New Dog - Odd Problem

[Rowan123]

It sounds like she's very lucky you found her. I will cross my fingers you see some improvement soon.

[twelvepaw]

Originally Posted by Scooby Snacks

I used to be a big fan of crate training, but I don't like it as much as I used to. People tend to overuse the crate, and the crate should be a desirable place for the dog to stay and not feel like they have to be in there all the time. Good luck!

Yes, some people overuse or misuse crates, but that doesn't negate their use as a training and management tool.

Originally Posted by donsabi

Thanks for your posts.

I don't have a fenced yard. I am retired and take the dog out several times a day. I have tried both a standard leash and a retractable leash. I have walked her as much as an hour but usually a half hour at a time and she will sniff and smell the whole time. The only time she goes as she should is when I took her to the park where she was mainly marking.

I have tried praising her and/or given her treats when she does go but she doesn't seem to get it even though I believe this is a very smart dog.

Like I said, I am retired and keep her with me almost 24/7 and yet she finds a time that I am not watching to go.

I have tried spreading her poop with a pooper scooper over the areas I want her to go. She ignores this and does not go.

I am afraid whatever happen to her in the past may condemn her to a life outside.

Donsabi, you have to start from square one as follows with your pup.

You absolutely must control her environment and either crate when you can't actively watch her or tether her to you so that you can keep an eye on her and take her out immediately if she starts to sniff or act like she needs to potty. You must not give her the opportunity to potty indoors; she can't be allowed to wander out of your sight. Get a size-appropriate crate and use it as a training tool. Feed in the crate, give her treats and stuffed kongs in her crate, randomly put treats in the open crate so she finds good things in there. The crate should be her safe place; don't put her in there as punishment.

Feed at the same time every day; immediately take her out for a nice leisurely hour long walk. Go hang out at a park where she can get lots of good sniffs; at the park put her on a long training 20' lead so she can move away from you to potty. Due to her history she may have learned that it isn't safe to potty near humans, so having the ability to move away from you 15-20 feet may facilitate her potty. Use this park time as quality time, play, toss balls, tug, read a book, relax.

If she still doesn't potty, bring her in the house and crate for 30-60 minutes, then take out again. Repeat as necessary. It will take her time to learn appropriate pottying, so don't expect her "know" right away; you will need to be constantly vigilant and follow the protocols listed for quite a while before she is reliable.

I know you want to create a comfortable home environment for her, but first and foremost she needs to learn good potty habits or she is again doomed to being an outdoor dog. Part of this involves YOU being disciplined enough to enforce a strict regimen NOW to enable her to learn what is expected of her. Fortunately you are retired and have a flexible schedule, so while it may be inconvenient, you are able to work around her needs right now.

[donsabi]

Thanks for you posts.

This morning she asked to go out and I took her out for almost an hour and nothing. I brought her in and fed her. I took her out twice after that and nothing. I took her to the park and within 5 minutes she peed 4x and pooped. I did make a fuss and rewarded her for going. This is very strange to me. I have had male mini schnauzers that were easily trained and seldom made a mistake. This rescue is a female mini schnauzer 2-3 years old.

The history I have on the dog is she was bought as a pet and lived on a small farm. I understand she was an inside dog but put on a chain for outside elimination. They sold the dog to a person they knew. I suspect this person had little knowledge of dogs and only had her for a matter of months. I have no idea of her history prior to the farm.

She is terrified of a crate. I have a small room that is empty and she seems fine to stay in there with an expandable gate in the doorway.

I live on a cul-du-sac with only two dogs being walked close to my house on occasion. I have tired spreading my dog's stool around with a pooper scooper to scent the area. Still when I walk her here she only wants to sniff and smell and watch the woods.

One can only imagine what ever happened to this dog to create this behavior. I have searched YouTube and several dog training sites but found nothing similar to this. All offer only the advice I got here at CD and that is to start over again.
The problem here is the dog does not go enough to where the rewards and praise will sink in.

[twelvepaw]

Originally Posted by donsabi

Thanks for you posts.

This morning she asked to go out and I took her out for almost an hour and nothing. I brought her in and fed her. I took her out twice after that and nothing. I took her to the park and within 5 minutes she peed 4x and pooped. I did make a fuss and rewarded her for going. This is very strange to me. I have had male mini schnauzers that were easily trained and seldom made a mistake. This rescue is a female mini schnauzer 2-3 years old.

The history I have on the dog is she was bought as a pet and lived on a small farm. I understand she was an inside dog but put on a chain for outside elimination. They sold the dog to a person they knew. I suspect this person had little knowledge of dogs and only had her for a matter of months. I have no idea of her history prior to the farm.

She is terrified of a crate. I have a small room that is empty and she seems fine to stay in there with an expandable gate in the doorway.

I live on a cul-du-sac with only two dogs being walked close to my house on occasion. I have tired spreading my dog's stool around with a pooper scooper to scent the area. Still when I walk her here she only wants to sniff and smell and watch the woods.

One can only imagine what ever happened to this dog to create this behavior. I have searched YouTube and several dog training sites but found nothing similar to this. All offer only the advice I got here at CD and that is to start over again.
The problem here is the dog does not go enough to where the rewards and praise will sink in.

The history really doesn't matter. You still need to work with the dog that is in front of you.

>>>The problem here is the dog does not go enough to where the rewards and praise will sink in.<<<

No, this is not the problem because there really isn't a problem. Just because she doesn't respond the way you think she should or expect her to doesn't make something a problem.

She responds when she needs to; maybe she didn't need to potty when you first took her to the park this morning; the point is that she DID do right when you took her out again. So she IS learning and she IS trying to do the right thing; it just isn't on your schedule.

You need to be patient, consistent, reward so that she knows when she is pottying appropriately, ignore when she potties in the house, and she will learn. She is already learning- you have got to give her credit because she is clearly trying and is clearly pottying appropriately much of the time.

As long as she is comfortable in her room and keeps it clean, then that will serve the same function as a crate.