Convincing Dogs To Get Their Feet Wet In The Morning...

[redangel]

This morning I spent a good 15 minutes trying to convince the dogs to go out for morning wees. I watched as they did their best to avoid wet feet syndrome. Rosie is a "all in kinda dog" she jumps into an area gets the job done and her feet almost don't touch the ground as she rushes indoors. Zoe is a "little by little" she eases onto the wet grass off the concrete ever so slowly as if she is walking on broken glass. She then proceeds to swap feet holding at least one foot in the air at a time and her "bits" rarely lowered down, if she can do it standing up she will. Luci however is a real winter pro...shes a "leaner"...she runs up quick as she can turns and hangs the important part over the edge of the path, hovering high over the grass ...and then bolts inside.

Is anyone else got a dog that has morning walk style?

Edited June 5, 2013 by redangel

[BlackJaq]

Mine go on command so if I anticipate any issues I make sure they really have to go (I might have brekky or get dressed first thing in the morning instead of letting them out first thing so they have a few minutes to reflect on how badly they actually need to go) and then open the door and give the command. Being their good little obedient selves they usually rush out to follow the command since by now their little bladders are just about ready to pop and if they notice that it's cold/wet/hot/foggy/whatever then it is usually afterwards and they rush back in ASAP lol

Nothing worse than standing outside in the cold waiting for a dog to decide that it won't melt in the rain while it tends to it toileting needs :p

If it's really wet or windy and I am heading straight back inside afterwards I will usually put a rain coat on them so they don't get all wet and smelly and this usually means they are not worried about the rain anyways, even if they don't need to go urgently

[minimax]

No, I open the door, if the dogs don't go out they get a gentle shove. No pussyfooting around here, they get it over and done with as quickly as possible then run back inside where it's warm and dry.

[YvonneM]

Given that my boy is still only a puppy (13 weeks) he is still trying to decide whether I am serious about him having to go outside in the mornings .... although I am currently ensuring that he does by actually picking him up and depositing him on the wet grass. Like redangel's Zoe, he gingerly tiptoes around the edges of the yard where it is least wet/cold and scouts out the best spot, before doing what he has to do and bolting back inside. This is the point where he usually eyes me from the edge of his indoor pee pad with eyes that say "really, couldn't I have gone HERE where it's warm and dry??"

[Dory the Doted One]

Dory holds on, unless frogmarched. Willow could care less.

[Bjelkier]

I can't stop mine, even the Havanese wants to be outside regardless of the weather :laugh:

[JulesP]

Mine don't care and glare at me if I am not walking them because of the rain. Poppy is a bit precious about sitting in the wet grass though as I remembered last Sunday when she 'forgot' her automatic sit!

[Staffyluv]

No issues with Zig either - he is an all in kinda guy.

He even goes swimming in the pond in minus temps if I let him.

The more water the better

Zig wet dog 2 by Jodie Moore Photos, on Flickr

Edited June 5, 2013 by Staffyluv

[mita]

My tibbie girls walk along the narrow, raised brick edging on the garden that runs up the backyard.

They look like sure-footed Sherpas in the foothills of the Himalayas, avoiding landslides. But it's to avoid the wet grass.

At the end they hop off onto the grass, & go to the toot. Then return by the same method.

Edited June 5, 2013 by mita

[minimax]

No issues with Zig either - he is an all in kinda guy.

He even goes swimming in the pond in minus temps if I let him.

Max loves the rain as it makes mud puddles to swim in :laugh:

[Podengo]

Elsie stays on the concrete, but squats her bits over the garden... No wet feet here! She doesn't actually mind that much though, very happy to get soaked on a walk!

[fiveplusone]

Hugo will make it out on to the porch then will realise its raining, at which point he turns around and goes back to bed.

[cnsunshine]

I'd love to know how everyone gets their dogs to pee in the rain. My dog refuses to get out in the rain unless we wait until we know she is busting to go.

[minimax]

I'd love to know how everyone gets their dogs to pee in the rain. My dog refuses to get out in the rain unless we wait until we know she is busting to go.

When I got my pup I acted like rain was no big deal, we still went out in it as normal for walks and bathroom etc. A lot of people train their dogs to be fussy about rain by acting differently, changing their routine, not going out in it etc

But when you gotta go, you gotta go - as long as they go out in it in the end and don't pee inside etc

Now if there is frost on the ground it's a different story, and I get the "can you please take this off my grass so I can go and pee without my little toes freezing" look. She was a summer baby, this is only her second winter

[OSoSwift]

Conversation this morning.

OH - Lou Lou is out ( his princess name for Lewis)

Me - what about Rommi

OH - no princess sook pants won't get her tootsies wet.

She refuses to get off her bed for him. I walk over , c'mon Rommi lets go.

She does this awkward bouncy spring run thing then quickly pees and gets off the wet horrible grass as soon as possible. She always listens to me though :)

[cnsunshine]

I'd love to know how everyone gets their dogs to pee in the rain. My dog refuses to get out in the rain unless we wait until we know she is busting to go.

When I got my pup I acted like rain was no big deal, we still went out in it as normal for walks and bathroom etc. A lot of people train their dogs to be fussy about rain by acting differently, changing their routine, not going out in it etc

But when you gotta go, you gotta go - as long as they go out in it in the end and don't pee inside etc

Now if there is frost on the ground it's a different story, and I get the "can you please take this off my grass so I can go and pee without my little toes freezing" look. She was a summer baby, this is only her second winter

haha i guess its our fault, we don't like walking her in the rain. (and I'm worried she'll get sick from being wet haha - yes, a very paranoid person )

[Leah82]

I'm not a fan of walking the dogs in the rain coz I don't want the house smelling of wet dog :p

And in the mornings Collie the Cocker will go straight up onto the lawn and does what he needs to do.

Sarah takes a little bit longer, we have a raised lawn with a couple of sets of stairs going up. Sarah will head up one set of stairs then change her mind, then go up the next and eventually make her way along the outside of the lawn by the fence to where Collie has ended up and cocks her leg over the same place he's gone.

When my partner takes them out he'll go as well to provide some encouragement :p

Still early days with the two dogs though, hopefully Sarah will learn that she can go of her own accord and not wait for Collie so she can mark her scent over the top of his.

[KJJ]

Merlin (BCx) is mostly not bothered by cold or rain, Molly (staffy) will tend to stick her head out of the dog door, notice the weather and then go into reverse, you can see her thinking "um ... no thanks, I can hold it for a while yet". If I want her to go out though I just point and say "go on" and she will comply (but race back in as soon as she's done).

[coogie]

Our two are polar opposites, Issy is a complete mud pig and will happily go out to wee/walk come rain, hail or shine. Alf would happily stay in until he is desperate if it is wet, but wouldn't wee in the house.They have never been treated differently, I think some dogs just hate wet feet, I don't think anything would convince him to enjoy it, luckily he is marginally happier to go out than wee inside. This sums up Alf's feelings on the matter of wet grass and his sugar spun paws.

[halfthewords]

Jag usually has to be taken out or he just will hold on of his own accord until he is TOTALLY BUSTING. The same thing at night, even if it isn't raining - he just doesn't want to go out unless he HAS to. Doesn't seem to mind wet paws... In fact, he relishes in mud and getting filthy.

Carl is also a mud pig (thanks for the term coogie! :D) and he needs no excuse to go out and frolic among the dew/rain/puddles. He pees on command anyway but he's always first out the dog door in the morning. :)

Mischa, however...total princess, sookie la la when it comes to the footsies. She doesn't mind going for a walk (road/sidewalk) in the rain but she totally detests going out when it's raining. I usually have to prod her out. Of course, Carl likes to pee on top of where she has, so we usually spend a good 10 minutes outside each night before madam decides where exactly she wants to go!