How to get my scared dog to go potty?

My dog gets spooked by strong gusts of wind, loud noises, heavy rain, and wild animals. In these situations she tucks her tale and runs to the door. It usually takes a couple hours to a full day (depending on how spooked she was) to get her to pee outside. I’ve tried reassuring her and also bribing her with treats and toys but to no avail. She ends up peeing in the house. (She’s too big for those potty pads).

Any advice for getting my dog to overcome her fears or any tips for how I can help her feel more comfortable would be greatly appreciated.

Maxi2019-03-27T12:20:55Z

You need to DO something to change the dogs behaviour around noises and change your behaviour and thinking about how you deal with her.
Pee pads are disgusting and ONLY teach any dog of any size and age that it is OK to toilet inside...it is bad training by lazy and ignorant owners.
I suggest you research TTouch and find a local TTouch practitioner who can help your dog with it noise issues and teach you how to respond to your dog....... once you have resolved those ( and they can be resolved as they are not 'weak nerve generic issues' 99% are lack of training/knoweledge by the owner and how they respond to the dog by not giving it the confidence to be able to deal with noise, who 'baby' and cuddle their dogs telling the dog that there is something to be concerned about

The BC I have now is /could be noise sensitive, born rurally, purchased by me at 8 weeks old so had zero experience in those 8 weeks of traffic noise, fireworks etc...BC are very 'senstive' and focused and if I had played up to her early noise sentitivity signs she would have been anxious/fearful of noises, she isn't as she was socialised around noises of all kinds, trained and TTouched

Jojo2019-03-27T08:31:41Z

The dog was almost certainly born with weak nerves and as this is genetic, there is not a lot to be done about this issue.

Without knowing your dogs "full" history, including its age, breed, and how long you have owned it, its almost impossible to give any positive advice.

babyboomer10012019-03-27T04:47:05Z

Bear hugs. Let her out. Hug her - big body bear hug, while you talk soft to her and tell her not to be afraid, it's okay, with the wind blowing, etc. Release her and stay with her while she goes. Don't let her in until she does.

elizabeth2019-03-27T04:01:02Z

Take her outside when these things aren't around. Then when she does go potty, reward her heavily every time. Then you can start introducing her to her fears more often. Also maybe try to get her in a playful mood before going outside.

Good Luck!