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I posted here back in the early fall, after I lost my dog, Princess. It was so empty without her, and I also missed the socialization with other dog owners. So, I looked around a bit at some shelters and in December I saw a beautiful dog at the SPCA. Her behavior seemed odd to me when I was first looking at her, and by that I mean she seemed distant. She had been given up by her owners to a local shelter, and then moved to the SPCA. I thought perhaps the many moves accounted for her behavior. Anyway, I adopted her and brought her home on 12/23. She, by the way is now eight months old. Within the first week of being here she had several accidents in my apt., mainly urinating. I did the wrong thing, I know, by pulling her to the spot and putting her nose in it, along with a lot of yelling at her. She never let me know she had to go out when she did urinate, and I never caught her in the act. It was always in places I'd never see immediately. Within the first week or two, I encountered another problem. I took her with me in the car to the library to drop off a book, and she jumped out of my car and ran. Luckily someone in the parking lot helped me catch her.
Well, I took a step back and read articles on the internet about the importance of praising a dog when it does its business outside, so I began to do that. A week had gone by yesterday that I was doing that. Each time I have walked her, I've taken a little treat in my pocket and given it to her when she urinated, telling her how good she was. After she did it, she even sat by me waiting for her treat. I was elated and thought she was finally housebroken. By the way, I'd also been walking her more often.
Then, this past Thursday, I had to go down to my car for something, and as I opened the front door to walk out, out bolted my dog. I called her name, repeated the commands of "sit," "stay," over and over. Instead of listening, she ran all the more, across the parking lot, around the other apt. building into a forest next to it. I ran after her calling her over and over, and finally I saw her emerge at another apt. building. Only then did my presence of mind return to say the word "cookie," which finally made her stop. I had a panic attack and had not even thought to take her leash or a cookie with me when I bolted out of my apt. to go find her. The only thing in my mind was fear and that she would get killed.
I am to see the behavior specialist at the SPCA next week, but she has told me to work on training her not to approach the door from inside my apt., with her leash on. Meanwhile, I took the dog for a long walk today, for I know she needs exercise being so young (combination collie rough and springer spaniel). I came home, did some work on the computer, and guess what? I went near my sofa to see another wet spot on the carpet on the other side of the sofa.
What is wrong with this dog? Has anyone been through this? At this moment I am thinking that I need to just take her back next week to the SPCA and leave her there.
I've been a dog owner all my life but never had such problems before.
Sounds like she's a work in progress, she may never have been housetrained given her history (or lack of it), would just be patient with her and consistent, praise her to the skies when she 'goes' outside, would tke her outside often too, give her every opportunity to 'go', also don't free feed her (if you're doing that) and try to get her on some type of schedule, housetraining is a gradual process and can take a while, are you sure she doesnt have a urinary tract infection? How old is she expected to 'hold it' - ?
You could get a 'scat mat' (google it, prob. PetsMart and PetCo have them or you could order them online) to keep her away from the door, it might be a good investment in case she forgets.
She's a big dog and needs exercise esp. if she's cooped up most of the day (collies are herding dogs and s.spaniels are bred for hunting so naturally she's going to be active (also she's young)), maybe check out doggie day cares in your area or dog parks (just be careful that there's not too many dogs and that she doesn't pick up any bad habits etc), walks are good but she probably would do better with active exercise. While her running out and not coming back right away isn't good, it sounded like she was just very impulsive, exuberant and enjoyed her moment of freedom, in the end she did come back (and hopefully was praised big-time), she's young and needs training, would check out dog training classes and most of all, don't give up on her, I'm sure she's a 'diamond in the rough'.
I posted here back in the early fall, after I lost my dog, Princess. It was so empty without her, and I also missed the socialization with other dog owners. So, I looked around a bit at some shelters and in December I saw a beautiful dog at the SPCA. Her behavior seemed odd to me when I was first looking at her, and by that I mean she seemed distant. She had been given up by her owners to a local shelter, and then moved to the SPCA. I thought perhaps the many moves accounted for her behavior. Anyway, I adopted her and brought her home on 12/23. She, by the way is now eight months old. Within the first week of being here she had several accidents in my apt., mainly urinating. I did the wrong thing, I know, by pulling her to the spot and putting her nose in it, along with a lot of yelling at her.
She never let me know she had to go out when she did urinate, and I never caught her in the act. It was always in places I'd never see immediately.
Yep, you did do the wrong thing. By yelling at her you taught her that she can't trust you. Perhaps she was never properly housetrained in her former home and didn't know she was supposed to let you know she had to go. Perhaps she WAS letting you know, but in a way that you didn't see or understand. Either way, she had no idea what you wanted her to do, and instead of teaching her, you punished her. No wonder that she tried to find out of the way places to pee! Dogs that are punished for eliminating in the house instead of being properly trained often resort to sneaky behavior such as you are experiencing.
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Within the first week or two, I encountered another problem. I took her with me in the car to the library to drop off a book, and she jumped out of my car and ran. Luckily someone in the parking lot helped me catch her.
Well, I took a step back and read articles on the internet about the importance of praising a dog when it does its business outside, so I began to do that. A week had gone by yesterday that I was doing that. Each time I have walked her, I've taken a little treat in my pocket and given it to her when she urinated, telling her how good she was. After she did it, she even sat by me waiting for her treat. I was elated and thought she was finally housebroken. By the way, I'd also been walking her more often.
Then, this past Thursday, I had to go down to my car for something, and as I opened the front door to walk out, out bolted my dog. I called her name, repeated the commands of "sit," "stay," over and over. Instead of listening, she ran all the more, across the parking lot, around the other apt. building into a forest next to it. I ran after her calling her over and over, and finally I saw her emerge at another apt. building. Only then did my presence of mind return to say the word "cookie," which finally made her stop. I had a panic attack and had not even thought to take her leash or a cookie with me when I bolted out of my apt. to go find her. The only thing in my mind was fear and that she would get killed.
It's much to soon for this dog to have bonded with you. She should NEVER be unrestrained, even in a car, until you are sure that she is reliably trained. She's been in a shelter, isolated, scared, separated from the only family she ever knew. It's unreasonable to expect that her experience there would be forgotten the minute she came home with you. Why should she obey you when for most of her time with you she's either been yelled at or given treats? I'm sure she's confused! Running after a her and repeating commands that she ignores just reinforces that she doesn't have to obey you. Dogs don't read minds. They need to be taught what you expect and treated with love and respect.
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I am to see the behavior specialist at the SPCA next week, but she has told me to work on training her not to approach the door from inside my apt., with her leash on. Meanwhile, I took the dog for a long walk today, for I know she needs exercise being so young (combination collie rough and springer spaniel). I came home, did some work on the computer, and guess what? I went near my sofa to see another wet spot on the carpet on the other side of the sofa.
Of course the dog isn't housetrained yet. One week isn't long enough. Sure, you praised her when she urinated outside, but how did you teach her that she isn't supposed to urinate inside? You didn't.
But you can. Get a crate. Do a search on these forums for ViralMD's post on how to housetrain a dog. Follow her instructions and your dog will be soon be trained and you will be happy.
In the interim, keep her near you at all times. When you aren't actively watching her, keep her crated or tied to you on a leash to keep her from sneaking off and peeing. Do not yell at her, or punish her if she makes a mistake. If your dog pees in the house, it's not her fault, it's yours because you weren't watching her.
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What is wrong with this dog? Has anyone been through this? At this moment I am thinking that I need to just take her back next week to the SPCA and leave her there.
I've been a dog owner all my life but never had such problems before.
My intent is not to offend you, but to be honest, I don't think there's anything wrong with the dog at this point that can't be remedied. It's normal for a shelter dog to need some time to adjust to a new home. It's also normal for any young dog to need retraining when placed in a new home. You've started off on the wrong foot with the dog and you will have to teach the dog to trust you before you can make progress on the rest of the behavior issues.
It's good that you have made an appointment to see a trainer. However, if you are unwilling or unable to make the commitment to change how you interact with your dog, and if you aren't able to make a consistent effort to work with the dog, perhaps it might be best for you and the dog to take the dog back to the shelter.
First of all, my dog has never been unrestrained, even in the car. She is only unrestrained when she is in my home. Secondly, I am not a neophyte here. In my 50 years of living on this earth I have always had a dog. Perhaps I have not made myself clear here in that regard. What IS new to me is the fact that this dog continues to pee even on a schedule, for I am not an idiot that does not know I need to walk the dog every few hours. Thirdly, the crate idea is not a new one to me either. This dog was crate trained according to the shelter, and I therefore bought a crate immediately after getting her. I appreciate advice but I don't appreciate being talked to as if I don't know anything. For your information, I had my other dog for 12 years. I am still grieving for her. I have no family of my own and my dog/cat have been my family, so having to make the decision to have her put to sleep that horrible night was as painful to me as losing the only family I did have - my parents. Because of my religious convictions I even went so far as having that dog buried in a coffin at a pet cemetery. So do not tell me that perhaps I do not know how to make a commitment to my dog.
I thought Leorah and Honeycrisp offered some really good advice. My dog passed away, too, and I've been thinking of getting a young rescue. I read theirs posts as if it were a refresher course covering the basics. I didn't get the feeling anyone was talking down to you at all.
I'm sorry you lost your dog. I know for myself, I keep looking for "my dog" in all the new faces I see. But my friends tell me, "Woofers, you will have a new dog. Not the same dog, but you will bond to the new one, too." It's hard to believe.
Please don't give up on us -- or the dog! We all mean well....
Location: Moved to town. Miss 'my' woods and critters.
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miamian....And just as our pets need praising for good behavior, I commend you for trying and not giving up and making an appt. with the SPCA. You are on the right track. Our newly adopted Lab mix spent more than a month at a local shelter. She is 10 mos. old now and we have had her for just 3 weeks. I was told that she was not housetrained. I bought a crate, leash, toys, (which she has destroyed already).
The first night she urinated on my carpet, I picked her up immediately and took her outside with the leash and walked her for about 12-15 mins. She sleeps in her crate every night and had never had another 'accident'. My biggest concern is that she does not always come to me when I call her name. The groomer that I took her to yesterday suggested that I keep her on a leash when outdoors, call her to me and when she comes, offer her a small treat and praise her for coming to me.
Do not offer the treat if she just comes to me on her own, but still 'praise' her, you know, good girl, good dog, etc. I was told to do this for about 3 weeks, no exceptions, and she should be trained to come when called. I live in a very rural area but not too far from a highway, so this is a big concern to us when she does not come when called. Soooo, 3 weeks of consistent training and bonding.
I do wish you the best of luck from now on. Smile about your new fur baby and keep positive thoughts. It will get better. I've had my moments also. Then just have to remember dogs don't speak my language! I need to learn hers. Body language, etc.
........ Within the first week of being here she had several accidents in my apt., mainly urinating. I did the wrong thing, I know, by pulling her to the spot and putting her nose in it, along with a lot of yelling at her. She never let me know she had to go out when she did urinate, and I never caught her in the act. It was always in places I'd never see immediately. ...........................
So you lost your temper and did the wrong thing even though you knew better? And you wonder why some think you don't know what you're doing? You are going to have to earn her trust first, then she will listen to you. Do what ViralMD has posted before, about how to housebreak a dog. Good luck.
I have a female rottie that was much like your gal. She was saved from someone on line actually. She was *never* trained or housebroken, and she was an 18 month old dog.
It has taken a long time to get her to listen, to house break her, and teach her just the basics. I use to take her out every hour. Praise her up and down every time she went. In the morning was when we had the worse problem because we would crate her at night, then as soon as we let her out to pee she would bolt out the bedroom, down the stairs and straight into our living room where she would do her business. We started to take her on leash from her crate outside in the mornings and slowly got her to understand she had to wait till she was outside. Having our other dog kinda helped, but not as much as you would think.
She was left outside all the time by the previous owners. They thought that because they had her in a kennel all day, that she was "trained". They let her kill rabbits, and moles, and squirrels.
Well, we keep our pets in the house. she was with our other rottie and 3 cats and I can tell you it has been a haul. shes 3 years now.
We had to teach her how to behave around the cats, not to chew on *everything* (yes, we had toys), and we went on walks, and we have an acre that she and her new buddy could run around in during the day (of course supervised) but as much as I spent time with her teaching her the basics, it took us all this time. She is still learning...
She has however made leaps and bounds compared to how she started. She can actually stay in the house, and not eat everything . she barks when she needs to go outside , she doesn't go after the cats, she is better on a leash, and she will poop or pee on command (I teach all my dogs that...lol)
She does still fixate on things, like noise and she did get a rabbit once, but I got her to drop it and it took off ( I can only guess it was ok )
anyway, my long ramble was to point out that it does take time with some of these guys. I had another rottie that was an angel from the beginning. It was like he knew *everything*. He was the easiest dog to train and *always* listened. From the first day, he was good.
So I hope that your meeting with the behavioral specialist at the SPCA helps give you the motivation to drive on!
miamian....And just as our pets need praising for good behavior, I commend you for trying and not giving up and making an appt. with the SPCA. You are on the right track. Our newly adopted Lab mix spent more than a month at a local shelter. She is 10 mos. old now and we have had her for just 3 weeks. I was told that she was not housetrained. I bought a crate, leash, toys, (which she has destroyed already).
The first night she urinated on my carpet, I picked her up immediately and took her outside with the leash and walked her for about 12-15 mins. She sleeps in her crate every night and had never had another 'accident'. My biggest concern is that she does not always come to me when I call her name. The groomer that I took her to yesterday suggested that I keep her on a leash when outdoors, call her to me and when she comes, offer her a small treat and praise her for coming to me.
Do not offer the treat if she just comes to me on her own, but still 'praise' her, you know, good girl, good dog, etc. I was told to do this for about 3 weeks, no exceptions, and she should be trained to come when called. I live in a very rural area but not too far from a highway, so this is a big concern to us when she does not come when called. Soooo, 3 weeks of consistent training and bonding.
I do wish you the best of luck from now on. Smile about your new fur baby and keep positive thoughts. It will get better. I've had my moments also. Then just have to remember dogs don't speak my language! I need to learn hers. Body language, etc.]
Isn't that the truth!... I'm really good at recognizing the "I'm gonna poop now" position....lol.....though it has been a while.....I don't think I'll forget that golden nugget.....
Body language....it's worth it's weight in gold.....
miamian - please post the results of your visit. I'm curious to know what they suggest. Am also curious to know if there is some physical reason for the behavior. We've dealt with this with fosters and rescues - we have a "transition room" in our home. Until they learn from the other dogs (and I think that is a big part of our success in the training process), they sleep in the transition room where it doesn't matter too much if they have an accident, no scolding of course, but plenty of praise. Best of luck to you!
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I need to learn hers. Body language, etc.
, she doesn't go after the cats, she is better on a leash, and she will poop or pee on command (I teach all my dogs that
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