Potty training on a lead in the back yard

[LeslieGN]

We adopted a female bichon from a local shelter about a month ago - she spent her life in a cage producing puppies, and her estimated age is 5 yrs. old. At first, she could barely walk, as her muscles had atrophied due to life in a cage, but she has blossomed in the past month, and now can do 1-1 1/2 miles at a stretch (sometimes she is in the lead)! She is able to hold her bladder overnight, and will eliminate while walking on a leash (she emulates her 10 yr. old "brother"). However, she is not getting the concept of eliminating on a lead in the back yard. I've tried holding the lead as I would a leash and walking her around the back yard to no avail. Problem is, right now we can take them for long walks, but when winter comes in the Chicago area, sometimes it is just to cold to do that, and she needs to learn how to let us know that she needs to go out, and do it quickly, as it often is so cold that their paws freeze. And yes, we have boots for both of them, but that has not worked out. HELP!!

[Sarah]

If your backyard is fenced, let her run around. Do you own her brother too? If so, there shouldn't be any problem because she will do what he does. I understand about the cold, and how it freezes their paws and how boots don't always work for them.

If you can, when you are out for your walk, this may sound gross but it will work. Pick up her poop, and bring it back home with you place it in your back yard where you want her to go to the bathroom. Let her smell it. Let her outside with her brother, before the walk, and let them eliminate in your yard. This will train her to go to a specific spot in your yard, and not just anywhere she pleases.

It may take a few times, but she'll get it, and know she is to go in a certain area which also makes clean up easier. You don't have to search the whole yard because it's in one area.

[LeslieGN]

Just spent 30 minutes writing a reply, and Google Chrome erased it, because I hit the wrong key, and it doesn't have Edit undo to the best of my knowledge. Long story short, the issue is pee, not poop, and she has the ability to hold her bladder. It is behavioral - or lack thereof. Fence is not an option. Need to teach her how to pee on the lead in the back yard for when winter sets in. There are times in the winter in Chicago when it is either too cold or to snowy to go for a walk. We shovel an area in the back yard so our older dog can go out and do what he needs to do quickly and come back inside. I need to teach the shelter adoptee how to do the same, she's 5 and lived her life in a cage in a puppy mill producing progeny, so life in a house is radically new to her. I'd appreciate any guidance that anyone would be so kind as to provide.

[MaryAnn]

Take her out to the "Potty Spot" - put her down and say "GO Pee" or "Go PooPoo" (or whatever word you choose)....wait right there with her for a couple of minutes....Praise her to no end and give her a treat when she goes. The colder the weather gets...the faster she will learn to eliminate.

Also...you can judge her eliminations better if you have her on a schedule of regular feeding times.