# Very unusual problem at least in my opinion... as a college student, i live near campus on weekdays and i go back to my hometown on weekends. but when i am back in my home town, i have a lot of trouble getting kelly to potty. her activity level is high, she plays with my sisters dogs and her appetite is healthy. but sh… ## Thread In Behavior · started by wliu003 · 6 replies - **Category:** [Behavior](https://nihonken.org/community/c/behavior) - **Forum:** [Nihon Ken Forum](https://nihonken.org/community/) ## wliu003 · 2009-01-25T18:28:03.000Z at least in my opinion... as a college student, i live near campus on weekdays and i go back to my hometown on weekends. but when i am back in my home town, i have a lot of trouble getting kelly to potty. her activity level is high, she plays with my sisters dogs and her appetite is healthy. but she is extremely reluctant to go in our backyard which is causing her to pee around twice a day and poop once a day. and i know that she holds it in because if she gets too excited she accidentally goes and it ends up being a large amount of pee most likely from holding it the whole day. one trick that i use is just take her for walks when im back home, somewhere along the way she will poop and pee. i definitely do not mind taking her for walks because i knew that was part of my responsibility when i decided to get a dog. however, the principle of the situation is not right. i would much rather her become accustomed to going in the backyard because that is the most convenient for everyone. the oddest part about this situation is since im only home for 2 days out of the week, this is only a problem during those two days. at school she goes multiple times a day. in fact i let her out every 1-2 hours and shes either pees or poops every time! i need some advice on what to do. i hate that she keeps holding it and its a waste of time for me to keep letting her out and her ending up doing nothing. she knows for sure that going in the house is a no-no because everytime she does she actually has a sad/sorry look and is scared of me for a few seconds. when she goes outside i praise her and i would usually give her a treat but thats after we go inside. ## sujewel · 2009-01-25T18:40:34.000Z LOL. Sounds like Mika. Kurt and I took Mika to Pittsburgh for 4 days. She peed twice and pooped only once. Of course, she peed in the most inappropriate - Carnegie Mellon's scene shop and our hotel room. She FINALLY pooped on mulch, which she's used to. Nihon Ken are very picky about their areas. So, during the week, you need to train your pup to poop on command. When she is actually pooping and peeing, say whatever command you want to use 'go potty', 'make outside' whatever. I use 'go outside'. When they've finished, I made a big deal out of it and praised alot. Eventually, your pup will get it, though it will take time. ## Nekopan · 2009-01-25T18:41:58.000Z Most Shibas do not like going in their yards. Your only solution may be to walk her a short distance until she goes. About giving her a treat after you get in the house - she likely does not know what the treat is for. You have to reward a dog immediately or they do not connect the praise/treat to their action. ## JessicaRabbit (admin) · 2009-01-25T20:35:03.000Z None of my dogs (ever in my 33 years) have wanted to do their business in there yard. Would you want to poop in your playground? It is good you are willing to accept that your pup needs walking. Just get used to the exercise. ## _dlroberts · 2009-01-25T21:35:25.000Z I agree with all three pieces of advice. I don't have a fenced yard attached to my house, so all of Lucy and Joey's potty breaks are on leash. They have their spots close to the house that they go. They know the drill by now. When the flexi leash is on, they are just going out to potty. When the 6 foot leash is on, they are going for a walk. They both do their business within 2 or 3 minutes when they are on the flexi-leash. Try doing something like that for her potty breaks while at home rather than just "letting her out". ## lindsayt · 2009-01-26T10:30:40.000Z Did anyone read Pat Hasting's book- "From Best Intentions to Best in Show"? It specifically addresses how to get dogs that travel a lot and would rather hold it instead of going in a strange place to void regularly. Basically involves meds and stimulation. My mouth hit the floor when I read about what specifically was done, it seems, mmm, unethical/cruel. I don't want to write it in case someone tries it and ends up harming their pet. But wow, I had no idea people actually have a method like that for reluctant poopers and pee-ers. I think treats, commands and walks are more fun and safer (and kinder). ## tsukitsune (moderator) · 2009-01-26T11:35:08.000Z Great advice above! Before we moved to our current townhouse, we had an apartment with a beautiful fenced in yard. Tsuki loved it, and used it in all ways (play, potty, nap, etc). Just about the time we adopted Kitsu, we got a flood and a portion of our fence got knocked over. They got to play in the yard still with super super close supervision, but kitsu would never "go" in the backyard - only on walks. We are grateful that they willingly go on walks because thats our only option now - our new backyard is quite cramped and neither will potty in it unless on a leash in the middle of the night. --- **Navigate:** [Forum home](https://nihonken.org/community/?format=md) · [Sitemap](https://nihonken.org/community/sitemap.xml)