Housebreaking... out-of-home!

Hi everyone,

I didn't think I would post something related with this topic since I heard/read a lot about it and our puppy has been doing awesome in the last two months.

What's happening though is that there are housebreaking accidents every time we take her out to friends'.
She is a little more quiet when there are no dogs to play with, but in both cases she never pees or poops outside whenever we take her out. Either on or off-leash, in a quiet or distracting environment (dogs barking, traffic noise...), she never eliminates. It is frustrating because you know there is an accident that will happen and it does happen, and I don't really know what I am doing wrong and what I could change. She is 5 1/2 months old by the way!

This could be due to lack of confidence on her part .
Some young dogs prefer to pee in their own yard and hold it until they get home.
When you are at home is she happy to pee outside in your yard or on walks ?

Alison

Many young dogs find it 'threatening' to squat outside of safe areas. Most grow out of it as confidence increases.

I remember well when Jade, my previous dog was young and we took her for her first weekend away in the caravan. I spent a good four hours out in a field with her until she couldn't last out any longer.

It's normal, try not to worry about it too much or you'll just stress each other out

As Chris has said there, it's quite normal for them to be wary to do anything outside of their own territory. I always remember jumping up and down with joy, when any of my puppies first wee'd or poo'd outside in the open, I knew they would just carry on like that from then on!

This sounds interesting and makes sense. I will remain patient and take it easy, again she has improved so much for all the rest!
Average temperature is about -20 here, doesn't make it always easy to go in and out or stay out for a while!
Thank you for your replies!

goodness! Do the dogs have to wear boots ?

Alison

Nope! Well, up here most of dogs don't.
Sled dogs wear booties very often, severe cold and icy trails can be harmful.
Our puppy's paws have always looked great and she doesn't really care about the cold, even up to -35 (short walks, eh)

How frustrating! I agree with what the others said. Just be patient. Try to take her for more walks at home so she gets used to going potty on the leash in different areas. When you're at a friend's house, try to take her for a walk to go potty or else, unfortunately, just keep taking her out every half-hour or so until she eventually goes.

I'm glad to hear things are improving. I'm from North Dakota so I hear ya when you talk about the brutal cold!