I just adopted this dog last friday from the pound, she was off to an adoption fair and then after that i have a feeling it was lights out for her. She is the sweetest dog in the world, has already learned sit, down, and get out. She will even sit for me in the middle of playing now. However, this is my first dog(other than the dog i had growing up, but despite us kids promises we werent really the ones who took care of the dog), and i'm having quite a fit trying to figure out this housetraining issue. Just for information purposes she is approximately a 1 yr old tree walker coonhound, basically a bigger beagle, and about 35lbs. She was found as a stray roughly 2 months before i adopted her.

Take today for example, she did not have a single "accident" in the house untill about 10pm. Granted, i had taken her to her "potty spot" about 8 times throughout the day, sometimes getting a result and other times with her looking at me as to say "what are we doing here dummy". At any rate, the first accident of the day was around 10pm, i cought her immediately and she only got a few drops out, and we immediately went outside. I walked her back and forth all through her "potty spot"(which is filled with other dogs poo BTW, almost like little landmines=no fun for me or my shoes), and the only thing i got out of it was a half-assed poo. She came back in the house and ran around and played for a while, and then around 1130 she decided to start to pee in my bedroom. I immediately stopped her again, instead this time instead of going out she went strait to her crate which i know she won't soil, and if she does it would definately be considered my fault for neglecting her needs.

The question is, now that i have her going consistantly at her "potty spot", how the hell do i teach her that eliminating in the house is a no-no? All the dog training tips i've looked into say not to scold the dog for going in the house, but how else are they going to learn its bad? Simplest way i've learned so far to get her to stop doing things(e.g. jump at the bird cage), is to simply smack her good one time and say "no", she definately thinks twice now and makes sure i'm not looking before giving the bird cage another go. Why is that not a good idea with housetraining??? Also, she won't ever start to eliminate in the house if i am watching, she waits for the split second she thinks my back is turned, so wouldn't that indicate she knows eliminating in the house is bad? The only other thought thats occured to me is maybe her previous owner severely abused her for eliminating in the house, and now she is afraid to eliminate in front of humans regardless if she is inside or outside, but this doesn't make a whole lot of sense either as she has no problem doing it early in the morning when i first let her out of her crate....
thanks,
Ryan

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83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

You need to google Crate Training.

She is basically crate-trained. I put her in her crate at night, as well as when i leave for school and work. The dog is rarely left alone in her crate for over 2 hrs as my room mate and i have opposite schedules so someone is normally always here. She will already willingly go in and out of her crate, however when she gets locked in she isn't very happy. My main question is why will my dog start to pee inside and then when taken to her known "potty spot" outside, not go? I know i could use her crate as a punishment for her eliminating inside, but i don't want her to feel as if she's being punished everytime i have to go to class.....

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83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

Scold.. point your finger and change your voice a little to let the dog know it did something wrong. I'm not saying whack it one or anything but there's nothing wrong with scolding.

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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

I trained Sonny our late Yellow Lab, in one day when he was 7 weeks old. After they eat or drink within 10 minutes take them to a spot in the yard, always use the same spot. Tell them go p or whatever word you want to use . Do it in a high excited voice keep repeating it. This gets them excited and they'll do there thing. You can also rub there belly at the same time. When they go, praise the hell out of them. Always use positive reinforcement, don't scold. When training them to do anything use food and praise.

We pick up our new Yellow Lab tomorrow, I'll let you know how it goes.

John

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President Minuteman Section MBCA
www.mbca.org/minuteman

yeahhhh,Lived in Baltimore in my younger days,picked up a dog once and she simply sort of stayed,took me a month to housebreak her as previous to this she would relieve herself on the floor,in the armchair or even on the bed.

Just when I was making real progress she up and left me for a guy with solid 420 connections,not a real matter of concern as my liquor bill was halved upon her precipitate departure.................................Iam florescit.

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Eeeea Gads, man!! You lived in Baltimore? That must have been torture, apart from the abundance of blue crabs and oysters!

Glad you are back CH. I hope you, your wife and your garden are doing well.

Yup -- get excited as hell (well OK -- don't scare him, though ) when he goes in the yard, even give him a little treat. He'll get it down in a few days if you're attentive enough.

Yes,"Bawlmer"was quite different,I vividly recall very clean streets with bleached white marble steps,in sharp contrast to the hookers who plied their trade nearby.

Garden is doing well,post some pics soon,Wife's leukemia is now at 20% as opposed to 88%in November,thanks for asking.

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Ok people will be mad at me for saying this & its not PC & all that Bull

You got to smack that dog good & throw it outside. If they dont learn you have to hit harder with a mean voice. Ya the dog may get scared & hide under a car but Ill tell you what they learn fast, they remember & forgive you as long as your nice to them otherwise.

I have a nice Pug that took its whacks as a pup & now he is a very smart dog. He is scared to go even near the road. Many a dog has been killed chasing cars so I kicked his ass as a pup when I saw him near the road.

I havnt had to lay a hand on the dog for over a year now & he is trained. He is a son to me.

I have had great success using attentiveness and positive reinforcement. Typically, they love to please and of course praise accompanied by an occassional treat probably won't hurt . . .

My deceased best four-legged family member was Brier the Bulldog. I must admit he sometimes would make a mistake but not very often. I never scolded him because he was chronically ill and didn't need any more negatives added to his days.

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Steve
'87 300TD - 132K - Soon 4-Sale
'84 300D Turbo - 122K - Driving
'77 VW Type II - 77K - Restored
'08 250EX Ninja
English Bulldog (Brier) - My best friend. Passed away 12/02/04 while in my arms.

For several years I volunteered with a group training service dogs for disabled people. Amazing things the dogs could learn to do in short order when taught well, while understanding their individual personalities. Think of a 5 year old child intellect, but with emotion as the first response before intellect kicks in.

The book that was required reading for all assistant trainers before working with the dogs was "Understanding 'Dog Mind' " by Bonnie Bergin - usually about $10 at Amazon. The dogs would need to learn over 80 commands in 6-8 months, including handing you a ringing cell phone, turning on a light, giving your credit card to a salesperson, and going potty on command. Bergin covers personalities, training techniques, tone of voice, consistency of command phrases, and modifying 'problem' behaviour patterns. Great book, keeping it to read again before we get our next dog.

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John

2003 Firemist Red/grey leather SL 500
2015 Palladium Silver/black mbtex GLK 350
1987 Smoke Silver/burgundy mbtex 300E Sportline (SOLD)

Click to see 87 300E

Man, that story was funny, if you know how to read it.

Maybe that Pug should SMACK you.....Jackass!!!
John

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President Minuteman Section MBCA
www.mbca.org/minuteman

I KNEW someone would get it..........

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