Julie,

How do I get my 9 week old english bulldog/boxer mix to stop wetting the carpet? She goes outside handles her business there and then comes in a few minutes later does in inside. HELP PLEASE.

Lou

Hello Lou,

I know it can be frustrating and time consuming to housetrain your puppy but there are ways to help make it go successfully.  Prevention and education are the keys to making this work and that comes from you.  You’ll get there if you follow these steps below:

Housetraining your puppy:

Establishing a routine with your puppy is one of the most important things you can do.  It may take several weeks to housetrain or longer for smaller breeds. 

1. Take puppies out regularly-at least every 2 hours and after eating, drinking, and a nap.
2. Observe your puppy outside and as soon and give it a name like: “do your business”.  As soon as they pee or poop praise and treat at the exact moment they complete it.  Plus, it is important to observe if they did eliminate, because if they didn’t you’ll know you need to bring them out again in a half hour or less. 
3. Puppies need to be fed about 3-4 times a day on a regular schedule.  Make sure you take them outside after eating. 
4. When the puppy is inside with you watch them close for signs they may need to go-it can be a great idea to attach their leash to you so you are always close to them in the initial phase of housetraining so you can have good timing. 
5. Confine them to a small area when you are unable to watch them.
6. If you must leave your puppy for more than two hours you need to give them an amount of space that offers a sleeping area, play area, and elimination area with newspapers on the floor.  Leaving your puppy for long periods of time will prolong the housetraining though. 
7. If you catch a puppy in the act of eliminating indoors, quickly say ‘no’ in a matter of fact way and bring them outside.  Do NOT get angry or punish your puppy for accidents inside.  At this point it is up to you to prevent it and you can cause behavioral problems if you punish your puppy for this. 
8. Clean up all accidents well to remove odor or puppy may want to eliminate in that spot again. 
9. When your puppy has had no accidents indoors for a few weeks you can begin to offer more freedom with you in the same room watching closely.  Slowly offer the freedom and observe closely to be successful. 

With patience, consistency and prevention you can be successful but it can be a lot of work so go into it knowing what to expect and everyone will be happier!

Good luck!

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Julie

 Hi Julie,

I used to have an australian shepherd growing up. Two actually. We also raised Siberian huskies, bred one, kept the pups and I did training with the mail, we even showed in obedience and in confirmation. That however, was a bit ago. So I am trying hard to remember everything. I live in a two story house. THe living area is upstairs and we have wood floors and a deck. We have a mostly fenced in back yard but would get a dog run. The dog would mostly be in, but out when we leave the house. I am just wanting a refresher again on what to expect, time wise and exactly HOW to potty train, etc. Also we need to find a breeder, if you have any resources there. I started with the breeders directory from australianshepherd.org. Any other ideas as we embark upon this?

Thanks!

Jamie

Hi Jamie,

It’s great you are looking into being prepared before you get the dog-that’s so important an responsible! Have you considered going through a rescue group instead of a breeder?  Such as this one: http://www.norcalaussierescue.org/index.htm   I highly recommend this avenue-you can find all types of wonderful dogs this way, that is how I adopted my German Shepherd years ago.  He was about 2 when I adopted him and turned out to be an amazing dog.  A lot of these rescue dogs were given up because the owners couldn’t handle the puppy phase or the early teenage phase, but they are still great dogs.  Puppies and dogs less than 2 years of age are A LOT of work and would be like having another baby in the home.  I know that with children, I have less time than before and that may be something to consider.  One great thing about rescue groups is that they tend to know the dogs really well and can place them with the right “match”.  They often don’t place a dog with children unless they know it has lived with children before, so a lot of thought goes into the match.  Adult dogs can bond with your family just as well as a puppy and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you “saved” a life-in fact, that bond can be more strong than a puppy bond.  Plus, you know what you are getting when you adopt an adult dog, regarding temperament, energy level, size, etc. AND you don’t have to housetrain them and they are past the chew everything phase! Just something to think about.  Also, the rescue groups are often looking for fosterers so that can be a chance for you to dip your toe in the water by trying out a dog before committing.  Just a thought.  You should go to an adoption day and talk with the fosterers and visit the dogs available for adoption.  You don’t have to commit, but it can be a lot of fun to see the dogs and you can meet several that way in person. 

If you do decide to go with a breeder, make sure you visit in person and see the conditions the mother and puppies are being raised in, you wouldn’t want to buy from a puppy mill accidentally so that is why you should visit in person.   Check out my article about this: The Best And Worst Place To Adopt Your Next Dog

Here are some things to think about regarding Australian Shepherds:  They are VERY active dog and need a lot of exercise to prevent behavioral problems that may develop if their energy needs are not met.  They like a job to perform, whether that is obedience, agility or some dog sports for example.  One of the reasons a lot of these dogs are given up is because people don’t realize how much energy this particular breed has.  A typical dog will need at least two long walks a good 45 minutes each, twice a day and this breed will need a lot more.  They often also need off leash running time everyday with Frisbees or balls for example.  You’ll need to tire them out at least twice a day, meaning they come home and lay down to rest AND they’ll need a job to do.  Here’s a good list of things to expect from an Australian Shepherd: http://www.norcalaussierescue.org/aboutAussies.htm They are a herding dog so this is another consideration when having children.   Just prepare yourself well before you adopt; make sure you understand the commitment, have the time to put into their energy needs, and train them well. 

Check out my media article on Responsibilities of adopting a dog:

Responsibilities of Adopting A Dog

Houstraining your puppy:

Establishing a routine with your puppy is one of the most important things you can do.  It may take several weeks to housetrain or longer for smaller breeds. 

1. Take puppies out regularly-at least every 2 hours and after eating, drinking, and a nap.
2. Observe your puppy outside and as soon and give it a name like: “do your business”.  As soon as they pee or poop praise and treat at the exact moment they complete it.  Plus, it is important to observe if they did eliminate, because if they didn’t you’ll know you need to bring them out again in a half hour or less. 
3. Puppies need to be fed about 3-4 times a day on a regular schedule.  Make sure you take them outside after eating. 
4. When the puppy is inside with you watch them close for signs they may need to go-it can be a great idea to attach their leash to you so you are always close to them in the initial phase of housetraining so you can have good timing. 
5. Confine them to a small area when you are unable to watch them.
6. If you must leave your puppy for more than two hours you need to give them an amount of space that offers a sleeping area, play area, and elimination area with newspapers on the floor.  Leaving your puppy for long periods of time will prolong the housetraining though. 
7. If you catch a puppy in the act of eliminating indoors, quickly say ‘no’ in a matter of fact way and bring them outside.  Do NOT get angry or punish your puppy for accidents inside.  At this point it is up to you to prevent it and you can cause behavioral problems if you punish your puppy for this. 
8. Clean up all accidents well to remove odor or puppy may want to eliminate in that spot again. 
9. When your puppy has had no accidents indoors for a few weeks you can begin to offer more freedom with you in the same room watching closely.  Slowly offer the freedom and observe closely to be successful. 

If you plan to get a puppy make sure you designate a good 2-3 weeks or more of intense observation.  With patience, consistency and prevention you can be successful but it can be a lot of work so go into it knowing what to expect and everyone will be happier!

Good luck!

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Julie

Hi, I’m fostering a miniature poodle, Tootsie, who was rescued from a puppy mill in Ohio.  She\’s 5 years old and starting to come to me to sniff my hand.  With my other 2 small dogs, she gets along famously! I have two issues.

1. Totsie barks as any noise and when she does, the other two start. How can I calm her down when she is still apprehensive of me?

2. How can I help her with her toilet training, when I can\’t change my voice, or physically put her outside if I catch her in the middle of doing it, as she runs away from me?

Jay

Hello Jay!

You are a wonderful person to rescue and adopt a dog from a puppy mill, thank you for your kindness and dedication.  I hope that someday puppy mills will be a thing of the past because they are really a torturous place for dogs.  Perhaps if enough of us complain to our lawmakers we can get them closed down. 

I think it is wonderful you are looking for answers to help solve your problem, so I am happy to try to help resolve your issues.  Luckily the things in a dogs past can often be left behind when new, positive experiences replace them.  There are several things I would suggest to correct it.

Barking is often a result of isolation, fear, frustration or boredom.  Dogs need to be exercised a lot at least twice a day as well as go out and explore the world.  They do not do well be left alone for long periods of time and also need to go out for walks, explore new sights and smells and not just stay at home every day.   A tired dog is a good dog and will most likely spend a lot of time sleeping if they have had their needs met. 

1. The very first thing is that she needs to feel really tired out every day, more than once a day, through a lot of exercise; enough to the point that she lays down afterwards because she is tired.  This will be the first step in correcting the problem, because if she hasn’t drained her pent up energy through daily exercise, it will be much harder to fix this issue. 
2. She should leave the house and view different scenery and people every day to build up his tolerance to different stimuli.  Dogs who have been in puppy mills haven’t been socialized well or exposed to different stimuli, which is one reason why she barks at all the new stimuli.  So take her to a different park, down a different street on your walk so she sees a variety of different experiences.  Dogs that get to go out of the house to different experiences, smells, and sights do better overall because they have been exposed to many different things which “opens their minds” so to speak, so that they aren’t so panicked or excited by stimuli they see from home.

Also, make sure you praise your dog and give it attention when they are NOT barking.  We often mistakenly give our dogs attention when they bark which rewards the behavior and forget to give the attention when they are quiet.

I would highly suggest you begin an obedience-training program using positive methods.  You can train your dog to behave the way you want them to if you practice daily obedience with them in a positive way and with good timing.  You also need to be very consistent with your dog and establish clear rules.  

Because she is apprehensive of you:

I would also recommend having the dog on-leash, attached to you while she is in the home for a couple weeks or so, so that the timing of stopping the barking behavior is improved as well as giving the dog something to do (she will have to pay attention to whomever has her leash and follow wherever they are going).   Just attach the leash to your belt and the dog has to go where they go.  If you do this consistently for two weeks you will be amazed at the success of this.  When your dog begins to show signs of barking you can immediately stop the behavior and replace it with another behavior.  Timing is most important here, if you wait even a few seconds to stop the behavior you’ve waited too long to correct it, so when she is on leash with you, you’ll be able to stop the behavior immediately.  If for example she is starting to bark and you call her over to you, then you have now lost your chance because she will believe she is being corrected for coming to you because that was the last thing that happened in her mind. 

Here are some steps to follow for immediate results:

1. When your dog is barking say a command firmly, like “Stop Barking”, or “Quiet!” Pick one of the commands and stick to it as a family.  Do not be angry though and let your dog sniff a treat while you say that command.  Generally, when offered a treat a dog stops barking to smell it even if only for a second. 
2. Then, when your dog is quiet, give a treat and say “good quiet” or “good no bark” in a praising way.  Continue this but expand the amount of time you expect your dog to be quiet from say 3 seconds, to 6 to 9 and so on.  So the wait for the treat is delayed. 
3. They start associating the fact that you say that command, they stay quiet and then they get a treat. 
4. This method may take some time but it is one way for you to work on the barking problem right away.  It also establishes the meaning of the command to the dog so that over time you can just say that word and they will stop. 

There are many ways to resolve this problem and this is just one example.  It is important that you work on obedience training right away if you want to be able to handle your dog well and she will gain trust in you through a positive obedience-training program using treats and rewards.  Do not wait or more behavioral problems can develop. 

NEVER USE CORRECTIVE METHODS WITH A DOG WHO IS APPREHENSIVE. 

Regarding the housetraining accidents in the house.

Most of this issue is about education and prevention.  Dogs that eliminate in the house may be doing it out of habit or they simply need more training.  First of all, clean all areas that they may have messed in and remove the odor with an odor neutralizer you can find at the pet store. 

Then, you need to observe them when they are outside peeing or pooping.  If we do not know for sure they have eliminated outside it will be hard to know if they will inside.  So if you know your dog has not pooped or urinated outside you will know they may have an accident indoors.   If they pee a lot outside, praise and you’ll know they will be ok for another hour or two.  If there was just a little urine then you’ll need to bring them back out again in a half hour. Give this a name too, like “Do your business”, or “Go Potty” and make it sound positive.    In the home if you are having accidents I advise in these cases to have your dog on leash attached to you for a couple weeks so that you can quickly react if there is an accident. 

Never be angry.

If there is an accident say No but do NOT get angry and then bring them immediately outside to pee and praise outside while they are peeing.  It is important that you catch them in the act in order to say No.  If you do not see them actually peeing you cannot discipline them.  If for example you find a puddle of pee and you feel angry and you call your dog to you and get mad at them what your dog thinks is that you got mad at them for coming to you because that is the very last thing that they did.  You MUST catch them when they are actually in the process of peeing in order to say No to them.   NEVER be angry with them either.  You need to be very matter of fact and not angry or you will make the situation worse because they will lose trust in you.  The same goes for pooping.

You have to be vigilant about observing and preventing at this point.  If you put the effort in now it will pay off.  The dog should not have free access to the house until the accidents have stopped completely.  Then, only allow access to the room you are in and observed closely.  If there have been no more accidents inside the home you can begin to offer more of the house slowly.  At this point it will be a lot about prevention on YOUR part to fix the problem. 

A note about being on lead in the house:

The idea with holding your dog on leash in your house is so you can correct a problem immediately, such as peeing on the floor.  Reaction time is important in these cases.   There should not be a problem having them on lead as long as you are watching them and they are not having a reaction to the lead.  Better yet, I’d like to see the leash attached to you like looped to your belt too so they learn to move when you do and do what you do.  If you get up to go in other room they have to go with you, if you sit and rest they have to rest, etc.  This is another way for you to establish yourself as leader with your dog and for them to gain trust in you. 

One thing to know is dogs actually like to be on lead with you because it gives them a job to do and they like to feel busy too, just like we do.  Their job is to pay attention to your movements.  This is a wonderful way to maximize bonding as well. 

When they have had no pee accidents in the house for several weeks you should be able to practice having the dog off leash again but supervised closely initially. Remember if there is an accident you will need to go back again to the beginning and have them with you at all times.  

It may take a little work initially to have a close watch on your dog but if you are serious about stopping the problem that is how you will have success.  It will be worth the effort when you have a clean house again!

I am confident you can improve the behavior with consistency and a mindset that you CAN do it! 

I would really love to hear about your success afterwards so please write back and let me know how it goes!   

Take care and the best of luck with this. 

I look forward to hearing back from you!

Julie

–

Julie,

Wow, thanks for all the advice.  I will start with the lead right away and i’ll send you a progress report. 
Again, thanks, it feels like I’ve got somewhere to go now.
 
Jay

I have a Chihuhua that Ive had for a year, Ive been working on potty training him but everytime I think hes got it he messes in the house, He has a kennel and I put him in it at night and when we leave the house and always open the cage and take him stright out, then after he does his business he comes in and uses the bathroom in my daughters room, Hes never gone in my room but 90% of the time its in her room, so I know he knows that its bad, Ive tried cleaning her carpet with animal scent remover and it doesnt work, please help, It would break my heart to have to get rid of him because of this, thanks “K”

HI “K”, Here is an article I’ve written on this topic that I think will help you. Small dogs sometimes can take a little longer to houstrain than other dogs, so be patient. Prevention is the key here as you’ll see below. Let me know how it goes!

Adult dog Peeing/Pooping in house.
Does your dog sometimes pee or poop in the house? Most of this issue is about education and prevention. Puppies and some small breeds cannot physically hold their urine very long so it is up to you to make sure you are bringing them out very often and observing their urine output. Other dogs that eliminate in the house may be doing it out of habit or they simply need more training. First of all, clean all areas that they may have messed in and remove the odor with an odor neutralizer you can find at the pet store. Then, you need to observe them when they are outside peeing or pooping. If we do not know for sure they have eliminated outside it will be hard to know if they will inside. So if you know your dog has not pooped or urinated outside you will know they may have an accident indoors. If they pee a lot outside, praise and you’ll know they will be ok for another hour or two. If there was just a little urine then you’ll need to bring them back out again in a half hour. Give this a name too, like “Do your business”, or “Go Potty” and make it sound positive.

In the home if you are having accidents I advise in these cases to have your dog on leash attached to you for a couple weeks so that you can quickly react if there is an accident. Never be angry.If there is an accident say No but do NOT get angry and then bring them immediately outside to pee and praise outside while they are peeing. It is important that you catch them in the act in order to say No. If you do not see them actually peeing you cannot discipline them. If for example you find a puddle of pee and you feel angry and you call your dog to you and get mad at them what your dog thinks is that you got mad at them for coming to you because that is the very last thing that they did. You MUST catch them when they are actually in the process of peeing in order to say No to them. NEVER be angry with them either. You need to be very matter of fact and not angry or you will make the situation worse because they will lose trust in you. The same goes for pooping.You have to be vigilant about observing and preventing at this point. If you put the effort in now it will pay off.

The dog should not have free access to the house until the accidents have stopped completely. Then, only allow access to the room you are in and observed closely. If there have been no more accidents inside the home you can begin to offer more of the house slowly. At this point it will be a lot about prevention on YOUR part to fix the problem. A note about being on lead in the house:The idea with holding your dog on leash in your house is so you can correct a problem immediately, such as peeing on the floor. Reaction time is important in these cases. There should not be a problem having them on lead as long as you are watching them and they are not having a reaction to the lead. Better yet, I’d like to see the leash attached to you like looped to your belt too so they learn to move when you do and do what you do. If you get up to go in other room they have to go with you, if you sit and rest they have to rest, etc. This is another way for you to establish yourself as leader with your dog. One thing to know is dogs actually like to be on lead with you because it gives them a job to do and they like to feel busy too, just like we do. Their job is to pay attention to your movements. This is a wonderful way to maximize bonding as well. When they have had no pee accidents in the house for several weeks you should be able to practice having the dog off leash again but supervised closely initially. Remember if there is an accident you will need to go back again to the beginning and have them with you at all times. It may take a little work initially to have a close watch on your dog but if you are serious about stopping the problem that is how you will have success. It will be worth the effort when you have a clean house again!

To Julie,
Thank you so Much I will try this and see how it goes. Ive been thinking about getting and open n close baby gate to block him from the back of the house. as long as theres no carpet theres no accidents in the house but I hated confining him the the front part of the house because he loves being around us, I will def. try the leash then slowly let him go the the rest of the house, thanks again, ‘K’