Peeing On Leash With Very Restricted Walks?

[vjgrey]

On Thursday, Lucy jumped up on our fence after a squirrel and got a big, ugly gash along the back of her leg. It required an e-vet visit and several stitches.

 

The vet told us to restrict her activity, but after trying (and failing) multiple times to get her to do her business on leash, we (stupidly) caved and decided we could let her go in the back yard, closely supervised.

 

Of course, "closely supervised," means nothing when a greyhound sees a squirrel, and yesterday afternoon she saw one and tore across the yard after it before we could react. She not only ripped all of her stitches out, but she also tore a wider gash.

 

Four hours at the e-vet, a minor surgery and several hundred dollars later, she has even MORE stitches and is on HIGHLY restricted activity for 2-3 weeks. NO unleashed activity, NO actual walks - just short trips to the yard to (please, for the love of #$#@#!) pee and poop.

 

The problem is, she's still absolutely refusing to go. We've tried hooking three leashes together to try to give her some privacy - nope. We've also tried leash walking her in the back yard, circling around the spots where she always goes - nope. In the last day and a half, she's gone...one full pee and a short "marking" pee, and that's it. She usually pees 5-6 times a day and poops once or twice.

 

She will (usually) pee and poop on command in the back yard, but on leash, she just ignores us.

 

She's VERY independent and stubborn. She's not at all food motivated or a people-pleaser, so big parties or treats when she does go won't work.

 

Any tips? Anyone else faced this with an extremely stubborn dog? We have 2-3 more weeks of this ahead of us, and I'm going to Lose. My. Mind.

[OwnedBySummer]

Awww, poor baby. What if you got some inexpensive snowfencing and made her a big "pen", using a house wall or a fence as one of the sides? Sort of like being loose yet restricted enough that she can't actually run. And the beauty of no leash. I saw this at a greyhound event for the "shy dogs" and it worked!

 

ETA: If you're in a subdivision, maybe she'll go if you go to the nearest lightpost? That's what I do with thunder-phobic Summer during a storm -- she can't resist going -- and then we scurry back to the house. And if you're rural, do you have a friend with a dog who could come over and leave you some pee-mail and another present?

Edited April 8, 2013 by OwnedBySummer

[vjgrey]

What if you got some inexpensive snowfencing and made her a big "pen", using a house wall or a fence as one of the sides? Sort of like being loose yet restricted enough that she can't actually run. And the beauty of no leash.

 

We may try this, but I kind of suspect it won't work for her. She likes to wander the yard and pee on one side and poop on the other. On walks, she's a marker and spreads her pees out for the whole walk. I suspect that if it's small enough that she can't run, it's going to be too small for her to be willing to go in.

 

It may be worth a shot, though.

 

[Possibly relevant? She's not a retired racer. She's a schooling drop-out who came to me from a farm when she was just over a year old. I'm pretty sure she was living outdoors there and just going where ever/whenever, so she's not used to a designated turn-out pen like the racers. She also wasn't used to leash walks when she came home, but that was five years ago, and she's since had LOTS].

[JohnF]

Try a 28ft extending leash or a horse lunge lead, once they find out they can pull out on that to their preferred distance things become a lot easier.

Peggy's on a 28ft extending right now as she hurt a front left toe Friday while showing off how fast she could run in the park. She's always had a weakness in that toe and I can usually effectively discourage that totally mad point turning at extreme high speed. She's not limping and the swelling is less than it was but as she clearly has no sense at all, on the leash she will stay for another week or so. I might let the vet look at it but I expect he will say just restrict to leash only for a while and give joint supplements; you don't want to take all soreness away as they over-use the injured part too soon.

[Guest june]

Maybe an extra large x-pen that you can move from one area of the yard to another from time to time?

[GeorgeofNE]

She'll go sooner or later. She has to. I'm flabbergasted that so long after being adopted she still won't pee on a leash! You mean when you take her on walks she never goes??? Good gravy!

[vjgrey]

She'll go sooner or later. She has to. I'm flabbergasted that so long after being adopted she still won't pee on a leash! You mean when you take her on walks she never goes??? Good gravy!

Oh, no, she'll go on leash. She goes frequently on walks. Probably more frequently than Cash does. The problem is, she's a marker, so she spreads them out over a few miles, little pees at a time. We're under strict instructions NOT to walk more than a few feet out into our yard, and she has no interest in marking (or peeing/pooping at all) while walking in little circles.

 

I'm sure she will go eventually, but hours and hours of walking in small circles are making me crazy.

[PrairieProf]

I rather sympathize, as my girl has to do some serious walking to poop. This was quite an issue when she was recovering from a toe amputation that generated ripped stitches and deep abrasions from the wrap. And she absolutely won't do it on my property. So I definitely get the conundrum.

 

I would explain your problem to the vet and see what s/he says. You might just have to take her on slightly longer but very controlled walks, a block or two, say. And perhaps crate rest when she's not going out to really minimize movement the rest of the time (that's what we had to do for several weeks). Or at least take her out on the street where the "pee-mail" smells will incite her to go, vs. the boring backyard. Might prolong the healing somewhat but you do what you have to do.

 

My girl is also a marker, but I figure as long as she gets the first good pee out, she's not going to explode. Lucy should learn over some days to make the most of her opportunities. (And my girl held it for over 24 hours when I first brought her home years ago, so they can do that!)

Edited April 8, 2013 by PrairieProf

[Yamaha_gurl]

Get another dog to pee in your yard, an unknown to her dog...then she'll have somewhere to mark

[TheFullHouse]

My Emmy was like this. The girl would not go on leash until she absolutely had no choice. I remember her going two days once without going poop but when she finally gave in and went, good lord! We just had to wait her out. She would not go in the house so we just waited until she was ready and took her out on leash and she finally went. The more consistent we were the easier it got, but man what a battle!

[Guest kkaiser104]

I second the "find a different dog to pee in the yard" approach. I don't have a fenced in back yard, but Teddi goes on the edges of my property all of the time because my roommate's puppy pees there, as well as lots of fun smells.