Mary asks…

How to house train when you are not around?

I adopted a 7 year old beagle/cattle dog mix back in May. She is the sweetest dog in the world, loves people, children, & is so gentle. She was kept in a kennel outside her whole life w/ rarely any attention (she was 7 yrs old & didn’t even know her name when we got her) so now that she is a lap dog (yes, a 40lb lap dog), she is in heaven. She has her issues (animal aggression, pulling on the leash, constantly licking the carpet, jumps on people) which I’m working on (unsuccessfully hehe). She was not housebroken when we got her & learned very fast. Here’s my concern…if nobody is around to let her out she will just go. If we are around she will alert us & hold it if she needs to. She won’t go in her crate either. But if we are not there to let her out, then she’s going. She went in my car the other day! I’ve been crating her which is another issue in itself. She hates it so much & it breaks my heart. We stopped doing that for a while & put her in a room w/ linoleum floors & she chewed the doors & scratched the paint off. I live in a apt, so peeing on the floor & destroying things are not an option & she’s been going in her crate. How in the world do you house break a dog when she only goes inside when you aren’t around??
She’s had 3 UTI’s since we’ve gotten her. I think it may be b/c she’s not used to holding it (since she lived outside) or b/c she is older & maybe I’m making her hold it to long trying to get her used to it? 1 vet thought she may have kidney problems, but then her boss said she’s just over weight. May have ultrasound next visit to be safe. Tried baby gate in kitchen, chewed/broke/destroyed/jumped it (was expensive too!). I think she would destroy door in bathroom, just like she did in laundry room. Keep in mind she doesn’t do any of this when we are around. I work at home & am pregnant so she is not by herself often for long periods of time, but like tomorrow for example, I’m going to my parent’s for the superbowl & she’s going to be in her crate at my place(my dad is allergic). I hate to do it! Also, she gets up over night, sometimes twice, yet when she wakes up in the morning she won’t go out until afternoon & most of the time I have to force her out!

Anna Walker answers:

Umm well it’s not a puppy (rofl) but when she has to go while you’re around don’t let her out, but lead her to her litter box (they make some for dogs) and wait while she goes. If you catch her going elsewhere while your home punish her. Let her out as well just get her used to the idea of a litter box while your home, so she knows that outside and litter box do the same thing

Mark asks…

How can I train my dog to stop jumping over the fence?

My 1-year old Jack Russell Terrier has jumped over the 7-foot fence in our back yard 2 times now. Jack Russells are very hyper dogs. My Jack Russell is the type with long legs, not short legs. The first time he jumped over the fence, he was wandering out in front of our house. This was when we were out, and luckily we found him. Today he jumped over the fence into the yard of a house that was for sale, so we had to go into that yard and get him. One of these days I am very afraid that he will jump into the yard of someone who has a large dog, and he could get killed. I am also afraid that he will jump over the fence and run away, and we will never see him again. We love him very much. Also, he is a very hyper dog and runs out of the house a lot. I need a way to train him to be a good dog, not be hyper, to make him stop running out of the house, and to stop jumping over the fence. We can’t even put him in the back yard anymore. The main reason he tries to jump over the fence is that a dog is barking in the next yard over, and he wants to get to the dog. So how can I train him?

Thanks in advance.

Anna Walker answers:

Well I don’t know. You can try buying a tie out. Which is a very long rope probably about 30 feet long. And you tie to a dog’s collar. And then you can feel free for it to play. It won’t affect the dog. It will only keep it from running away. Hope it helps. If you need more help you can always email me at sisixu@yahoo.com.

Sandra asks…

help me?? i didnt take the BEST care of my dog.. now what??

Well i got a labrador retriever/Border collie mix July of 2006 and she was 6 years old. Well we tie her out on a leash for about 15 minutes about 4-5 times a day(the leash isabout 12 feet long) , well she pee’s and poops all over my dining room floor atleast 4 times everyday. i will be completely honest i don’t take her for walks and she has gone on a long walk in 3-4 months ( i feel horrible about it). My questions are if i take her for walk(s) will she stop peeing and pooping on my dining room floor if not how do i house train her? how long should her walk(s) last? and how many walks a day should i give her?

Please don’t tell me to get rid of the dog, im ready to do whatever it takes to take care of this dog, my house is very big (7 bedrooms,3 bathrooms,a large fenced in backyard,dining room,kitchen,living room) so it’s not like she didnt get any exercise. she’s very hyper. if you can’t help me with my questions please don’t answer.

oh and she’s 52 pounds.
Because she digs under the fence or jumps over the fence.

Anna Walker answers:

Yeah, you better get your butt on the right track, slacker.

Sandy asks…

help with dog training?

ok, so my dog is about 7months. he’s a miniature snouzer (or however you spell it). and i really want the best for him. hes not pody trained and he’s a house dog. we have training pads for him but he still goes in places he shouldnt or right beside the training pad. when my mom has work and im at school. he’s home all day alone wandering the house. how can i train him? should we start crate training? or what? we might consider getting a doggy door so he can freely walk outside whenever he wants to use it.

note: we are not always home so we are unable to always watch him 24/7.

well, thanks & if you help me, 10 points for best answer

Anna Walker answers:

If you are not home and watching the puppy, the puppy should be in the crate. No matter what method of potty training you use, you still have to take the puppy to the potty spot, use your commands and praise when the puppy does good. You have to tell the puppy what you want it to do. A doggie door would be pointless, you still have to be home to show the puppy how to use the doggie door, puppies do not train themselves. A puppy should not be allowed to wander the house, it is overwhelming to a puppy. The puppy should only be allowed one room at a time, limited space, and supervised until the puppy can behave in that space, and then they can graduate to more space, but supervised until he can behave. I use a crate* to potty train with, but only for potty training and then I break it down and store it. I put blankets and a small food and water dish in the crate. Dogs don’t potty where they eat and sleep. When they are first little, I only expect them to hold their potty for 4 hours, and then 6 hours, then 8 hours and so on. So when they are first little, I set a timer or alarm clock to wake myself up at night to take them *out. I only allow my puppy in the bedroom* or the living room, only one room at a time. They have to graduate to more space. If I allow them to have full run of the house, it will overwhelm them. I take them out the same door each time. I tie a dinner bell to the door handle. Do not use a jingle bell as they could get their toe caught in it. So when they are little, I ring the bell for them, and then open the door to go *outside to potty. When they get bigger, I take their paw and whack the bell and open the door to go potty. Eventually getting to the place where the puppy will ring the bell and let me know when they need to go potty. Dogs want to please you, so it is your job to let them know what behaviors please you and what doesn’t. So when my puppy goes potty, I give her a treat*, and clap, and make a fuss and praise her. So she learns that going potty outside makes me happy. If she has an accident, make a disgust sound like “tsst” and take her out right away. I never yell* or spank* my puppies. Take them out when they first wake up, after they eat or drink, before nap, finish romping, when their activities change, or when they are sniffing around. Some puppies go pee right away, but may not go poop until 10 minutes later, so wait for the poop. I have a little play time here, because sometimes I think they are done, and they are not. Puppies train at their own pace. While I may have a puppy that hasn’t had an accident in several weeks, I don’t let my guard down. I don’t expect my puppies to be “fully potty trained” until one-year-old. If they have a setback, shake it off, and start over. I only have my puppies in the crate when I am not watching them. When I am sleeping, cooking, ironing, doing chores, basically when I am not watching her. All other times, she is out of the crate practicing being a “big girl.” This is the time I train her how to behave in the house. So we are practicing “no barking”, ‘no biting”, “no jumping”, and “don’t eat the furniture.” I also have to practice “playing inside” so she doesn’t knock over things. You must keep the puppy in sight when they are little because they don’t know the difference between newspaper and carpet, and you don’t want them sneaking off and getting into trouble. Some puppies can sleep through the night around 3-months-old, but their bladder is grown around 6-months-old.

REVISIONS:
*I use a CRATE to train with. It is the method I prefer, compared to other methods I have tried. I noticed that if they are in the crate, while I am doing chores, they are o.k., because the crate allows them to see me and be re-assured. The crate can also be a comfort when stored in the basement for dogs who live in areas where thunderstorms and tornados are an issue. . However, use the method that works best for you…..a laundry basket, a cardboard box, a woof-woof house, x-pen, child gates, whatever works for you.
*OUTSIDE, pee pad, litter box, whichever method you are using. When the puppy is first little, keep the pee pad, litter box near the food and water dish, so the puppy can eat and drink, and then go potty. You can move it away as they get older. The pee pad has a scent that smells and initiates potty. Sometimes a pee pad makes a sound that scares some puppies, so you might want to use a litter box if that happens. The pee pad allows a puppy to walk around, but a litter box keeps the puppy in one place.
*BEDROOMS, I use the bedroom and living room for training, because it works for me. Choose rooms that work for you, but watch for rooms that are damp, or drafty. While my puppies sleep in the bedroom during training, once they are trained, I let them sleep where they want to. They don’t have to sleep in the bedroom forever.
*TREATS. While I use treats for training, you don’t have to. I like Charlee Bears for training (a little cracker for a little mouth,) I use them for training, but once they are trained, I cut back on them.
*SOME PUPPIES will go potty in the same spot each time. Some puppies have to be told to go potty. A command like “go out” for pee, or “go finish” for poop, might work for you, keep saying “go finish” until the puppy poops. This is a good thing to train if you travel with your dogs. By using commands, the puppy won’t get confused when you are visiting someone, on vacation with you, or when you get to a new home. The command will tell them what you want them to do in an unfamiliar place. You might also want to use a leash method, so the puppy doesn’t sneak off, or for strange places.
*YELLING. It is not a good idea to “yell” or “spank” your puppy and then take them outside when they have an accident. They may get confused and think that going outside is punishment. While you want to correct them, if you are extreme, they may not want to go outside again. Shake it off, and resume your schedule. You have to keep it real. Puppies train at their own pace, but a puppy can only hold their potty for a few hours. A guide would be 1 hour for each month of age, plus 1 hour, so a three-month-old puppy should only be expected to hold their potty for 4 hours at most.
SOURCE: These tips, tricks, and ideas were contributed from many brilliant minds. Thanks for your help!

Michael asks…

How to stop my dog from using my house as a bathroom?

How to stop my dog from using my house as a bathroom??
A week ago I asked a question about how to train my dog from using the carpet for his bathroom. I have a cocker spaniel 1.5 years old male. I walk him 4 times a day with a very precise schedule: food twice a day before the walk and the walks are at 7, at 12, at 6 and at 9. I work, so the schedule can not change, but I keep the time of the walks even in the weekends. All he does outside is sniffs and sniffs and sniffs and does not do his business. Sometimes he does, sometimes he does not, but the fact is that EVERY DAY when I come home from work – there is either poop or pee on the carpet! And he knows that he has done wrong, he meets me with a guilty look. I do not beat him, but put him in a dark room for 15 minutes time-out. I do everything I was told in order to stop this behavior. He has plenty of love, attention, play and everything. But this ruining the carpet business is wearing me off, I am ready to give up and just let him go. What can I do?

The answers I received were all about crating the dog to housebreak him. Now I leave him at the kitchen behind the dogie gates when no one is home. I just received a phone call from the apartment manager that the dog makes noise and bothers neighbors and that they are going to call the animal control. It looks like I have to give the dog away. Is there anything else I can do to keep the dog and save the carpet and the neighbors? Thanks!

Anna Walker answers:

This is a tricky one.

I can’t tell you what to do about the neighbours because I don’t know enough information on that front, however to stop your dog peeing and pooing on the carpet there is an easier remedy.

All you need to do is designate a place in your apartment for him to do his business. If it’s in the kitchen or lounge, whatever – just place down some news paper and/or special dog litter. The reason why he does it on the carpet is because there’s no place for him to go from the sounds of it, other than on the carpet.

He knows he’s doing wrong and so I’m guessing if you designate a special area and train him to do it on there he will stick to it.

Just quickly – if he’s noisy and loud then that generally means he’s either got a lot of energy or he’s frustrated. The best thing I find is to get him as tired as possible through walking him and playing with him and then he should be relatively quiet for the rest of the day.

I wouldn’t give him away just like that. He’s part of your family now and he deserves more time to adapt. When I had dog problems like this, I used a book called Sit Stay Fetch which taught me about the fundamentals about keeping a dog.

You can find more info on this book @ http://www.dogtrainingsos.com/sitstayfetch.html

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

ASK the Dog Trainer - How To Train A Dog