Panda won't go potty (plus updates)
So, all is going well on our first day together. Panda went to the vet today and everything looks good. The only thing that is slightly worrying is that Panda hasn't gone to the bathroom since 7:30 this morning. She peed once a lot right at 7am. The surprising part of all this is that I think she held it for the whole plane ride yesterday and all last night. She finally peed a lot this morning and pooped, and then a little bit more a half hour later. Since then she hasn't gone at all. She hasn't eaten all that much today, but she has been drinking water regularly. She still seems pretty exausted from her long flight and is sleeping most of the time.
I just feel bad because I'm trying to crate train her, so she's been in her crate quite a while. I've been taking her out to potty every half hour, but she just wants to chase leaves and chew twigs. I'm not sure if I'm being too strict with her by putting her back in her crate after trying to get her to go potty. I can tell she's getting a little upset because she's starting to dodge me when I go to pick her up to put her back in the crate.
I'm not sure if I should change strategies and just keep her on leash beside me so I can keep an eye on her and try to take her outside when she acts like she has to go.
I just feel bad because I'm trying to crate train her, so she's been in her crate quite a while. I've been taking her out to potty every half hour, but she just wants to chase leaves and chew twigs. I'm not sure if I'm being too strict with her by putting her back in her crate after trying to get her to go potty. I can tell she's getting a little upset because she's starting to dodge me when I go to pick her up to put her back in the crate.
I'm not sure if I should change strategies and just keep her on leash beside me so I can keep an eye on her and try to take her outside when she acts like she has to go.
Comments
As for the crate training, you don't need to keep her in the crate if she doesn't potty. The crate is a tool for when you can't supervise her. To use a crate effectively for crate training, you only need to follow these two simple rules: 1) if you can't supervise her, put her in her crate; and 2) the instant she comes out of the create you take her out to potty. The rest of the time let her be a puppy. Let her play and explore. She'll go when she has to. If she makes a mistake and goes in the house, interrupt her and take her outside immediately. Wait until you come back in to clean up the mess. Otherwise, take her out regularly. Every 30 minutes is probably a bit more than is necessary. At her age she should be able to go reliably 2 hour before she needs to go out. A good rule of thumb is one hour for every month old she is.
Maybe she has jetlag:-)? Do your utmost best to keep her supervised and out of her crate to tire her out during the day as much as possible and she'll quickly acclimate herself. As long as she is eating and drinking, the pottying will come in due time. For a puppy, I would think if she goes for longer than 48 hours, then I'd be worried. Since she pottied earlier this morning and she's eating and drinking, the potty will come soon enough.
Jesse
Also, Shikoku are notoriously picky poopers. Keep that in mind.
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Don't worry about Panda just yet...she should be fine
Snf
Just a little update on Panda. She's doing really well. She's finally getting most of her energy back and is behaving like a normal puppy (e.i. zoomies, super happy hyper play, which still only lasts 15-20 min before she collapses into a long nap). I've even started to teach her fetch, which is really cool because I wasn't sure a shikoku would be at all interested, but she seems to be enjoying it. Now I'm just trying to think up as many games a possible that we can play in the living room and backyard until she has all her vaccinations. So far it's a pretty short list (fetch, tug, chase the toy that I'm holding, follow me in the backyard to investigate stuff).
she's going potty more regularly now that she's more used to her feeding schedule :) She's even picked a corner of the yard that she does her business in . . . and she prefers to poop in privacy behind some bushes in that corner. Lol, I think she's a little embarrassed to go out in the open. She's actually been very clean with very few accident, and the few she has had were because she was over excited, half asleep and I didn't get her outside fast enough.
On a side note, I noticed that she's frightened of her reflection in the sliding glass door, so I set up a mirror in the living room at her level to help desensitize her. I have some really cute footage of her barking, growling, and investigating her reflection and I'll post that soon. The mirror's actually starting to help tho. She's showing less fear, and has even started touching noses with and licking her reflection.
And yes, as would be expected, the more Shikoku the more diverse the behaviors. But FWIW, both Kuma and Sachi love fetch, although Kuma liked it better when he was younger. Now that Sachi is here, he seems to like it a lot again.
But the water thing, they are night and day. :-) I have found that girls seem to be harder to housebreak (at least my girl). She has had zero poo accidents and does ask well to go out to do that, but the peeing is another matter. She now doesn't pee anywhere she feels like, but runs to the door and pees on the mat :-(. Not every time but still somewhat of an issue. Hopefully she will begin learning to whine and ask to go out.
Also Tara, watch for happy pee...girl Shikoku seem to be more prone to that :-)
Tara, you might also try short little bursts of clicker training. Sachi loves these sessions (very food motivated). :-)
>> Jen and I have found this to be true as well - across all our breeds, females are harder to house break.
"Also Tara, watch for happy pee...girl Shikoku seem to be more prone to that :-)"
>> Oh yea, Loa and Ahi did this too. I couldn't pet Loa indoors for the first 8 months of her life or she would pee. LOL
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:-)
Ah puppies!
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I'm glad Panda is doing fine going to a new home is a lot of stress and especially with the airplane ride.
Right now I'm just trying to get her used to her outdoor kennel, so she won't be too stressed when I have to go back to work. It's pretty tough. She really hates being alone specifically in the outdoor kennel. She's fine with some alone-time in the kitchen where we hang out a lot. I guess she feels like I'll always come back to the kitchen, but she feels abandoned in the kennel. I've been leaving her with tasty filled kongs, and chew toys in there and I've even hung out with her and played with her in the kennel, but she still gets really stressed, wines/howls/barks a lot on and off for the first hour (it's gotten a little better tho). I've been gradually increasing her kennel time. Today I'm having her stay in the kennel for 3 hours. I'm trying to prepare her for next week when I go back to work because she'll have to be in the kennel from 6:30am til 11 or 12 in the afternoon when I can come visit her on my lunch break. I'm hoping she won't be too traumatized when I go back to work.
That is hard because Shikoku love to mirror/be with their owners. I know that Kuma still stresses when I leave him in the outdoor kennel when I go, even with Sachi as company. But at least as he got older, he made less and less noise and barking. But I know that he still does not chew on yummy things that I leave him when I am gone, I guess because he is stressed. He has no problem eating those yummy things when I am home.
I feel your pain, it is sad to see them upset and they can be LOUD dogs when distressed. Age and growing up helps some, although as I said, they still are unhappy when you leave them.
Just a thought. :-)
You just want to make sure that she is not all traumatized by you leaving. I would say 98% of dog owners have to do this, especially with a puppy under 4 months old.
Do you have an expen that can be placed inside? I put Koda's crate in an expen with piddle pads.
Well, I'm going to have a few private dog training lessons at my house starting this Friday, so maybe the trainer will have some ideas for making my going back to work a little less stressful for Panda.