problem! Ellie has in a past life obviously been told off for going to the loo. As a consequence won’t do it on the lead or even in your presence. Our garden is on two levels so yesterday she would only go up there if I went with her. Then when we got there she wouldn’t perform. A catch 22 situation. We went up and back 26 times with me feigning interest in the rambling roses. I even felt at one point compelled to show her what was expected and squatted behind the luckily vastly overgrown Hebe. If you saw on the news last night Ludlow had experienced a totally unexpected eclipse of the sun... there you have it! Eventually after me turning away and carefully inspecting the ivy clad walls she found a spot and produced a walnut whip to equal any confection of yore! Success, trouble was, still no pee! Every time I came back down the garden she followed me.
We went to bed still unsure of the piddle state of play. She was put in the crate and left, so far so good, half an hour in she decided to go vocal. All the books say turn over and go back to sleep... fat chance! Eventually himself wandered to the top of the stairs and in gruff voice said No barking! Another half hour went by...
We’ve cracked it! Wrong!
This time in gruffer voice the same.
All was quiet with neither of us sleeping that well for worrying about whether she was desperate to go to the loo.
6.15am he got up and let her out, fully
expecting a wet bed or worse. Ellie put an
Exocet missile to shame by the speed of which she shot up the steps. Trouble now is Hubs is the villain of the peace and her fear of men has been confirmed.
We know she is okay to go up the garden
on her own without trying to escape. Her today’s MO is to hide in the shrubbery. Sort of progress, one step forward and two paws back.
Let’s see what tonight brings?
Any suggestions on this odd behaviour and how to cure it, gratefully received.
We went to bed still unsure of the piddle state of play. She was put in the crate and left, so far so good, half an hour in she decided to go vocal. All the books say turn over and go back to sleep... fat chance! Eventually himself wandered to the top of the stairs and in gruff voice said No barking! Another half hour went by...
We’ve cracked it! Wrong!
This time in gruffer voice the same.
All was quiet with neither of us sleeping that well for worrying about whether she was desperate to go to the loo.
6.15am he got up and let her out, fully
expecting a wet bed or worse. Ellie put an
Exocet missile to shame by the speed of which she shot up the steps. Trouble now is Hubs is the villain of the peace and her fear of men has been confirmed.
We know she is okay to go up the garden
on her own without trying to escape. Her today’s MO is to hide in the shrubbery. Sort of progress, one step forward and two paws back.
Let’s see what tonight brings?
Well here goes my usual tuppenceworth!! We got a rough collie as a rescue dogs a million years ago. She was adorable but had the same problem as yours. She would not pee outside. What she did do was hold onto the pee until she almost burst. Unlike your sensible routine of using a cage, we allowed her onto our bed - well she was crying and what was a person to do!! Anyway at about 3am one morning her bladder let go the biggest pee in the world and our duvet, sheets, mattress - the lot got soaked and of course we shouted at her and had to sleep in the spare bed for the rest of the night. The next day I phoned our vet in tears and said I think she'll have to go back to the rescue centre I cannot train her or cope with the pee situation. Our vet was a good friend and he came straight to our house and explained to me that we'd have to start again with her. Although fully grown she'd never been trained to pee outside and had clearly been given into trouble for peeing inside and associated peeing as the bad deed so tried not to do it at all. He said we'd need to be patient with her and get a strict routine of letting her out in the garden and using a word to associate with pee so we took her to the door and lifted her paw to scratch at the door and made sure to have her favourite treats to hand and just said 'toilet'. We had to watch very carefully and when she did it outside we praised her to the hilt for doing 'toilet'(we had to make sure to say the word while she was doing the pee if possible along the lines of 'good toilet') and gave her a treat. Within a week she was doing it outside all the time. However, can I also say to you have you checked she doesn't have a UTI? If its painful to pee she'll try not to do it too. I think as she learns to trust you she'll relax and it will get sorted out. They are very clever and I'm sure if hubby gives her lots of encouragement and treats she'll come round. Our collie was fully grown when we got her, we've no idea what age she was, though the vet said her teeth suggested she was about 1. She was a brilliant dog once she settled in and lived a long and happy life with us. Good luck, I'm sure time will sort this out for you, in the meantime you'll need lots of 1001 spray!! :D xx ps. she looks lovely x
ReplyDeleteMy, my what a big one! Husband has been tempted to say that to Ellie when he is been on poop patrol. I knew he was a good’un when in the night he got up at 3 am to let little Lettice out, as an old lady her bladder control wasn’t what is should have been!
DeleteMy latest trick is to sit in the garden room with the door open and pretend to be looking at my nails, all the while watching where she goes and if success has been forthcoming. Honestly it would make a funny sketch, me of course being a female version of Benny Hill. Ellie is they think a year old. What had been done to our dogs makes my blood run cold. Collies are super sensitive and intelligent as well, which all adds to them being so easy to spook. We are making progress, she has only been here 48 hours after all!
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pps: You didn't -- did you???? hahahaha I hope you don't have any overlooking neighbours!
ReplyDeleteI blooming well did, twice, seeing as you’re asking! Only the tinkle of rain falling very genteelly on the undergrowth, you understand! Some might liken it to some old nag having a p**s, me I couldn’t possibly comment!?!
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Marksgran gave you my advice for training a Cairn Terrier. Glad to see it's useful across breeds.
ReplyDeleteIt’s the humans that need the training, not the dogs Joanne. The trouble with that is, all my life I’ve been hard to walk to heel...
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Seat in the garden, yes we’ve got those. Our trouble is the garden is stuffed full of plants, no grass just deep borders of shrubs, so it isn’t easy to see what she’s up to. Added to which you you mustn’t be seen to look at her!?! She is clean in the crate, which she is used to being in. We are all slowly learning as it is a long time since I had a rescue dog. I do think you can overthink it. The biggest thing is no history of just exactly what has happened to her? Already I am ‘in love’, mind you if you’ve read my blog before that won’t surprise you!
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Welcome to your new and wonderful life, Ellie!
ReplyDeleteToby Too had similar problems; he was a rescue, one year old, had been beaten and starved and had similar issues with wees, etc. Love, patience and perseverance, you will get there.
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Thank you Elaine, she is the loveliest, gentlest young lady. Not a bit like Lettice, as already she is coming out to meet Luke the plumber finishing off our bathroom. Last night all was quiet which was a bonus. We feel we are getting there. We sit in the car with the windows open, no engine on as yet! On the journey back from the rescue centre she was drooling badly. We are going up to Scotland in late September so we have to get her car ready for that two day trip. Then there’s the toilet training on the lead, which I can see will be a long way off being resolved, Himself did advise not to look until after our holiday, did I listen... Oh dear me No!
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