Dog Health Questions: Im trying to potty train my puppy in the snow, but he wont go! What do I do?

my 3 month old puppy has been doing pretty good going potty outside if i take him frequently enuff. But he will NOT potty in the snow, ( it snowed several inches last night, and its going to be around for a while) . he gets cold and just stands there. Any ideas, Id love to hear from a dog training expert, please help! thanks for any info.

Positive Reinforcement In Your Dog Training

Recommended Answer:
don't push him. he will go into the snow by himself. give him more time.
besides he is too young. maybe he will get cold.

also you should ask the vet.

Basic Dog Training - Timing And Body Language

• first you need to shovel a path and you need to keep him walking. walking always relaxes them, encourages them to sniff and investigate.


• buy some booties for his feet. your feet would get cold too if you had to walk around barefoot in the snow.... if he doesnt take to them in a few days, most petstores will let you return them. it could also be since he is a puppy, hes never felt snow on his feet and something so foreign could freak him out a bit, just encourage him and sound happy when you talk to him letting him know its okay
  
  also, try shoveling a little path (not far from the house) so he can walk on ground not snow.
  
  try it out, if not let him go in the garage if you have one. when the snow stops, you can always hose down your garage and resume using outdoors.


• can you clear a small area of the snow? when he does go, give heaps of praise and rewards... take him out just as he starts sniffing about inside and appears to defiantly need to go! sniffing about and walking usually helps the dog to go. most dogs sniff and snuffle about before they go. if the dog does going inside try mopping up the pee with a rag then clear an area free from snow and put the scented rag down in the area you want the dog to go. the scent is likely to encourage him to go there.


• Simply, it will take time and patience on your part to get him used to it. I currently have 12 inches of snow with at least 12 more expected in the next 48 to 60 hours. My Chi and 6 month old Shih Tzu pup have an area shoveled for them to use. The Chi is old enough that he knows to just get it over with and go back inside. The pup still loves to romp and play and try to figure out what the snow is. So the pup stays out a bit longer. He plays and runs and sniffs and then does what he needs to do and gets a lot of praise for it. In the event that the weather is severe enough that they cannot go to their areas, I have an area on my back deck for them that they use for emergency weather situations and that gets cleaned up immediately. Maybe you have something like that for emergencies? Otherwise, just be patient and dress yourself warmly while he gets used to it.