# Going Potty in the Cold



## Keneomac (Oct 12, 2010)

Hi All,

Darwin (11 months) is having trouble going the bathroom when it is cold out. I know V's are wimpy sometimes, but he is holding it 12+ hours even if we take him out continuously. He will only go if I take him for a jog or to the park to run around and unfortunately this is not possible at night. He has had one accident in the house because he just couldn't hold it anymore, but otherwise has been holding it just fine. I will take him out a few times and crate him and then take him out, just like when he was a puppy, but he will just tuck his tail and try to sit on my feet. If i play with him for a bit by throwing the ball he sometimes will go, but most of the time will not. If he does go he gets a lot of praise and treats, but he still won't. It is very obvious he really has to go, but he just refuses.

I was wondering if anyone else has this issue and if so how do you convince them to just do their business and then we can both go back in!

PS. He does has a coat on and we take him to the same spot he has always gone in. The issue just arose when it got to what in Massachusetts is really cold, hovering at 0 degrees F.


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

Play with him before he goes outside. If you're sure he needs to go, wait until he does and don't give in. The warmer they are, the more comfortable they feel. Copper was out last night with me for an hour. It was about 20 degrees. It only took him 10 minutes to get it done after he sniffed out a few birds and ran around enough to warm up.  They won't go unless they really have to, or they are warm enough.


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## JillandDan (Sep 8, 2010)

We seem to be having the opposite problem. Holley (7 months) wants to go outside non-stop in the cold. She didn't like doing her business in the snow at first and would hold it for a while (vet said this is common). But now she is over that since it snows every other day lately. 
I agree with Linescreamer, try to get him active outside to warm up or a coat may help. We need to get another one for Holley as she has grown out of hers. Need to fit her for a Chillydog coat. 
Good luck to you.


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## minnere (Jul 8, 2010)

This may sound cruel, but with Pacer, he will whine to go out, like he really has to go and then he'll immediately want back in (without having gone to the bathroom). So, once he asks to go out, he goes out and stays out until he at least pees. This has worked for us and against us because while he is going, he has found a way to sort of punish us by making our flower bed (one step to the left of the front door) his new potty! He tried that with the deck but luckily we caught him just before and made him run into the yard. They are sneaky!

We actually use the phrase "Hurry, hurry" when we want him to pee and "Get busy" for pooping. Someone told us to do that with him when he was really little. So, we will put him out and say go "Hurry, hurry" until he goes and then he gets let back in.


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## Kim (Jan 13, 2010)

Daisy is such a chicken when it comes to going for a tiddle in the cold and rain lol!! We let her have a little sniff of a treat and then say "go for a wee" and off she goes. She knows when she finally does it she will get something nice so it seems to work for us. Nice to hear they are all the same lol


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