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Hi, this is going to be kind of long but there's a lot of backstory. Please bear with me, I need help!
I have a three year old rottweiler/poodle mix. When I got him, my family lived in Long Island where we have a big backyard. He was never actually housebroken because we would just let him run around the backyard randomly. He would have accidents in the house sometimes but there were seldom consequences. I moved to the city a few months ago and brought my dog with me. I started a routine with him to walk him first thing in the morningn and at 10p before we settled in for the night. It was working well but then about two weeks into it my schedule at work changed so I could only do the night walk every other day. This didnt seem to cause too much of a change, he still had an accident once in a while but rarely. About six weeks ago I came down with bronchitis and pneumonia so I would walk him in the morning but by the time I got home in the afternoons I just couldnt make it up and down from my sixth floor walkup apt. My boyfriend would walk him when he was over at that time but this was sporadic. He's been having accidents increasingly since then. Its gotten to the point where I fully expect to find a mess when I get home from work everyday. When I do I take him over and I say "NO!! NO!!" and hit him (not overly hard) on the nose. I know you're only supposed to admonish them when you catch them in the act, but I can't think what else to do.
Can someone please suggest a way I can get him to stop going in the house while I'm gone - if I'm home all day he won't have an accident, even if he's only been walked in the morning. Evening walks are becoming less frequent so I know I'm partially to blame but it can't be helped. I've been trying to make up for it by taking him out for longer in the morning but I'm out of the house for at least 12 hours each day, sometimes 14 (work, gym, etc). Also is there a better way to get across to him that he can't go in the house if I come home and find an accident? I am open to anything at this point, even using newspaper or pads as long as it won't make my small apt smell like a kennel. I love my dog and I HATE how scared/sad he gets when he gets punished for having an accident and I surely don't want to send him to Long Island where I'll only see him every once in a while. Thank you, thank you thank you for any help
I'm going to get some flack for this, but here goes. From the way I'm reading your post, you rarely see the dog as it is. Did I read correct that you take him out once in the morning and expect him to hold it for 12-14 hours a day??? Can you hold it that long? You can't discipline after the fact, have to catch him in the act
He didn't get a fair start as he was an outdoor dog to begin with, let him go back out on the Island. If you don't get him out more often than that and you're trying to train him to hold it, you're going to start seeing some vet bills. What about hiring a dog walker if you don't want to take him back to LI?
How many hours are you leaving him locked in the house?
I suggest taking the rolled up newspaper and swatting yourself for EVEN THINKING of going to the gym/workout when you know your baby has been in the house for 12 hours!!
Bad owner! Caught you in the act, so two swats on the hiney!! BAD GIRL!!
Okay, joking is over. Sorry, I couldn't resist. Give the poor "best friend" someplace to do his business while you are away for 12 hours, heck, even 4 hours. Give the guy a break! He is probably hurting and whining for a while before he does the deed, then gets a guilt trip when you come home.
I'm not being very helpful, am I? My advice is to have your BF make a 5x5 area with dirt and grass and keep it in your kitchen.
I work a ten hour day all the way down in midtown and I live all the way uptown in Harlem where there are no day cares or dogwalking services. My schedule cannot be helped and my gym time is doctor imposed - not that it's any of your bussiness. I spend every second I can with my dog and since he's started living with me I go straight home (no more after work drinks or parties on the weekends). I know he can hold it because he does when I'm home with him. I was home sick for a week and we would walk in the morning and he would be fine all day.
instead of wagging your finger at me, could you suggest an alternative (pads, etc) since I WILL be out of the house for at least 12 hours a day?
for the record, he is not "locked up", I don't crate him and he has free reign of the 400 sf apartment including his own puppy corner in the living room with his nap bed and a plethora of toys.
please only reply if you are indeed going to be helpful as I am taking this quite seriously and don't really have time to waste with people just being negative.
Hi, this is going to be kind of long but there's a lot of backstory. Please bear with me, I need help!
I have a three year old rottweiler/poodle mix. When I got him, my family lived in Long Island where we have a big backyard. He was never actually housebroken because we would just let him run around the backyard randomly. He would have accidents in the house sometimes but there were seldom consequences. I moved to the city a few months ago and brought my dog with me. I started a routine with him to walk him first thing in the morningn and at 10p before we settled in for the night. It was working well but then about two weeks into it my schedule at work changed so I could only do the night walk every other day. This didnt seem to cause too much of a change, he still had an accident once in a while but rarely. About six weeks ago I came down with bronchitis and pneumonia so I would walk him in the morning but by the time I got home in the afternoons I just couldnt make it up and down from my sixth floor walkup apt. My boyfriend would walk him when he was over at that time but this was sporadic. He's been having accidents increasingly since then. Its gotten to the point where I fully expect to find a mess when I get home from work everyday. When I do I take him over and I say "NO!! NO!!" and hit him (not overly hard) on the nose. I know you're only supposed to admonish them when you catch them in the act, but I can't think what else to do.
Can someone please suggest a way I can get him to stop going in the house while I'm gone - if I'm home all day he won't have an accident, even if he's only been walked in the morning. Evening walks are becoming less frequent so I know I'm partially to blame but it can't be helped. I've been trying to make up for it by taking him out for longer in the morning but I'm out of the house for at least 12 hours each day, sometimes 14 (work, gym, etc). Also is there a better way to get across to him that he can't go in the house if I come home and find an accident? I am open to anything at this point, even using newspaper or pads as long as it won't make my small apt smell like a kennel. I love my dog and I HATE how scared/sad he gets when he gets punished for having an accident and I surely don't want to send him to Long Island where I'll only see him every once in a while. Thank you, thank you thank you for any help
I'm sorry to hear you are having this problem. It is not a housebraking problem. It's clear that the dog does need to go out more often. When you get home, you need to take the dog out immediately, no matter how tired you feel. Is he pooping in the house? Dry food makes dogs poop a lot and often. You can try feeding him more raw meat, such as raw hamburger, but you'll have to add human grade bone meal to it for calcium. You dog will poop less often on a higher protein diet. Admonishing your dog is not going to solve the problem.
Also, consider paying someone to walk him during the day -- or if it's too much for you, finding someone else to take him? it sounds like you are overwhelmed with everything else in your life right now. You want to work, you want to go to the gym. I know you love the dog, but please be honest with yourself and think of what is best for him.
Hi, this is going to be kind of long but there's a lot of backstory. Please bear with me, I need help!
I have a three year old rottweiler/poodle mix. When I got him, my family lived in Long Island where we have a big backyard. He was never actually housebroken because we would just let him run around the backyard randomly. He would have accidents in the house sometimes but there were seldom consequences. I moved to the city a few months ago and brought my dog with me. I started a routine with him to walk him first thing in the morningn and at 10p before we settled in for the night. It was working well but then about two weeks into it my schedule at work changed so I could only do the night walk every other day. This didnt seem to cause too much of a change, he still had an accident once in a while but rarely. About six weeks ago I came down with bronchitis and pneumonia so I would walk him in the morning but by the time I got home in the afternoons I just couldnt make it up and down from my sixth floor walkup apt. My boyfriend would walk him when he was over at that time but this was sporadic. He's been having accidents increasingly since then. Its gotten to the point where I fully expect to find a mess when I get home from work everyday. When I do I take him over and I say "NO!! NO!!" and hit him (not overly hard) on the nose. I know you're only supposed to admonish them when you catch them in the act, but I can't think what else to do.
Can someone please suggest a way I can get him to stop going in the house while I'm gone - if I'm home all day he won't have an accident, even if he's only been walked in the morning. Evening walks are becoming less frequent so I know I'm partially to blame but it can't be helped. I've been trying to make up for it by taking him out for longer in the morning but I'm out of the house for at least 12 hours each day, sometimes 14 (work, gym, etc). Also is there a better way to get across to him that he can't go in the house if I come home and find an accident? I am open to anything at this point, even using newspaper or pads as long as it won't make my small apt smell like a kennel. I love my dog and I HATE how scared/sad he gets when he gets punished for having an accident and I surely don't want to send him to Long Island where I'll only see him every once in a while. Thank you, thank you thank you for any help
Find a good home for him he deserves it...........
what you want is for someone to tell you that this situation is okay and you know that it is not. that is why you are asking for opinions. you clearly care about your dog but you are getting angry about the situation and it is not the dog's fault!!! you are punishing him for something that is not his fault!! you are blaming him for not being able to hold it all the time, does that even make sense???? it is not like a cat where you can have a litter box and be gone all day with no problems. you could try puppy housebreaking pads, but the issue is will you still be angry when you come home when you have to clean up? hitting him just confuses him, don't you see that? he has no sense of relation to the actual incident, but that you have arrived and now you are being mean to him when he has waited for you all day. you want the dog to change, but you will not. there is your answer.
if you dont want to crate him, I would suggest getting a dog pen instead (like a circular plastic fence) which would allow the dog to stand, walk around in a confined space (but more space and freedom than a crate). You could put the bedding and toys in there so he could be more comfortable, but since it will be "his space" he will be much less likely to want to relieve himself where he has to be all day (along the same idea as crate training during puppy-dom)
As for the people giving you a hard time about being gone so long, this is a puppy loving board where most people overly pamper their dogs. Some more than their own children, so just take it with a grain of salt. No one can tell you that you're not allowed to own a dog just b/c you work alot. For all we know you're a great person who shows nothing but unconditional love for the dog during the time you share. It wouldnt be fair to say that all people that actually work hard for a living cant have the privelege of owning dogs. But at the same time, if you're working so hard, hopefully you're doing ok for yourself, maybe ok enough to locate a local dogwalker or pay a friend who has some free time to do a mid-day walk or bathroom break. Its just an idea. Try craigslist online in your area, people are always posting ads for wanting to walk peoples dogs.
Part of it might be an addition of some anxiety from you leaving that shortens his ability to hold it (since you say if you're around he holds it longer). Most dogs who have separation anxiety will relieve themselves sooner b/c of it. Also, people say that after the fact dogs dont know, but they do. Even the first time it happens before you punish or yell at your dog, you come home and they have a timid look like they know they did something wrong. Add in the fact that if you bring them to the accident and make them look at it, they can put 2 and 2 together, I mean hey dogs are smart enough to do agility competitions, learn to heel, speak, attack, etc. Theres obviously a line to the effectiveness, however, b/c they need to relate that its the "not inside" part that you care about not the "dont poop" part, which will be the most diffiicult for them to distinguish, not the "after the fact" part. Anyways good luck, and dont feel bad, everyone on this board no matter how much of an expert they think they are, still learns something new everyday.
If there's a chance that he can go back to Long Island, that's what I'd do. Otherwise your relationship with your dog is going to suffer.
I've lived in a 5 floor walkup in Manhattan, and I cannot even imagine having a large dog with me (I too lived in a small studio). I had a cat (still have her now ) and even a cat was a lot to care of with a busy NYC lifestyle.
You can't correct him after the fact, you will confuse him by doing this which is going to make housetraining all that much more difficult.
Crating could be considered, but from what I've read, adult dogs should not be crated for more than 8 hours a day (and who can work fulltime and commute inside of 8 hours??).
There are mobile dog-walking services in Manhattan that would probably come to you, albeit for a hefty fee since you are in Harlem. I had a friend who did this as a side gig for a large doggie day care place and she drove all over Manhattan picking up her dogs, and this was years ago, so they're out there.
But you're losing your patience, so I would say if you can't resolve this quickly and painlessly, explore the idea of sending him back to your parents in Long Island. The dog's quality of life takes priority over your wanting to be with him .
He was never actually housebroken because we would just let him run around the backyard randomly. He would have accidents in the house sometimes but there were seldom consequences.
Can someone please suggest a way I can get him to stop going in the house while I'm gone - if I'm home all day he won't have an accident, even if he's only been walked in the morning. Evening walks are becoming less frequent so I know I'm partially to blame but it can't be helped. I've been trying to make up for it by taking him out for longer in the morning but I'm out of the house for at least 12 hours each day, sometimes 14 (work, gym, etc). Also is there a better way to get across to him that he can't go in the house if I come home and find an accident? I am open to anything at this point, even using newspaper or pads as long as it won't make my small apt smell like a kennel. I love my dog and I HATE how scared/sad he gets when he gets punished for having an accident and I surely don't want to send him to Long Island where I'll only see him every once in a while. Thank you, thank you thank you for any help
You have to start over like he were a puppy: Either use puppy pads in a litter box or crate him. Crating him wouldn't be fair if it's for 14 hours. Designate a potty area in the house. Don't punish after the fact, he will just resent you.
With that lifestyle, unless you can give him more time, you are better off having him live in Long Island (see him by web cam). The dogs want and need companionship by being a part of the pack. If you are coming home hitting him, it will only make matters worse. He may get destructive (separation anxiety).
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) and even a cat was a lot to care of with a busy NYC lifestyle.
