1 yr old Puggles Rescued - HELP US!?

Question

My husband and I just rescued 2 puggles last week (male & female). We are having issues with accidents in the house, learning commands and eating. I switched them to Nutro lamb & rice but neither is wanting to eat much and we are STILL having lots of accidents in the house. We take them out after eating, play, walk, love etc but for some reason they are still going in the house! My new carpet is ruined (I'm ok with that) but we are really struggling. Also the previous owners breed her and she had her first litter of pup at approx 10 months - will her milk teets ever go down now? I don't want to train with treats if they refuse to eat, I don't know of a good product to use to clean the carpets and how can I get them to eat & go. I give them 20 min. per meal and food goes up & they go outside. It seem they are more interested in sights,sounds, smells etc. Any advice on raising 2 lovable but VERY unpolished puggles?

Answer 1

First advice stop feeding Nutro ...it is overpriced and they use the same ingredients as cheaper brands...that was proven by the recall. Switch to an all natural brand. If they are both currently not eating try leaving the food out longer first off...they may have been allowed to eat whenever they wanted to at the old owners house so leave the food for a bit once they get accustomed to your house and feeding schedules it will be fine. Try canned food. Also find out what type of food they were on before and try to switch slowly, dogs sometimes won't eat if you change foods all at once. Remember you took these dogs from another owner and they are used to certain things if you change all of their routines at once they are going to have a hard time adjusting and can become depressed and sick.

As for your carpets head to a pet store they have many products to remove pet accidents. To stop accidents try crate training.

Answer 2

I had the same issue with my rescued bulldog, Manny. Even though he was 2 years old when I got him and he came from a home with much love and care and no abuse, he still had an issue with potty-training because his previous owners had a doggie door and a dog run where he could go any time he felt like it, so he really didn't get the concept of going on a walk at first. I'd take him out and he wouldn't get that he was supposed to go potty out there- he'd just sniff things for an hour. For the first 2 weeks we had him, he made so many puddles all over the carpet, and just ruined our rugs. I'm sorry to report that I have yet to find a pet stain remover that actually works. What I finally did to get him on a schedule was cut off all food and water during the day when I was gone at work (sounds cruel, but he didn't seem to mind), and giving him a treat every time he went potty outside on our walks so he'd get the idea. I know you didn't want to use treats to train, but it really does work, and they won't get sick if you don't overdo the treats. And it's not like you have to keep it up- after about a week of training with the treats, I cut it out and he still had the idea down. This all happened about 4 months ago, and he hasn't had a pee accident for over two months now. He had another nasty habit of making a poo on the floor in the morning if he felt he wasn't getting enough attention from my boyfriend before he left for work. We solved that problem by putting him back in our room to sleep with my boyfriend after I leave for work and before my boyfriend gets up, so he feels like he has maximum cuddle time. He's a bit of an attention whore now, but at least he doesn't mess on the rug anymore.

As for your female dog's teats, I'm pretty sure they stay out once they've been used. I know a female bulldog who had her last littler about a year ago, and she's still poking out all over the place.

Answer 3

They will eventually eat when they get used to things...and realize that the food you're putting down is the ONLY food they are going to get.
You might also try using the food for training...just one kibble here or there (you can switch to training treats when they actually start eating).
Dogs also have a very strong urge to mark their territory (this decreases when they're neutered/spayed...but some dogs always retain it.)
Especially in a new place, they're prone to wanting their scent everywhere.
You could try treating them like puppies - take them out every hour or two to "potty" and praise them when they do potty - play and love on them after they potty.
Surprisingly enough, the carpet cleaners sold in the pet section of wal*mart work pretty well.

Oh yeah, when you switched their food, did you do it gradually or all at once? (You should have done it gradually...if not, buy a bag of their old food and do that...adding a little bit of the new food at a time until they're eating all new food.)

Answer 4

Not sure about how to get them to eat. You might want to talk to a vet, because lack of appetite could indicate sickness. Did you find out what food they were being fed before? If it was a decent food, maybe you could switch back to it.

As far as housebreaking goes, the general consensus of all pet trainers now is that you need to crate-train your puppy, and then have him in the crate whenever you are not watching him (until he is housebroken.) If the crate is the right size (not too big), they won't go in the crate. (They don't like to soil their bed.) Make sure you let them out often and take them directly to where ever they are supposed to "go." Trainers say most dogs are housebroken that way within just 2 or 3 days.

Answer 5

Hi there -

First off, you might want to invest in crates. Crates are a safe way to put the pups up when you can't watch them -- and it protects your house so they can't potty everywhere.

If you want them out with you, then put them on a leash and attach it to you. This way you can watch what the puppy is doing and it can't sneak off to potty.

It's not uncommon for rescue dogs to need basic housebreaking training. Sounds like you need to start from scratch as though they're just 8 week old puppies.

Put the dogs on a feeding schedule, take them out at routine times and crate them when you can't watch them. Also rememer that housebreaking takes time and doesnt always happen overnight.

Answer 6

You'll need to treat both of these 'grown dogs' as if they are NEW PUPPIES ... and START FROM THE BEGINNING with ALL of the 'training' you give them. Start by putting them into a 'small room' or larger closet, with LOTS OF PAPER on the floor for 'accidents' ... then be sure that they ALWAYS have water and kibble to eat. A dog who can 'self feed' may 'overeat' for the first month, but after a month it will 'slim down' and be 'thinner' with no 'regulation' ... just pour a 'big bag' of food into a box 'low' enough for the dogs to reach to eat, and LEAVE IT THERE for six days ... take it up and DO NOT FEED them on the seventh day, then return the 'full box' on the next day and leave it down for six days ... etc.
About 'training' ... do YOU go to the bathroom and immediately do both RIGHT AFTER YOU EAT? If you do, you're WEIRD, but dog's don't do that ... and with the 'self feeding' you'll be better able to take them on 'regular walks' to do their 'thing' outside ... take them out IMMEDIATELY in the morning, just before lunch, just after dinner, and before you go to bed at night. WATCH THE DOGS and notice that sometimes they'll 'go' and sometimes they won't want to ... and then you can 'adjust the schedule' to the TIME the dogs usually want to 'go' potty.
About 'cleaning' your rug ... I'd have that done by a professional carpet cleaner, or you can 'rent' a machine at the grocery store if the pro is too expensive ... then spray THE WHOLE CARPET with some 'no go' stuff ... it's generally non-toxic (but I wouldn't let a baby play on a rug that has been done for at least a week) and will put a 'scent' on the floor that the dogs won't 'like' and won't go on. Keep the dogs in the 'small room with paper' for easier clean-up until they are 'trained' to go outside, but go into the room and play with them regularly, and EVERY TIME they 'go' outside, play with them in 'the rest of the house' for half an hour before returning them to the 'paper-lined room' and they'll soon understand that they get 'good play and living' if they go outside, but they must 'live with what they do' in the paper-lined room if they don't go outside. Treats will be good for helping with 'other training' (basic obedience like sit, stay, and down) and should be very small and always given with LOTS OF LOVE AND PRAISE so the dog will 'notice' the love and praise more than the 'treat' ... and get 'well balanced treats' for the training sessions, and make them 'fun' for the dogs, and you'll have to happy, healthy puggles in very 'little' time ... but give it a full six months before you say they're 'properly trained' to go outside, and to be obedient ... and up to a year if they were 'abused' by their previous owners in 'training' because they'll be 'resistant' to training then.
And about the females teats ... you can try 'rubbing them down' with alcohol (make sure it's DRINKABLE because the dogs will lick their bodies) or vinegar twice a day ... that can help them 'dry up and shrink' ... but because they are 'older dogs' and the puppies were born when the mom was just a puppy herself, they may NEVER go down to a 'virgin' state ...
Good luck, and THANK YOU FOR ADOPTING. Now ... take them BOTH to be 'fixed' if they aren't already ... because we don't need any more 'puppies' in the world.

Answer 7

There's your answer. You just received them LAST WEEK. It doesnt matter if a pet has previously been trained..the fact is when they reached your household is a whole new experience/place and they become nervous. I had the same issue when i adopted my 13 mo old black lab. She went everywhere, even behind the couch, etc. The key to training any pet is persistance, patient, treats and praise. It may take a few weeks for your new pets to be familiar and really trust you guys.
*Eating - if you can find out what they were eating prior that always a good thing. Dogs can be picky, so the best you can do is play around with diff dog foods. Avoid wet foods as it can rot their teeth. Dry dog food and plenty of treats should be fine. Beef and chicken flavors are popular, so maybe try that, or science diet is good also.
*About the teets that's a good ? and i don't really know about that. I do assume that with time it should shrink down, as when she was nursing she's been pulled at, so hopefully her skin/teets will not be so obvious.
*BEST cleaner is called Nature's Miracle. Sold at petsmart, petco, etc. It's great with neutralizing odors and takes stains out like a charm.
*Training with treats is fine, but you are right to be concerned about them not eating as much. This could, still, be due to nervousness as they're still releaving in the house, so they're not completely comfortable with new owners yet. But on this topic, by positioning the dog how to sit is the first trick of choice. DO use treats and praise. Slowly go from placing the dog in sit (of the dog fusses, cool off the tricks for 10 mins) then try again. Your dogs will go from fussing at sit with treats, to you easily manuvering them with treats to sit, and with time they should be able to sit on their own at command. From sit you can do lay down, or shake. But don't overwhelm your dog with too many. Wait until they master one trick with or without treats and slowly go from there. It's easier if you train they seperately as this way they'll learn their name, you can call them seperately as they come to you, etc. Use every moment for a chance to train as they'll see you as their pack leader. I would start about 10 mins/day for sit (or per trick) and do a little more each day as their interested.
*Urinating/relieving - it's always fun. So yes, you'll still have accidents. Be sure to do what you're doing by giving them 20-30 mins after naps, meals, drinks of water, play..etc. Make sure you take them out frequently to get used to "grass" smell. Remember, you've had them for a short amount of time so this may take a week or a month. BE SURE to once again, praise, and if poss give them treats for going outside. They'll know this is what gives positive reinforcement and will learn to do so. If you see one sniff around, or start to squat, quickly pick them up and place them outside. Say "potty". Use different commands for different things. Then if they go say "good ___" with lots of praise. Something so simple as training can change drastically if the dog sees it as "i get something good when i do this"
I hope this helped! As i can tell you guys are stressed and i've had lots of experience. I even recently taught my 3 mo old kitten to sit :-) so anything's possible! If you need more advice/questions email me [e-mail].
Praise, be patient, persistant and treats all help dogs to be more familiar and happy with you.

Answer 8

CRATE TRAINING
go out and buy 2 large crates...put old towels or pet blankets in each one...put them inside for no longer then 2 hrs, take the outside for a walk (30 minutes or more), back inside for eat/play time, then back inside the crate...it works
change the dog food...dogs are picky when it comes to food believe it or not
put wee pads in corners or areas where they think you can't see them...dogs don't like to be "watched" when doing their thing
if you can not be with them all day, put the crates in a room that is easy to clean and put the wee pads in also
as for cleaning carpet...any pet stain/odor remover will work
and don't take them outside as soon as they are done eating...give the food time to digest first

Answer 9

I babysat my niece's untrained 6 month old. He potted by door but refused to do anything when outside. I thought he would learn between the 'no's and watching my dog would help - - nope. I finally got small treats (or broke up larger ones) and no matter how long it took; if he pottied outside, I would point at it and give him a small treat (mine got one, too to avoid jealousy). Plus each indoor potty, I pointed his nose at the spot with the firm 'no' plus no additional fun for 5 minutes or so (play & petting is done).

Gradually reduced the treats for each 'good boy' , When he was potty trained, of course, now my niece wanted him back.

Answer 10

You'll have to train and work with them individually to get good responses.
I would also begin crate training. A neccessary evil!
Resolve works great with carpets.
I expect her teats will go down, in time. Spaying may help too. (b/c of the lack of hormones)