So, I have this dog....

[hisbloodformysins]

Ok.... I'm a little indecisive this evening... I've never owned a dog... never really wanted to because well, they are a lot of responsibility. But now we have this do, she's a yellow lab, real sweet. We decided from the get go that she'd be an outside dog, and she had been for the first year.... but then we found out she has allergies, possibly to grass. And so we have bathed her really well and brought her inside tonight, now she's two years old. The previous owner said that she was house trained. Well, she has already piddled on the floor three times now, keep in mind that hubby and I do not like the idea of the mess of the animal, and I attempted just to put her back outside, but when I opened the door she wouldn't go.... so I gave up trying. I want her to be an inside dog, and I realize with that comes responsibility. But I have no clue what to do? I noticed that each time she had an accident she was pacing around from room to the back door to the room to the back door. Was this her way of saying she needs to go potty? And what about when we are all sleeping? Is she going to make messes, probably, but I'm not going to put her back out.... if we put her out, we may not let her back in again, and what is the point of having an animal if it's just outside all the time? I think that is sad.

Any helpful suggestions??

HB

 

[.Sabre.]

Perhaps you can train her to go in a cat box?

 

[Dagna]

She may have been housetrained when you first got her, but after spending a year outside, what do you expect? Dogs need repetition in order to remember what they're supposed to do. I completely recommend keeping this dog inside, I don't understand why someone would have a dog and not want it inside. But anyways, that's neither here nor there at this point.

First, buy a crate! They are wonderful things and will keep your dog from destroying furniture and peeing in the house while you aren't home or are sleeping. It may take time for the dog to adjust to a crate, but some take right to it, instinctively realizing that's their safe place. Just a note, never ever use the crate as punishment, it shoudl be their safe place where they can get away from all the business of a home. Make sure the crate is big enough for her to stand up, sit and turn around comfortably. It doesn't need to be any bigger than that.

Second, learn to read your dog. Most likely the pacing was her way of telling you she needs to go outside. One thing you can start working on is bell training. It seems a bit silly but it does actually work. Get a bell and hang it on the back door of the house, the one you use to take the dog outside. Every time you take her out to potty, ring the bell with her nose. Eventually, she'll learn that ring the bell=go outside. Some dogs catch on quick, some don't. But consistency is key in this. Once she catches on she'll start ringing the bell on her own to let you know she needs to go out. This is a lot easier rather than trying to watch her 24/7 for the pacing.

While you work on this, you're going to have to watch her pretty closely for her cues. And don't blame the dog, it's not her fault really. She's been outside for the last year so she's having to readjust to life as an indoor dog and you're having to learn her cues. It'll work out in the long run, you just need to pay attention. And in my opinion, if in doubt, take her outside!

 

[HalfFull]

House training a dog is very simple if you know what to do. When you see her going to the bathroom inside, simply say a cue word like 'outside' or 'potty' and take her outside; even if she is already finished, let her stay outside for a little while. Every time you see her going inside, state that cueword and take her outside. If you stand outside with her while she goes, praise her after she finishes. Sooner or later she'll pace, like you mentioned, or just sit in front of you staring at you or even pawing you, or just go to the door she gets let out of and sits in front of that. Then it would be safe to say she wants to go outside.

Knowing that she had been an 'outside dog' (which I don't really see the point of having an animal if it's outside anyways, but yeah, not the point) for awhile, she's always went when she had to go. She was outside, she didn't have to wait, she just went. Things are different now and she completely has to relearn it. They say that old dogs can't learn new tricks, but they can. It's harder for them to 'relearn' a 'trick' or correct way to do things that they've had a set pattern from the beginning that worked for them best. It will take more patience and time than if she learned it from the get-go. But eventually, if you keep working on it, she'll learn where to go and where not to go.

Remember, be firm, but don't be angry. A dog isn't knowingly trying to [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] you off or disobey you, they're just doing what they've learned to do. They don't understand if you hit them or abuse them, and that can further help sustain the problem and nothing will get better.

You can take it from me or not, but I've had a max of 5 dogs in my house at a time, and except for the first week or two that we got them, there are no 'accidents' to report of. Dogs are smarter than you think, but it takes repetition and love to bring it out of 'em. Don't give up 'cause they don't do what you say the first, second, third, fourth, or even fifth time you say it. It takes them awhile to understand what point you're trying to make, so be patient.

Another tip I can give you is if you're trying to teach them something, make sure you praise them for good behavior. They'll learn that if they do what you're trying to get them to do they'll get praise or even a treat, so they'll be more inclined to do it the next time. Also, it's wise to limit your 'cuewords' to just one word, otherwise dogs can get confused. Saying 'let's go to the bathroom outside, will ya?' will get a much different response than saying 'outside' or 'go potty'. Or no response at all. They can't comprehend sentences. On the subject of cuewords, don't use the same cueword for two different circumstances, such as telling the dog to get off the couch and to not jump on you. If you say a simple 'down' command for both of them, they can get confused and just end up doing it more, since it doesn't get the same response from you as the other one does. Make sure you 'label' you commands to one specific task.

All of this probably sounds confusing, but you'll catch on if you keep it up. You can always go buy some training material at your local pet supply store, most of which can help, and there are many techniques that work for different people.

Excersize the animal, play frisbee or ball with him, take him walking or even running. A tired dog is an obediant dog.

Best of luck, and if you have any questions you can shoot 'em my way and I'll do my best to help.

 

[hisbloodformysins]

Thanks for your responses. We put her back outside for the time being because she peed on our carpet 4 times... (and though I have pet stain carpet cleaner, I can smell it as I speak/write). I agree, I don't see the point of keeping her if she's just going to be outside all the time. At first I had ideas of us going outside to see her often, the kids going out back to play with her, taking her for walks... however, I have kids, including a baby and a toddler that isn't even potty trained yet. Unless hubby is willing to go along and walk the dog (which is a chore) then it isn't going to happen, I can't control her (she's a big dog) on a leash and push a stroller at the same time.

Now, I do realize that we have a responsibility to this dog, and I feel bad. I think she's sweet and she needs to be around us all the time...

I just don't have a clue, which is why I came here to ask. I called my mom last night and asked her how to potty train. I think we might hold off on bringing her back in again until we have a better plan, and until we buy a carpet cleaner, which I hope is soon.

Is it possible to have a dog inside the house without worrying about it peeing in the middle of the night, or without a crate?? I know people that do it without a crate... but how?

I think I like the bell idea. I'll mention it to hubby to see what he thinks about it.

Thanks for the tips.

HB

 

[Casslanpepci]

Pacing does mean the dog wants to go out. We have two rescued Greyhounds who always lived outside in kennels, so they needed training. I suggest that they wear collars 24/7 with lots of "janglies" so that especially at night you will hear the dog walking around and know it wants to go out. And so you get up and let him/her out. One of our Greyhounds, had been rehome previously and sent back to the rescue kennels after a month, because he kept messing in the house. We took him and he never messed once, because we were prepared to get up at night and let him out. Restricking the dog to the kitchen with a bed in the corner and newspaper on the floor when you go out will also help.
Make sure the dog goes out after he has eaten, before you go out, and before you go to bed, even if the dog has not indicated he/she wants to go.
Watch for the pacing and listen for the "jangling" at other times.
If a dogs gotta go, a dogs gotta go!

good luck!

 

[K9_Trainer]

Can you have your hubby install a dog door maybe?

I have 3 house dogs (2 german shepherds and a miniature pinscher mix) and they go out when they have to through the dog door.

The general house training rules still applied though, it was just easier because the dogs don't have to rely on us to let them in or out.

Basically, start by putting her on a feeding schedual if she isn't on one already. If you free feed, then your making it harder on yourself. She eats throughout the day, she's going to go potty throughout the day. So two meals a day at a consistent time and that will make her potty habits more regular.

Now, find yourself a timer. Set it to go off every two hours and when it goes off, that means it's time to let her to potty. The hardest part about this is going to be adjusting to it since she's currently on no potty schedual whatsoever. She's used to pottying whenever. If you see her pacing, circling, sniffing, whining at the door, walking around whining etc, then take her out cause she probably has to go. If she goes, praise the heck out of her and give her a special treat (like some cooked chicken!) and bring her back inside then set your timer for 2 hours and go from their.

Now as for night, this is where a crate will come in handy for a while, although there are other options. Assuming she's not allowed on the bed, you can always tether her to your bedpost and schedual at least one middle of the night potty break while she's still learning. Both crating and tethering like that run off the same concept and thats the concept that dogs don't potty where they sleep. If you limit her space, she's more likely to hold it. And the middle of the night break is just in case. And of course, potty before bed and first thing in the morning. Most people have this habit, so do dogs.

My dogs actually slept on the bed with me when I was potty training them. Once again, same concept. Puppy doens't potty where she and the rest of the pack sleeps, thus if she had to go in the middle of the night (at 9 weeks old, getting up at least once was an absolute MUST) she would whine and cry because she didn't want to soil the bed and she was afraid to jump down.

As she starts becoming more reliable and gets the picture that she's supposed to potty outside only, you can remove her from the tether or let her out of the crate and provide her with a doggy bed to sleep on.

My dogs don't have to be told to potty at all or reminded. They know to go outside and they do just that whenever they have to go.

Oh, and do try to clean up the messes the best you can. A lingering smell is like a "potty here!" sign to a dog. So try to find a good brand name cleaner and deoderizor to get it out. I have also heard that cleaning it or spraying it with a citrus cleaner or citronella spray will repel the dog from doing it again since most dogs don't like citrus smells and they absolutely hate citronella. Just a word of caution, don't use any product with bleach to clean urine. The chlorene in the bleash will combine with the ammonia in the urine and it creates a toxic gas.

 

[skunkfeather]

It'll take a while for you guys to learn to "read" each other, on both the human and animal level, but it definantly can be done.

 

[Live4HimAndLoveOthers]