housebreaking puppy – How bad did I screw up? How do I fix it?
Question:
>Crate the dog when you go to bed, and put the crate in your room. When he >begins whimpering at 2-3 a.m., rest assured that in a few months he will >gain more control of bowel and bladder and eventually you will get at least >8 hours of sleep at night! Get up and take him out, same protocol. Once he >understands is outside is bathroom,
::snip:: Great advice! What worked for us regarding housebreaking was the perverbial "doggie door". From the day we brought him home, we taught him how to go outside to do his business. In the beginning, we crated him in the bedroom with us and when he whined, we led him through the doggie door. In no time at all, he learned to go outside on his own, in the backyard to pee and poo. Of course, we gotta keep the yard clean 
. Anyway, the doggie door was OUR god send and Gunny’s too. Any chance you can have a doggie door installed? Cissy & Gunn, our Standard Schnauzer
Response:
John: Sometimes we just do stupid things to our dogs. It’s always our fault, you understand. They’re just dogs, after all. You mentioned that you are using a crate. I have personally found crating to be an incredibly valuable tool with my two Jack Russell Terriers. I wouldn’t leave your puppy out in your house while you’re at work. I would crate him. Your puppy, at 13 weeks, now qualifies for the maximum of 4-hours crating. The formula I’ve always been told is each month of age + 1 hour, never to exceed 8 hours. So a 3 month old puppy can be in a crate for 4 hours. Can you go home at lunch to let him out for 30 minutes or so? Another thing that really worked beautifully with my bitch, whom I acquired at 8 weeks of age, was taking her out on a leash and not letting her play until she had done her numbers. She learned so quickly that going outside to "do business" meant that she had to do business first before she could play. We follow that rule even now, and she’s 18 months old. At night, when you’re home, take him out after you get home (immediately, if not sooner, and I would carry him to the door) and let him eliminate. Let him run around, then feed him and take him out again a few minutes later. As a 13 week old puppy, I would expect him to defecate at least 4-5 times per day. On a male dog, piddle comes from an unlimited source. I tend to expect my male terrier, who is 16 months old, to go every 2 hours or so. Let the puppy stay out with you at night, and take him out every hour or so. When he goes outside, act like a complete idiot with your praise. While he’s going, say "good business" or whatever buzz word you decide to put a command to. When mine go outside and I say "do business" they drop and urinate. It always amazes me, and I continuously reinforce this with positive praise. Crate the dog when you go to bed, and put the crate in your room. When he begins whimpering at 2-3 a.m., rest assured that in a few months he will gain more control of bowel and bladder and eventually you will get at least 8 hours of sleep at night! Get up and take him out, same protocol. Once he understands is outside is bathroom, you’ll be fine! You should progress to chewing at that point! Good luck, Robby
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> The first thing you need to do is have him checked by the vet to make > sure he is not physically hurt. Then just proceed as though nothing has > happened. It is going to take several days (or longer) to get back > where you were before. Start from scratch – put him out first thing in > the morning, just before bedtime and after each meal. He will get > better and get back the way he was. Remember, there is NO NEED TO > "FLING" THE PUP, a loud, firm "NO" is all that is required, PROVIDED, > you catch him IN THE ACT. If it is after the fact it does no good to > yell or anything else – the pup will not associate the yelling with what > he did. > Okay. I’ve read 5 books and plenty of advice on websites. They all tell > you the correct way to do things with your puppy. What they don’t address > is what to do if the owner messes up. > Here’s the story… > I have a 13 week old Labrador retriever puppy. I’ve had him since he was 7 > weeks old. So far, he is being paper trained since I must leave him alone > all day while at work. He has been doing a great job – almost to the point > of no mistakes for several days (while I’m here anyway – some errors during > the day while I’m gone, but those had almost quit too). Then… > Sunday night (2 nights ago) I caught him defecating on the carpet in the > hallway. I gave the abrupt "No" and clapped my hands to get him to stop, > then I reached to pick him up and take him to the paper. That’s when all > hell broke loose… He decided to run… I decided I wouldn’t let him and > lurched at him, pretty much just knocking him down… I grabbed again just > as he was getting up to run off, and I ended up catching just one back > leg… I don’t know if it physically hurt him or if he was just scared, but > he freaked-out. He started yelping uncontrollably and writhing in my arms > to get down. He actually bit me (punctured my skin on my hands in a couple > of places with those sharp front teeth.) I ran over with him and flung him > down on the paper where he is supposed to go. (And yes, I did "fling" him > down rather than set him down – in retrospect there are many details of this > incident I wish I could change.).. He continued yelping loudly and > uncontrollably as he ran up and down one wall of the room as if looking for > a way out. Finally after what seemed like forever (but was really probably > less than 30 seconds) he calmed down some. I then carried him over and put > him in his crate so we could both have some time to cool down. I went in > the other room and left him in there for about 30 minutes. By that time he > was calm and I felt like a real jerk, so I came in, let him out and we > played for a little while before going to sleep. > Well – that was the incident. Now I’m also worried about a few other things > that have happened since. One, the next morning, all seemed well, then I > was playing with him near his food bowl, which is a metal bowl sitting on > ceramic tile. He accidentally stepped in the food bowl with his rear foot > and it made a loud sound and scared him I guess – he completely freaked-out > again and started yelping uncontrollably again. It took about 15-20 seconds > of me talking gently ("It’s okay Boomer – You’re okay", etc) and petting him > before he calmed back down again. The second thing that really concerned me > happened this morning. A little while after eating his breakfast, I noticed > he was walking really slow and funny and couldn’t figure out why. Then I > saw that he had been walking along and peeing at the same time. Third > thing, I was trying to proceed as normal tonight, but he had 3 accidents > just tonight. I think he is afraid now to let me see him going to the > bathroom (even on the paper). > Now, finally to my questions: > 1) How much damage to his training did this cause? > 2) How much damage to our relationship did this do? > 3) How do I proceed from here? > Thanks in advance for any help. > John
Response:
>Actually, at this point any correction would be counterproductive. If >the pup is covering up his elimination process after that experience, >you can NOT correct him AT ALL for elimination right now….whether or >not he gets it in the right place and whether or not you catch him in >the act.
I’ve been saying "NO!" when I catch my BC in the act, taking her out, and praising her extensively for going outside. Since she hasn’t acted skittish or tried to hide it from me, I’m assuming that the correction isn’t hurting her or our relationship. As a matter of fact, tonight she peed pretty much in front of me, but I had my back turned. So she showed me! She got my attention, walked over to it and sniffed it, then looked up to see my reaction. Being as she’s a Border Collie (and will soon be teaching me nuclear physics :}, I’m hoping she doesn’t decide that peeing on the rug is an alternative way to ask me to take her out. She has several ways of asking to go out. Sometimes she just stares: "I want something." "What do you want?" "I want something." "Okay… do you want to go out?" "Yes yes yes yes yes!" Sometimes she goes to the door and barks. Sometimes she leads me into the room with the door, jumps on the couch, and looks at the door, then looks back at me. So I know her signals, and I take her whenever she asks. She doesn’t have accidents very often, but more frequently than she used to. What’s up with this? Learn How to Can Spam http://www.whew.com/Spammers/reportspam_stepbystep.shtml http://www.spamfree.org/ WHITE HAT OF THE MONTH – Nominate At: http://www.whitehat.com/whotm/ Internet Secrets, 2nd Edition, by John Levine (All About Spam, p. 277)
Response:
> The first thing you need to do is have him checked by the vet to make > sure he is not physically hurt. Then just proceed as though nothing has > happened. It is going to take several days (or longer) to get back > where you were before. Start from scratch – put him out first thing in > the morning, just before bedtime and after each meal. He will get > better and get back the way he was. Remember, there is NO NEED TO > "FLING" THE PUP, a loud, firm "NO" is all that is required, PROVIDED, > you catch him IN THE ACT. If it is after the fact it does no good to > yell or anything else – the pup will not associate the yelling with what > he did.
Actually, at this point any correction would be counterproductive. If the pup is covering up his elimination process after that experience, you can NOT correct him AT ALL for elimination right now….whether or not he gets it in the right place and whether or not you catch him in the act. He is already convinced that he will be in trouble if he eliminates in front of you. Correcting him if you catch him in the act will only make this worse. The scenario you describe below (by the way, good for you for being so truthful….a lot of owners would have tried to pretty it up so they looked good) was extrememly traumatic for the pup. I do agree that it is a good idea to have a vet check your pup just to make sure that there was no real damage (young ones can be prone to greenstick breaks). Barring that, just stay calm. If you see him start to squat, you might even have to slightly turn *away* from him (s l o w l y, he sounds a bit jumpy about you being near when he has to "go") quietly praising as he starts to go (if it is in the "right" place) or at least say *nothing* if it is in the wrong place. He needs to not be afraid to "go" in front of you at this point. You can’t praise/reward him for going in the right place if he won’t even do it in front of you. How much damage did this do to his training? Well, right now it seems that it has certainly done a bit…..but you *can* undo it Slow, gentle and steady. Don’t make a big fuss over him eliminating. Even keep your praise low key and quiet (no sudden, loud "GOOD BOY!!!!" noises…..given how nervous he is, that would probably shock him even more). Don’t let him out of your sight even for a second if he is loose….you might even have him tethered to your waist so that you don’t have to grab at him (which was part of the whole scary event). How much damage did this do to your relationship? I dunno….but again, its undo-able. Lots of quiet praise, lots of gentle petting, you may have to teach him to be comfortable having that rear leg handled (you can use food lures to keep him focused on while you *gently* hold and touch parts of his leg….again, be sure it isn’t injured before you do this). How do you proceed from here? Start over. He’ll get there. I would, as I said, completely refrain from trying to startle him from having an accident in the wrong place. Most of housebreaking a pup this young is *preventing* the mistake from being made. If you miss, and he is going in the wrong place….get out the newspaper, roll it up, and….hit yourself on the nose saying "I wasn’t watching the puppy". <grin> Good luck! Tara – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Okay. I’ve read 5 books and plenty of advice on websites. They all tell > you the correct way to do things with your puppy. What they don’t address > is what to do if the owner messes up. > Here’s the story… > I have a 13 week old Labrador retriever puppy. I’ve had him since he was 7 > weeks old. So far, he is being paper trained since I must leave him alone > all day while at work. He has been doing a great job – almost to the point > of no mistakes for several days (while I’m here anyway – some errors during > the day while I’m gone, but those had almost quit too). Then… > Sunday night (2 nights ago) I caught him defecating on the carpet in the > hallway. I gave the abrupt "No" and clapped my hands to get him to stop, > then I reached to pick him up and take him to the paper. That’s when all > hell broke loose… He decided to run… I decided I wouldn’t let him and > lurched at him, pretty much just knocking him down… I grabbed again just > as he was getting up to run off, and I ended up catching just one back > leg… I don’t know if it physically hurt him or if he was just scared, but > he freaked-out. He started yelping uncontrollably and writhing in my arms > to get down. He actually bit me (punctured my skin on my hands in a couple > of places with those sharp front teeth.) I ran over with him and flung him > down on the paper where he is supposed to go. (And yes, I did "fling" him > down rather than set him down – in retrospect there are many details of this > incident I wish I could change.).. He continued yelping loudly and > uncontrollably as he ran up and down one wall of the room as if looking for > a way out. Finally after what seemed like forever (but was really probably > less than 30 seconds) he calmed down some. I then carried him over and put > him in his crate so we could both have some time to cool down. I went in > the other room and left him in there for about 30 minutes. By that time he > was calm and I felt like a real jerk, so I came in, let him out and we > played for a little while before going to sleep. > Well – that was the incident. Now I’m also worried about a few other things > that have happened since. One, the next morning, all seemed well, then I > was playing with him near his food bowl, which is a metal bowl sitting on > ceramic tile. He accidentally stepped in the food bowl with his rear foot > and it made a loud sound and scared him I guess – he completely freaked-out > again and started yelping uncontrollably again. It took about 15-20 seconds > of me talking gently ("It’s okay Boomer – You’re okay", etc) and petting him > before he calmed back down again. The second thing that really concerned me > happened this morning. A little while after eating his breakfast, I noticed > he was walking really slow and funny and couldn’t figure out why. Then I > saw that he had been walking along and peeing at the same time. Third > thing, I was trying to proceed as normal tonight, but he had 3 accidents > just tonight. I think he is afraid now to let me see him going to the > bathroom (even on the paper). > Now, finally to my questions: > 1) How much damage to his training did this cause? > 2) How much damage to our relationship did this do? > 3) How do I proceed from here? > Thanks in advance for any help. > John
Response:
The first thing you need to do is have him checked by the vet to make sure he is not physically hurt. Then just proceed as though nothing has happened. It is going to take several days (or longer) to get back where you were before. Start from scratch – put him out first thing in the morning, just before bedtime and after each meal. He will get better and get back the way he was. Remember, there is NO NEED TO "FLING" THE PUP, a loud, firm "NO" is all that is required, PROVIDED, you catch him IN THE ACT. If it is after the fact it does no good to yell or anything else – the pup will not associate the yelling with what he did. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Okay. I’ve read 5 books and plenty of advice on websites. They all tell > you the correct way to do things with your puppy. What they don’t address > is what to do if the owner messes up. > Here’s the story… > I have a 13 week old Labrador retriever puppy. I’ve had him since he was 7 > weeks old. So far, he is being paper trained since I must leave him alone > all day while at work. He has been doing a great job – almost to the point > of no mistakes for several days (while I’m here anyway – some errors during > the day while I’m gone, but those had almost quit too). Then… > Sunday night (2 nights ago) I caught him defecating on the carpet in the > hallway. I gave the abrupt "No" and clapped my hands to get him to stop, > then I reached to pick him up and take him to the paper. That’s when all > hell broke loose… He decided to run… I decided I wouldn’t let him and > lurched at him, pretty much just knocking him down… I grabbed again just > as he was getting up to run off, and I ended up catching just one back > leg… I don’t know if it physically hurt him or if he was just scared, but > he freaked-out. He started yelping uncontrollably and writhing in my arms > to get down. He actually bit me (punctured my skin on my hands in a couple > of places with those sharp front teeth.) I ran over with him and flung him > down on the paper where he is supposed to go. (And yes, I did "fling" him > down rather than set him down – in retrospect there are many details of this > incident I wish I could change.).. He continued yelping loudly and > uncontrollably as he ran up and down one wall of the room as if looking for > a way out. Finally after what seemed like forever (but was really probably > less than 30 seconds) he calmed down some. I then carried him over and put > him in his crate so we could both have some time to cool down. I went in > the other room and left him in there for about 30 minutes. By that time he > was calm and I felt like a real jerk, so I came in, let him out and we > played for a little while before going to sleep. > Well – that was the incident. Now I’m also worried about a few other things > that have happened since. One, the next morning, all seemed well, then I > was playing with him near his food bowl, which is a metal bowl sitting on > ceramic tile. He accidentally stepped in the food bowl with his rear foot > and it made a loud sound and scared him I guess – he completely freaked-out > again and started yelping uncontrollably again. It took about 15-20 seconds > of me talking gently ("It’s okay Boomer – You’re okay", etc) and petting him > before he calmed back down again. The second thing that really concerned me > happened this morning. A little while after eating his breakfast, I noticed > he was walking really slow and funny and couldn’t figure out why. Then I > saw that he had been walking along and peeing at the same time. Third > thing, I was trying to proceed as normal tonight, but he had 3 accidents > just tonight. I think he is afraid now to let me see him going to the > bathroom (even on the paper). > Now, finally to my questions: > 1) How much damage to his training did this cause? > 2) How much damage to our relationship did this do? > 3) How do I proceed from here? > Thanks in advance for any help. > John
Response:
Okay. I’ve read 5 books and plenty of advice on websites. They all tell you the correct way to do things with your puppy. What they don’t address is what to do if the owner messes up. Here’s the story… I have a 13 week old Labrador retriever puppy. I’ve had him since he was 7 weeks old. So far, he is being paper trained since I must leave him alone all day while at work. He has been doing a great job – almost to the point of no mistakes for several days (while I’m here anyway – some errors during the day while I’m gone, but those had almost quit too). Then… Sunday night (2 nights ago) I caught him defecating on the carpet in the hallway. I gave the abrupt "No" and clapped my hands to get him to stop, then I reached to pick him up and take him to the paper. That’s when all hell broke loose… He decided to run… I decided I wouldn’t let him and lurched at him, pretty much just knocking him down… I grabbed again just as he was getting up to run off, and I ended up catching just one back leg… I don’t know if it physically hurt him or if he was just scared, but he freaked-out. He started yelping uncontrollably and writhing in my arms to get down. He actually bit me (punctured my skin on my hands in a couple of places with those sharp front teeth.) I ran over with him and flung him down on the paper where he is supposed to go. (And yes, I did "fling" him down rather than set him down – in retrospect there are many details of this incident I wish I could change.).. He continued yelping loudly and uncontrollably as he ran up and down one wall of the room as if looking for a way out. Finally after what seemed like forever (but was really probably less than 30 seconds) he calmed down some. I then carried him over and put him in his crate so we could both have some time to cool down. I went in the other room and left him in there for about 30 minutes. By that time he was calm and I felt like a real jerk, so I came in, let him out and we played for a little while before going to sleep. Well – that was the incident. Now I’m also worried about a few other things that have happened since. One, the next morning, all seemed well, then I was playing with him near his food bowl, which is a metal bowl sitting on ceramic tile. He accidentally stepped in the food bowl with his rear foot and it made a loud sound and scared him I guess – he completely freaked-out again and started yelping uncontrollably again. It took about 15-20 seconds of me talking gently ("It’s okay Boomer – You’re okay", etc) and petting him before he calmed back down again. The second thing that really concerned me happened this morning. A little while after eating his breakfast, I noticed he was walking really slow and funny and couldn’t figure out why. Then I saw that he had been walking along and peeing at the same time. Third thing, I was trying to proceed as normal tonight, but he had 3 accidents just tonight. I think he is afraid now to let me see him going to the bathroom (even on the paper). Now, finally to my questions: 1) How much damage to his training did this cause? 2) How much damage to our relationship did this do? 3) How do I proceed from here? Thanks in advance for any help. John
Response:
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