I found a stray puppy and he is now living with me. I am having some trouble that maybe someone could give me some suggestions with.
My dog can’t go outside yet cause he hasn’t gotten his shots yet.
When we first got the dog we confined him to the bathroom at night. We gave him a box to sleep in and fed him there.
He learned to go pee in pretty much the same area (we put paper down for him in an area of the house and about 50% of the time he goes on the paper 40% close to the paper and other times somewhere where he shouldn’t)
Now we have been letting him out of the bathroom at night and put his box in another area of the apartment and feeding him in another area as well.
The problem is that we want him to now only pee and poo in the bathroom where he slept before. (He NEVER goes there now)
Any ideas on how to make him go where we want him to?
When he pees or poops somewhere, put newspaper on it to absorb some of the smell, then place the paper (under a clean piece if you like) in the bathroom. Try putting it over the drain cover, as your dog will actually learn to pee on that.
For the accidents elsewhere, ignore the dog - punishments just exasser … eggsaser … exaccer … make the problem worse. Instead, give plenty of vocal, physical, and morsal rewards for getting it right. If he goes in the wrong place, pick him up and take him to the paper immediately (face him away from you when carrying - I learned that one the hard way :s ) and praise him just for standing on the paper if need be.
Clean up accidents with white vinegar and water if fresh, bleach and water (or an enzymatic solution - available at pet stores) if older. This will kill the smell for dogs; use soapy products in the bathroom, as this will kill the smell for people but actually amplify the smell for dogs. He will soon learn that the bathroom smells like his toilet and that’s where he’ll go.
Good luck, and hats off to you for helping this little guy out. :bravo:
Some pet supply stores sell drops for this purpose, and I’ve had success using them in the past (but they smell none too good). Clean as stray dog suggests (the slightest whiff of a formerly soiled spot to a super-sensitive dog nose will encourage him to go there again), then put a few drops of the magic liquid on newspaper where you want him to go. And the newspaper is a must since dogs like reading material - the Taipei Times works great, but other newspapers will do in a pinch.
[quote=“Stray Dog”]When he pees or poops somewhere, put newspaper on it to absorb some of the smell, then place the paper (under a clean piece if you like) in the bathroom. Try putting it over the drain cover, as your dog will actually learn to pee on that.
For the accidents elsewhere, ignore the dog - punishments just exasser … eggsaser … exaccer … make the problem worse. Instead, give plenty of vocal, physical, and morsal rewards for getting it right. If he goes in the wrong place, pick him up and take him to the paper immediately (face him away from you when carrying - I learned that one the hard way :s ) and praise him just for standing on the paper if need be.
Clean up accidents with white vinegar and water if fresh, bleach and water (or an enzymatic solution - available at pet stores) if older. This will kill the smell for dogs; use soapy products in the bathroom, as this will kill the smell for people but actually amplify the smell for dogs. He will soon learn that the bathroom smells like his toilet and that’s where he’ll go.
Good luck, and hats off to you for helping this little guy out. :bravo: [/quote]
I’ve been trying this but he doesn’t ever seem to go into the bathroom anymore. When I cach him peeing where we don’t want him to I take him to the place in the bathroom with the paper but he doesn’t want to smell or even be there?
Ok. Finally the dog goes to the bathroom where he should. He goes in our other bathroom where we put down newspaper.
This morning my gf woke up to find that the dog had taken all of the newspaper (that had crap and pee on in by the way) and had shedded it into a million pieces all over the apartment. So his feces and pee was all over the apt. :fume:
[quote=“Stray Dog”]For the accidents elsewhere, ignore the dog - punishments just exasser … eggsaser … exaccer … make the problem worse.
[…]
Instead, give plenty of vocal, physical, and morsal rewards for getting it right.
[…]
If he goes in the wrong place, pick him up and take him to the paper immediately (face him away from you when carrying - I learned that one the hard way :s ) and praise him just for standing on the paper if need be.
[/quote]
Although StrayDog will hate me for this, we found moderate punishment helped. If buddy started to pee or poo around the apartment he would get a smack on the arse (which would also get him to stop mid-flow), picked up and wisked off to the balcony, he would then be kept there until he had finished his business… once we see he had finished we would praise him.
The important thing we found was to catch him in the act, scowl at him to show our displeasure, confine him and then praise him once he had done something in the correct area.
After just a weekend, we only ever had 1 or 2 accidents.
I don’t hate you, but I feel I should physically punish you, then praise you when you get it right.
The problem with physical punishment is that it can start all kinds of behavioural problems in dogs, including urination problems.
I do tap my dogs on the nose or smack their bums if they do something dangerous, as it is a fast way to teach them, but I find that banishment works as a much better ‘punishment’. That’s what the horse whisperer does.
But the problem is that this happened when we were sleeping so we can’t catch him in the act. And I know that dogs don’t understand when they are punished after the fact.
You can try giving them treats to train them, if no one has mentioned that yet. But dogs have the tendency to show it’s “their turf” , and the doggy might be a little stressed with new people and new environment, so give him/her a little time, if not, you can always do some behavioural training.
Hi, I was advised of this paper training technique 6 months ago and got fed up with it not working that I finally packed up the tray yesterday and put it away, not once did they pee on that thing, I tried both their own urine (which by the way is incredibly gross having this aroma hanging around my house for 6 months!) and the drops. I have two rescued poodles that were locked up on a small balcony along with 3 other dogs their entire life, 3 and 4 years old. I have had the dogs for 8 months now and have been able turn them into “normal” dogs, I have rescued two dogs previously who are now gone that I did have to toilet train, and they were both caged dogs, so I have some experience with this, however these two dogs have me miffed! When I first got them they would pee probably 20 times a day each! Would not hold their urine and would not pee outside, I have them now at the stage where they will for the most part hold their urine and pee outside but unfortunately they also pee inside, no matter where it may be, car, couch, bed, floor etc, however that being said they now won’t pee in front of me and it will only be once a day, I love these dogs, this is their only problem but it is not one I am willing to continue on living with, I have asked help from a dog trainer who gave me the training tray, drops and dog pen and I have another dog trainer that actually lives next door to me, but then she lets her dogs pee on the balcony outside her bedroom! and her dog won’t come to her when she calls it My goal is to have my dogs pee only outside, I take them out 4 times a day and only give them water morning and evening when I fed them. This is my last attempt an asking for advice on helping me train these dogs not to pee inside my house (or car for that matter), if I can’t find a solution then I will have to re -home them. Treats don’t work, loud noise dosn’t work, taking them outside ten times a day for ten minute walks work, but not realistic as I can’t keep that up, feeding them water once a day does not work and in this heat I find rather cruel so I give them water twice a day with their meal, leaving their pee on paper in the bathroom does not work, leaving their pee or putting drops on paper and leaving that around my house for them to pee on does not work.
Is there a technique out there that I am missing that will work? Hope someone can help, my children and I have grown very attached to these dogs, but as I mentioned this is not something I can continue on living with.
Question: what do you use to clean their pee? For example, if you use bleach, that just intensifies the smell, hence they feel that is the right place to do it. I have an elderly incontinent dog -both number 1 and number 2s- so I know a bit about cleaning.
Hopefully, when all evidence of previous smell is erased, the new place will become the main attraction. One hopes.
Problem is not you, it is the previous caging that messed them up. Please do not restrain their access to water, in this friggin weather it may affect their health -and cause them to pee more, actually, or bring you a hefty vet bill. Water should be available at all times.
Usually, people select just one place, not several locations around the house, as pee station. Dogs like vertical surfaces better than just horizontal, put the pee in the vertical -that is why they aim for the sofa, fan, whatever vertical. BTW, I bet they pee more than once, just that you haven’t discovered where yet.
That is all I can think of now. Will ask vet for more directions. All dogs are unique and Heaven knows what goes on in those little pea brains. Blessings for giving these poodles a chance and trying your best.
I use Lysol Toilet Cleaner as it is the strongest cleaner I have in the house. I used to have several locations where I would put pee pads down for them to pee on throughout the house as I have a large house, 3 levels and I gave them the run of the house, however since that never worked I ended up using just used one location near the front door by the living room where they spend much of their time. Both dogs are female, Mother and Daughter and are quite happy to pee right next to themselves, next to my children or go for a wander and pee where there heart fancy’s, they will not pee while I am in the same room with them. I let them have water for about 2 hours morning and evening, and I know they are getting enough water because I know how much they pee! Also I did wonder if they had a urine infection or some other problem and have taken them in to see the Veterinarian twice as I thought the first time he must have been wrong! They had some other health problems when I first got them but nothing now. I have restricted them a lot due to the fact that they make me nervous leaving them to their own devices, so now they are not allowed upstairs and when I leave the house or go to bed at night I lock them up in a cage (the cage is huge as I had a couple of big dogs before them). Also I can’t trust them in my car anymore as they will do number ones and twos in there, so no more rides to the park which of course makes both me and the kids sad.
From when I first got them they have come a LONG way, however I am confused why they are holding out on this last bad habit? Is this just a matter of time thing? Or is there something I don’t understand and am not making the correct adjustments? Also another thing that I didn’t mention previously is they smell, and I mean more than usual for a dog, I have to wash them once a week, however after 3 days it’s like ?!! Why you smell so bad? I have tried putting white vinegar in with their shampoo to see if that will help and also tried the dry shampoo method with baking soda in between washes, I have them on a high quality diet and have not had their teeth cleaned yet but intend to am waiting on my vet friend to settle in to his new house, he has promised me he will clean them (will chase him up again on this), but feed them daily breath freshener chew bones, I have never been around poodles before them and wonder if it is a poodle thing and nothing I can do? When I first got them they smelled like dogs that had died then got buried for a year, dug up and left to wander around, worst smell ever!! yes they don’t smell as bad as before but I would have thought with the change in diet and everything I have done, by now eight months later they would be not so smelly! It’s not just me who complains, my children and husband do too, it’s a mystery.
Cute dogs, lovely natures, well behaved - fingers crossed I can find some answers.
It is not the strongest cleaner, it is the suitable cleaner. Organic for organic -not to say that is poison which will kill the dogs sooner than later. Seriously, I would recommend switching to simple vinegar or specialized cleaners for dog pee, about 200 to 300 nts at the pet stores, but only a little goes a long way. Let’s try that first.
Putting them in the crate at night is a good idea. As to trusting them, mine is blind and has gotten his head stuck in the pram and a leg caught in wires, both emergencies. So actually pee and poo is a problem but could be worse!
You can work this out.
Pity about the car rides. Maybe a transport box instead of free roaming? I always carry mine in a doggie purse or pram. In case of accident it is safer, anyways. Free dogs can slip and cause accidents.
Weird about the smell. Poodles hardly stink, IMHO. Usually, it is not white vinegar in their shampoo, but rather a couple of drops of apple cider vinegar in their water. White vinegar might be too strong, dry their skin, foster fungus which makes them stink. Try switching to one of the Malaseb family of shampoos. I use the oatmeal one on my elder dog, who suffers from seizures and incontinence and ends up covered in his own pee and poo. This shampoo leaves him smelling nicely -for a while, at least- protects his skin and kills fungus.
A well behaved poodle is a treasure. Most are spoiled rotten!
Poodles don’t smell!!!? You mean I lucked out?
I will try to use vinegar to clean up their pee and poo, the reason I was using toilet cleaner was because I have 3 small children, 2,5 and 7 who have a habit even though I tell them not to! of dropping food on the floor and picking it back up to eat, so I just wanted to make sure they were not picking up anything that I don’t want in their little bodies.
I like your idea of the dog cage/carrier in the car, surely they wouldn’t pee in that? I will try and see if it works.
I will also try the idea of Apple Cider vinegar in their water.
I will put up with cleaning up after an animal if I know it’s just an adjustment period, but for the next ten years or so kinda freaks me out, as cleaning up after 3 kids and a husband I feel is already more than enough.
Today’s pee incident: took them out for their afternoon walk (3rd walk for the day), they peed outside, came back inside, I went upstairs to get ready to go out, come back down dogs lying in their bed, pee on the floor! Why? I just don’t understand.
My goal is to have my dogs pee only outside, I take them out 4 times a day and only give them water morning and evening when I fed them. This is my last attempt an asking for advice on helping me train these dogs not to pee inside my house (or car for that matter), if I can’t find a solution then I will have to re -home them. Treats don’t work, loud noise dosn’t work, taking them outside ten times a day for ten minute walks work, but not realistic as I can’t keep that up, feeding them water once a day does not work and in this heat I find rather cruel so I give them water twice a day with their meal, leaving their pee on paper in the bathroom does not work, leaving their pee or putting drops on paper and leaving that around my house for them to pee on does not work.
