Can you really teach an old dog new tricks???

Question

Hi there, before me and my husband had our daughter our precious pup pretty much had free rein of our large section. Which means she also pretty much poohed where she wanted to and we would go out there and pick it up every day or so. Now that our daughter has come along and we’ve made the section kiddie friendly with a play house and the sorts we have been trying to train our dog (who is 5 years old, so not too old to learn I hope) to do her business around the side if the house. For two months I would go out there with her and show her where to do it and she would. But If I didn’t go with her she would slip back to her old habit. We have tried that pheromone spray which worked really well except if it rained she would go right back to the spot, and it said that you only had to do it for three days and the dog would learn! Huh!! Try 4 weeks and counting! She knows that she’ll get in trouble when she does it because if she sees me watching her and she does one she runs for the hills with tail between legs!! Is my dog just a doggy moron or should I keep at it? I would love to know if you have any helpful tips.

Um I'm not sure some of you actually read what I wrote. SHE IS HOUSE TRAINED. Please read my post. Its where she does it outside that is the problem.. Also, Crate training!! you gotta be kidding me!

Answer 1

keep trying! shell get the point

Answer 2

Like the first person said, try crate-training. But don't use it for punishment. If she has an accident, take her outside. Limit the space where she can go in your house until you are SURE that she won't have an accident. The reason you should do this is because dogs will never do their business where they sleep, but they don't get it at first that the whole house is off-limits. Do NOT and I repeat do not make the crate a bad place to go though. Don't just put her in there and yell at her. Then she won't want to go in there.

I am currently training a 2-year-old male that we rescued, (and he wasn't neutered until earlier this year so he got into the habit of marking his territory) and a puppy. Honestly, the 2-year-old is easier than a puppy. But since you didn't house-train her early, it will be harder. It's never too late though. There's this housetraining book we bought, and it will explain it 10 times better than I can. It's called "The Super Simple Guide to Housetraining" You don't have to buy it online. We got it at Petco.

Answer 3

Just try to!!! But also you can get this spray and its really safe and idk what its called but ask any animal assistant, what it does is that just spray it around the place you dont want you dog to go and the dog wont go there. Its like a force feild or something! BUt it works for every pet!!!!! Try it or just keep trying to train your dog!! Good luck!!!! :)

Answer 4

My suggestion is to try crate-training her. If they go on the floor, keep punishing her by putting her in the crate and saying 'NO!' in a very mean and nasty voice.

Answer 5

Just for some background, I am a former AKC kennel owner (until I got a divorce :P), professional obedience, tracking, and area/personal protection trainer. I have also been a show handler with multiple AKC obedience titles to my dogs' credit. I am a founding member, former Chairman of the National Association of Professional Canine Trainers and Handlers (NAPCaTH) and certified Canine Behaviorist. I have also trained Search and Rescue dogs which have worked around the world. I'm not just spouting something I heard from Uncle Jake, saw posted in a forum on the internet, or saw on "The Dog Whisperer". (shudder)

A puppy can be successfully housebroken starting at the age of 6 weeks, but it is a serious responsibility and requires constant attention. The time it takes to housebreak a puppy in my home is 2-5 days. If it's taking longer than that then YOU are doing something wrong.

I'm going to use the term "poo" to cover both urine and feces.

Here is the recipe for successful housebreaking:

#1 Get on a schedule. – Bring him outside often (about every 2-4 hours) for the first week or so. Stay outside until he does his business. If you can't dedicate yourself to going outside with your puppy for 15 minutes every 4 hours for a few days then please take the puppy to a shelter and get a cat. Also, he should make a potty run every time he wakes up from a nap and about 5-15 minutes after he eats. NEVER withhold water from any animal without specific directions to do so from a veterinarian. Dehydration can happen _very_ quickly in a puppy and it’s known in most states as “animal abuse”, “cruelty to animals”, or “criminal neglect” (usually a FELONY) if an animal suffers because its owner is too lazy to get off their butt and take them outside.

#2 Praise early, praise often. - Make a BIG pleasant deal about what a wonderful thing it is that he has done his business outside **as soon** as he has done so. If you wait until a puppy wanders up to you to praise him, then he thinks you are praising him for coming to you and has forgotten all about the big stinky load he dropped a few minutes before. Your praise to correction ratio should be about 20:1. That means that you should be telling him that he is good for doing all kinds of little things about 20 times more often than you are scolding him for doing something wrong. This will teach him very quickly the boundaries of what acceptable behavior is and what is not.

#3 DO NOT RUB THE DOG'S NOSE IN POO! A dog has no way of getting the poo off of his nose except by licking it off. If he does this then before you know it, you have a poo eating dog on your hands b/c he has developed a taste for it! Instead, remember that a dog's nose is at least 150 times more powerful than your own (depending upon the breed) and use that to your advantage. Make the dog down-stay (lay down and stay there) in position for 1 minute per month of age very near but not in the poo. If your dog is 3 months old, then he stays with his nose next to the poo for 3 minutes while you clean it up. He will very soon associate pooing in the house with having to lay still for (what seems like to a puppy) a VERY long time and will instead wait for his next regularly scheduled potty break.

#4 Be consistent. The pup needs to know that if he poos in the house that there are consequences and, more importantly, that if he does it outside that there will be praise.

#5 NEVER call a dog to you for punishment. When you find the dog has dropped a load, go get him, pull him carefully but firmly to the site of the poo, and then scold him. If you call a dog to you for punishment then you are, in the dog's mind, punishing him for coming to you when you call him b/c that's the last thing he did before you lit into him with your loud, scolding mommy (or daddy) voice. If the dog's nose is filled with the aroma of his own poo, then it's pretty clear to him what you are bent out of shape about. If I had a dollar for every time someone has called me up and can't figure out why their dog doesn't come when he's called but yet they call the dog before they punish him, I'd be a VERY rich man. :D

The most important thing to remember with canine behavior:
Dogs LOVE praise. They LIVE for praise. If your pup knows that he will be praised for good behavior then he will do absolutely ANYTHING that will earn him "good luvins".

Good luck and please feel free to email me if you have any further questions.

Torin

Answer 6

no