Puppy Housebreaking Trouble :(

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#1
Ok, I know there are alot of threads about this but I thought my issue would be a bit different.
We have had our pup since he was 5 weeks old. Yes I know - we didnt have a choice. The people that had the pups wanted them gone.
So he is now 14 weeks old as of yesterday.
He does pretty well but is not housebroken totally.
We have always kept him on a leash inside the house with us.
I say "Do you have to go out"? I have trained him to speak or tell me.
He will only do this if I ask. He has not quite figured out how to do this without me asking.
Any tips and what should my expectations be for him as far as housetraining goes?
He is part rotti/anatolian shep.
Thanks so much :)
 

Miss Marley

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#2
well, what we did with marley was take her outside the minute she started to go, of course she stopped peeing out of shock, but gradually she learned that the backdoor is where you go to go out to pee.

We didn't pick up her poop for about 4 days so that she could recognize her smell and associate it with doing her duties outside.

She's pretty much housebroken, and she's only 9 weeks this coming wednesday.

Try taking him off the leash indoors. Keep a steady eye on him as much as possible, but show him where he is supposed to go if he needs to go outside. We also try and leave the backdoor open as much as possible during the day so that if she has to go and we don't see her go to the door, she can go.

Also, reward him lots when he goes outside himself. We gave Marley a treat every time she did her business outside. We still do on occasion, less frequently of course.

I hope things work out :)
Good Luck
Britt
 
R

RedyreRottweilers

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#3
First, you DID have a choice, however, that is a done deal.

Puppies removed from their litters so appallingly early can spend a lifetime dealing with a myriad of problems that this early removal causes:

Dog aggression, since they did not learn how to properly socialize with other dogs

Uninhibited biting and mouthing, since they did not learn bite inhibition from their littermates

Inappropriate sexual behavior, since they did not learn proper orientation from their littermates

And serious issues with housetraining, since they did not have their mother about to teach them how to be clean.

Combining a working dog such as a Rottweiler, and a livestock guardian breed, such as an anatolian shepherd, and deny it these incredibly important early learning experiences, and you have set yourself up for some real, and really SERIOUS issues in the future with such a large dog. The suspicion levels in this dog at maturity will be off the charts, along with the independence level. Dog aggression will likely be a serious issue. If you don't have this puppy in training class NOW, it is PAST time to start. Look in your area, and get started IMMEDIATELY.

I cannot impress upon you enough how volatile a combination it is to cross working and livestockguardian dogs. You need to be EXTREMELY CAREFUL how you bring up and train and SOCIALIZE this puppy, or you can end up with a dog that is a serious time bomb.

see below for housetraining help....

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

House Training

House training your dog is simple if you follow a few basic rules.

1) The puppy must have NO time unsupervised in your home. NONE.
If you are not directly watching the puppy, it should be in the
crate, or outside in a safe area. You MUST watch the puppy at ALL
times when loose in the house. Use baby gates, crates, or tie the
leash to your belt.

2) The puppy should sleep inside the crate by your bedside.
This way you can hear if the puppy should happen to need to go out
during the night.

3) You must go WITH the puppy outside for ALL trips for
elimination. You must have treats with you. When the puppy is
urinating, say "GO PEE PEE" in a nice praise tone of voice the entire
time. When she is finished, pop the treat into her mouth at once, and
praise praise praise. This should be something she gets at no other
time, like tiny pieces of string cheese or boiled chicken. Same for
defecation. Say "GO POOP" while she is going, and food reward and
praise afterwards. You must observe and reward ALL outdoor potty time.

4) Keep a schedule. Feed at the same time, and walk outside at
the same times. Your pup needs at least 4 trips outdoors each day,
and 5 is probably better. Pup needs to go out at wake up time, lunch
time, 4-5 PM, after dinner or any other meals, and before bed.

5) Use a key word each time you go out. I say "Let's go out!!"
in a happy tone of voice each time I'm opening the door to go out with the dog.

6) If you catch the puppy IN THE ACT of eliminating in your
house, CLAP YOUR HANDS, say AH AH, OUTSIDE!! And immediately rush her
outside. If she finishes there, do your usual food reward and praise.

The keys to getting your dog reliably housetrained are:

SUPERVISION: NO loose time in the house if you are not watching

REWARDS: ALL outdoor elimination MUST be observed
and rewarded. If you only do this ONE thing, your puppy will get housetrained.

PATIENCE: Anger and punishment have no place in dog
training. Elimination is a natural and pleasurable experience for
your dog. You can teach her to not soil your house, but punishment
will NOT help. It will only teach the dog to hide when she needs to eliminate.

If you have applied these techniques carefully for 4 weeks and you are still finding spots or piles after the fact, it's time for stronger measures. Roll up a newspaper and fasten both ends with a rubber band. Keep it handy. The very next time you find a spot of a pile that the dog has left behind, whip out that newspaper, and hit YOURSELF over the head firmly several times as you repeat "I FORGOT TO WATCH MY PUPPY".

Works every time.
 
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#4
Ok, first of all I have heard all of the concerns about getting him too early.
I understand all of that and if we wouldnt have gotten him someone else would have and maybe they wouldnt have cared like we do.
Anyway, I am not hear to argue. I hope that what we are doing will be to the pups benefit in the long run.
He will be starting puppy classes the 2nd week of July.
I posted this for advice.
I am not a child and do not need to be scolded.
Thank you.
 

Mach1girl

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#5
Red~Your post was common sense. I know, not many people are a "natural" at housebresking, Lord knows I have had problems w/ Cato~Although different.

BUT~The majority of it is common sense, and I have trained many a dog just like you have above, and has always worked.

The crate by the bed, the schedule, the rewards, watching them all the time, etc.

It works, listen to Red and follow the advice(I know, can ya beleive Im agreeing!!!)LOL, just kidding Red.............me and you is tight!!!Lol.

Anyway, it works, try it just like above.

Do many people keep their dogs on a leash inside the home??because I have never heard of this before???Just curious!
 
R

RedyreRottweilers

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#6
I was not scolding you.

I was giving you good, true, and correct advice about what you are likely going to be dealing with in the future with this dog.

LGD dogs should NEVER EVER be crossed with working dogs. These crosses can be a DISASTER.

If you know in advance about these issues, you can work to deal with them, and socialize and train the puppy so that they are less likely.

Forgive me for assuming that someone who needs advice on simple housetraining might also need a heads up about other issues that are a probability for the future for such a cross, and will be magnified greatly by his shockingly early departure from his litter and littermates.

I hope he turns out well for you.

You won't have to worry about any more "scolding" from me, tho.

;)
 
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#7
I wasnt trying to belittle your advice and I appreciate it :)
I do know that there are problems with removing him so early.
If there would have been an option for keeping him with his littermates longer I definately would have.
I want to do what is right by this puppy.
It will be a long road, this I know.
Do you have any suggestions on how to get him to "let me know" he has to go outside?
Thanks again.
 
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#8
Mach-We kept our Buddy (beagle/dalmation/unknown) on a leash for a while. He was just ALL OVER the house and way too hard to keep track of. He wasn't tied up all the time. His routine was basically eat, out, free play, tie to play, out and then in his crate with a lot of cuddling in between. This did not go on for much more than a couple of weeks and until he was house trained. He's the only dog I've done this with. I took some advise from a friend and for Buddy, it worked.
We tried it with our basenji but he was such a hyper puppy he scared the bleep out of me when he ran and got yanked back by the leash. I gave up on the leash and held him if he wasn't playing under supervision. This ended up working well for him because to this day he loves to be carried around the house like you would carry a toddler.
Just a side note: Both of our boys ring a bell to go oustide. They each have their own bell. Now that's the best thing I've ever taught a dog!!!
 

Roxy's CD

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#9
Ok, I also got my pitt pup at 5 weeks old... If it's anything like my ride, your going to have a heck of a time! LOL. Not to discourage you but, it will be hard. It takes a lot of time, and a lot of patience.

I won't get into the circumstances regarding why I got my dog at 5 weeks, Red will probably scold me too.. :D LOL But I was in the same boat as you, felt as though I had no choice.

So, one of the things I discovered from books and my vet is that as you know, there are plenty of things a pup learns from his littermates and interacting with his mother. Knowing where it is acceptable to pee and poop is one of them. Hades is a dirty dog as a result of this. He will urinate on himself freely if left in his kennel too long. (not poop luckily but he does pee). I believe this is a direct result of his mother being taken away from his at 4 weeks old.

So, how I got him housetrained. I hope you don't have a job, LOL, and have all day to devote to this because it is VERY time consuming.

I took Hades out every 15 minutes. Literally. From the time we got him to about... 5 months old we'll say. (He's now 10 months and he doesn't have any accidents anymore) When he was younger, about the age of your pup, going outside was not only to pee/poop but also to play. When they're this young they don't know to go right away so you have to give them some time. If they do ANYTHING outside, pee/poop, Lots of praise and lots of treats!

If they go inside... all I ever did was one firm "Hades no!" and than I would make him sit by me while I cleaned up. (In a book it said that this teaches them that the poop/pee does not belong there)

As for getting him to, "let you know" when he has to go. Good luck girl! LOL :D . It took me months to get him "housetrained" and now he will whimper or run to the door if he has to go. Expecting your 14 week old pup to let you know is a bit outrageous. The only way he'll learn to "let you know" is once he understands that he's supposed to go outside! So, my advice would be to focus on that first. Once he understands he has to go outside, than perhaps, start wishing for a sign. LOL

Good luck, I hope I helped :)
 
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#10
I just feel like such a failure. He is such a good pup.
I dont expect him to be trained now I just wanted advice on how to get him to let me know he has to go.
He also growls and tries to nip if he is playing or in a crazy mood when I try to put him back into his kennel.
I want him to be a great dog and I just feel I dont know how to do this.
Thanks so much.
 
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#11
animalvr32 said:
I just feel like such a failure. He is such a good pup.
I dont expect him to be trained now I just wanted advice on how to get him to let me know he has to go.
He also growls and tries to nip if he is playing or in a crazy mood when I try to put him back into his kennel.
I want him to be a great dog and I just feel I dont know how to do this.
Thanks so much.
If you want him to tell you when he has to go, hang a bell on or near the door where you will let him out. EVERY TIME you take him out ring the bell with his paws and say "Go Outside". I was very surprised at how my boys just got that when they want out all they have to do is ring the bell.
 

Roxy's CD

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#12
I'd never thought of that idea mamasobuco! That's really clever!

Hades usually whimpers softly, or just runs to the door. Roxy'll bark and jump around.

For the OP, I think what you should focus on is just getting him to go outside as much as possible and rewarding it. With him still being so young that means you just have to get him and you into the habit of going out a LOT!

Your pup is still very, very young. I wouldn't worry too much yet. Just focus on getting him outside! And praise! Keep it light and happy, negative reinforcement IMO does nothing but worsen the housebreaking situation.
 
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#13
Roxy's CD said:
I'd never thought of that idea mamasobuco! That's really clever!
Thanks Roxy's CD. The first time Buddy rang the bell to go outside was the single most rewarding moment I've had with any of my dogs from childhood until now. They even use the bell when they want to go out and play. :D
animalvr32-Don't feel like a failure. Every dog takes a different amount of time to be potty trained. Just take the advise on this board, be consistant and stick with it. Your baby will get it in his own time. :)
 

Tobysmom

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#14
Toby stands by the door when he needs to go. I didn't teach him to, he just started to do it on his own.

I imagine that with time your dog will start a similar kind behavior.
 

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