Help! Please

[BarbV]

At about 8 or 9 months, once I knew that Bacca was house trained, I put his soft sided crate inside an xpen. It was perfect for preventing chewing on everything around the house, but still gave him access to water and toys and a little bit more room to move around. The pen is great for a chewing pupping but not a peeing puplly

It seems to me that you need to go back to puppy 101. You should not feel guilty about this. He is still a puppy after all, and if has regressed, then you need to start again. That means crating when you can't watch him, taking him outside on waking, after meals, after play, at bedtime, etc. And yes treats and big praise when he goes outside.

He cannot be unattended in the house. And I don't recommend the xpen until the house training is dealt with. He will just pee in one corner and sleep in the other.

And of course, while in crate he can only chew on what you give him. He's probably teething right now.....I highly recommend split deer/elk/moose antlers! They love the taste of the marrow, its great for their teeth. The other suggestions were all good too.

Once you have the house training under control, then back to the chewing. Xpen for awhile until he's past his chewing phase. Up to about 15 months realistically! You can also use bitter apple to spray things you are concerned about.

There is also the Pet Corrector....great product.....when you see the dog starting on any negative behaviour....give it a push. Dog will stop, and then you praise and reward.

 

[corbinam]

At about 8 or 9 months, once I knew that Bacca was house trained, I put his soft sided crate inside an xpen.

Just beware, I think a lot of puppies would chew a soft-sided crate if left unattended.

 

[Harbour]

Have you tried Himalayan Yak Chews? My dogs really love them.

Does Koffoy have a lot of energy? I wonder if increasing his exercise would help at all. I know Lexi was (still is!) better behaved when she gets more exercise. The less stimulation (exercise, mental games, etc.) the naughtier she is.

You could also try some of the Nina Ottosson puzzles to tire him out mentally.

I have not tried Himalayan Yak Chews. I don't know that I have seen them at the store. I'll look for them.

Yes, he has a ton of energy. The trainer at the training center thinks he would be great at agility if we could get him past being afraid of the sound teeter totter. He has solve every Nina Ottosson puzzle I give him very quickly and then gives me this look as to say "that's all you got mom". I do some other puzzles where I hide things and get him to find them.

 

[Harbour]

I'll go back to working on potty training basics with him. It's go to know that I'm not alone. Thank you all for you help.

Right now he is happily sitting next to me chewing on is raw hide while I am typing this. But I am signing off, time for another walk.

 

[Caro]

Sorry to hear of your problems, it must be so frustrating, it took months to train my current male and I remember how despondent I used to get. Agreed about the back to basics for potty training.

If you can get him to pee on walks that would actually help because his bladder will be completely empty by the time he gets home. Marking on walks also increases sphincter muscle strength so he'll be able to empty or hold better. My female, while she was pretty easy to train, had to have more regular toilet breaks until she was about 2 years old (she also could not hold over night), after that her muscles developed and strengthened. When you are out let your dog watch other dogs peeing and be really enthusiastic about it. Let him sniff the pee and make positive noises. Even better if you know any other male dogs you can walk with so he can learn marking from them.

Agreed with the teeth too. I was advised that even though the adult teeth have come through they take a long time to settle into the jaw so they can still get some aches. They usually grow out of it around 2yrs of age, so until he can be trusted no leaving alone.

Now all that said, the things you mentioned are also signs of generalised anxiety in dogs. Other than being an adolescent, do you think he is an overly anxious or stressed dog?

 

[SheltieChe]

mmm, why he was eliminating in the crate in the first place? Generally basics of potty 101 based on dog desire to keep ¨his¨ space clean, i.e. it is much harder to teach puppy mill dog that had no choice but to soil their crate...
I would suggest keep a diary of sorts for about a week. Write down lots of details- when did you go out, how long, how many times did he pee, does he mark... when did he eat, drink... do it for several days....then try variables- what happens if you walk 10 minutes longer, what happens if you run and not walk... what happens if you come home take a ball and immediately go back out and play fetch for 10 more minutes... what happens if you increase your going out to 50 minutes out of each hour etc.
Now since you mention several times that puppy is fearful- is this really problem with voiding or it is submissive urination signs? http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/submissive-urination
I would get your diary for several days and then book an appt with trainers, seems like you like those Manner Minder class trainers, what do they say?
Since it is not really a puppy your dog had A LOT of time to build this behavior, it is def learned behavior but what is triggering it may not be obvious thus consulting trainer you trust is best IMHO
Write down details how many times does he pee in the house, what is he doing at what times, the more details you can observe the better.
As for chewing... is this anxiety? is this insufficient level of exercise? Some dogs are more laid back and some have to have a job...

 

[trini]

Since dogs are typically clean by nature and don't want to mess their living space, I wonder if he hasn't "gotten it" that all of your house IS his living space.

I have found that with adult dogs who are not housebroken it works best to allow them access to only one small room initially as you are working on housebreaking until they accept that room as "theirs" and have become 100% reliable in that one room. Once they have become totally reliable in the first room, add a second room to the space they can access...and go through the same process of making sure the housebreaking is 100% in that second room before you graduate to opening up yet another room.

A home is a big space for a dog to adopt as "his/hers" and although most dogs make that destinction easily, some don't...especially if they are adult dogs who have not previously become reliably housebroken...or puppies who came from a non-sanitary condition. If they have come from a situation where they can't escape a mess they have made, they are sadly actually "trained" to accept living with the mess and their natural desire for cleanliness is broken.

My Pixie came from an awful situation where she was crated 10 hours a day as a tiny pup in a crate that was so small that she was forced to lie in her own waste for hours every day. After we adopted her, anytime she had an accident in the house she would circle the mess and then lie down right on top of it...she obviously thought that was what she was "supposed to do". It was heartbreaking to see her do that. It took 2 years of hard work to finally get her 100% housebroken.

Trini

 

[BarbV]

Just beware, I think a lot of puppies would chew a soft-sided crate if left unattended.

Sorry, I was not clear.....I should have said once chewing is done...

The reason why I like to continue with a crate in an xpen is maintain the idea that sometimes they boys WILL be crated, so stay used to it. And the soft side was so portable.

 

[missjenneygirl]

The enjoyment of having a dog, is spending time with him in your house. You just don't want to turn your house into a potty station. Yes, crating him, or corralling in a pen would work, but another option is, when he is in the house, to use a bellyband. It is for male dogs, http://www.bellybands.net/ that just can't get the idea at that stage of their maturity. With the bellyband they quickly learn not to pee, because it is very soggy against them. Then, the combination of re-enforcement of the belly band, and him getting older, he will learn that peeing in the house is not comfortable.
The bellyband lets him be part of the household and activities.

 

[Harbour]

Since dogs are typically clean by nature and don't want to mess their living space, I wonder if he hasn't "gotten it" that all of your house IS his living space.

Would a move to a new home maybe contribute? We moved into a new home when he was around 10 months old. Going back to basics seems to be helping. Have had no peeing inside today. I also pulled out the expen out.

I've had Koffoy since he was 8 weeks old and he came from a reputable breeder. He stopped messing in his kennel between 11 and 12 weeks. I'd have to go back and look at my journals.

He wasn't an anxious or fearful dog, until the firework incident. He has always been shy around people he hasn't met before. Been this way since the 3 or 4 day I had him. He seems to be momma's boy.

The firework incident - I had gone outside to check with my neighbors to see if they were done shooting off fireworks. They said yes and I said ok. Went in and got him to bring him out to go potty and the teenage son thought it would be funny to shoot off a round off right behind Koffoy and I. Scared Koffoy so much I could barely hold his lease. I got him in and then went back out and let the teen and his dad have a piece of my mind. Ever since then any loud sounds scares him - thunder, drums, clanging of pots and pans. Otherwise he isn't really anxious. He still is shy with people he hasn't met.