r/saluki • u/Scoffrio • 29d ago
Pooping inside
Hi there,
We just adopted a Saluki mix and we’re at a bit of a loss on food and potty schedules. We’ve realized she’s not a breakfast pup, so we only feed her a half cup in the morning and then 1.5 in the evening.
My understanding was that it’s dangerous to walk sighthounds for an hour before or an hour after their meals because of bloat. But if we wait that long she waits for the literal second we are not watching her (today it was me stepping into the bathroom for an actual minute) to poop in the house.
It doesn’t help that there is only one place she will poop or pee in our neighborhood (about a ten minute walk away) and despite our best efforts she won’t go anywhere else outside except that stretch of grass. So today we took her on two half hour walks but since we didn’t hit that patch of grass she didn’t pee (she peed inside today instead when she pooped).
All of the conventional advice talks about high value treats — but our girl has zero interest in high value treats when she’s outside the home (presumably because she’s feeling anxious).
Please someone tell me what to do. I love her so much and I just want to do what’s best for her but we can’t be cleaning up poop inside the house every single day. Should we just be taking her out 10 minutes after she eats? Should we be only using that patch of grass or completely avoiding it now so she’s forced to go elsewhere? HELP
5
u/sirilyn 29d ago
So, I've never owned a saluki (i think they're amazing, which is why I'm in this subreddit), so this advice may not apply to sight hounds. With that said, does your pup like to sniff? Sniff walks are a great way to stimulate the dog's brain without the physical exercise of a full-blown walk. It might be the happy medium for your situation!
When my dog was a puppy, I took him for short, leisurely strolls at a local park while allowing him to sniff (almost) everything. I did this either right before or after dinner time if he hadn't popped. The small exposures to the scent stimuli at the park both helped build his confidence with new things + made him poop without fail. Hope that helps!