Due to the layout of our townhouse, our 1-year-old rescue can’t really signal when she needs to go to the bathroom. It’s usually not a huge deal because we stick to a specific schedule due to my work and the fact that it takes 10-15 minutes to take her out (no yard).
The issue is, at her lunch pee break, she NEVER wants to go. She’ll come to me at the bottom of the stairs but sprints away when I try to put the harness on and generally makes a fuss.
Is it okay, healthy, or comfortable to skip that pee break and wait about 8 hours from her morning walk to her afternoon walk? Or is this just a situation where she doesn’t know what’s good for her?
Adult dogs often require at least 6-8 hours of outside time every day. Also, check out YouTube for toilet cues, some of which can be difficult to detect if you don’t know what they are.
Thanks; I will! Unfortunately, I can’t just take her out anytime she needs to go. I’m frequently in meetings or classes, so she’d have to wait till my spouse got home to go out. I believe I’ll just continue to dragging her out for her lunch pee, hehe.
Can someone explain why this was downvoted? I genuinely want to know if I’m doing something wrong (first-time dog owner). I take her out super regularly to counterbalance the fact that my work hours aren’t flexible from 9-12 and 1-4. That’s why she would have to wait until around 4 if we don’t go out at lunch.
You are fine, and this is reasonable. Good on you for spending so much time walking your dog every day. I think they enjoy it. I have no concept about downvotes.
It really depends on the dog. I realize this may be controversial, but I take mine out twice a day, once when we get up in the morning (any time from 7-9 am) and then again around 6 pm and he’s perfectly fine. No signaling that he needs to go out or anything and never any accidents. It’s the way he was trained since he was a puppy and he’s good with it.
He has a potty bell and access to balcony potty pads, and he also waits by the front door/leads us there to notify when he needs to go out. I always try to get him out a third time, but there are many days when he refuses (hidden in places I can’t get him from when I grab his leash), has no accidents, and doesn’t signal he wants to go out anymore.
It sounds like the lunch pee break is more of a game as if she knows you’re in a rush and the journey will be short. I would take the harness, sit down, and wait for her to come to you instead of running after her. Definitely work on filthy words on command so they are instant. Helps with short excursions or travel. My dogs can hold for a long time.
