Hi guys! It's been a while since I've been on here but I need a little advice.

Those of you that have me on FB probably know that I recently moved to Indiana from New Mexico to finish grad school.

Well, since we've moved here, Lycus has had a hard time pooping at our apartment. We used to live in a house in NM with a yard so I'd just let him loose and he'd poop.

I feel like here he has a hard time pooping on a leash, but I also understand that he might be anxious from all the new smells and what not so he might not be comfortable pooping just anywhere.

I've been taking him to the dog park every morning and the second I take off his leash he goes and poops so at least he isn't going inside.

On the weekends I don't take him to the dog park and I've gotten him to poop by my apartment twice and once at a park right next to my place which is where we walk everyday.

Does anyone have any suggestions on helping him get comfortable pooping by my apartment? I don't mind taking him to the dog park at all but there are days where I might not have time or I just take him for like 10 min for him to get his poops out.

Thanks!

Have you tried a long line? Like a very long line (tractor supply sells one, 25' I think) not terribly expensive if I remember correctly. Just be careful - its a soft material. Ami chewed through it twice while I was chatting with someone. Also - are the surfaces the same? Archer only poops on mowed grass, Ami in the brush and Z'ev in the ditch (but only after a very protracted poopy dance )

Hope all goes well in your new school!

My Prince won't poop on lead either and it's because he likes to do his business far away from me. I would try a long line like Amy suggested. Long walks help stimulate bowel movements too!

I've actually tried about a 15' line, but that didn't seem to work either. I literally stood out there with him for like 20 min and he just stood there. Didn't even try to sniff out a spot or anything
He will pee just about anywhere though. I'll probably get a longer one and see if maybe that will help!

The surfaces are also exactly the same here by my place, at the park and at the dog park. They're all on grass.

He will literally hold it in until he can't anymore. I don't take him to the dog park on the weekends because I keep him tied to me all day until he can't hold it in which is when he finally poops here. He will LITERALLY hold in his poops all day Friday afternoon, all day Saturday, and will finally go on Sunday. Sadly I can only do that on the weekends since I have school during weekdays and I don't want him pooping inside lol so I take him to the park to play but to also make sure he gets his poops out.

I don't know what else to suggest since being a husky I wouldn't suggest letting him off lead to go. With Prince (chihuahua) I can let him off to poop since he can be trusted not to go far and has a pretty solid recall.

How long are your walks though? Usually if they need to go, a nice long walk will coax a bowel movement out of them.

Our walks are usually between 45min to an hour long. He actually pooped today on our walk without him holding it in!

I think it's just a matter of patience from me until he slowly gets used the idea of pooping on a leash and not just at the dog park.

Thank you both for the help!

Gross but...have you considered breeding his poop back from the dog park and leaving bits in the grass at your shot. For smell. Not enough to step in

I've actually tried that already lol. The time he did poop by my place I left a small bit of it in the grass so he can keep going back to that spot and smell but he doesn't care much for his own poop when I take him back.

Yeah Ghost did that when we moved into our temporary apartment here in Colorado. She also started pooping inside for a while too. He's probably not handling the move well (Ghost has never been good with our moves) but he'll adjust. There were a few times we resorted to bribing her to poop outside, I'd just walk outside with a cookie and tell her to go poop and she could have the cookie. She finally adjusted about the time they finished our house, and of course the fist thing she did when she walked into the house was pop a squat and poop right in the middle of our great room

Meredith you do have a way with words lol

amymeme wrote:

Meredith you do have a way with words lol

I do try

Oh gosh, haha. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one whose had this issue. I'm at this apartment for a year so hopefully he'll get used to pooping on a leash before the lease ends.