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CoCo who is 4 mos old has the pee training down but the Poo is something else . She has been going outside to poo but only once or twice a day and then maybe every other day go at night in her crate. We thought the night before that she was on her way to go out since she ran out of her crate and went to the door and went out and did both pee and Poo when we got up. This morning she pooed in her crate and was upset and since then has not gone all day. It is after 9pm. She is playing with the other dogs and has eaten well though I am mixing their food with her food since she prefers that better and we pick up all food at 5pm. What am I doing wrong ? I hhave had dogs all my life but this sweet baby is so stuborn. BTW we do not yell only show our displeasure. I have just come from outside where I stayed for 20 min and it is 18 degrees out and all she did was pee.
Do you walk with her? That's VERY important, especially for stool production. And at four months, I really think you're expecting a lot. I would never expect a pup to have reliable control until at LEAST 6 months.
What do you mean 'pick up the food at 5PM?' Does that mean she's free-feeding? Because THAT can be part of the problem! Explaining things succinctly, there is something called the 'gastro-colic reflex' that 'moves things along' in the GI tract. This works in all mammals (including people). gastrocolic reflex
What it boils down to is that when the stomach is stretched, there are nerve endings in the stomach wall that sense that stretch and send a signal to the spinal cord which connects with the nerves that help make the digested food move along the colon (the large bowel).
But if she's not eating a LOT of food at once, this won't occur because there's no stretch on the stomach! I would not free feed her: give her three meals (at four months that's pretty standard) to her, but whatever's not eaten in 15 minutes gets removed. No free feeding.
Then, about 15 minutes after she's done, hook up her leash, put her coat on (and yours) and head out for a walk around the neighborhood, taking with you some VERY MEMORABLE TREATS: chicken, cheese or steak. Dogs RANK their treats. You need to make this a real occasion, so take the highest ranking treats (poached chicken breast - not the leg, it's too fatty; tiny cubes of cheese; bits of steak) so that she remembers. When she DOES do what you're looking for, have a PARTY - LOTS of high pitched praise, running around and those yummy treats! After she gets this ONCE, it'll get easier.
You might also want to look into clicker training - the absolutely BEST way to train a dog (or ANY animal!) that I've ever seen: ClickerSolutions Home.
And take a look at my housetraining post - follow it to the letter and it WORKS!
Do you walk with her? That's VERY important, especially for stool production. And at four months, I really think you're expecting a lot. I would never expect a pup to have reliable control until at LEAST 6 months.
What do you mean 'pick up the food at 5PM?' Does that mean she's free-feeding? Because THAT can be part of the problem! Explaining things succinctly, there is something called the 'gastro-colic reflex' that 'moves things along' in the GI tract. This works in all mammals (including people). gastrocolic reflex
What it boils down to is that when the stomach is stretched, there are nerve endings in the stomach wall that sense that stretch and send a signal to the spinal cord which connects with the nerves that help make the digested food move along the colon (the large bowel).
But if she's not eating a LOT of food at once, this won't occur because there's no stretch on the stomach! I would not free feed her: give her three meals (at four months that's pretty standard) to her, but whatever's not eaten in 15 minutes gets removed. No free feeding.
Then, about 15 minutes after she's done, hook up her leash, put her coat on (and yours) and head out for a walk around the neighborhood, taking with you some VERY MEMORABLE TREATS: chicken, cheese or steak. Dogs RANK their treats. You need to make this a real occasion, so take the highest ranking treats (poached chicken breast - not the leg, it's too fatty; tiny cubes of cheese; bits of steak) so that she remembers. When she DOES do what you're looking for, have a PARTY - LOTS of high pitched praise, running around and those yummy treats! After she gets this ONCE, it'll get easier.
You might also want to look into clicker training - the absolutely BEST way to train a dog (or ANY animal!) that I've ever seen: ClickerSolutions Home.
And take a look at my housetraining post - follow it to the letter and it WORKS!
Very interesting post and thank you. Her breeder free fed them but I also started to do the three meals a day and always took the food up after 10 min. That is what I have always done when my dogs are under a year. The other dogs have food down all the time. I also carry treats in my pockets to give her when we are outside. We have always had a dog area and all my dogs when they were pups for about a year are on the leash since I wanted them to not play and do their business. They play in the big fenced in area.Gee I haven't walked a dog in years only put them on a leash. Where abouts is your house training post?
Since she doesn't like her dry food at all I will mix it with a tiny amount of wet food. This I also had to do with my Papillion but not my other two. Plus it has been very stressful here since our oldest dog a doxie had to be rushed to the vets New Years Eve day and spent the night. We picked her up today. The Vet opened up the office to check on Elkie today and gave her the OK to go home.
It's REALLY important to have EXTRA SPECIAL treats for your puppy, such as chicken, cheese or steak. The pieces can be TINY, but they have GOT to be memorable and not crap from the store. If you look at one of my training posts (https://www.city-data.com/forum/6446831-post5.html.), you'll see why. You've GOT to change your dog's substrate preference, which is dogs liking specific feelings under their paws (like carpet) when they eliminate. To do this you have to make the treats FABULOUS. And you have to clean up accidents thoroughly with Nature's Miracle or Simple Solution. REALLY. thoroughly. How do you prevent the puppy from eating the other dogs' food? That might be an issue.
Gotta echo what Viralmd said about not free feeding - if she has access to food all day, she'll 'graze' and will likely have more accidents - but if you feed her 3x a day (eventually going 2x a day, just saying 3x as she's a small puppy who needs to be fed often right now), you'll be better able to get her on a schedule and she'll be more predictable too, as far as 'going'. Would walk her on a leash in your yard (since she hasnt had all her vacc's yet and isn't fully protected), that way you'll have a better idea of what she's doing (or not doing) - and tasty treats do help.
Another thought, if Coco is having accidents in the early AM, picking up the food around 5-6 PM should make a big difference - otherwise if you hear her whining etc in the middle of the nite, would get up and take her out (walk her on a leash even if your yard is fenced, she's out there to 'go', not to play, she can play later) - it's a nuisance but it's worth it b/c you don't want them to get used to pooping/piddling in their crates, they want to be clean but if they've recently eaten, there's no way they'll have that bladder/bowel control (even an older dog would have a hard time).
I feed mine twice a day, they're used to it but it just seems a lot easier, that way if one isn't feeling well and is a bit 'off', you'll know who's not eating right away - I'm sure mine would love total access to their food but they'd prob. pork up too much so it's not an option here. Just a thought.
Hope some of this helps and hope your older doxie continues to feel better.
It's REALLY important to have EXTRA SPECIAL treats for your puppy, such as chicken, cheese or steak. The pieces can be TINY, but they have GOT to be memorable and not crap from the store. If you look at one of my training posts (https://www.city-data.com/forum/6446831-post5.html.), you'll see why. You've GOT to change your dog's substrate preference, which is dogs liking specific feelings under their paws (like carpet) when they eliminate. To do this you have to make the treats FABULOUS. And you have to clean up accidents thoroughly with Nature's Miracle or Simple Solution. REALLY. thoroughly. How do you prevent the puppy from eating the other dogs' food? That might be an issue.
Well first I have to tell you she asked to go out about 11 last night and really did a big load. I have also gotten this morning some chesse sticks that I can cube and some baby carrots that the other dogs have always loved and yes even some store bought treats.(sorry)
I have a gate that I have always used for all my dogs when they were pups so we set that up in the kitchen whe we got her. She stayes in there and i leave the laundry room door open so she has room to play.The other dogs food is on the other side of the gate just before the dining room and when she has been a good girl that has relieved her self she gets to play with the other dogs outside her gated area with their food picked up. She doesn't seem to mind being in the kitchen and she has some of her toys with her. The other three want her food though and she wants theirs. Just like kids. CoCo is such a laid back dog and she doesn't mind sleeping im her crate. The other three sleep with us but my last Pom bless her heart never wanted to sleep with us. She would sleep under our bed or in her safe place her crate.
I am not sure if The dachshund is better so we called the vet again and questioned her diag once again. To me it sounds like a lung problem since she threw up blood a few days ago three times and the vet after looking at the same results I have says it is pancreatitis. After reading all the symptions of that she had none but I am not the vet. She stayed over night with IV's in her on New Years Eve and the Vet looked at her again yesterday and said we could take her home. I like this vet but we just moved to NC about 7 mos ago so I wish we had our old vet back. Time will tell about Elkie and you better believe hubby or I will be calling her if anything seems to be wrong with her.
Thanks again for your help. Never thought i would need it since I have always had at least two dogs at a time. Live and learn.
Pancreatitis can be subtle or it can be quite overt. But all pancreatitis will be evident from a very high serum amylase and lipase. As long as her renal function is normal, amylase and lipase elevation and vomiting is consistent with pancreatitis. Hope she's better soon.
Lung problems can be evidence by coughing, even coughing up blood (called hemoptysis, which is VERY different from vomiting blood, which is hematemesis). Sometimes it's difficult to distinguish vomiting from coughing in dogs, but it's highly likely it's NOT the lung and it is her gastrointestinal tract that is the source of the problem. You stated that she vomited blood, so the problem isn't in her lungs: it's her pancreas (GI tract).
I'll also say that this is what vets call 'pancreatitis season.' That's because owners, thinking they're being kind, share their holiday dinners with their dogs. Unfortunately, dogs can't tolerate such high fat content and all that gravy and butter and mashed potato with cream and butter does nothing but make the dogs sick.
Pancreatitis can be subtle or it can be quite overt. But all pancreatitis will be evident from a very high serum amylase and lipase. As long as her renal function is normal, amylase and lipase elevation and vomiting is consistent with pancreatitis. Hope she's better soon.
Lung problems can be evidence by coughing, even coughing up blood (called hemoptysis, which is VERY different from vomiting blood, which is hematemesis). Sometimes it's difficult to distinguish vomiting from coughing in dogs, but it's highly likely it's NOT the lung and it is her gastrointestinal tract that is the source of the problem. You stated that she vomited blood, so the problem isn't in her lungs: it's her pancreas (GI tract).
I'll also say that this is what vets call 'pancreatitis season.' That's because owners, thinking they're being kind, share their holiday dinners with their dogs. Unfortunately, dogs can't tolerate such high fat content and all that gravy and butter and mashed potato with cream and butter does nothing but make the dogs sick.
Hope she's better soon.
Now you explained it so much better then the vet and I am so relieved. You have no idea how much so. Hubby rescued Elkie almost 12 years ago and he loves her more then he has loved any dog we have had in the 44 years we have been married. He is also a LC survivor and he would be devestated if anything happened to her.
Thank you so much again
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