Retraining poop/pee on command

[Jess & Stewart]

I'm a bad doodle mom-I left Stew's potty bells at my dad's house & I didn't get them back for 2 weeks. In those 2 weeks, Stew completely forgot how to poop/pee on command. I have the bells again and he rings them, but he does not go on command anymore or use his normal spot. I used to bring him to his spot, he'd go, praise/treat & a walk as reward. His normal spot is a large strip of grass at the corner of my street. I'd recently been trying to make his spot, a large patch of mulch closer to my apt for late night trips & he'd been going there about 50% of the time.

Now, he doesn't use either spot & I end up walking him FOREVER. Most times j end up coming back inside because he didn't go. A friend suggested that I time it and if he rings his bells but doesn't go within say 5 minutes, we go back in. Then if he rings again, 5 minutes again, until he goes. I do still say "go potty/go poop" as soon as he squats and praise/treats.

Should I start over as if he is a young puppy? I CAN'T believe he's almost a year. It scares me because he's got so many things we need to work on.

[Oliver & Elizabeth]

I would suggest starting with the basic potty training techniques too. But I don't think it will take that long for him to remember how to go on command; it's like kids coming back to school after summer vacation.

How's Stew doing on resource guarding?

[Adina P]

I TRIED to teach Boca to pee/poo on command.  I obviously didn't do it right because she never learned.  If you get back your command, let us know how it goes!

[Jess & Stewart]

He's doing much better! I actually got laid off from my job about a month ago, so I've been home all day and I think it's helped Stew. I was only at my job for 2 months before being laid off & I hadn't been able to get home for lunch, so a friend came each day. I'd gone home previously, so it might have been a bit jarring. He's gotten SO much better at "drop it", he even drops pieces of paper/mulch on walks-which he never used to do! He still guards things & I still get frustrated, but I basically throw treats at him until he gets interested in the treats and walks away from the object. Sometimes, he'll run after the object but I just say a loud no & stomp my foot, he'll growl but then back off.

I'm really having trouble getting him to come (he doesn't move, just stares at me, even if I have a great treat in my hand). A lot of the time, I just give up and try again later. He's also a jumper & gets so excited to see people. I live alone and don't have visitors often, so he freaks when someone comes over. On walks, if he sees people approach, he'll sit but he breaks it when they greet him & jumps, puts his mouth on them (no biting down).

[Lynda Kamrath]

Well, it is not easy.  But they need to relate the pee/poop command to something they want.  Hondo was my best dog at doing it on command and it started with always giving him the command before we got in the car.  He got that right away.  Now we use it when they go out at night and if they go pee I give them a dog treat but if not, no treat.  If you tell them to go pee and they just squeeze out a little one, still give them a treat.  I would not take them for a walk to get them to follow the command.  If they don't go immediately, they have not internalized the command so go back in the house and no treat.  When they really know the command, they will do it on command.