alternate pooping spot when rains

[murpleberry]

Hi chows owners,

Recently, my pup Simba pooped on his puppy pads.This is probably the first time he actually went there and did it. Usually he would poop outside, but i am really proud of him doing it . I was wondering what made him just go do it there. Its been rainy over here and I hate taking him out. Is it wrong that I don't take him out on days and he has to hold it in? I feel as though he's not that bright when it comes to pooping because I know he has to go, but tends to shy about it inside. I dont mind him doing it in the house where his pads are when its raining or Im too tired for a walk. So do you guys have an alternate spot where your chowling is pooping when its rainy or snowy outside soon! I don't have a yard, so its hard for him to just go out of nowhere!

[christina chow mum]

Okay Simba, time for a little "poop to poop" with Ming's Chow mummy. So, if you are sitting comfortably, I shall begin....

First of all, you are a very, very good boy to do your stuff on your pads while your Chow poop daddy is watching "Friends" or the "Big Bang" again. (LOVE those shows!) LOL! Bravo Simba! and well done especially as you don't have a yard. You are a clever and sensitive Chow Simba and sorted out the problem all by yourself to ease your Chow Daddy's intense guilt plus the fact that he's the one that dishes out the fooooooood..! he he!

FYI: I have lived in this ground floor apartment with a yard for 3 years. In those 3 years Ming has NEVER pooped in the yard! Also, he will only pee in the yard a) After a bath. b) After his dreaded storm has passed from sheer panic and he only does that on a little red mat I have put out there for the purpose, cleaning the pee up with disinfectant and hot water afterwards. ( Don't want to annoy the neighbours now do we Simba?) . Even though he may be inside the house 24/7 for one reason or another although not often, he will only pee and poop outside. (mutter mutter..groan nag groan....)

In the past I tried collecting mounds of dried or wet leaves and made little piles in the yard for him to poop on, or, (nasty nasty, yuk yuk) when he pooped outside on walks I picked up a small piece, brought it home in a kleenex, put it on a little mat in the yard and waited like a jilted bride at the church for developments but .... NO WAY HOSE!! Ming just lives in "poop and pee never never land" and I have accepted the fact that he will only poop outside during walks in certain well established places he has designated himself, bearing in mind that many of the Chows in this Forum will have other ideas on the subject....also bearing in mind that we humans do tend to be a tad selfish at times...oooops!

It sometimes drives me nuts as there are times when one is feeling a bit unwell, it's chucking it down with rain like now or I'm in the middle of watching Brad Pitt in the film "Seven" just at the bit where he shouts frantically to Morgan Freeman "What's in the Box???!!!" LOL! (LOVE that one too...) however, I digress...

Apart from all the above Simba, I did once put down a puppy pad in the yard but that just got all shredded up in five minutes like anything else I gave him to play with as a puppy!

So, Simba,you just tell your Chow poop daddy that he's a great Chow poop daddy, get rid of the guilt, enjoy the breaks from "forced marches" and prepare for the Chow teenage years which are already on the horizon it seems.
Thanks for the memory and just go with the flow...
Good luck! Christina.
This is a pic of Ming in my yard. You can see the little red mat for the occasional "pee". The white sign at the back says: DON'T STEP ON THE GRASS! in Greek. Lol! There is no grass!

[sharimac]

Chow chows don't like to poop anywhere near their living quarters..... they typically like to poop far away.. this is their natural instinct as when it comes to poop or pee, you will notice they try to get away from it. Don't you have a park or field close by that you can walk your chow chow?

[christina chow mum]

Hi sharimac, very well said. I think that Simba does have an "outside" from what I understand from the topic, it's just that his chow daddy can't take him out that often which is why he got the pads so it looks as though one problem has kind of sorted out the other as finally Simba is actually using the pads indoors, hence my comment about the approach of the teenage years (i.e. maturity)... or so it would seem to me. Ciaou Chow!

[DrewBear]

I sympathize with your reluctance in walking when cold & rainy. The puppy pad might work while Simba is small, but it'll be a much less pleasant option as he grows. I bought cheap rain gear and basically toughed it out. I'd put a towel on the porch so it'd be ready when we got back. Bear didn't care for puddles (always jumped over or walked around them), but the rain didn't faze him one bit. Of course I live in a temperate climate, so it wasn't really a huge hardship. Not sure what I'd do if I lived in Manila or NYC.

I don't recall the details, but I do remember "training" him as a pup to do his business as quickly as possible. There was a clear distinction between a leisurely walk and a potty walk. Something like "go poop, Bear, go poop". Then, "good puppy, well done!"...maybe even a treat? I'm sure there must be a Youtube instructional somewhere.

[wokman]

I have seen photos of and read about people training their Puppy Chows to use a Cat litter box. I have not looked at the articles in the training Forum but you might try there. DrewBear's suggestion of doing a Google search for a Youtube video is helpful, there is something for everyone there. Long term holding it can be the start of future health problems; Kidney, Intestine; its an accumulative effect. Chow Chows are Cat like; all to varying degrees, not happy to get wet, enjoy cleanliness, like privacy and independent. Would like it if you were denied use of the plumbing for hours on end? Buy your self the proper clothing and tough it out. I take my dogs out minimum three times a day. Puppies as they learn how their bodies function need more outings as do elderly dogs. In their Adult years every eight hours three times a day is sufficient. Where I use to live I had a small open atrium, half concrete, half gravel. My Chows learned to do their business quickly when the weather became severe at the eighth hour.
During Winter we have gone out when the temperatures were single digits for more than an hour; mostly walking on the side of a road with no sidewalk, cars whizzing by. My late Chow Chow Leo strolled along at a Snails pace like he was enjoying a walk on Miami Beach or the Riviera; while I wondered if I would get frost bite or not. You signed up for this so get cracking.

[wokman]

Leo on a Winter mission.

[chunkymonkeys]

My two Chunky Monkeys are shy when they defecate, and don't even make eye contact when taking care of business. Instead of viewing it as a chore, I look at our daily walks as an easy way to stay fit, exercise the Chows, and socialize with the neighbors. Even when I'm too lazy, or upset about work/life, by the time we're done, the bad mood dissipates. Their sheer joy in sniffing other dog markings, meeting, and getting love from kids, and attempting to catch squirrels and cats is priceless. Good luck!

[Rory's Dad]

And then there is a difference in their training...

My story...Rory was a summer baby. We walked regularly around the border of the property (i do have a yard). He was encouraged to find his spot near the fence. On normal walks we would do laps until he was ready. Inclement weather shortened the walks and he was vocally encouraged to complete his business. He will now only go in a 4' square spot next to the fence and behind the shed. Even though he is no longer walked for these 'events' (we have a 60' long run from the back door to the rear of the property) he only uses this area.

Amber was a winter baby, in a winter where we constantly had snow and bad weather. As a responsible family member, i wouldnt just shove her out the door when she needed to go if i wasnt willing to go out myself, so we relied more on puppy pad training and then when she was old enough transferred her to that same dog run. Since she never got that 'perimeter training', she figures the entire yard is her litter box.

So yes, i avoided those cold walks, but now i have to perform cleanup patrol over the entire yard year round on a weekly basis.

[christina chow mum]

A further note on the above. In the garden next door to me there is a strange mound of earth under an orange tree.
I realised what this was when I saw stray cats coming in one after the other, doing its/their "biziness" on the same mound, covering it over, checking it and neatly leaving it tidy for the next stray cat. Cats are very clean and so are Chows. Like all dogs, Chows like to "mark" their territory, in fact Ming will pull on his lead to go to a tree that he peed up yesterday because to him, its HIS tree, HIS pee, no matter how many other dogs have already peed there. In some strange way, he picks up his own scent of pee. I have found, that similar to cats, Ming will always poop on, or near the spot where he pooped yesterday or the day before. I have said this before, will say again, we don't always/can't always teach chows, they teach US!
I am English, I grew up in the rain month after month of it, I LOVE it, can't get enough of it in this "desert in the Med" so I enjoy our twice daily walks in rain or not. Ming loves the rain, its the thunder that boggles him.

I believe that whatever kind of animal we take into our lives, its not only a matter of providing food, love, water, warmth, baths, toys and "having battles" but also of having OBLIGATIONS. Obligations to walk in the rain, to put a little bit of Chow time aside for THEM, to give and take and get a LOT! We humans believe we are immortal, that we will be here for ever, but our Chows.....won't.

[christina chow mum]

Wokman said: "....You signed up for this so get cracking...."

A very wise comment Wokman, a real "slam dunk".

[Me & Tess]

I am not sure if I am going to be my usual nice self, but I need to say the following. If one is going to buy or adopt a young Chow or an older Chow you have to realize that there are many responsibilities that you take on. Expecting a Chow to poop in the house is not such a good thing. Even if the Chow is young, it will become an adult and believe me you don't want adult poop in your house. The excuses that it is raining or that you are tired are not good enough. We adopted Lilly in the winter. I started walking her and taking her out in the snow and the temps were in the 20's. We started with the leash and went in the woods for her to "go." I put her on a schedule so I would know her "routine." Now she goes with out a leash, but I still take her out because we live on a wild life corridor & if she goes down so do I. We are very close to being wilderness and are only 17 miles away from Glacier National Park. Last night her last outing was at 11:30 pm, it was snowing & it was again in the 20's. I layered on the clothes and weathered it like a big girl with my big girl boots. I just worry about humans who take on Chow pups because they are adorable. Those of us have heard the problems from new Chow owners, given advise over and over & then never hear from them again, only to wonder what happened to the poor Chow.

[christina chow mum]

Very well said!! Bravo! Bravo! To me, Me&Tess, you will always be a "nice" chowlie person and what you say is 100% correct. Loving a chow means also suffering periods of GUILT!! Ming also has his own routine and I know it backwards. There have been times, though not many, when we didn't have the last "pee for peace" around 9pm for one reason or another and I have eventually gone out with him at 3a.m. 5a.m. etc. in the dark, so he can relieve himself.

Confession; I had cystitis last year, a really painful dreadful week of it and during a walk I just couldn't hold it any more, so ducked behind some bushes and pee'd to my hearts content. Can you imagine what a chow must feel like with all that pee or poop building up inside him, being by nature clean, proud and willing to please, with no way he will pee in or poop near his house??? Totally TRAGIC!!
So, you got the Chow and now you get to "walk the walk"... If you love your chow then there's no "easy way out" coz love happens inside and OUTSIDE our houses. Cute, fluffy, stuffed teddy bear toys are for sitting all day on windowsills... hum.
Take care and let us know if he has developed his own outside pee/pooping routine with you following behind?...yes

[Piff Poff]

Our chows are given the option for a walk twice a day whatever the weather, no matter how tired we are. IF our chows refuse to leave the house, or cut their walk short, it is THEIR choice, there are very few excuses to not walk your chow.

Henry really prefers not to walk during rain, we have no idea about Daisy -40 yep says Henry bring it on, I think Daisy will be the same as she has discovered walks are the best thing since sliced bread, since moving in with us.

[Cocoa]

Me & Tess wrote:
I am not sure if I am going to be my usual nice self, but I need to say the following. If one is going to buy or adopt a young Chow or an older Chow you have to realize that there are many responsibilities that you take on. Expecting a Chow to poop in the house is not such a good thing. Even if the Chow is young, it will become an adult and believe me you don't want adult poop in your house. The excuses that it is raining or that you are tired are not good enough. We adopted Lilly in the winter. I started walking her and taking her out in the snow and the temps were in the 20's

I agree one hundred percent. I brought Cocoa home as an 8 week old puppy in December and we were outside every couple of hours at first. I did have puppy pads in the house in case of accidents but those were very few. At night she was confined to the kitchen with baby gates and within days she was holding it through the night rather than soiling her "den". We did have a few accidents in the first few months but those were either from excitement or from me not catching her signals (so my fault, not hers).
It doesn't matter if I don't feel like going out, it is part of the responsibility of owning any dog. Being in a condo with no yard we are out a minimum of four times a day - morning, after work, early evening (this is usually the longest walk) and then a quick bathroom break before bed.

Piff Poff wrote:
Our chows are given the option for a walk twice a day whatever the weather, no matter how tired we are. IF our chows refuse to leave the house, or cut their walk short, it is THEIR choice, there are very few excuses to not walk your chow.Henry really prefers not to walk during rain

Cocoa also chooses the length of the walks (although she has never refused one altogether), and like Henry she doesn't like the rain so if it is raining she will quite often do a quick turn around for home.

[Cocoa]

PS: Good to see your back Piff Poff & Henry

[Piff Poff]

Hi Cocoa, lovely to see you (waves) Henry has a sister now, I'll be brave and post the details later

[christina chow mum]

Excellent input Cocoa! As I read it I felt like I was looking though a long mirror to Ming, more or less exactly the same behaviour, his and mine.
I have mentioned before in this topic that Ming has never ever pooped not even in the yard and will only pee on a little red mat in the centre of it after a storm "terror" - after a bath when he is shivering, or if I am ill and can''t get out which is very rare as I wouldn't miss our lovely walks even if I had lumbago all over my head!

Just an example, I have already posted about the "Cyclone Cleopatra" we had last night with all the resultant Ming reactions, and low and behold, after I had swept up the water in the yard, straightened the trees and plants and was about to put on my other wellies to get ready for a walk in the rain after another long days journey into Cylone terror night...groan... Ming went and peed on his little red mat, a great long pee which he had kept inside him all night indoors through all that fear and chaos.

They really are all amazing "good boys" and "good girls", bless them. I really can't imagine a chow spending the rest of its life around puppy pads.
Take care!
Ming's little red mat in the yard below:

[Piff Poff]

This morning it was minus 31, the windchill minus 36, myep those numbers are real, frostbite can occur in something like 15 minutes, believe me, I do not enjoy walking when its that cold, but the furkids needed to spend a penny or two. I hope it warms up a bit soon.

[Me & Tess]

It's supposed to be 3 degrees tonight. Layers & "hurry hurry" will be the orders for tonight! Stay warm Piff Poff.

[christina chow mum]

O M G

[Me & Tess]

It hasn't gotten past 10 degrees today. Our second walk for the day was at 11 am. As I prepared for the walk in the elements, I took an my son's windbreaker (from when he worked at Knots so many years ago) to add to my layers. Five layers, 2 pairs of socks, snow hat, scarf, big girl boots & away we went, crossed the clearing and into the woods. We took the trail to the "saw dust pile" & out to the road. Went north for almost a half mile. Then we headed back to "home," Lilly in the lead and prancing up the driveway, back to the cabin to a toasty warm fire in the wood stove.

[christina chow mum]

Hi Me&Tess, LOVELY story! That's the way to walk a Chow...way to go! I bet you have lots of little chats like I do with Ming, just about anything and nothing at all, even when you are shivering to bits... ha ha!

Here, its still 22 degrees, not much cold wind yet, very damp, lotsa rain but no storms (yet), those are going on around the Aegean islands right now, all flooded out.
Half of the Greek population is "freezing" though, sorry to say. They haven't paid their electric bills ooooppss, so got disconnected, many thousands are about to have their houses/apartments foreclosed on by the banks here...again...oooopppsss.. in the dark with candles and no heating as we/they use diesel in the radiators and its far too expensive to buy in this dreadful crippling crisis with salary, pensions, budget cuts, millions unemployed.
I think they should find other alternatives as they have all been spoiled during the "good years" (eighties/nineties) now its head-banging time and apparently nobody saw it coming....

When I was a kid after the IIWW we only had gas lamps with a lamplighter coming round every evening to light them, that's how we knew the night was coming, ho ho... and candles and an outside WC in the freezing snow-covered yard, shovelling coal into a coal scuttle down in the cellar and cooking meals over the grid on the fire...washing drying high up by the ceiling on wooden rods my dad had made. Those days would have been great for Ming in the snow. Happy days!
Take care of you and Lilly!

[Me & Tess]

"We" got up this morning at 5:30. Lilly went to the door. I proceeded to get my warm clothes on. Under my flannel nightgown went a pair of thermal sweats, over my bodice went a fuzzy warm vest, then my son's windbreaker, & over that went my heavy terry cloth robe, then over it all my down coat. Next I put on my snow hat & hand knitted scarf. Then on with two pair of socks, and my "big girl boots." Ok, ready, got the flash light and out on the porch "we" went. Lilly gave me a little nuzzle as I walked down the stairs, as I am saying to Lilly "go pee" "go pee." Lilly did not budge off the porch, just gave me that all famous Chow-Chow stare. Oh Lilly, I said, so back up the porch, Lilly to the door. Into the house and all that I just put on (which took about five minutes) came off. Gave Lilly some fresh water and up the stairs back to bed. Lilly soon followed and in less the two minutes she was in back of the bed snoring! She didn't get back up until almost 10 am! I can say that we had clear skies this morning & I got to visit my old buddy Orion.

We did get in a good walk after Miss Lilly finally got up. Started to the road, but I saw our neighbor's little spaniel on the road. Gave a call to Lilly (I am not ready for her to meet another dog yet) & back up to the clearing and then over to the creek. I hadn't mentioned this but about three weeks ago we had an awful storm. We lost many trees over by the creek. We lost some of our oldest & biggest. They were ripped out of the earth, root balls clean out; one especially huge tree by a small year-round spring, up, out & over. So many trees snapped off, some wrenched and gnarled by the violent winds. We lost at least 100 trees, maybe more through-out our property. Lilly & I walk among them. Places where we had a clear path we have to maneuver, up and over. Lilly is really good at jumping over a log or climbing up on the log and placing all four paws on it. I do follow her and sometimes I tell her "Mom can't go there." We/she figures out a new way. We do have to be careful. We were out over an hour. Lilly paused to "listen" to the forest sounds several times. She plants her butt for at least five minutes & I join her. We have lots of turkeys this year...... heard them to the south of us and to the north of us. Heard our neighbor working in his part of the woods. Crows, cawing and traveling in groups swooping looking for prey. Lilly takes it all in. Weather has changed up here in the past five years, we have been hit by big winds at least 3 times & lost many trees each time. Our creek in the woods is now becoming our creek in the meadow. Mother Nature re-arranging.

This is getting longer and there is so much more I want to say & respond to. I may re-post this on My Little Lilly site. Sweet Dreams.

[christina chow mum]

Oh Me&Tess what a marvellous story!!
You are so descriptive, funny and seriously "chow mommy" all at the same time! LOL! Thank you so much!
Lilly's attitudes when she's out are similar to Ming's except we have no woods and no fallen trees. And...of course, like Lilly if he doesn't wanna go, he ain't goin'!! Funny little things. Don 't take this amiss but your stories about your winter walks and all that stuff you have to pile on just for a "pee for peace" as I call it, ha ha...put me in mind of the old t.v. series "The Little House on the Prairie" and "The Scourge of the Yeti" LOl!
What would we do without you, you have really made my day!

We are in for a lot and lot of rain from this evening on until about next Tuesday. Ming "knows" there's something nasty on the way and has been hiding in his little corner in the yard. Won't come in not even with me begging....we shall see about that...ha ha.
Dreadful storms throughout the Greek islands unfortunately. Rhodes Island is the worst hit with 6 people dead up to now trapped and drowned in their cars, several still missing with rescue teams looking for them, very difficult though as the whole island, homes, shops, hotels are flooded with up to one and a half metres of water! What is the World coming to??

Thank you so much again Me&Tess!! Take care of you and Lilly.