[nagdu] Why I hate relieving on route

[Nicole Torcolini]

This is one of those things for which it is going to be different strokes
for different folks. There are a million different variables in this
equation, and our dogs are not machines.
First, if you are able to leave what you are doing and your dog has a way to
indicate to you that he/she needs to go out, then the whole only when the
dog needs to thing might work. But this is not the case for a lot of us. No,
you cannot *make* a dog relieve, but there are a lot of things that can be
done to prevent accidents inside. First, a dog should be trained to not go
inside; most of our dogs have that one down, and some will tell us when they
need to go out. Second, although you should not micromanage the food and
water of the dog, you can at least control it to some extent. If you know
that there will not be an opportunity for your dog to relieve for a while,
then don't allow your dog to drink twenty gallons of water (exaggeration).
You should also know what will make your dog need to relieve, such as
excitement and/or a lot of movement, and you can act accordingly by either
avoiding these things or being prepared to relieve your dog.
Finally, people talk about service dogs relieving on command. To some
extent, this is true. However, I prefer to think of it as giving your dog
permission to relieve and/or asking your dog if he/she needs to relieve. If
I know that I will not be able to relieve Lexia for a while, I might do
things to make her need to go more, such as exercising first, or I might ask
her a few times, but, as I said above, I do not *make* her relive.
Oh, and two other things that I forgot. What you feed your dog can affect
relieving. Some dogs need more fiber than others. If your dog is having just
about as much stool as the amount of the food that is being eaten, then it
is probably time to look at the ingredient list and find a food with less
fillers, hence what Raven said about the golden guy not defecating very
often. And, last but not least, just because a dog needs to go does not mean
that the dog will go. Dogs will not relieve if they are nervous or
distracted.

Nicole and Lexia

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Raven Tolliver
via nagdu
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2014 5:24 PM
To: Star Gazer; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Why I hate relieving on route

Since my own schedule is staggered from day to day, I don't mind that the
Golden Guy relieves at different times on different days. But he doesn't
poop everyday, which is common for many naturally-reared dogs.
He usually poops every 2 or 3 days, sometimes more, sometimes less,
depending on what he eats, when he eats, and how much he eats. And all those
factors change on a daily basis. I only feed him once daily, and he could
eat anywhere from 7 AM to 2 AM; 1/2 lb daily to 3 lbs daily, and the meal
could be any kind of whole animal or body part. I have a very relaxed
approach to feeding, so I' not a stickler for specific times and amounts.
Since I don't feed at a regular time, he doesn't poop at a regular time.
Also, I've found that sticking to some schedule is a waste of time.
I'll be standing outside for 10 minutes, and he won't do a thing. So I don't
take him outside or stop to relieve him unless he indicates he needs to go.
I mean, if he hasn't gone in 5 hours, I'll make a trip outside, but even
those are sometimes a waste. The other day, I only took him outside 3 times,
so I figured I'd better take him out for a 4th before bed. He didn't do a
thing.
I keep a roll of poopbags in my treat pouch, purse, and back pack, since I
will have one of those with me at anytime. If I can't find a trash can, I
have no problem asking someone where one is located.
People around here are incredibly nice and understanding. I mean, I have a
dog, it's pretty self-explanatory.
Fortunately, the only time I ever stepped in dog poop was during a scheduled
relief time out in front of my parents' house, back when I first got the
Golden Guy and missed a piece of poop in the grass.
The world is definitely set up for off schedule pooping. It's just a matter
of how inconvenient it is for the handler. Personally, it would be
inconvenient for me to have a set feeding and pooping schedule for my dog
since I literally have a different schedule all 7 days of the week.

On 9/30/14, Star Gazer via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 			I'm with you Tracey. The world just isn't set up for
out of 
> schedule dog pooping.
>

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