# Dog suddenly afraid of grass??



## mitharatowen (Jun 19, 2008)

Hello all, I'm hoping you can help me out with this. My 9 1/2 month old puppy has suddenly stopped going potty outside! He has a doggy door and he would always let himself out and do his business but the past 2 days he has been peeing and pooing on the floor every single time he needs to go. He used to have some accidents some times when we first got him but the past month or so has been accident free up until now! I took him outside and usually he runs out and sniffs around in the grass but now he stays on the patio, or puts goes out a foot into the grass and runs back. I took him out on a leash and he will stop dead at the edge of the patio. If I give him a tug he comes out into the grass but he will sometimes hold up one of his feet like he hates touching it.
My thoughts are: 1 Maybe some bug in the grass bit him and he's afraid to get bit again, or 2 Our grass is mostly dead but there are a few spots that have grown pretty long lately, he seemed to avoid and even jump over these spots (He's a tiny little 8 lb Chihuahua) Maybe we should improve our lawn?

Either way, I need some tips to help teach him that the grass is safe! Please help.

FYI he didn't used to mind the grass at all. Here's a pic of him sleeping in in.
http://i36.tinypic.com/9syv0h.jpg

Please reply if you have any suggestions.. I have no idea what to do here.


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## rolandlemoine (Jun 1, 2010)

I have the same issue exactly. My puppy is now reaching 6 months. She has been going in our yard and enjoyed doing her stuff in the grass (although some rare poop accidents in the house). Now since 3 days she refuses to go in the grass with more or less the same behavior as described by mitharatowen. I plan to go out an walk in the street to see how she will do there but wondering what I should do to remove her sudden fear of the grass.


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

Has it been raining lately? Do you think you have ants that bite in your lawn? Are there sharp rocks that he may have stepped on? Is the dead grass sharp or irritating? If he's had a bad experience and is now afraid of the lawn, I would try to remove whatever was bothering him (Pointy grass, sharp rocks, biting bugs) and then try to desensitize him to the lawn once again by using positive association. Try tossing some very high value treats into the grass, like cut up hot dogs, and praise him for venturing into the grass to get it. Take baby steps and only expect him to spend short periods of time in the grass until he's more comfortable. 

First thing's first, though get on your hands and knees and explore the yard from his perspective, and see if you can't find anything!


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## rolandlemoine (Jun 1, 2010)

sounds like good suggestions. will investigate further. thanks so much for the quick reply!


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## mitharatowen (Jun 19, 2008)

My original post was in September 2008 - the first winter we had been through with this little guy. (Maybe his first winter ever!)

In my case, we eventually decided that my puppy just didn't like the cold since the "fear" went away again that following summer (he went back to sleeping right in the dead grass like in the pics) and returned when it started to get chilly outside.


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## BorderGal (Nov 29, 2008)

Walk barefoot all over your grass. If there is nothing irritating to you, then he may have some other issues. If you are having problems with weeds, burrs, foxtails, bugs, etc. you can try putting a section of "turf" down. If you have an Ace Hardward or similar, they sell several thickness' of indoor/outdoor carpet.
Miine has an antibacterial backing and it drains so easy to clean even if they poop on it, no mowing or watering required and it does not abrade pads and paws. (I'd post a pic if I could get it to work)


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