I have a dog with multiple bad habits?

Question

I have a 8 month old male dog by the name of Buddy. My husband and I are at witts end with Buddy because despite the constant training, he still is dumber than a rock and continues to disobey us and do things like dig in trash, chew and pee everywhere. We have tried everything we could think of from crate training, chewtoys, love, shouting no and rubbing his nose in it; to teaching him tricks with very savory rewards. We have had Buddy for almost 5 months now and we have tried (and at the time thought he was sucessful) to tech him sit, rollover, lay down, shake, speak, etc. and he will get the trick we are teaching him at the time and forget all the others. We also once thought that we sucessfuly potty trained him bu feeding him 2 times a day and taking him outside constantly, but now were noticing that there are countless little wet spots all over our carpets and discovered that he pees a little here and there everywhere letting the carpet soak it up. What can I do to train this dog??

Wow so many answers in just a short time! We did take Buddy to the vet not so long ago because we thought he might have gotten lupus, but she said that he was perfectly fine & just had some minor sickness & was back to %100 three days later; so im doubtful that the urine thing is a bladder problem. We havent rubbed his face in it since the first moth we owned him (my husband used that approach on his past dogs & kept insisting on it until our vet told him otherwise). We went to a seminar at petsmart & the gal there told us to feed him1/2 c of food & 10 mins of H20 in the morning & 1/4 c with 10 mins of H20 @ night; taking him out then crating him in 10 min segaments until he has both peed & pooed. It took almost 2 months, but he seemed to get it @ then I went on vacation with my family while my husband stayed home & worked then when I came back, I noticed that Buddy wasnt peeing outside & that little, hardly noticable, wet spots kept popping up. 1 week later, he was caught in the act.

Answer 1

First, you may want to consider taking him to the vet for a complete checkup to make sure there are no health problems involved in his behaviors expecially the urination on the rug deal.

If there are no health problems, then it sounds like Buddy and you could spend some time getting to know Ceser's Way. Cesar Milan is the notable dog whisperer featured on National Geographic Channel's The Dog Whisperer. For more info and some tips for owners of problem dogs check out:
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/dogwhisperer/
and
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/
Cesar professes "I rehabilitate dogs, I train humnas!" His methods are very successful and incorporates the idea that a dog's behavior is often due to the owner(s)' misguided behavior. For example, shouting at a dog is unnecessary and can result in the opposite response from the one desired. Consistency is also very important - you have to be willing to invest a lot of time into Always correcting your dog. Patience is a virtue.

Some dogs suffer from separation anxiety which can lead to all kinds of unwanted behavior while the owner is out. Often the owner must first exercise the dog to get rid of extra energy that the dog needs to release, before successful control training can occur.

I whole heartedly recommend Cesar's Way, Milan's new book! I've seen him work wonders with dogs that everyone else has lost hope for. You have to understand dog psychology, not human psychology. It's easy once you comprehend a few basic principles.

Good luck with Buddy!

Answer 2

First, your dog's bladder isn't thoroughly trained to behave. And he may just be getting overly excited and has little accidents. Alot of male dogs don't have total control until they are about 2 yrs old. My dog is 2-3 yrs old, and still has accidents when he's happy to see us come home or to play w/ him. They say also to never rub an animals nose in his accidents. But the trick is consistency, every day at same times of day taking him for walks, feeding, training, playing, and potty training, etc. If its possible, enroll Buddy in an obedience class at Petsmart or other Pet center, also asking your vet will help...they have many ideas on behaviors and how to correct them the right way without being hard on the animal. Good Luck!!

Answer 3

Remember Buddy is a dog not a human so he has "dog" traits that are different from ours. For one his peeing in little spots everywhere are marking his territory. This is a normal male dog thing. You need to train him to do it outside. Are you walking him enough? If you take him out for a long walk in the morning and the evening then he will pee a lot over the neighbourhood and get used to marking his territory outtside. Seems like you are trying to teach him a lot of stuff. He is still a puppy at his age so he is not mature enough to take you seriously or himself. I just think you are trying too hard. Make sure you get him neutered soon so he will be easier to deal with. Good luck.

Answer 4

Have you taken him to the vet to see if he has a bladder problem. Some dogs are harder to teach also. I have a dog I can take out and bring back in and then find a pile on the floor. We love her so we still try and we keep cleaning up & mopping alot. She is a great dog other than that. I think her problem is she thinks outside is to play lol and inside well you know. But if she was peeing all the time inside I would take her to a vet. There could be multipul problems it could be.

Answer 5

It takes alot of patience. Rewards are the best. Give him a treat every time it does good. Don't get excited every time it messes up. He's still a puppy. Putting his nose in "it" is not good. When he messes up, take him away from the spot and put him in his crate or in a small room that's gated. Make sure to clean up the mess to get rid of the smell. That way he won't think it's the place for him to go again. After every meal, and this is a must, take him outside to go. When he goes, praise him and give him a treat.
It will take a while and lots of patience but it will work.

Answer 6

I'd look for a positive reward-based trainer in your area. An actual trainer, not PetCo.

Your dog does not yet know what is expected of him and there are ways you can make yourself clearer. Since dogs don't speak English, we have to find other ways of communicating with them.

I have met a few dogs in my time who really are just dumb as a box of rocks. But that's rare (and usually due to crappy breeding). Most dogs I've met and worked with are very intelligent but need the right forms of communication and motivation in order to understand what humans desire of them.

Also, remember, dogs go through an adolescence just like human teenagers. During this time, they often backslide on housetraining and obedience, requiring the owner to retrain in several departments. They do grow out of it as the enter adulthood. Depending on the breed, dogs enter this phase at between 8 and 18 months of age.

Answer 7

Yeah I would seek out a professional trainer. Not a class at petco. The people at petco and petsmart are idiots. Your dog isn't stupid. Any dog can be trained. Not every person knows how to train them correctly. Also like the person above me I would recommend Cesar's Way. By Cesar Millan. I have it and it really has a lot of useful information in it.

Answer 8

Sounds like you are not comunicating well with him - try finding a obediene trainer in your area. If they have any experience, a basic obedience trainer will have seen every version of difficult to communicate with dog possible so they can show you how to get through to him.
Oh and PS 8 months is adolessence - the most difficult time.

Answer 9

wow, u have to consult this with a good trainer in your area, this is a long story that requires a long answer for you to be satisfied.
One thing, rubbing his nose into it is NOT good training practise, so whatever previous advice you've been getting on training must be coming from misinformed sources.

If he pees small amounts frequently, i also suggest bringing him to your vet to have that checked, it could be a kidney/urinary tract problem.

i suggest a great book on training, called "Dog Training by Bash" by Bashkim Dibra, I like that book. You will find it very useful.

Answer 10

Sounds like you need a professional trainer. There must be something you guys are doing wrong or not being consistent.