Know anything about training dogs?

nancy sv · Feb 28, 2008

Our little dog is driving us crazy, and we aren't sure what to do about it. For some reason, he will only go pee or poo when he is told - by me - unless it is an emergency and then he'll go anywhere. He has one area in the yard that he will go and won't do the deed anywhere else - unless it's an emergency.

The upshot of this is that I have to get up early enough to feed him and let his breakfast do its thing so that I can get him outside to poo before I leave for work. And then he holds it all day until I come home again. My husband takes him out many times throughout the day, but he won't pee or poo for him. He won't pee or poo for my kids. Only me. And only in one section of the yard.

This is obviously problematic in that there are times when I don't get home until late and he passes the emergency stage and goes in the house. There have been a lot of times when he was outside for a long time - and then came in and pooed right away. It's like he just doesn't know he should be going outside.

Fortunately, he holds the pee and has only peed inside once, but he ends up pooing inside on a fairly regular basis - whenever I'm not around to get him out. He will "tell" me he needs to go, but won't tell anybody else.

Any ideas what to do here?

tjwriter · Feb 28, 2008

Have the other members of your family walk him while you are away. The exercise will stimulate him to go.

I have a dog that kept wanting to poo in the house even if he'd just been outside. I just starting leaving him out there twice as long and waiting until he really had to go to put him out there.

nancy sv · Feb 28, 2008

They do take him out!! My husband is working on the barn, so is outside almost all day with the dog. He won't go. Then as soon as I come home, I take him outside and say, "Go poo!" and he goes! Maybe I just need to not take him out - at all - and let them take him out over and over again...

Devil Ledbetter · Feb 28, 2008

My understanding of dog physiology is eat + walk = poop. By walk, I mean walk several blocks on a leash, not just letting the dog out to wander about the yard.

Good luck.

nancy sv · Feb 28, 2008

Right - we've got that part down. As long as it's ME doing the walking. If someone else takes him out, he will hold it until he gets home and THEN go once he's roaming free around the house. I keep saying, "I know he has to go poo now, so you take him out." But he won't go. They've stayed out with him for over an hour and nothing. Then I take him out and he goes in 30 seconds.

Mandy-Jane · Feb 28, 2008

It's all about rewards with dogs. If your husband's with him, get him to use treats to bribe the dog to wee and poo throughout the day (somehow). When dog wees/poos, dog gets treat. Once the dog learns to associate doing it with getting a treat, he should be doing it on his own in no time.

Hillary · Feb 28, 2008

I once saw an episode of South Park that had the dog whisperer in it. That's about all I know about training dogs.

(Okay, that's a lie. I worked at a hunt club with over a hundred animals, twenty-two of them dogs. Intense work goes into training a good birding dog. Anyway, my recommendation is this... If the "stimulus" for the dog going to the bathroom is you, you just need to get him a new stimulus or two. Start taking the dog out in tandem - you and your husband or you and your kids - so he associates THEM with going to the bathroom too. Maybe try the treats as well. He's just got to learn that other things mean "I'm allowed to take a dump.")

nancy sv · Feb 28, 2008

Great idea about the tandem approach!! And I'll have my husband carry a pocketful of treats all day! I guess we just need to give it a bit more time and effort - this little guy has to learn somehow!!

Appalachian Writer · Feb 29, 2008

Hillary's method should work. The tandem concept will probably convince the dog that it's okay to poo in the presence of your husband, but I'd also include your children in this approach and make going "poo" a family affair. If the dog receives enough praise and the treats from every member of the family, I'm sure he/she'll want the episodes to continue and seek out other family members when he/she has to go to the bathroom.

CaroGirl · Feb 29, 2008

Do you have a friend with a well trained dog? A friend of mine had trouble house training her little dog, Winnie. My friend had to go into hospital for emergency surgery and a friend of hers took Winnie for a few days. Winnie learned what was expected of her from by example from the other dog and by the time she came home, the dog was completely trained.

Dogs are pack animals by nature and learn best by canine example.

RumpleTumbler · Feb 29, 2008

I have a somewhat neurotic dog as well.

I'd say the best thing to do would be to have them take the dog out more than you for a while.

Let them feed the dog for a while if they don't already.

Learn and know the signs of impending potty in the floor and have them ready to recognize the signs and leap up and take the dog out then and not you.

Your dog may be doing this to get your attention. Spend some extra time with the dog.

If your dog can poop on command then an entry level obedience class might be fun for you and beneficial for the dog. This also would help with time spent together. They meet about an hour or so a week for a month and a half to two months.

Fenika · Feb 29, 2008

I'm a fan of the dog whisperer. I'm guessing your dog has a multitude of 'issues' not just one.
End psych ramble

RumpleTumbler · Feb 29, 2008

The problem with the 'dog whisperer' is it isn't realistic.

Get up and run 8-10 miles with your dog.

Rest and then have lunch.

Get up and run 8-10 miles with your dog.

Rest and then have dinner.

The dog is of course well behaved because it can hardly move and probably needs medical attention.

Give me a billion dollars and I'll do that with my dog. Some of us have to work.

Fenika · Feb 29, 2008

There's still something to be learned, even if you can't manage hours of exercise while still seeing clients, doing a tv show, and writing your own book on dogs all at once. lol

nancy sv · Feb 29, 2008

I've never even heard of the Dog whisperer, so that won't help me. But I will start having my husband and kids take over more of the dog stuff. I've been working on training him to come and stay and stuff like that and it just made sense that I also take him out to pee and poo. But - if that means he learns to associate it with me only, then that's a problem!

Autodidact · Feb 29, 2008

That's a weird problem. I thought I had expertise about house-training dogs but that's a toughie. Apparently the dog thinks that it has learned that it is only supposed to go with you. Great. Any chance of you going away on a trip for a few days? Then everyone else starts all over with the crate/potty/treat method? (Ask me if you are not familiar with this method.)

KTC · Feb 29, 2008

nancy sv said:
Our little dog is driving us crazy, and we aren't sure what to do about it. For some reason, he will only go pee or poo when he is told - by me - unless it is an emergency and then he'll go anywhere. He has one area in the yard that he will go and won't do the deed anywhere else - unless it's an emergency.

The upshot of this is that I have to get up early enough to feed him and let his breakfast do its thing so that I can get him outside to poo before I leave for work. And then he holds it all day until I come home again. My husband takes him out many times throughout the day, but he won't pee or poo for him. He won't pee or poo for my kids. Only me. And only in one section of the yard.

This is obviously problematic in that there are times when I don't get home until late and he passes the emergency stage and goes in the house. There have been a lot of times when he was outside for a long time - and then came in and pooed right away. It's like he just doesn't know he should be going outside.

Fortunately, he holds the pee and has only peed inside once, but he ends up pooing inside on a fairly regular basis - whenever I'm not around to get him out. He will "tell" me he needs to go, but won't tell anybody else.

Any ideas what to do here?

You are the master. He has to know that your husband can adopt that role when you are not there. For this to happen, you can't do the morning ritual with him for a couple of days. You husband has to do it for 2 or 3 days...and he has to be patient with him when he takes him out. When he really needs to go, he will...and he will realize the world isn't going to fall apart if he's doing his business with your husband attending. Step back and allow your husband to perform this ritual for a few days. The dog may try to hold it the first couple of times...but when he really has to go, he will be forced to do it. That force will break him of his habit. They are very quick to pick up on things.

KTC · Feb 29, 2008

nancy sv said:
Great idea about the tandem approach!! And I'll have my husband carry a pocketful of treats all day! I guess we just need to give it a bit more time and effort - this little guy has to learn somehow!!

I couldn't find the tandem reference...but I wouldn't advise this if this means you both go out in the morning for that first poop. That won't correct the problem. Your husband will have to do it alone. And yes...dogs can hold it for about 8 hours. You give him that first poop in the morning...so he waits for you to do it again. Don't give it to him. And don't go out with your husband. When he really needs to go for that first morning poop...just send your husband.

nancy sv · Feb 29, 2008

Actually - we did that this morning! I generally get up first, so I take the dog out to go pee, then feed him, then take him out again for poo. But I'm home sick today and was in bed all morning - so John took the dog out and he pooed!!! Around 11:00 or so when I got up I took the dog out to play - and he pooed again for me. But I suppose that's a start that he went for my husband. I'll wake up DH in the mornings and have him take the dog out - and we won't feed until after I've already left for school. Hopefully that will take care of it.

RumpleTumbler · Feb 29, 2008

Have your husband go like the dog would to show him what he wants.

:roll:

KTC · Feb 29, 2008

nancy sv said:
Actually - we did that this morning! I generally get up first, so I take the dog out to go pee, then feed him, then take him out again for poo. But I'm home sick today and was in bed all morning - so John took the dog out and he pooed!!! Around 11:00 or so when I got up I took the dog out to play - and he pooed again for me. But I suppose that's a start that he went for my husband. I'll wake up DH in the mornings and have him take the dog out - and we won't feed until after I've already left for school. Hopefully that will take care of it.

Oops. Sorry. I responded first to your original post, thinking that it was posted today. I didn't realize the thread was a day old. Yes...you already broke that barrier...if the dog went for you husband this morning. You know...you should only have to do this two or three more times for the dog to be comfortable to go for your husband. But if it helps, tell your husband it will actually take several weeks. (-;

KTC · Feb 29, 2008

Mandy-Jane said:
It's all about rewards with dogs. If your husband's with him, get him to use treats to bribe the dog to wee and poo throughout the day (somehow). When dog wees/poos, dog gets treat. Once the dog learns to associate doing it with getting a treat, he should be doing it on his own in no time.

This is a fallacy, to an extent. I used treat reward for the heel walking with France, but that's about it. And, even then...I only used it for a couple days to get the rhythm ingrained in her (and extremely tiny tasty treats). The treat system can be a catastrophe to your dog and the training. My dog gets one treat a day...at bed time. It's okay to use treats during training, but only for a few repititions. The dog is smarter than the owner. They will catch on rather quickly...but they will let you think they need the treat to pull off the command. They're not gonna say, "No thanks. I got it. You have the treat. Please. I insist." To treat more than you need to is unhealthy. An overweight dog is a dog with a shortened life expectancy.

Kevin, whose friends call him the real dog whisperer.

Mandy-Jane · Feb 29, 2008

KTC said:
This is a fallacy, to an extent. I used treat reward for the heel walking with France, but that's about it. And, even then...I only used it for a couple days to get the rhythm ingrained in her (and extremely tiny tasty treats). The treat system can be a catastrophe to your dog and the training. My dog gets one treat a day...at bed time. It's okay to use treats during training, but only for a few repititions. The dog is smarter than the owner. They will catch on rather quickly...but they will let you think they need the treat to pull off the command. They're not gonna say, "No thanks. I got it. You have the treat. Please. I insist." To treat more than you need to is unhealthy. An overweight dog is a dog with a shortened life expectancy.

Kevin, whose friends call him the real dog whisperer.

I guess that explains why my dogs were never well-trained!

Know anything about training dogs?

30 months on a bicycle...

Emerging Anew

30 months on a bicycle...

Come on you stranger, you legend,

30 months on a bicycle...

venturing ever further into the unknown

Neural Trailblazer

30 months on a bicycle...

Somewhere in the hills....

Living the dream

Loves Joni Mitchell

Loves Joni Mitchell

30 months on a bicycle...

...in my Maidenform Bra.

Stand in the Place Where You Live

Stand in the Place Where You Live

30 months on a bicycle...

Loves Joni Mitchell

Stand in the Place Where You Live

Stand in the Place Where You Live

venturing ever further into the unknown