencing is called 'substrate preference' -- great name for an annoying issue, isn't it? You hit the nail on the head when saying that she was used to grassy areas off-leash being part of the problem -- and this is one that crops up a lot (some breeders don't take the time to accustom dogs to multiple substrates for potty time, then it's up to the new owner to 'fix' the problem!).
   How old is your dog? Her age will be a determining factor in how long it takes you to modify her preferences -- the longer she's been at it, the longer modification will take -- just so you are aware...
   What you have to do now is remove all opportunity for her to 'rehearse' her old behavior while you are instituting a new one. You do that by enforcing -- and I know this is going to really be tough -- NO off leash time until AFTER she's gone potty.
   Now, figure out what her absolute best reward in the world is -- if food, you want something that she NEVER gets, that is okay for her to have, and that she would pretty much KILL for <VBG> because you want to make a HUGE impression on her. If being off lead is her reward, then make sure that you will be able to give it to her IMMEDIATELY during the next step.
   What you want to do now is make it incredibly rewarding for her to go to the bathroom while on the leash -- you should start in a grassy area, and that's okay -- take baby steps and be patient (especially if she's older, and leave yourself extra time when taking her out, because the first few times this may take what seems like forever). Start when you know she really has to go, like the first thing in the morning. Keep her on-lead and just wait her out, but as soon as she goes on-lead, make it a PARTY. Act like no other dog in the world has ever done such a wonderful thing, do happy dances, give her hugs, and give her the chosen reward in abundance!
   Once she's going while on-lead regularly (even if it's been a long time this should only take a week or two) you can then start the same process with places other than grassy areas -- use the same method as above.
   Let me know if you have any questions about any of this, okay?
   
   Jo

   Posted: 2006-04-21 09:17:25 #

3. Anonymous
   Unregistered

   Thanks for the advice. My Vizsla is 3 years old. I was hoping she would catch on from other female Vizsla (also 3), but no such luck. I will start with her this weekend!!

   Posted: 2006-04-21 15:09:11 #

4. snickdog
   Member

   Hi,
   
   Let me know how things go -- just remember, no off-lead until she goes, no matter how much she really wants it, okay?
   
   Jo

   Posted: 2006-04-21 15:32:13 #

5. SarahVivian
   Member

   
   

   Posted: 2007-05-15 01:30:46 #

6. snickdog
   Member

   This topic was continued as Potty Trained Vizsla peeing on the couch...

   Jo

   Posted: 2007-05-20 13:05:39 #

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