This morning we took the dog out, he peed but didn't seem like he
needed to go further because he ran back inside.

When he was left alone for a few minutes he pooped in the house, in
multiple places in the same room, a same location where he has done
this before.

Since we had just taken him out, is it a reasonable conclusion that he
did this solely to get our attention?

He was doing great for a week, no accidents at all. Now he has them
every day. It's like we took a step backwards.

I read the Puppy Wizard guide to dealing with mistakes like this but
it just doesn't seem practical. The dog does not behave according to
the way the manual claims he should. We can't get him to calmly come
over to the spot and when we drop the can (no matter how quietly) it
startles him and/or he thinks it's something to play with. The only
way to get him away from the spot to allow us to clean it is to
confine her someplace because otherwise he follows us around.

I'm inclined to confine him to the kitchen and give him no attention
at all for awhile. Shouldn't this defeat the purpose of his 'mistake'?
I'm sure the answer is no, but this is very frustrating.

DaveR wrote in
:

This morning we took the dog out, he peed but didn't seem like he
needed to go further because he ran back inside.

When he was left alone for a few minutes he pooped in the house, in
multiple places in the same room, a same location where he has done
this before.

Since we had just taken him out, is it a reasonable conclusion that he
did this solely to get our attention?

He was doing great for a week, no accidents at all. Now he has them
every day. It's like we took a step backwards.

I read the Puppy Wizard guide to dealing with mistakes like this but
it just doesn't seem practical. The dog does not behave according to
the way the manual claims he should. We can't get him to calmly come
over to the spot and when we drop the can (no matter how quietly) it
startles him and/or he thinks it's something to play with. The only
way to get him away from the spot to allow us to clean it is to
confine her someplace because otherwise he follows us around.

I'm inclined to confine him to the kitchen and give him no attention
at all for awhile. Shouldn't this defeat the purpose of his 'mistake'?
I'm sure the answer is no, but this is very frustrating.




You might want to post this on rec.pets.dogs.behavior -- you'll probably
get more responses there.

--
Catherine
& Zoe the cockerchow
& Queenie the black gold retriever
& Rosalie the calico

On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 08:39:26 -0400 DaveR whittled these words:
This morning we took the dog out, he peed but didn't seem like he
needed to go further because he ran back inside.

Next tme keep a leash on him and wait until he has fully relieved himself.

When he was left alone for a few minutes he pooped in the house, in

Don't do that.

multiple places in the same room, a same location where he has done
this before.

DOgs prefer to go in the same places they have gone before. Don't let him
go into that room at all for the next week. Keep the door closed or use a
baby gate to keep him out.

Since we had just taken him out, is it a reasonable conclusion that he
did this solely to get our attention?

Not at all. Not even close. He has been allowed to relieve himself in
the house and has developed a surface preference for the house. Perfectly
normal.

He was doing great for a week, no accidents at all. Now he has them
every day. It's like we took a step backwards.

Sounds like you gave him too much room for mistakes too soon. Take a step
backwards and start over.

I read the Puppy Wizard guide to dealing with mistakes like this but
it just doesn't seem practical. The dog does not behave according to
the way the manual claims he should. We can't get him to calmly come
over to the spot and when we drop the can (no matter how quietly) it
startles him and/or he thinks it's something to play with. The only
way to get him away from the spot to allow us to clean it is to
confine her someplace because otherwise he follows us around.

I'm inclined to confine him to the kitchen and give him no attention
at all for awhile. Shouldn't this defeat the purpose of his 'mistake'?

Dogs have no secret plans and no intention to jerk your chain. Having
that perspective is not a good way to develop a relationship with your
dog. What he needs right now is close supervision, regular trips outside
with praise for performance, make it easy for him to be right and hard for
him to be wrong.

It is very common for people to misunderstand what their dog actually
knows and doesn't know. It is sadly common for people to get angry at
their dogs because the person *thinks* they have *proof* that the dog
understands what is wanted. Usually the person has in fact not actually
taught the dog anything, just expected it to understand based on the
person's *intentions*. The dog, for its part, can't really fathom this
peculiar human reaction to normal and required bodily activity. The
result is usually a dog that decides the only answer is to not let the
human see this bodily action.

I'm sure the answer is no, but this is very frustrating.

Puppies are a lot of work. If you lay a great foundation you will have a
great dog, but you must put in the effort to lay that foundation. Thet
means making some sacrafices in convenience and scheduiling. Short term
pain, long term gain.


--
Diane Blackman
http://dog-play.com/
http://dogplay.com/Shop/dogplayshop.htm

On 22 Jul 2005 15:44:31 GMT, wrote:


Puppies are a lot of work. If you lay a great foundation you will have a
great dog, but you must put in the effort to lay that foundation. Thet
means making some sacrafices in convenience and scheduiling. Short term
pain, long term gain.

I'm ready willing and able. I work from home so my schedule is very
flexible (except for occasional 1-3 hour trips during which time I
crate him).

I was worried that taking him out every 3 hours would not condition
him to hold it in, or to learn how to tell us when he has to go.

If it's not counterproductive I have no problem going out every 3
hours ... so long as this can be reduced to 3-4 times a day once he
gets older.

DaveR wrote in
:

On 22 Jul 2005 15:44:31 GMT, wrote:


Puppies are a lot of work. If you lay a great foundation you will have a
great dog, but you must put in the effort to lay that foundation. Thet
means making some sacrafices in convenience and scheduiling. Short term
pain, long term gain.

I'm ready willing and able. I work from home so my schedule is very
flexible (except for occasional 1-3 hour trips during which time I
crate him).

I was worried that taking him out every 3 hours would not condition
him to hold it in, or to learn how to tell us when he has to go.

Nope. Right now, he has to learn that going outside is good, and going
inside is not what he is to do. Once that is done, and you start to
recognize his schedule, then you will be able to notice better just what
signs he is giving you when he has to go.

If it's not counterproductive I have no problem going out every 3
hours ... so long as this can be reduced to 3-4 times a day once he
gets older.

With Moogli (who just hit 3), he only needs to go twice a day.


--
Marcel and Moogli
http://mudbunny.blogspot.com/