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Hey Mom, I Gotta Go Out Now

08.19.2019 by betsykelleher //

Reading Time: 2 minutes
Boston terrier asking to go outdoors with a very direct expression.

This is Ribbons, our second Boston terrier. When we brought her home on a Wednesday morning, I took her out to the yard to show her where to do her business. For the first few days, she did nothing. And I do mean nothing. She held it until Thursday afternoon when we went out to lunch, leaving her home alone. I should have known better.  

We came back to find a puddle and a pile on the carpet. I was disappointed, but I didn’t have the heart to punish her. She was in a new place, far away from the fenced yard she had been trained to use.

I kept on taking her out several times a day, and she kept holding it. By Saturday morning, I was worried. How could a dog hold it that long and still keep eating and drinking? 

Forget the Leash Law

Saturday morning, I walked her to a grassy area at the edge of our mobile home community and took her off the leash for the first time. She immediately ran a short distance and peed. “Good girl!” I told her. And then she finished her business and ran back to me. I praised her again, relieved as much as she was.

Had she been trained not to do her business while on the leash?

For two weeks, I took her off the leash both in the grassy area and in our own yard. Whenever she did something in our yard, I gave her a treat. Finally, she was using our yard all the time.

Just Let Me Know

I started telling her to let me know when she needed to go out. Every day, I told her. And then one day, as I sat on the sofa, Ribbons came and sat down facing me. There was this look in her eyes that clearly said, “I need to go out now.” So I went to the door and took her out.

From then on, she told me just this way. I really do believe dogs understand us better than we understand them.


Categories // Boston Terriers and Dogs Tags // boston terrier, communication with a dog, housebreak dog, off leash training, Ribbons

About betsykelleher

Author, columnist, and committed Christian who observes the world with wonder and loves horses, dogs (Boston Terriers in particular), and her family.

ABOUT BETSY

Betsy is a Christian author and equine columnist whose passions include horses, Boston terriers, writing, photography, music, nature and a certain gray race horse.

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