Puppy desperate to get back in house

[Damouk]

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Hi. I have a 10 week old Dachshund male, who’s first 2 weeks have gone really well, but he’s developed a habit in the last 3 days that I don’t know how to correct and could do with some advice...

I take him out for potty breaks routinely, morning, after meals, every 1 to 1.5 hours, last thing at night, always on leash. I have a dedicated section of the garden (not cordoned off, so if he chooses to wander from there to go potty, I tend to let him).

Due to his size, he’s being carried out to the Garden, and lifted back over the step to come back in. The last few days though, as soon as he’s taken out, he races back to the (closed door) wanting to get in. On leash, he will literally bounce and tug and cry to be allowed to go back towards the house sometimes after going potty and sometimes the second he’s outside. If I remove the leash he races to the door and scratches to get back in. I will often pick him up and take him back to the grass to try to get him to go, which he usually does eventually.

The house is a new build and the garden is not massive, so I can’t take him more distance from the house.

I don’t want outside potty to become a negative thing as it stresses him so much to get back to the door, but equally as winter approaches I would quite like him to do his business and go back in ASAP.

Any advice to stop or understand this behaviour would be very welcome?

 

[JoanneF]

There may be something in the garden that gave him a fright, something you may not even have noticed.

I think it's quite important to listen to his fears at this stage so he learns you won't force him out of his comfort zone, and from that his confidence will develop. So maybe take him elsewhere to toilet, but also sit on the back doorstep with him for 15 minutes every hour or so, feeding him lovely treats.

Then maybe still go elsewhere for toilets, and also regularly go to the garden to play.

Then reintroduce toileting in the garden - when he is toileting elsewhere, start using toilet words while he is actually performing, so that when you take him to the garden you can use these words to cue him.

 

[Damouk]

There may be something in the garden that gave him a fright, something you may not even have noticed.

I think it's quite important to listen to his fears at this stage so he learns you won't force him out of his comfort zone, and from that his confidence will develop. So maybe take him elsewhere to toilet, but also sit on the back doorstep with him for 15 minutes every hour or so, feeding him lovely treats.

Then maybe still go elsewhere for toilets, and also regularly go to the garden to play.

Then reintroduce toileting in the garden - when he is toileting elsewhere, start using toilet words while he is actually performing, so that when you take him to the garden you can use these words to cue him.

Thank you so much, will give this a try

 

[Rosscopc0]

I'm in almost exactly the same situation! Got a 12 week old French bulldog who hates being in our backyard for the toilet.

We have 5 large stone steps which are a bit too high for him to navigate so I pick him up. I know if I didn't he wouldn't come anyway, I don't want to drag him down on his lead.

Anyway he doesn't have much of a problem going to the loo, but he shoots up the steps and sits staring at the door or weirdly the wall.

I can get him back down with treats but as soon as he has one he bounds back up.

I do think something scared him, I am really close to a train line so think his first out may have coincided with a freight or stream train going past.

I'll follow your post closely to see how you get on, hope it is sorted in time. Now to create my post with my issues lol.