How to Get a Dog to Potty in the Snow
No matter where you live or where you vacation to, it is helpful to know how to get your dog to potty in the snow. Believe it or not, many dogs struggle to eliminate outside in cold and snowy weather. Some dogs hold it in so long that it’s worrisome and others simply choose to go inside the house, even if this is something they would never do when the weather is more to their liking.
There are likely at least two reasons why dogs show a reluctance to go potty when snow covers the ground. When dogs encounter snow, they often just don’t know that it is okay to eliminate on it. Puppies who learn their housetraining skills during a snowy winter are far less likely to have this problem. Another issue for dogs is that it’s cold! There is the cold air itself and the cold snow on their paws. There are a lot of dogs who simply hate the feeling of cold and snow (I guess that goes for people too!). This really adds a lot of resistance because they are unable to fully relax.
Training your dog to eliminate on cue has helped many dogs potty in all sorts of new and confusing situations, including snow. Follow these two steps in the training process to get the results you are looking for.
- Reinforce with a treat. Don’t wait until your dog comes running back in the house to give them a treat. Stand right by your dog as they go and give them the treat as soon as they are done eliminating. This is positive reinforcement at its finest!
- Add in the command or hand signal. Take your dog outside as usual to eliminate and give the command you want to use to tell them to eliminate. Make sure to do this before they go! Common cues may include “get busy” or “go potty”. With enough practice, a dog will learn that when you say these words, they should take care of business. You may add in a hand signal as an additional prompt to eliminate.
Once your dog can eliminate on cue, you can give them the cue in situations where they may not be sure that the area is acceptable. It’s just one more way that specific training allows you to communicate with your dog and make it easier for them to understand what to do!
