Kingdom of Pets

Posted by jeff-holzman
Oct 19, 2014

Hi...
When I take my 6-month-old mutt to her "spot" outside, she is so distracted by everything: birds, leaves, sounds, even her own shadow, that she forgets to do her business. After 15 minutes I just give up. She hasn't come back in and done it in the house, so I'm guessing if she really had to go, she would, despite the distractions. Is this the best strategy for this behavior? PS: about 50% of the time, she goes in her spot, and has very few indoor accidents.

Posted by Preethi KOP
Oct 19, 2014

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for your message

You are definitely not alone when it comes to this issue. A lot of young dogs are easily distracted outdoors and you can only hope that with time she will get more focussed. I have a 10 year old golden retriever who is still a puppy at heart. She still has to marvel and the world, sniff the air, eat grass etc. instead of doing her business and so I totally empathize with you! You could try verbal encouraging (a set phrase and in the same tone every time you take her out) followed by a little treat when she does her business to train her.

Good luck!

Regards,
Preethi

Distracted!