Pottying in the rain does seem to be a little tricky. We tried putting a little slicker type jacket over Nikko's back, which if it helped, we couldn't tell. Generally if it's raining, he refuses to walk, espeically at first. So on the rare occasions that it does rain here, we carry him the 5 feet to the area of the yard that is usually his favorite to pee in. He looks pitifully up at us, maybe even tries to climb on the tops of our shoes to avoid paw wet-ness, whines, tries to get back to the door, etc. Then after a couple minutes of us repeating "go potty" and moving away from him in small circles when he tries to climb on our shoes, he eventually decides that he'd better just hurry up and pee so we will let him back inside.
After he would finally pee in the rain, his biggest reward was that we immediately picked him up and headed back inside, though of course we never forgot the yummy treat and tons of praise either.
I know, no magic rain solutions here, but maybe that'll help a little bit... just be persistant. They're going to have to deal with rain occasionally if they're outdoor potty trained, so it might as well start now. Just remember to do your best to not give into whining - teach her that peeing will get her back inside, not whining. And don't forget to use a leash...
Lauren & Nikko |