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Not REMOTELY. I am practically in tears...actually I was in tears before becaue I'm off today the dog was walked - LONG walks over 6 times and he STILL wet in the house FIVE TIMES.
I called my Mom hysterical saying that I am a fool, I can't handle this, I'm going to check myself into Bergen Pines... so on and so forth. Someone should have done this to me . Now Mom will go and tell the whole family I've lost my mind which is not really INcorrect, but still..... they don't need to know since I'm more together than 98% of them!
Now my youngest, who has told me she does not like the dog becase a) he likes me more than her and b) she thinks I like him more than her ran to her room crying that I'm getting rid of the dog. I did not say that, but she put 2 and 2 together and got 6.
I am PISSED at the rescue though because they were not quite truthful on a few things and they are giving me grief about some other issues (like getting him NEUTERED which I paid for.)
i feel your pain! i've had to housetrain a puppy and it takes tons of time and patience. do you crate your dog? if you keep him in crate most puppies won't soil where they sleep. keep the crate just a little bigger than him. don't give him room to mess and to sleep also. take him out immediately and when he "does his business" do the pee-pee dance. (yeah, this is for real) get all happy and let him know he's the best, smartest dog in the world! then put him back into his crate. if you do need to let him out, keep him leashed to you so he has to follow you where ever you go. this way you will be able to keep an eye on him and start to read the "i'm gonna go" signs. i know it sounds like a lot of work but if you're diligent, for a few weeks, you'll reap the rewards in a house trained pup. good luck!
Feed him once or twice a day - dont leave the food down for more than a few minutes - get him on some type of schedule and take him out often, after he wakes up, when he starts circling etc - praise him when he 'goes' (a small piece of cheese, chicken or steak help reinforce it, more so than a hard milkbone etc). He may have been housetrained w/ the rescue group but they s/h told you that a lot of dogs lapse when placed in new situations etc and also if they've recently been neutered/spayed - he'll get it - but would walk him even if your yard is fenced in (he can play later, he's out there w/ you to 'go' so you know what he's doing (or not doing)), the walks dont have to be long. We kept ours in the kitchen when she was young and watched her like a hawk, even now we close bedroom doors. Crating may also help, we did that too, if we were just going to be gone for a short time.
Re the neutering - as he's a rescue, usually you can have it done thru a vet who deals w/ rescues thru a state program where it's verrry inexpensive as long as they have enough money in the fund, at least that's my understanding - it can save you a bundle b/c otherwise, it is pretty pricey.
Be patient, it seems like a lot of work at the moment but remember, is a new home, new family for the dog so it will take some time for EVERYONE to adjust. You are justified to feel the way you do for I'm sure is no easy task. But again, be patient, in the end you will all be better w/ him than w/o him.
Not REMOTELY. I am practically in tears...actually I was in tears before becaue I'm off today the dog was walked - LONG walks over 6 times and he STILL wet in the house FIVE TIMES.
I feel for you. It's hard to get a new pet and have them be an instant fit.
There's a post at another place I go to where they rescued a dog to find out he is afraid of a family member and have been trying to fix that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EEEPNJ
I called my Mom hysterical saying that I am a fool, I can't handle this, I'm going to check myself into Bergen Pines... so on and so forth. Someone should have done this to me . Now Mom will go and tell the whole family I've lost my mind which is not really INcorrect, but still..... they don't need to know since I'm more together than 98% of them!
Sure you can handle this. Go get yourself some baby gates, keep him in the kitchen for now. This way he won't ruin anything and it will be easier to clean up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EEEPNJ
Now my youngest, who has told me she does not like the dog becase a) he likes me more than her and b) she thinks I like him more than her ran to her room crying that I'm getting rid of the dog. I did not say that, but she put 2 and 2 together and got 6.
Of course your child is going to have issues, she's a kid. You need to help her deal with it. She needs to understand that the dog doesn't know any of you and for some reason latched on to you but he very well could change that, she has to show love to get love.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EEEPNJ
I am PISSED at the rescue though because they were not quite truthful on a few things and they are giving me grief about some other issues (like getting him NEUTERED which I paid for.)
I need a drink......
What weren't they truthful about?
I don't care where you're going to get an animal, most are going to have accidents when you 1st get them home. It's like bringing home a baby. You don't know what you're going to get. Even if you adopted a baby, there is no telling how long it will take to get used to you. I've watched a few adoption shows, they showed you things no one mentions about how hard it is.
What you're describing isn't uncommon at 1st.
At the various forums I go to, just about all of them post they have some issues at 1st but given a little time & love the animal is fine
I've posted this on the 'dogs' board a few times...but it bears repetition. Many dogs need 'refresher' training courses going to new homes. It's very common. Put yourself in his place: he's been in an awful shelter, where he HAD to go on the floor, got cruddy food and was very scared.
Give him time and be very patient: all he wants to do is please you!
Here's my housetraining post: follow it TO THE LETTER and you'll have a trained dog. Not right away, but eventually. Dogs DO rank their treats, so these treats have to be really good, as I mention below. And don't give up. if he has an accident in a place you're upset about take a rolled-up newspaper and HIT YOURSELF a few times for letting him in there.
Here it is:
Housetraining your dog (puppy or adult!)
The first thing you need to do is to remember that you’re trying to reinforce a new behavior. That means that the rewards for this behavior must be WONDERFUL. NOT crap from the store. Wonderful treats are poached chicken breast/turkey breast, cheese and steak. And you don’t have to use big pieces. Tiny pieces (about 3mm cubes) are just fine! I poach a whole turkey breast every few weeks, cut it into hunks when it’s cool enough to handle, wrap them well and store them in the freezer. When I need some, I’ll thaw a hunk overnight and cut off pieces and dice finely, storing them in a plastic bag in the fridge. One hunk will last about five days. Cheese is also popular, so variety is fine.
I carry these plastic bags in my jacket pockets in the winter and in a fanny pack in warmer weather. You HAVE to have these with you, or this method won’t work, because you need to reward as soon as the dog finishes pooping or peeing. It’s not going to work if the rewards are in the house.
Remember that you’re trying to change a very ingrained behavior. Some dogs like to feel certain things under their feet when they eliminate, like fabric, or newspaper. This is called a ‘substrate preference.’ What you’re trying to do is change this substrate preference, and to do that you have to make the treats SO wonderful that the dog will change this very well-entrenched behavior. Thus the chicken, cheese, steak.
I love clicker training, but this can be done without clickers. You just need a way to ‘mark’ the behavior you want to reinforce. Use the word ‘YESSSSS!!!!’ very enthusiastically – that works for some.
You’re going to need to GO OUTSIDE WITH your dog and the dog needs to be on a leash. Yes, even in winter. If you don’t reward IMMEDIATELY after the event (when dog immediately finishes pooping or peeing) and wait inside, the dog is going to be reinforced for coming inside, not for doing its business. So, leash up your dog. STAND IN ONE PLACE. Be boring. Bring a book or magazine for yourself.
Eventually, the dog will do what you’re waiting for. The NANOSECOND that the dog is finished, HAVE A PARTY – lots of loud, high-pitched praise, treats and running around. You want to make this memorable for your dog! You’ll find that once the first event is achieved, the others will come more quickly. Keep on treating (you don’t have to throw a party except for milestones – a milestone = if he only pooped outside but now peed, too, or something equivalent to that) until he’s good and used to peeing/pooping outside. Before you know it, you have a trained dog.
Regarding accidents in the house: NO SCOLDING. Just clean them up. If you scold you’ll get the dog to think it’s bad to pee or poop and he’ll do it in places you won’t see. Until you step in it. Invest in a big bottle of Nature’s Miracle or Simple Solution and use it liberally on accidents.
With young puppies, remember they have little control of the muscle that holds the bladder closed. This is something they grow into. Just as it’s not expected that a human baby is toilet trained at six months, don’t expect much from a puppy. Patience, patience, patience!!!! The nervous system in a puppy has to mature, and it won’t have much control over the sphincter (closing muscle) at the neck of the bladder until six or seven months. The same goes for the anal sphincter. Until control is achieved, both of these muscles operate on reflex: there are stretch receptors in the bladder wall. When the bladder is full, it sends impulses to the spinal cord and these, in turn, send signals to the sphincter to open and the dog pees.
In the stomach wall, there are also stretch receptors. So when the dog eats and the stomach is stretched, the impulses again go to the spinal cord, but this time the reflex, outgoing, nerve signals are sent to the anal sphincter, so the dog defecates. This operates in people, too – which is why some people rush to the ‘reading room’ after a meal – especially breakfast.
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You know I was prepared for most of it, I think the one thing I was not prepared for is my kid melting down in jealousy because the dog loves Mom more and now she thinks I love the dog more. That one I was a little clueless on. This is the same child who used to roll on the floor with any dog within a 40 mile radius and BEG for a dog.
I am enrolling us in one of the PetSmart Basic traning classes...because this lil' guy needs some maners and I have to really get on him for house training. See this is what sucks. I walked him at 6:00 (he peed, no #2) then I walked him again at 8:00 (again, pee, no poop) come in side, I went upstairs to get towels, and came down to poop all over the dining room. I did not expect perfection. I know "housebroken" can come undone when you take the pup to a new home...but this has been a bit much. And it's ALL on me. DH is never home and the kids are not helping (which I also expected.) The fact that I'm PMSing does not help.
Last night I called a friend crying that I just can't do this, I'd be better to get the dog a home who can help him. Then the dog was laying on my belly kissing me and I was about to cry again for feeling guilty of thinking that.
Feed him once or twice a day - dont leave the food down for more than a few minutes - get him on some type of schedule and take him out often, after he wakes up, when he starts circling etc - praise him when he 'goes' (a small piece of cheese, chicken or steak help reinforce it, more so than a hard milkbone etc). He may have been housetrained w/ the rescue group but they s/h told you that a lot of dogs lapse when placed in new situations etc and also if they've recently been neutered/spayed - he'll get it - but would walk him even if your yard is fenced in (he can play later, he's out there w/ you to 'go' so you know what he's doing (or not doing)), the walks dont have to be long. We kept ours in the kitchen when she was young and watched her like a hawk, even now we close bedroom doors. Crating may also help, we did that too, if we were just going to be gone for a short time.
Re the neutering - as he's a rescue, usually you can have it done thru a vet who deals w/ rescues thru a state program where it's verrry inexpensive as long as they have enough money in the fund, at least that's my understanding - it can save you a bundle b/c otherwise, it is pretty pricey.
Hang in there, it does get better!
Just limit the cheese..the fat content can cause pancreatitis (sp?) in dogs
As long as it's in limited quantities it's fine. It's a very valuable training treat, because dogs love it, it's VERY high ranking with them!
That's why I said "limit"... myself I prefer to stick with dog treats made for dogs...Wellness makes an excellent biscuit..pricey I know
My friend just lost his beloved Lhasa to panceatitis and the vet linked it to the cheese....he may of been giving her TOO much cheese as she loved it
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before becaue I'm off today the dog was walked - LONG walks over 6 times and he STILL wet in the house FIVE TIMES. 
. Now Mom will go and tell the whole family I've lost my mind 
which is not really INcorrect, but still..... they don't need to know since I'm more together than 98% of them! 
at the rescue though because they were not quite truthful on a few things and they are giving me grief about some other issues (like getting him NEUTERED which I paid for.) 
