Hello! I'm new to the forum. I have a 10 month old puppy whom I rescued from a shelter about four months ago. His name is Corbin and he's a Pit-Lab mix. He's also probably the strangest dog I've ever encountered. Corbin is very.... I don't know if the word is skittish or hesitant, but he's a really big scaredy-cat. Fortunately, he's also one of the sweetest dogs you'll ever meet so it all evens out, but his habits from being so scared all the time are very strange and sometimes very inconvenient.
In a few weeks I'll be headed home for Christmas break from school. Corbin and I will brave the 12 hour drive, and then spend the next month or so at home. I'm excited because normally I live in an apartment, but at home there's a big backyard and Corbin and my parents' dog, Ty (chocolate lab) get along extremely well. The thing is, Corbin doesn't roam in the backyard and, actually, he won't walk on the grass. I would attribute this to he and I usually walking on sidewalks, but I take him to the grassy park near my house and he roams free and he also does fine at the dirt-lot dog park down the street.
My issue is that if Corbin doesn't go on the grass in the backyard he'll poop on the gravel footpaths, which, needless to say, bothers my parents a lot. I'll be walking him regularly when I'm home, of course, but I'd really like to be able to let him in the backyard and not feel like I need to go out every few hours and walk him to the grass to use the bathroom. I'd love some suggestions for how to encourage him to run around more in the backyard. Thanks very much.
KBiz
In a few weeks I'll be headed home for Christmas break from school. Corbin and I will brave the 12 hour drive, and then spend the next month or so at home. I'm excited because normally I live in an apartment, but at home there's a big backyard and Corbin and my parents' dog, Ty (chocolate lab) get along extremely well. The thing is, Corbin doesn't roam in the backyard and, actually, he won't walk on the grass. I would attribute this to he and I usually walking on sidewalks, but I take him to the grassy park near my house and he roams free and he also does fine at the dirt-lot dog park down the street.
My issue is that if Corbin doesn't go on the grass in the backyard he'll poop on the gravel footpaths, which, needless to say, bothers my parents a lot. I'll be walking him regularly when I'm home, of course, but I'd really like to be able to let him in the backyard and not feel like I need to go out every few hours and walk him to the grass to use the bathroom. I'd love some suggestions for how to encourage him to run around more in the backyard. Thanks very much.
KBiz