Q
of the week
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Last updated Jan 2, 2004 Q
of the week: In early November our family adopted a puppy from a friend at work. She had been working long hours (13 + per day) and was going through difficult family times and was now preparing to move to California and could not take all of her pets. "Max" is a mini long hair dappled dachshund. He is now 8 months old, 10 pounds and recently neutered. Our friend was not totally upfront with all the "issues" she was having with Max - we have found so much out after the fact. Max climbs on to the dining room table as quick as a wink and steal our daughter's dinner in seconds (which we've made some progress on) and we are struggling with potty training tremendously! I am at my wits end - our daughter (3 1/2 years) loves him so much we really want to make this work, but I am loosing patience and our home is getting destroyed. A couple weeks into his life with us, we began crate training as he was destroying so much. We have an appropriately sized crate and he's used to it. Although, he still eliminates in it radomly - it doesn't bother him in the least - he's covered in it and so is the crate. He will go days and do great no accidents and lots of praise, he consistently goes all night with no potty breaks and no accidents since day one, and then during the day randomly all over the house and in the crate. His elimination sometimes seems more a behavior than not knowing how, he will walk right up to me and urinate at my feet making eye contact. Our vet suggested that we ask you for suggestions, he seems to feel that it has a behavior component. My husband and I have had dogs all our lives, most recently large breed dogs (we have a 13 yrs old shepard and a 10 yrs old shepard/boxer mix) but we are at a loss how we can solve this issues with Max. We both work full time as well. I appreciate any insight you may have on this issue. To which I asked the following questions: How old was he when you got him? How old when neutered and had he started lifting his leg yet? Does he seem stressed out when you leave/return? Is he clingy or independent when you are home? Does he know how to ask to go out? (Have a consistent way of asking?) Do you know where the first owners got him (pet store or breeder?) What does he eat and is he on a fixed meal schedule? Is there a pattern to his behavior? It's helpful to keep a journal. Each day note what time you left, how long you were gone, how long since he ate, etc. Details that might not seem important may suddenly hit you when it's on paper. Her
answers to follow: He doesn't ever seem stressed. He often looks at you like "what's the problem?" He follows one us around all the time (usually my husband or myself) when we are home - has to be where one of us are. He likes spurts of all out play with our daughter and he loves to wake her from sleep. :) He doesn't seem to have any consistency in asking to go out. Very rarely, I will notice a sniff or two but that is not the norm. I haven't noticed any other behaviors. He usually just stops and does it. Many times he makes a point of looking at me as he does it - it's almost defiant. I believe (though I am not totally sure) that the prior owner bought him from a breeder as she searched a little to find him. He is papered and she got him as a pup, first owner. She had one other pet (a chihuahua - Spelling and a cat that he didn't like). In her house she allowed the use of puppy pads and a doggie door in the slider. She states that he used the potty pads, especially at night. He has never used a potty pad for us - he shreds them and he has always made it through the night with no accidents or potty breaks. He is eating hard kibble with occassional treat (dog cookies, bones, beggin strips, chewies) 2 x day. He eats at about 5:30 am and then again about 6:30 pm. The only pattern seems to be inconsistency that I have noticed. He will go a couple of days and no accidents, proud to go potty outside and then Bam - accidents everywhere. Last night he walked up to me and urinated at my feet while I was at the stove cooking. About 45 min later he urinated again in the hallway. The day before - perfect. He doesn't seem to mind being in his urine or feces. I am so grateful for the help. I had already read your website information on house training and crate training. I am happy to do whatever you think will help us - classes or consults, etc. I want to be committed, but the harmony of my home is in chaos right now and our daughter calls him her best friend and I think he feels the same way too!
First to answer - TERI !!!!! Wow, I can understand her concern with this little dog. What is it about little dogs and peeing in the house!!!!!!!! It's hard to adopt a dog with issues...but it sounds like this gal really wants to succeed with this dog even though it will take some work. I would bet this puppy did not have a good beginning. A breeder that did not have the initiative to start the puppies off on the right paw, so to speak. Otherwise, I can't imagine why it would want to dirty it's den. At any rate, I think she needs to try all the usual methods of housetraining. First make sure the dog does not have a urinary tract infection. Try the 7 day crate training method. ie the dog only comes out to go potty, eat and play. Try to set up a routine for going outside.always after eating, when he first wakes up and after playing. And often throughout the day. Go out with him, lots of praise when he goes potty, a yummy treat and more praise. Oh yeh, and don't forget to name the deed. I would teach him to ring a bell to go out or some other signal and be diligent in responding when the signal is given.I would teach him NILIF. Teach him to sit, down, stay and some tricks. make him work for his food. Give him some exercise.......a walk around the block........I think exercise is important for a dog's mental and physical well-being, no matter what his size or breed. Diligence and patience!!!!!! Oh yeh! Don't forget to buy a gallon or two of enzyme cleaner and sign up for Headstart!! Teri AND LISA! Go back to basics. Pretend he does not know the human language for "go outside to pee, please" Put him on a very strict schedule so he can be guided and corrected on the spot. He is in the crate or tied to the waste of the owner. Bottom line? ... Put it on cue and have a big party when he goes outside. He needs to know that he will get attention from his owner when he goes outside. So, in the crate when she is home. Take him out every hour. Stand outside with him on leash for a few minutes. If he goes then Max gets treats and praise and perhaps a belly rub while sitting in his owners lap (inside the house, of course) If he does not go, he goes back in his crate with a chew toy and is ignored until he goes out again. If Max is not to be in the crate then the owner should tie him to her, watch for any little sign he may have to go out. Ask him, "do you have to go outside?" And usher him to the door for the same treatment as mentioned above. If he goes potty at her feet, she is to interrupt him using a stern voice expressing extreme displeasure and usher him outside. Wait for him to finish his business and have a party. The fact that he goes during the day...Try feeding him the larger meal at night and then walking him the first thing in the morning when they get up until he goes poo and potty. Then crate him if they can come home during the day at lunch to take him out for another walk. At the very least, he needs to be "emptied out" before they leave him and before he goes to bed at night. Watch closely and observe his schedule. I know exactly how often and when Dharma poops on a normal day. They need to understand that about Max. - Lisa
Ok, peeing weenie. It sounds pretty "been there done that" to me. I went through a lot of the same stuff with Trooper. I suspect both Troop and this dog Max are from puppy mills. As we know, a lot of "breeders" are puppy millers, and small dogs are so easy to mass produce. Due to the way they live, the have absolutedly NO concept of potty training, and have never been given the opportunity to go anywhere but their cage, crate, etc. They don't know that the world isn't just one big toilet. Troop as Max, used to eliminate right in front of me. I don't know Max, so can't say for sure, but I believe that what could be felt to be defiance is just not having a clue about the whole potty thing. Trooper was inconsistant about it just as Max, having many days in a row that were accident free, then peeing or pooping at random all over the place. It took awhile of watching and trying everything in the book to realize he just didn't know what to do, and even after a consistant verbal cue to go outside, still didn't know how to tell me. We tried the bell on the door, and he just never really caught on to that. Or I didn't do it for as long as he needed, which would have been a long time. She might try that though, possibly Max would be a faster learner. And he's younger. Frequent asking him if he needs to go out helps. Anytime he shows up in the room even for no apparant reason, he could be doing all he knows to do to get outside. If Troop does this and I ASK him if he needs to go out, he'll go to the door. He will not go to the door without being asked, just stand there in the same room. If I don't ask, I most likely will find a present somewhere. NOTE: If he comes in the room and lies down, or asks to sit in my lap, or settles in somewhere, he's just hanging out. If he comes in and just stands there, that my be my only cue that he needs to go out. Possibly this will be her cue too. About the crate, since he doesn't know not to go in the crate, I'd not use it. That's more clean up than anyone will want to do on a daily basis. I'd put him in a dog safe room with something to pee or poop on. If he shreds blue pads, be sure he has other proper things to chew on, play with, and try it again. Or use a pile of old towels that can be washed/bleached easily when she gets home. Or try a doggie litter pan. Some little dogs do well with that. It's not unusual for a doxie to not have to go during the night, and sleep through for 8 hours. Trooper does that and students in small dog class agree that that's the case for them too. However, once up and around they have to go frequently (same thing applies to me too!) Trooper will try to wake me up by flapping his ears around. I sleep light and that usually works`, but if not, he'll find a pile of something to pee on. Leaving a heap of laundry on the floor is a sure invitation for him to pee on it. Hence I suggest the pile of towels to leave him with. He's still a puppy, so needs to be exercised both body and mind, and it's good that she's coming to class. Most little dogs don't get enough exercise. He'll pee and poop outside if he is walked. Although right now in this amount of snow he'll high center, so this isn't the time for that! Also, he was just neutered, and that could help things out in a couple months. They haven't had him long, and they are still in the adjustment phase. The question of how much anxiety is involved is also important. From her note, however, I'm not sure they would recognize subtle signs. Just becuase he "doesn't ever seem stressed" doesn't mean he's not, dogs don't always show stress in the same ways. Especially is he was a puppy mill dog. His whole beginning was stress and he's learned to deal with it to an extent. And maybe he really isn't stressed and I'm down a puppy mill rabbit trail.
My
reply: Well, there is quite a bit of good news in your answers: He's going at your feet. I know that sounds contrary, but it really IS a good thing. He isn't sneaking off down the hallway and he isn't afraid to go in your presence. He is coming to you when he needs to go. Clueless is fabulous. No one has ruined him by punishing him and teaching him to hide when he needs to go. [Note: the surest way to teach a dog to be sneaky is to chastise them before they know how to ask to go out. So, even if he's hosing your ankles, the person should interrupt without anger and redirect with enthusiasm. There is a huge chance that this is how the dog is attempting to ask ...] He follows you around. Excellent! If he shows up at your feet, ask him what he wants. He needs to know you are listening and will respond to his needs. Celebrate all exits and go out with him whenever possible or watch from the door so you can cheer successes. Take him out more often than you imagine he could possibly need to go. Keep him within eyesight at all times. He's on a fixed feeding schedule. Good for you. What is his pottying schedule? Set one. Be consistent - you are creating a pattern of behavior. He's able to go all night - which means he doesn't have problems holding it, it's just been futile to do so. His puppyhood was going 13+ hours alone during the day - he would have been miserable trying to wait that long. What is the longest he has to be crated during the day? Is it possible for you or a neighbor to come home and let him out once or twice during the day? If not, I would hire a dog sitter to come do it for you for awhile. There is a possibility that he is suffering from some degree of separation anxiety - it's not natural for young puppies to be alone for hours and hours. He has bonded to you (follows you around) and may be feeling anxious when you leave. Anxious dogs need to "go" more often and stressed dogs sometimes have diarrhea which is impossible to hold, hence the dancing in it in his crate. Read the section on SA in the Behavior FAQ pages. Being let out more frequently and having you or a pet sitter spend a half hour with him a couple times during your work day may break up that stretch of time and make it more bearable. No excited parties or scolding when leaving or returning. Ignore messes and just put him outside. [We have no real indication that it is SA, but the fact that he was left for 13+ hours is an indicator that it might be part of it. They should be aware of his stress level in the crate be careful not to create an aversion to the crate by using it as punishment for failure to go if they are using the crate as a management tool while they are home.] He quite simply doesn't know how to ask and he doesn't know you will answer if he did. He's been allowed to go inside on potty pads and never had to ask as he had free access to the out of doors via a dog door when the weather was more pleasant to spend time there. He has many of the most formative months of this being the status quo. Have him sit for everything he wants- before you'll put his food bowl down, before you'll pick him up, before you'll throw a toy or put his best friend, your 3 year old, on the floor to play. When he finds out that sitting gets your attention and that you will fulfill his needs, this will generalize elsewhere. He may show up at your feet and sit when he needs something from you. It will also make him a lot more polite to live with! Here is a trick for teaching him how to communicate to you that he needs the door opened. Have your husband tease him with a toy or a piece of steak and then dash out the door and close it behind him. When Max worries at the door wanting to follow, ask him "do you need to go outside?" and when he looks at you with the "why yes, I do!" face, let him out to go play with your husband. Repeat often over many days. The goal is to get him all worked up so he will give a big display of frustration. Reward the display by letting him out. At first, be in the same room paying attention, make it easy. Then move further from the door and encourage him to come to you and show you what he needs. Then be available but out of the room and pretend you didn't notice so he will have to be really specific about showing you what he needs. Take turns so he learns that either of you will open the door for him. Use the same phrase that you will use when he is likely to have to go potty. Next, pocket the toy or piece of steak and when you take him out and he goes, respond with the 'go outside party' as a reward for going to the bathroom. Keep in touch
and let me know how it's going!
Follow-up: This nice family has registered
for the Small Dog class and is eager to make things work.
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