Is it impossible to train a "bad" dog????

Question

8 months ago we adopted a retriever, he's 6 years old, he had a bad life on the streets for years, he was hit by a car and by his teeth you can tell he was poorly fed and taken care of as a puppy.

He of course has bad habits and is not trained at all, we've been trying to train him to pee in a place we have especially for him but he keeps peeing as close as possible to his bed and food/water plates. We take him out so he doesn’t pee inside and he does pee outside but he “saves” some pee to leave it near his bed.

He destroys everything he sees so we have to keep all doors closed to keep our stuff safe. He also can’t be near other dogs without starting a fight. He NEVER responds to a command, he doesn’t play with us, he has never learned anything from us. We actually saw a specialist and she gave us some tasks and tips that we’ve tried and nothing, the dog just keeps ignoring us.

But I feel bad for him so I really don’t want to return him (although they said he was a nice and educated dog when we adopted), anyways, my question is, Is he going to be like that always??? Forever and ever???

BLESSED, Of course I have read books and articles AND try to train him but he just don't do what he is told, we've tried treats and positive training, no hitting and no yelling and he does nothing he is commanded to. We've seen a professional trainer and did what she said for months now and the dog does not respond at all.

Yes, he is fixed.

Answer 1

Please get another dog trainer/ behaviorist to come into your home and work with you. This poor dog sounds like he doesn't know what to do.
He does not sound like a "bad' dog at all, just a confused one.
Call the retriever rescue people in your area to see if they can recommend a trainer to help you out.

Answer 2

Sorry to hear of your troubles. By "retriever" I'll assume you mean a Lab or Golden type dog.

I suggest you start from scratch with the house training as you would with a puppy. That involves using a crate. The dog is either loose under your 100% supervision (you must watch him like a hawk) or crated. If he is peeing in a specific spot (ie, near his bed) I suggest you move the bed to another room and throughly clean the spot with an odor remover.

He destroys everything? adult dogs should be destroying things. Take a closer look at his exercise regime. An adult Lab type will need at least one hour of good exercise per day. Stimualte his body and mind and he won't have the energy to destroy your things.

I suggest you contact a qualified trainer or behaviorist to help you with training in general and his agression towards other dogs.

Don't give up. He can be helped.

Answer 3

I cannot believe that you have had a dog for 8 months and didn`t go to the library and get some
dog training books. Sit, Stay, Fetch is an absolutely great resource for your situation. It costs a fortune but will definately help.
Also, calling in a dog trainer and taking lessons would have helped. Is there no one home during the day. What helped me was keeping a leash on
my dog during the day and making him follow me
everywhere I went just to keep an eye on him. I
would talk to him most of the time and tell him what
I was doing and name the things I would touch.
After what seemed like forever, my dog started to
trust me and relax some. I did take him for walks
about 6 times a day for 10 minutes and let him in
the yard with me and still on the leash for a while.
I would stop and talk to neighbors and he didn`t like that but I didn`t have to buy a muzzle and now
he knows who is who and when we walk he will go
to the person and smell them.
I wish you patience and lots of time with your dog.

Answer 4

there is no such thing a untrainable. I would first off have him in a crate at night..eave him out there for a lil while longer. is he fixed? hes marking his spot.Also you see he goes next to his be how do you deal with that? This worked for me. I would show my puppy what he did and right outside and i would come back in. Alot of people scream at the dog and they wag their tail. Take away the attention. I leave him out there for 3-5 minutes by that time he usually is crying by the door. I walk outside,no attention untill he goes potty. when he does i praise him i would take him to obiance training. He may take lil longer to train.use positive training. I also walk in and out my door before my dog shows him im the alpha dog. Do you walk him or let him run outside he maybe bored get him some toys to play with,hes still a pup he will chew! Dont give up! Good luck!

Answer 5

nothing is impossible my friend. i suggest you train him with patience. go to the libary and get some training books or even in the internet. And stay with one trick until he gets it. then move on. Gain his trust. feed him little treats and see how it goes from there.
dont return him they usually euthanize a dog after 24 hours if not adopted.

Answer 6

At almost a year I think you should call the adoption center and make them aware of this.he is set in his ways and he may not be the dog for you.i think you have done your best,now call them and see what they say do for the dog.He is old for an adoption.

Answer 7

If you live in or near a town/city with a kennel club, contact them to get info on obedience schools/teachers in your area.
If that is not feasible, look up on the internet, Caeasar Millan.
He has books and even a TV show about rehabilitating "bad" dogs.

Answer 8

he thinks that you guys are going too (at some point) treat him badly and hurt him. So he wants too hurt you before you hurt him! the "saving" pee means that if you guys get another dog that bed will have his scent on it! feed him A LOT!!!!!!!!!! the destrying will go away soon enough

Answer 9

Have you heard of the Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan?

http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/