We have a dog that we just got a few weeks ago in our home. He has no way to take himself out but we are home almost all the time (all but 1 day a week), we take him out every 1-1.5 hours or so, keep out "doggy training (scented to attract - or so they say) potty pads", and when we are gone from home he is left in a large bathroom with a light. The problem is that we have to watch him EVERY minute or he will go "potty" in the house ... and never on the pads. He likes to do his "deeds" right in the center of the walkway. When we take him out it is for a long time and we make sure he "goes" a few times before we take him in. Most of these are happening in the early am or late night, or he just sneaks off for just a sec around the corner and by the time we can get up to follow him it is too late. How we handle it: we are following the directions on the "potty pads" which says to scold animal by saying no to the mess, picking up the mess, then taking & placing animal on the pad (to associate it with going there?). Also, he has now begun chewing all my electrical cords out of the walls (ie cell phone charger, lamp plugs, anything elctrical, etc. even though they are hard to get to (blocked by furniture) he somehow gets to them (he is a tiny dog. And, yes, we have chew toys and treats for him. He gets chew toys all the time and treats are rewaards for "doing his business" outside. Any advice? What am I doing wrong? (He is about 1 yr old.)
Dog Training - Avoiding Common Training Mistakes
Recommended Answer:Take him outside about 15 minutes after eating or drinking. Use a 'key word' when he is outside like toilet or I use 'weezeepoo' give huge amounts of praise when he does go outside. If he has an accident inside, let him know with a stern word that you are not happy! If you can catch him in the act that is ideal! Once you have said 'no or uh ah!' then take him outside and use your key word.. Potty pads teach the dog to go inside and I don't like them.. OK for when he is in the bathroom. Maybe :)
As for cords - again if you can catch him when he goes to or starts to chew that is best. I made a really loud BUZZZZ sound like a cartoon electrocution sound and my girl didn't even go near them after a few of those noises LOL
Good luck with the training it is painfully slow but you need to be vigilant.. Be really vigilant, your dog is 1yr old and that is waaay toooo old to not be housetrained already. My Dobergirl took a few days to learn the routine & I have just housetrained a 7yr old retired Stud Dog Dobermann and that took 10 days for him to learn not to wee inside as that was where he lives now and outside is just for toileting.
Understanding the Differences Between Various Dog Training Courses
- put him in a little cage and call it his bed, make him sleep there, not with you. when you take him out of the cage make him go straight outside, and tell him outside, when you bring him in tell him inside,
after a while when hes out you can say outside and he will know what it means. as for pooping in the walkway, its the stinkiest part of the floor, once you get him trained he can go back to sleeping with you.
- In my opinion, doggy pee pads are a crock of poop. They train your dog to potty on the floor of your house regardless of whether you gradually move them towards the door and then outside. Also, if he's a year, he shouldn't be having accidents at all any more. It could be a dominance thing or else he genuinely does not know as the pee pads have confused him.
My first pup we tried the ' be calm and take her outside immediately if there is an accident' and it took her a long time to get it. Second puppy, the first pee he had on the floor he got a very loud and scary verbal correction and then was taken outside to finish and praised afterwards. He had no more accidents!
As for chewing, it is probably from boredom. I'm not saying anything bad about your puppy raising but some dogs need more exercise than others and get bored more quickly. He may need to be crated when not being played with or watched. Crates can be a nice comforting place for a dog too as long as it is never used for punishment.
- you really have to yell at the 'potty spot'. It's easier for them to understand if you just put them outside. if your home pretty often i would suggest no potty pads. i personally think they are gross. Also when a dog is sniffing and wandering off it usually means they need a potty break. Take them out and stand in the grass with them and wait from them to potty. dont talk to them or anything until it's done. then lots and lots of praise. Also sometime if it's cold outside and warm inside they go outside and they dont have to go but the change from cold to warm makes them have to go so an extra trip might help. with the chewing everytime he chews he needs to go in 'time-out' maybe a room or a kennel. if he comes out and goes back to it simply say 'oops' and lead him away. only a few minutes should work. he'll get the point that chewing on things that dont belong to him takes him away from all the fun. I hope this helped. try watching 'It's me or the dog' on animal planet.
- A tip we were given was to use fake grass. Dogs have a natural attraction to peeing on grass.
We went to the local hardware and got a square of fake grass, and use the training techniques to encourage him to use this area. We then started moving it further out in the yard and eventually he started using the lawn. He still uses the fake grass every now and them, apparently because it has his scent on it and is familiar. Wash the grass every day with warm water and put in the sun, as you dont want it to smell but you dont want to all together remove his odour.
Also, use a recommended cleaner in his usual spots in the house, just because you cant smell it doesnt mean he cant. If the smell is still there he will continue to go there due to familiarity.
- 1, You can't train for outside and inside at the same time. It is just confusing. Get rid of the pads and quit leaving him in the bathroom. Get him a crate as described by others.
2. You also need to teach him to let you know when he needs to go out. Establish a ritual (sitting by the door, maybe even get him to bark once while at the door, etc) and always use the same door.
3. When chewing on wrong thing, stern "NO" and give him a chew toy instead. Also, rotate the toys, don;t just leave them all out. He will get bored with them Have a place where the toys are found, so he can learn to go get one when he wants..
Likely that chewing is a sign of frustration. Make sure he gets MORE exercise.
- Hi. All of the answers here provide excellent advice. The one observation that I'd make that hasn't already been noted is that it sounds to me as if your dog has never had a consistent routine and discipline applied. By discipline, I don't mean punishment, I'm referring to the systematic application of a set of rules that make it clear to the dog what it can and cannot do. Dogs need to have good and proper control systematically and persistently applied to them in order for them to know how to behave. Your dog sounds as if it may have "control" problems. Generally speaking, that can be corrected through persistent and consistent correction. Also, you might want to consider tossing the puppy poop pads. Just bite the bullet and follow the advice already given about housebreaking. Best of luck!
