Althiough I've been in an electric wheelchair since I was nine years old,
I've trained and lived with a number of dogs all my life. these were all
fairly large dogs of the Heinz 57 variety, and to housebreak them I would
get someone to help me stick the dogs nose gently into his mess on the floor
AFTER i had already taught him the meaning of "No!" and he was answering his
name okay. Then I would take the mess outside to where I wanted him to go
and make sure he saw and smelled it. After a few trys with this they always
learned!
This time however I have a Bijou Yorgi of the Teddy Bear vareity that
came to me at 7 weeks. It's not an in-bred petstore dog but one from a farm
where the owners really care about mixing the breeding properly.
The dog, named Mr. Bailey, now already knows his own name and what "No!"
means but he is not changing his habits! I tried the technique above but he
just keeps going back to the same place on my living room rug to do his
business. He does pee where I want him to, having gotten those pamper-like
pads that supposedly have a smell that helps them to wet on them. I keep it
on my porch and he has open access to it all day. He goes there to pee now
almost all the time unless he's excited and a lot of people are around.
At first he was deficating almost immeadiatly after eating in the
morning, so I began also feeding him on another side of the porch and keep
his food and water out there as well. Then in the morning, I stayed with
him on the porch until long after he had finished eating. I knew he had to
go, but he wouldn't, not until I finally gave up and went back into my
living room myself. Then he followed me in there and immeadiatly did it on
the rug again!
I'm at a loss as to what to do about this, and would greatly appreaciate
ANY advise you can offer!



--
from Robert Meek dba "Tangentals Design"
Personal e-mail:

-------------------------------------------------
visit us on the World Wide Web and pick up
your free copy of "The Keep" at:

http://www.TangentalsDesign.com

E-mail us at one of the following:




-------------------------------------------------

"Robert Meek" wrote:
I've trained and lived with a number of dogs all my life. these were all
fairly large dogs of the Heinz 57 variety, and to housebreak them I would
get someone to help me stick the dogs nose gently into his mess on the floor

Don't do this! It's abusive, and confuses the dog.

Then I would take the mess outside to where I wanted him to go
and make sure he saw and smelled it.

This is why the dog got housebroken, not because you disciplined him for going
in the house.

Dogs don't generalize well. If you punish him for peeing on the floor, he
thinks you don't want him to pee. Many dogs begin to sneak away to pee
somewhere in the house where they can't be seen when they're disciplined this
way.

First and foremost, you must prevent accidents from happening. That means
keeping a dog in a crate or puppy-safe small area when you aren't directly
supervising. If the dog has an accident, take a rolled up newspaper and hit
yourself on the head for not supervising well enough.

Here are the details for how to housetrain humanely and efficiently:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/potty-training.html

You didn't say how old Mr. Bailey is now, but be aware that at 7 weeks old, he
had little bladder control. A lot of the hassle of training young puppies is
physical - they just can't hold it for long. And if they're active and running
around, by the time they realize they have to go it may be too late to do
anything but squat and let fly.

Canine Action Dog Trainer
http://www.canineaction.com
My Kids, My Students, My Life:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html
Build Your Immune System, Lose Weight
http://www.re-vita.net/dfrntdrums

"Robert Meek" wrote:
I've trained and lived with a number of dogs all my life. these were all
fairly large dogs of the Heinz 57 variety, and to housebreak them I would
get someone to help me stick the dogs nose gently into his mess on the floor

Don't do this! It's abusive, and confuses the dog.

Then I would take the mess outside to where I wanted him to go
and make sure he saw and smelled it.

This is why the dog got housebroken, not because you disciplined him for going
in the house.

Dogs don't generalize well. If you punish him for peeing on the floor, he
thinks you don't want him to pee. Many dogs begin to sneak away to pee
somewhere in the house where they can't be seen when they're disciplined this
way.

First and foremost, you must prevent accidents from happening. That means
keeping a dog in a crate or puppy-safe small area when you aren't directly
supervising. If the dog has an accident, take a rolled up newspaper and hit
yourself on the head for not supervising well enough.

Here are the details for how to housetrain humanely and efficiently:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/potty-training.html

You didn't say how old Mr. Bailey is now, but be aware that at 7 weeks old, he
had little bladder control. A lot of the hassle of training young puppies is
physical - they just can't hold it for long. And if they're active and running
around, by the time they realize they have to go it may be too late to do
anything but squat and let fly.

Canine Action Dog Trainer
http://www.canineaction.com
My Kids, My Students, My Life:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html
Build Your Immune System, Lose Weight
http://www.re-vita.net/dfrntdrums

You may have misunderstood me somewhat as I don't discipline him for
peeing or defecating in the wrong area. I got these puppy pads which have a
scent and do not allow the urine to go thru to the carpet. When I first
brought him home at 7 weeks, I watched him carefully and let him pee where
he decided to. I then brought him back over to the spot and had him watch
me as I soaked it up with the puppy pad. I made sure he smelled it and then
took it out on my porch...accessible 24 hours a day via a
doggie-door...where I also made sure he saw and smelled it. I did the very
same with another one that I placed in the bathroom next to the toilet
because in the early morning he was peeing before I could even getup and get
dressed. Very quickly he has learned to use either of these two spots. The
porch the majority of the time and the bathroom when I'm in there and he has
to go. Of course he almost always urinates and/or defecates when I take him
for walks if he has to at the time.
At first he would eat in the morning and defecate on the living room rug
before he was even done chewing his food! So I decided to hide his food
bowl after 6o pm so that he wouldn't eat anymore during the night and have
to go at 3 in the morning. But then his habits changed and he now sometimes
waits for as much as an hour after he eats before going!
When I said I stuck his nose in his mess, believe me I wasn't being mad
or cruel at all. I merely brought him over to it, made him smell it, then
took both him and the mess out to the porch where I placed it on the puppy
pad where he's already urinating and made him smell it again. But it almost
seems as if he won't defecate in the same place he pees! and even if I stay
on the porch with him for two hours after he eats, he simply won't defecate
there. Yet as soon as we go back into the house he does it on the rug!
I was thinking perhaps different surface types might be the issue here??
He already...9 weeks yesterday...likes digging under the grass so he can
roll his face around in the earth, and if he has to go when I have him
outside he will always defecate in the same spot...nearly anyway...in the
grass!
The only discipline I have ever given any dog is if and when they start
jumping up on people when they come into the house and/or scratch their
legs...bite their feet, etc. In these cases I gently slap him on the nose
and point my finger at him, wag it as I say "No!"
All the dogs I've had have always bonded to me very quickly and
strongly. Probably because I stay with or around them constantly and even
let them sleep on my bed with me or on my chair on top of a pillow right
next to my bed. And they also have a tendency to try and stay under my
chair when ever I'm not moving around, when they get scared at something,
etc. And the ONLY problem this has ever caused me was back when I first got
married. I'd had the dog for a little over three months when my wife moved
into the house I'd bought and the dog was so used to sleeping in bed with me
that he actually would stick his nose up under the blanket at the bottom of
the bed and slowly work his way underneath the covers until he was between
us. I'd wake up in the morning with his arm over my chest! I'm not
kidding! he was very jealous!
A lot of people have told me about the cage method of house-breaking,
but as well as it might work, it's just no good for me. I can;'to help but
feel it's cruel in some way, even though I know it's not.
So do you think the surface might have some bearing on this problem?
Are there any other techniques I might try?

--
from Robert Meek dba "Tangentals Design"
Personal e-mail:

-------------------------------------------------
visit us on the World Wide Web and pick up
your free copy of "The Keep" at:

http://www.TangentalsDesign.com

E-mail us at one of the following:




-------------------------------------------------

"Leah" wrote in message
...
"Robert Meek" wrote:
I've trained and lived with a number of dogs all my life. these were all
fairly large dogs of the Heinz 57 variety, and to housebreak them I would
get someone to help me stick the dogs nose gently into his mess on the
floor

Don't do this! It's abusive, and confuses the dog.

Then I would take the mess outside to where I wanted him to go
and make sure he saw and smelled it.

This is why the dog got housebroken, not because you disciplined him for
going
in the house.

Dogs don't generalize well. If you punish him for peeing on the floor, he
thinks you don't want him to pee. Many dogs begin to sneak away to pee
somewhere in the house where they can't be seen when they're disciplined
this
way.

First and foremost, you must prevent accidents from happening. That means
keeping a dog in a crate or puppy-safe small area when you aren't directly
supervising. If the dog has an accident, take a rolled up newspaper and
hit
yourself on the head for not supervising well enough.

Here are the details for how to housetrain humanely and efficiently:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/potty-training.html

You didn't say how old Mr. Bailey is now, but be aware that at 7 weeks
old, he
had little bladder control. A lot of the hassle of training young puppies
is
physical - they just can't hold it for long. And if they're active and
running
around, by the time they realize they have to go it may be too late to do
anything but squat and let fly.

Canine Action Dog Trainer
http://www.canineaction.com
My Kids, My Students, My Life:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html
Build Your Immune System, Lose Weight
http://www.re-vita.net/dfrntdrums

You may have misunderstood me somewhat as I don't discipline him for
peeing or defecating in the wrong area. I got these puppy pads which have a
scent and do not allow the urine to go thru to the carpet. When I first
brought him home at 7 weeks, I watched him carefully and let him pee where
he decided to. I then brought him back over to the spot and had him watch
me as I soaked it up with the puppy pad. I made sure he smelled it and then
took it out on my porch...accessible 24 hours a day via a
doggie-door...where I also made sure he saw and smelled it. I did the very
same with another one that I placed in the bathroom next to the toilet
because in the early morning he was peeing before I could even getup and get
dressed. Very quickly he has learned to use either of these two spots. The
porch the majority of the time and the bathroom when I'm in there and he has
to go. Of course he almost always urinates and/or defecates when I take him
for walks if he has to at the time.
At first he would eat in the morning and defecate on the living room rug
before he was even done chewing his food! So I decided to hide his food
bowl after 6o pm so that he wouldn't eat anymore during the night and have
to go at 3 in the morning. But then his habits changed and he now sometimes
waits for as much as an hour after he eats before going!
When I said I stuck his nose in his mess, believe me I wasn't being mad
or cruel at all. I merely brought him over to it, made him smell it, then
took both him and the mess out to the porch where I placed it on the puppy
pad where he's already urinating and made him smell it again. But it almost
seems as if he won't defecate in the same place he pees! and even if I stay
on the porch with him for two hours after he eats, he simply won't defecate
there. Yet as soon as we go back into the house he does it on the rug!
I was thinking perhaps different surface types might be the issue here??
He already...9 weeks yesterday...likes digging under the grass so he can
roll his face around in the earth, and if he has to go when I have him
outside he will always defecate in the same spot...nearly anyway...in the
grass!
The only discipline I have ever given any dog is if and when they start
jumping up on people when they come into the house and/or scratch their
legs...bite their feet, etc. In these cases I gently slap him on the nose
and point my finger at him, wag it as I say "No!"
All the dogs I've had have always bonded to me very quickly and
strongly. Probably because I stay with or around them constantly and even
let them sleep on my bed with me or on my chair on top of a pillow right
next to my bed. And they also have a tendency to try and stay under my
chair when ever I'm not moving around, when they get scared at something,
etc. And the ONLY problem this has ever caused me was back when I first got
married. I'd had the dog for a little over three months when my wife moved
into the house I'd bought and the dog was so used to sleeping in bed with me
that he actually would stick his nose up under the blanket at the bottom of
the bed and slowly work his way underneath the covers until he was between
us. I'd wake up in the morning with his arm over my chest! I'm not
kidding! he was very jealous!
A lot of people have told me about the cage method of house-breaking,
but as well as it might work, it's just no good for me. I can;'to help but
feel it's cruel in some way, even though I know it's not.
So do you think the surface might have some bearing on this problem?
Are there any other techniques I might try?

--
from Robert Meek dba "Tangentals Design"
Personal e-mail:

-------------------------------------------------
visit us on the World Wide Web and pick up
your free copy of "The Keep" at:

http://www.TangentalsDesign.com

E-mail us at one of the following:




-------------------------------------------------

"Leah" wrote in message
...
"Robert Meek" wrote:
I've trained and lived with a number of dogs all my life. these were all
fairly large dogs of the Heinz 57 variety, and to housebreak them I would
get someone to help me stick the dogs nose gently into his mess on the
floor

Don't do this! It's abusive, and confuses the dog.

Then I would take the mess outside to where I wanted him to go
and make sure he saw and smelled it.

This is why the dog got housebroken, not because you disciplined him for
going
in the house.

Dogs don't generalize well. If you punish him for peeing on the floor, he
thinks you don't want him to pee. Many dogs begin to sneak away to pee
somewhere in the house where they can't be seen when they're disciplined
this
way.

First and foremost, you must prevent accidents from happening. That means
keeping a dog in a crate or puppy-safe small area when you aren't directly
supervising. If the dog has an accident, take a rolled up newspaper and
hit
yourself on the head for not supervising well enough.

Here are the details for how to housetrain humanely and efficiently:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/potty-training.html

You didn't say how old Mr. Bailey is now, but be aware that at 7 weeks
old, he
had little bladder control. A lot of the hassle of training young puppies
is
physical - they just can't hold it for long. And if they're active and
running
around, by the time they realize they have to go it may be too late to do
anything but squat and let fly.

Canine Action Dog Trainer
http://www.canineaction.com
My Kids, My Students, My Life:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html
Build Your Immune System, Lose Weight
http://www.re-vita.net/dfrntdrums

"Robert Meek"
wrote:
When I said I stuck his nose in his mess, believe me I wasn't being mad
or cruel at all.

I understand that your intentions are good. It's unfortunate that so many
people mistakenly believe that this is an acceptable way to potty-train. I
used to do it myself, before I learned better. But it truly doesn't teach the
dog anything, and can confuse him.

Did you read the potty-training link?

I was thinking perhaps different surface types might be the issue here??

Can very well be.

He already...9 weeks yesterday

Oh, well no wonder he's not potty-trained. :} That's an infant.
The only discipline I have ever given any dog is if and when they start
jumping up on people when they come into the house and/or scratch their
legs...bite their feet, etc. In these cases I gently slap him on the nose
and point my finger at him, wag it as I say "No!"

They jump up for attention. When you give attention - even if it's to tell
them NO - you reward the behavior. And slapping him in the face, no matter how
gently, can damage your relationship and make him hand-shy.

Instead, you teach the pup an alternative behavior. For example, you teach him
that he will only get petted if he sits. While he's sitting you pet and praise
him. As soon as a paw touches you, he becomes invisible. This way he learns
how to get what he wants (your attention) by performing an appropriate
behavior.

I think you would get a lot out of a class. Plus, you need to socialize
socialize socialize that little tyke while he's at the age to soak it up (most
important time before 3 months of age). That means he should meet as many
strange people and animals as possible.

A lot of people have told me about the cage method of house-breaking,
but as well as it might work, it's just no good for me. I can;'to help but
feel it's cruel in some way, even though I know it's not.

IMHO, it's cruel to NOT use a crate or other method of confinement when
housetraining. You just put way too much responsibility on a poor little
puppy's shoulders when you give him too much freedom too fast.

It is cruel if you abuse the use of a crate and leave the puppy in there all
the time because of convenience. It is meant to be used for the times when
you're unable to supervise.

Don't think of it as a "cage." A cage is where an animal lives. A crate is
where a dog sleeps. Do you think it's cruel to leave a baby in a crib with the
sides up to protect him? Same idea.

So do you think the surface might have some bearing on this problem?

Oh, sure. Some pups are very picky about where they poop. You say he goes on
grass? That's great, because that's where he *should* be going.

Are there any other techniques I might try?

Absolutely. Once again:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/potty-training.html

Canine Action Dog Trainer
http://www.canineaction.com
My Kids, My Students, My Life:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html
Build Your Immune System, Lose Weight
http://www.re-vita.net/dfrntdrums

"Robert Meek"
wrote:
When I said I stuck his nose in his mess, believe me I wasn't being mad
or cruel at all.

I understand that your intentions are good. It's unfortunate that so many
people mistakenly believe that this is an acceptable way to potty-train. I
used to do it myself, before I learned better. But it truly doesn't teach the
dog anything, and can confuse him.

Did you read the potty-training link?

I was thinking perhaps different surface types might be the issue here??

Can very well be.

He already...9 weeks yesterday

Oh, well no wonder he's not potty-trained. :} That's an infant.
The only discipline I have ever given any dog is if and when they start
jumping up on people when they come into the house and/or scratch their
legs...bite their feet, etc. In these cases I gently slap him on the nose
and point my finger at him, wag it as I say "No!"

They jump up for attention. When you give attention - even if it's to tell
them NO - you reward the behavior. And slapping him in the face, no matter how
gently, can damage your relationship and make him hand-shy.

Instead, you teach the pup an alternative behavior. For example, you teach him
that he will only get petted if he sits. While he's sitting you pet and praise
him. As soon as a paw touches you, he becomes invisible. This way he learns
how to get what he wants (your attention) by performing an appropriate
behavior.

I think you would get a lot out of a class. Plus, you need to socialize
socialize socialize that little tyke while he's at the age to soak it up (most
important time before 3 months of age). That means he should meet as many
strange people and animals as possible.

A lot of people have told me about the cage method of house-breaking,
but as well as it might work, it's just no good for me. I can;'to help but
feel it's cruel in some way, even though I know it's not.

IMHO, it's cruel to NOT use a crate or other method of confinement when
housetraining. You just put way too much responsibility on a poor little
puppy's shoulders when you give him too much freedom too fast.

It is cruel if you abuse the use of a crate and leave the puppy in there all
the time because of convenience. It is meant to be used for the times when
you're unable to supervise.

Don't think of it as a "cage." A cage is where an animal lives. A crate is
where a dog sleeps. Do you think it's cruel to leave a baby in a crib with the
sides up to protect him? Same idea.

So do you think the surface might have some bearing on this problem?

Oh, sure. Some pups are very picky about where they poop. You say he goes on
grass? That's great, because that's where he *should* be going.

Are there any other techniques I might try?

Absolutely. Once again:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/potty-training.html

Canine Action Dog Trainer
http://www.canineaction.com
My Kids, My Students, My Life:
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html
Build Your Immune System, Lose Weight
http://www.re-vita.net/dfrntdrums