Hi there.
I am a new, proud adoptive mom to a pup. I have had Khan, my 11-week-old pikengese boy, for 48 hours (I told you I was new!). I am concerned about his potty habbits and I think he may be constipated.
He has constant access to fresh water, I keep a water dish in each room that he is allowed in (kitchen, computer room, bedroom - but only when I am with him) and I change out the water each time he eats. Khan eats the same food now that he did when we bought him; the difference is that now he eats 4 times daily in scheduled increments whereas before the food was placed down where he could get at it all day and refilled constantly (not measured). He does not eat the full amount of food that our vet suggested, he usually stops 75% of the way through the dish. I make sure he is finished by waiting, sometimes stirring the food around a bit. Then I open the door, step out of it, and call him to me – I want him to get used to the command for him coming to me and the idea that going through that door is how he gets to the potty. When he is successful and comes to me I give him 1/3rd of a treat (because a full treat is quite big for a dog his size) and a lot of praise, pick him up and carry him down the 5 flights of stairs to our back yard to “the potty spot”. He has successfully peed there quite a few times, with a good deal of praise, but he has never pooped and he tends to get distracted easily by anything and everything, and leave the potty area to play. The “potty time” sessions outside last 20-40 minutes from start to finish. I have tried running around with him to get things flowing, I even tried rubbing a wet, warm cloth on his nether regions to stimulate urination, the way a mother dog does with her pups. That’s how I got him to pee the first time and since then he is cooperating nicely with that one. I take him down every 2 hours, timed in such a way that the potty breaks happen 10ish minutes after the meal time ends.
He has only pooped once since getting home with us Saturday afternoon and I am getting very worried. Sometime between 3am (when one of his cries woke me) and 6am (which is when I normally get up) Sunday morning he had managed to make two poops in a far corner away from the bed. He was sleeping right next to my bed as he had experienced quite a bit of anxiety throughout the day with first being removed from familiar surroundings, then taken by car and train – neither of which he has ever been in before - for a total of 3 hours (which was truly horrible, he was such a good sport though and slept through most of the trip) to get back to our home. I am planning to slowly move his doggy bed out of the room and I am currently limiting his space by using baby gates. The last time that I took him down and told him to potty (same command every time) he peed, was praised and given a treat, then he sniffed around and looked like he was about to poop…and didn’t. He just froze in that position for a good minute or so. Then he wandered around a bit, came back to the potty spot, and re-assumed the position, held it for 10 seconds or so, then looked directly at me and whined/wimpered.
My neighbor suggested that I give him milk to alleviate his constipation, just give it to him right there in the yard so I don’t have to rush downstairs with him – but is that wise?
My husband thinks I should train him to go in a litter box, that way when it is snowy and cold/rainy outside (as it often is in winter) he can just do what he needs to do without being forced outside. With a pekingese, is that a possibility? I love to be outside with him because he just seems so excited by everything and I love to play with him (not to mention the extra exercise I am getting out of it), but when it gets colder he may not be happy out there. Is litterbox training an option for him?
My mother said to rub his nose in it if he messes in the condo
, which I find completely disgusting and I have absolutely no intention of taking that bit of advice – yuck!
At this point I would be relieved if he just went ahead and went potty inside the house – at least I would know there is nothing wrong with my little guy. Any suggestions are welcome. It’s now 3:30pm here, Monday afternoon and I am due to take Khan outside again and see if he can do his business. The vet won’t see him before Thursday, unfortunately, though I am sorely tempted to take him to the E.R. – my husband thinks I am insane. Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read through this.
~Khan’s new, inexperienced, concerned worry-wart mommy
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