Potty Training

E.B. over the past few days has found himself under some new limitations because of his behavior. One of those limitations is the leash, something I know he absolutely despises because of knack for chewing it whenever I put it on.

He’s wearing the leash now because he’s decided that all of the backyard area, including neighbors I don’t know, is now his. Along with various front yard areas and the street. I’m sorry E.B., but I’m not about to let you get hit by a car. So until you get a privacy fence in the back yard (coming in the Spring, I hope) then you’re just gonna have to deal with the leash.

One side effect of this has been that when he poops inside now, he is going on the newspaper I’ve left down in the bathroom. So far, he’s not been overly critical of my articles, but I did notice that a front page story was a target the other day.

Now, whenever I have found E.B. using the paper, I’ve been encouraging this behavior by giving him a piece of a dog biscuit. So after two or three times of this, and he’s figured out this new little game: go on the paper, I get a treat. For now, that is a reasonable way to deal with his potty training problem. And at least he isn’t peeing on my bed. I can live with this outcome.

But here is where my young man has truly begun to show his smarts. E.B., the little genius, has possibly come across a new game to play with his master. Sure, he’ll go out into the back yard on the leash; same routine of sniffing around in the backyard looking for a spot, maybe pee a little, then we’ll go back inside.

And when master isn’t looking? Well, that’s when I’ll go on the paper! He won’t get mad, in fact he’ll give me a treat!

I never thought he’d take to the art of the con so quickly. Children just grow up so fast.

So now I have a puppy who will poop inside on newspaper, but won’t poop outside on the leash. This would be the time that Sherlock Holmes would suggest some experimentation. Any suggestions that don’t cause physical or lasting emotional damage to my puppy? Drop them in the comments if you do.