Jumping on door..pooping inside..HELP!

[mbfrench]

Regarding limiting access to the door...I thought of that, but it's a double french glass door (one opens) and have no idea. I started, with him on outside of door and me on inside, telling him numerous time, "Max...potty outside now, go potty outside",till he began to slowly back up and go to steps to get to yard. This seems to be working, but he still jumps on door when wants in.

Regarding going out with him, when I go out with him, he get so excited, he begins running around picking up sticks and begins chewing them...forgetting he needs to do his business. I did tell him, "Potty Outside" while out there with him..but he seemed not to listen. Was I not patient enough. Should I have let him continue to chew sticks until he tired and decided to do his business...then praise him with, "Good boy, good potty outside"?

Fortunately, he NEVER destroyed anything in the house! The other dogs probably deserve credit for help here. He's really NOT velcro. He comes to rooms I'm in, but doesn't nap or need to sit/lay next to me. He's fine laying on sofa or chair in other room.

Thank you so much for your help. I'll keep appreciating any more! Jen

I just kinda read thru your first email,then this one..so I thought I would quote it,cause I'm going to address the jumping on the door.

We also had the same problem with a chow/aussie foster we had.I mean she was relentless,and we were afraid she would break the glass on the entry door from outside to the inside of the sunporch.

So we resorted to sun blocking on the two doors.We got in in a home depot. Now I'm sure Lowes would carry the same thing.Mind you it is a bit pricey,and you may need more than one roll.

It blocks 95% of sun,and when she was outside,she coud'nt see in,it was that dark.But we could see out,and keep watch.When she could'nt see in,she quickly got bored with trying to get our attention,that she backed away from the glass.

What we were trying to accomplish,was to block her vision of the inside of the porch,which distracted her as well from doing her potty,and wanting in all the time.

We also used surveyors tape,it isn't heavy,plastic tape,(Lowes) and we strund it on the rail all the way across so she would'nt pass.This takes a bit of doing,but it can work. Not passing a line in any house can be trained using this method.
(Another training altogether)

I know you have an immediate problem with potty issues.And what folks are suggesting are definately good tips.
It sounds like there's some seperation anxiety issues going on.

Running around doing puppy antics outside its gonna happen,espcially if they are young.We all have gone thru this,but if you are walking on a leash,it seems to take them forever to decide to potty,versus opening the door,checking on them from a window.

Some just take longer to find the spot to go.And so riled & excited,they forget they are out there to accomplish a task. Let him run & play,soon the body is going to tell him,Gee...I need to pee,and he will go.

Do you have any idea of his poop times? Is he on somewhat of a routine?
If you have some kind of idea,maybe by keeping notes you can easily work with his poop times,to get him outside to do his business. ONCE he does it,and is praised enough for going potty in the correct place..it will click with him.Gee..this makes mommy happy,I get a treat! He'll get it.

I posted a couple of weeks ago about our new babe..he would be playing outside for an hour,and come in here and poop on the carpet.But once I got a handle on his poop times,really making sure he was out longer,we have not had an accident now almost 3 weeks.

I think more time on leash,whatever you do...dont' be stressing.Cause I'm telling you,if you are stressed & rushed..those vibes go right down the leash.And your dog will know you are stressed,and you are wanting to go in to get things done.

It's going to take him even longer,the stress level gets out of control,and there is no results,but as soon as they are on carpet or flooring,they go.

How about giving him a kong outside to keep him occupied for long enough,till the body urges kick in?
Is he strictly leash walked or does he have free roam of the yard?

The only other thing I Know I would be working on also,is teaching him to "back it up"
He needs to know what you are asking,and you want him to "Back it up" away from the glass.and really this is not difficult to train,and I'm sure he is smart enough to catch on very quickly to this one.

When he is at the door banging,you go out there,stand in front of him,and tell him to "Back it UP". Use your body to back him away,make him go off the step away from the glass.When he makes a move backing up,you click & treat.

I use a hand signal for Earnhardt,I sweep my arm,moving my hand outward away from my body,saying "back it up".As when he is wanting in,I sometimes cannot open the glass swinging door to open it to let him in,so he has to back it up when he is standing center on the steps.

 

[mbfrench]

Yes, I believe is you don't see it right then...can't do much about it.

Let me tell a bit more specifics about the problem. After eating at 6am, dogs go outside again. After brought in, while I check e-mail or get ready for work, Max sneaks off to same spot...and...you know! I'll only tell him, "Potty outside" if I find a mess. Max is not crated and never really was. He never chewed or destroyed things...Yeah! Only recently did he start pooping indoors and jumping on glass door 2 months ago. (He is a little bigger sheltie..full blooded,but weighs 31.4 lbs, eating 2X daily and 2treats...not fat though). When I get home at noon, he goes crazy. I recently decided not to put in out right away, to let him calm down. This helps some with his jumping, but he still does it when he wants in. When I go out with him...at any time now, he starts picking up sticks and begins chewing (nervous habit it appears). Maybe I need to be more patient till he does his business?

Thanks so much for yours help!

Off hand iIm going to say from this post..he's bottled up with way to much energy,and he needs to be burned off with some good long running,playing,he needs to be pooped out~

How about frisbees,tennis balls,fetch,is there a dog park,or dog friends that could come over for some good ole fun play?

 

[OntarioSheltie]

To quickly remedy the problem, bring him outside yourself, stay with him till he goes potty, and give him a command to 'go potty'. Then praise him when he does go potty. You are not praising him FOR going potty but for WHERE he is going potty. He should be on a leash for this excercise. Continue doing it until you feel he is reliable again.

Shelties do like to be with their owners so if he is outside he wants you to come out and play with him or he wants to be inside with you... running in the backyard is not enough for mental stimulation, he needs structured walks and training to release his energy, he is teenager at 8 months so lots of extuberant energy to be released...
crate him indoor if you not able to supervise his pooping or leash him inside of the house and keep him near you until you figure out WHY is he pooping inside.... is it only on one carpet? can you remove it?

Right right, Herd4fun, I should have stated that. I agree, if you find the mess and the pup is not in the act, yelling and rubbing his nose in it (the old fashioned method) DOES NOT WORK. Dogs are snapshot learners.

Watch him. The best thing you can do is catch him in the act and bing him with a rolled up sock in the butt and say AH AH NO NO and NOT let him see you, THEN he thinks the act itself punished him! But *sigh* that is very hard to do.

Sadie was a nightmare when she reached that teenage stage between 6-9 months old and Ginny may be following in her foot steps. Both were reliably house trained early on and Sadie went leaps and bounds backward in her teenage stage and Ginny seems to have started.

With my two its all about the attention, or lack there of in their opinion. They're not getting what they want when they want it. Perhaps pooping inside is the result of not going outside with him and also maybe a lack of exercise? My two always act up more when I don't walk them enough. As RonandJan stated, make sure he get lots of exercise.

Herd4fun's advice is great too, go out with him to break him of the habit of jumping on the door and give him lots of praise when he does what you want. Don't think of it as giving him what he wants, its more like redirecting his behavior. Sadie still sometimes refuses to poop in the morning before breakfast because she wants to eat first. I've started going out with her every time and giving her so much praise when she poop's that she get so excited with how pleased I am that she forgets to pee. I don't go out with her all of the time, only in the mornings. Once you get him into a routine you may be able to stop going out with him every time.

Also, to stop the pooping in the house it is VERY important to catch him in the act. When you do, make sure he understands that what he's done is bad, or it will keep happening. A stern 'NO!' usually does it, then bring him immediately outside to the area where you want him to go. If he does something there at that time, even pee, give him big praise so he understands that is where you want him to go.

If you find poop in the house and didn't catch him in the act, don't bother saying anything to him, he just won't get it.

One more important thing about pooping in the house, definitely use something like Nature's Miricle or Simple Solutions to neutralize the odor. Otherwise he'll keep returning to the spots where he's pooped in the past.

 

[LoveDogs]

How about a walk?

I am going to suggest to take him for a walk in the morning. I think just like us, dog's bowl gets stimulated when walking and does his #2 business more easily. Mine goes 2 times a day, during in the morning walk and during in the evening walk. He gets excercise and does his business at the same time. Since I have a decent commute to work, I only walk him 20 minutes in the morning. But I think it is enough.

 

[Caro]

Everyones given great advice so I will just limit myself to one thing -

TEENAGERS!

It is very common for dogs to go 'backwards' with training when they hit adolescence. They often revert to puppy behaviour - including peeing or pooing inside. For this reason most people significantly curtail their adolescent dogs access until they get their brains back. But dont worry they do get better and the pooing will stop. Put him on a strict toilet schedule, or as herd4me mentioned, you could keep him attached to you so you can keep an eye on his toileting.

A session of training would really help focus his brain a bit and a tired adolescent is a good adolescent.

You are doing the right thing by ignoring them when you get home, its just overexcitement. But you can still ignore him by not interacting with him until he calms down, but I would definately keep an eye on him. I redirect my dogs when I get home, mine go completely nuts, so now I keep a squeaky toy at the door and my boy squeaks away with happiness. At first I used to throw it to him when I came in the door, now he picks it up automatically. And definately try redirecting the jumping at the door behaviour (or you could try a squirt gun).

Just a funny sidenote - recently my brother's adolescent dog Jaspar was pooing on the back door step and my brother was rubbing his nose in it. Did Jaspar stop pooing, no next time when my brother came out Jaspar went up to the poo and shoved his own nose in it! Guess he learnt the wrong lesson (not the brightest dog)!

 

[MaxwellOfKC]

Wow....I just don't know how to say thank you enough to all who have offered such good experienced advice! All suggestions were taken to heart. I'll add a couple of responses....1) Regarding blocking the sun and keeping Max from seeing in...fortunately we installed wood blinds, that now when I put him by himself and start praising him and telling him potty outside, I discretely turn the wand to close the blinds. 2) Regarding exercise...I will start walking him daily (as weather permits) and he does already bring him a soft bear or a soft rubber toy he likes me to toss to him indoors or out (he even understands 'no more'.

I have already begun to do things differently and he hasn't yet pooped on the carpet again. But today, I will buy some 'Simple Solutions'! And...I like the idea of the squirt water gun...the problem...I have a water bottle that I use to play with them...and they love it...so that may not work...

After this these things are conquered, I'll have to be yet another burden, trying to figure out how to stop Max from trying to herd my 2 Goldens. The problem...he doesn't go for their feet...he goes for their heads...LOL. My little Max, definitely became the Alpha Dog!

Thank everyone again, so much! Jen

 

[Toffee's Mom]

Everyones given great advice so I will just limit myself to one thing -

....
Just a funny sidenote - recently my brother's adolescent dog Jaspar was pooing on the back door step and my brother was rubbing his nose in it. Did Jaspar stop pooing, no next time when my brother came out Jaspar went up to the poo and shoved his own nose in it! Guess he learnt the wrong lesson (not the brightest dog)!

nor the brightest brother, LOL

 

[Tchenglish]

We've got the same issues here....

When we got Maddie a month ago, she was pretty nearly housebroken....I guess we must have somehow undone what what done previously. We were outside on a nice day...people were doing yard work, kids were playing...lots of noises that she was not familiar with. Suddenly, she's running to the back door and whimpering. She'll play with sticks. She constantly runs and then goes back to the door and jumps on it. When eventually we get cold outside and come in with her, it'll take less than five minutes and there will be a "present" waiting for me on the floor. At least she's picking on tile flooring--usually either the kitchen or front hallway. So...something spooked her into not wanting to be outside. We are using a crate but maybe I need to buy the book Cratetraining for Dummies. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance.

 

[SheltieChe]

Tchenglish
if your dog is noise sensitive, try cracking your window to let outside noise in ,weather permitting of course and feed your pup or do things with her that she likes...
then get your best high value treats or favorite toys and keep going outside with your dog for short sessions, start with low noise timings then increase to whatever time your area is the noisiest...
when you outside keep teaching command "potty" or whatever word you choose if you see dog doing its business...

 

[Megansmom]

Wow....I just don't know how to say thank you enough to all who have offered such good experienced advice! All suggestions were taken to heart. I'll add a couple of responses....1) Regarding blocking the sun and keeping Max from seeing in...fortunately we installed wood blinds, that now when I put him by himself and start praising him and telling him potty outside, I discretely turn the wand to close the blinds. 2) Regarding exercise...I will start walking him daily (as weather permits) and he does already bring him a soft bear or a soft rubber toy he likes me to toss to him indoors or out (he even understands 'no more'.

I have already begun to do things differently and he hasn't yet pooped on the carpet again. But today, I will buy some 'Simple Solutions'! And...I like the idea of the squirt water gun...the problem...I have a water bottle that I use to play with them...and they love it...so that may not work...

After this these things are conquered, I'll have to be yet another burden, trying to figure out how to stop Max from trying to herd my 2 Goldens. The problem...he doesn't go for their feet...he goes for their heads...LOL. My little Max, definitely became the Alpha Dog!

Thank everyone again, so much! Jen

AWWWWW!, you have Goldens, I love Goldens..We just lost our 12 1/2 y/o beloved Tyler last June, I miss him more than life..

Glad you're here and are in the Sheltie world too, it's a new world for me