Hello,

My boyfriend inherited a chow mix dog from his brother because he and his wife had a daughter, and the dog, Gizmo is too hyper and jumpy to have around a baby. The problem is, she was never properly house trained, and now my boyfriend is suffering. She is usually good about letting him know when she needs to go out when he is home (she will get in his face a lot more than normal) but sometimes, when even leaving the room for a minute or two, she will have an accident. She has been showing some improvement, having no accidents when he is away at work for 8 hours, but not completely. He has tried those pee pad things, and she will pee right next to it. It is hard for him to get on a set schedule with her, because he is a police officer, and sometimes get's forced to take a double shift.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Hey Caly1121
So your dog isn't toilet trained, uh. Well if you have a small dog try get a dog flap and teach it to use it. A big dog needs the door left open a little.


See Ya

I am not going to repeat what is in the sticky at the top of the forum. Learning to read the dog and taking it out at the proper time along with crating it when nobody can watch it should solve the problem. Other dogs may
Not be as bad as the young Labs I am plagued with. Still your house and dog
Will be much safer with the dog in a crate when you are away. The dog may be
Happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its
Den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving
Its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them
Will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic
Ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. They are harder for
Dogs to open too. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with
Something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave
Anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any
Bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

Accidents and damaged possessions are the fault of whoever was watching the puppy. When you are watching it, immediately correct it as soon as it goes for anything except its own toys. In a quiet, but firm voice ''Bad dog, its name drop!''. Gently remove what ever and replace it with one of her toys, or if older, hold eye contact until the puppy drops it.


A dog that has not been crated since it was little, make take some work.
Start just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going
in. If you have been able to trust it with any bedding, put that in the crate.
Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding
Time for more than one dog.

Use the crate only when you must I have a short length of chain fastened to
My computer desk. With more mats around the chair mat, this gives a place
Where the puppy is with me, but about as controlled as in the crate, while
Still allowing me to get some work done, or at least answer AskMe questions.

The crating should give the dog a sense of security perhaps quieting it down. Spay her if not already. It should make a big difference. The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at Raising Your Dog with the Monks of New Skete For more on being top dog, see Establishing and Keeping Alpha Position

Limit the water and food intake. Make sure that after he eats, take him out 30 min. later or if he doesn't go, crate him and try again later. I have puppy pads in 2 places in the house, the hall bathroom and she has a doggy door that leads to our balcony. My dog is small and therefore has a small bladder, so when I can't attend to her, she'll go to the closest place. Limit where the dog can roam around the house. Close all bedrooms/bathroom doors.