HELP!

I know the situation at hand is a little bit of my fault. When I first got Pint, I didn't have the heart to crate train him. Turns out he* trained me*. Whining got him his way. Well, I have been trying, but just can not get him to poop outside. I tried the puppy pads and they worked great for peeing. Pooping on the other hand... he never quite grasped it. I tried placing the poop on the puppy pad. I even tried smearing it on there. Nothing.

So, I gave in and got him a crate a couple nights ago. I tried to make it a safe place. Talking to him and petting him while he was in there. Put toys and a raw hide bone in there. Towels to make it comfy. He went to sleep. Took him out immediately in the morning. He peed outside. I tried staying out there with him. After he peed, he just sat and waited for me to go inside. Ive tried leaving him out there for a few minutes alone. I look at him through the window and after he pees, he just plays. He isn't very responsive on walks either. He simply sniffs and "marks his territory". His first day alone in the crate, he pooped all over himself. It broke my heart. But I fed him and took him outside at least 5 times last night and this morning. No poop, just pee. Im terrified to go home to it again. Its as if he doesn't realize he is supposed to go outside. If putting the poop on the puppy pad didn't work, how will it work if I take the poop outside? :(

PLEASE HELP, IM AT A LOSS.

The first step is to read the sticky on housebreaking at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post251809 Note the emphasis on reading the dog to know when it is ready to relieve itself, being out with it, keeping it moving, and then praising it. Forget schedules, dogs can't tell time. I am keeping a friends dog. I can't turn him loose in the fence because he might run and reinjure his shoulder. I have to take him out on leash. Some times he has a bowel movement the first thing in the morning, and sometimes it isn't until later. We walk around a little until he pulls for the grass. Once I step over into the grass, he still has to circle me at the end of the leash for a while.

What you need to do, is take him out on leash and walk him until he can't hold it any longer. Then praise him, and maybe a treat. Putting some of his stools outside may or may not help, but certainly won't hurt. You don't have much other use for them.

I am reading The Other End of the Leash by Patricia Mcconnell. Much of the book address that we are primates and behave like primates, while dogs are canines and behave like canines. She makes the point that dogs' attitude toward stools is very different from ours. We find them disgusting. Dogs are fascinated. Any they find must be carefully inspected. They will play with them, roll in them, and even eat them. Your dog may see stools as too valuable to leave outside. He may be puzzled why you aren't pleased when he presents them to you. ''What is wrong with her?''

Another problem may be that dogs don't urinate and stool in exactly the same place. The Wee Pads are wee pads. Stools should go near them, but not on them.

I doubt that rawhides are the threat to a Pom that they are to larger dogs. Any dog can tear a piece off and swallow it. It can then swell and choke the dog or block its digestive tract. I wouldn't risk giving one to any dog.

I also had trouble with my pomeranian, I am still training her and she still has her accidents but she is better then before. I feed my pom and after about 10 minutes I take her to the grass and she does her pee. Unfortunately I would still find some poo on the side of the verandah, however now she has gotten better and I'm finding poo on the grass. I don't know if this helps but just keep at it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pint

HELP!

I know the situation at hand is a little bit of my fault. When I first got Pint, I didnt have the heart to crate train him. Turns out he* trained me*. Whining got him his way. Well, I have been trying, but just can not get him to poop outside. I tried the puppy pads and they worked great for peeing. Pooping on the other hand...he never quite grasped it. I tried placing the poop on the puppy pad. I even tried smearing it on there. Nothing.

So, I gave in and got him a crate a couple nights ago. I tried to make it a safe place. Talking to him and petting him while he was in there. Put toys and a raw hide bone in there. Towels to make it comfy. He went to sleep. Took him out immediately in the morning. He peed outside. I tried staying out there with him. After he peed, he just sat and waited for me to go inside. Ive tried leaving him out there for a few minutes alone. I look at him through the window and after he pees, he just plays. He isnt very responsive on walks either. He simply sniffs and "marks his territory". His first day alone in the crate, he pooped all over himself. It broke my heart. But I fed him and took him outside at least 5 times last night and this morning. No poop, just pee. Im terrified to go home to it again. Its as if he doesnt realize he is supposed to go outside. If putting the poop on the puppy pad didnt work, how will it work if I take the poop outside? :(

PLEASE HELP, IM AT A LOSS.

---

Ugh... you be nice to him - and you'll end up cleaning day and night. Before you know puppy will turn into a dog. So the next time you are nice to him - think again! Pups grow up fast! I don't know what sort of training is appropriate - but I've had 5 german sheps at a time and this training worked for me. Give it a shot for week and see if it works for you.
The next time he poops all over the place (where you don't want him too) - you make him sit there and watch you clean it. (The natural instinct is to dirty the place and walk off... ) DO NOT let him walk off. The dog has a powerful NOSE... you want him to sit there and sniff his stuff - to talk sense to him! You train the dog... and address"NO business"! Or whatever words you want to use. Keep the command - one word. It's a dog! Skip a meal.. or delay the time... for a good 2-3 hrs... he will assicate poop inside.. with delay in meals. Do not feed for couple of hrs - and he needs to be leashed and you keep reminding every 15 minutes -20 minutes. Stern (dont shout) and please do not pet! No touching or encouraging bad behavior. ONLY when he poops outside - you pet him and give him an extra bone or something.

I would begin this type of training only when I had time to totally devote to training - probably a weekend. I would begin by playing with the dog, then feeding him. Crate him but keep him right beside you. After 20 or 30 minutes (or if he appears to be circling for a bowel movement) I would put him on a six to fifteen foot leash and take him to the one spot you want him to use for pooping. I would then use a cue... such as "Do your job!" and just stand there until he does it. If he doesn't do it, then I would still praise him for his peeing, then say, "Let's go in!" and return into the home. Unless you can watch him without the chance of an accident he must be crated until he gets the idea. The key is to not let him poop anywhere except the spot you have chosen and to reward him with excitement when he does it. The cue "Do your job!" will help him make the connection.

If he messed his crate, it may be too large for the purpose... or it may happen once or twice until he gets the idea. If you only let him out when you can give him 100% attention, and try to pay as much attention as possible to his body cues when he is preparing to poop, you CAN win this battle! Do NOT give him any negative attention for a mistake. Only reward him when he poops outside. If he poops inside, scoop some up in a baggie and take it to his "spot".. but if you are watching him closely he shouldn't get away with it. For the first little while I would leave a bit in the spot you want him to use anyway. With one of my dogs, I actually led her to the poop and praised enthusiastically (after I cued her with "Do your job!" I just pretended that I didn't know she hadn't done it. She knew it was hers, and that's all that mattered.

If you crate him in a small crate and watch him very closely, take him out after feeding and or play, use the verbal cue and establish relatively regular feeding times this method should work within a couple of days. Some dogs will have accidents once in a while in the first two years, so don't get discouraged.

Good luck!

Didi

Thanks everyone! This advice is all so great.
For the update... I did get home yesterday and the creat was clean!! (he did start peeing a bit when I opened the door.. I'm assuming from excitemement?)

I took him directly outside. Sat in a chair and ignored him, avoided eye contact. I've learned he is one of those dogs that needs privacy, however... he follows me everywhere. So if he can't see me, he panicks. Thanks to all the other postings, I did sit out there a bit longer. Probably 15/20 min. He finally went! I was ecstatic. I fed him later on and must have taken him outisde 8 times last night and nothing. Again twice this morning. Nothing.

I fed him and BOOM not even 3 minutes later he was going in the living room. I scooped him up. (I should correct him WHILE he's doing it, if and when I catch him... right?) I took him outisde with the poop. Put it in the same area as the last time. But he didn't go again or "finish".

Is there usually a time frame that I should wait to take him out after he eats? Or is this different for all dogs? I generally try to wait about 15 minutes but I guess that's too long? At this point... I think, he thinks he can go ANYWHERE as long as its not in plain view. As far as noticing that it has to be extremely private or quiet, he sniffed around a few times last night but got distracted at every little noise.

Sorry so many questions. Its my first time! Thanks guys!

I looked back and didn't see his age. The 3 minutes is more typical of a 7 week old. The amount of exercise is extremely important too. A great example of that was when Pepper was about 8 months old. She had been fed in the morning, and it was evening. After carefully walking her around a little in the parking lot, I hit the grass and went into Wal-Mart. Just inside I ran into a lady I knew with a working dog. We down stayed our dogs and started talking. Needless to say, many people passing by stopped to ask questions. Pepper had about an hour of naps mixed with petting. It was a little tough explaining to the kids it was OK to pet Pepper, but not the working dog laying next to her. Finally I headed on. I no more got to the back of the store, and Pepper had a bowel movement. They frequently come following a little exercise after a period of inactivity. When you are housebreaking a puppy, you can't take your eyes off them even when they are asleep. You must catch them as soon as they wake up.

Many puppies will not finish very soon if interrupted. Again exercise is the key. As long as he is moving, it is OK for you to sit. If you want dogs to have bowel movement at regular times, not only must you feed on a regular schedule, you must control their exercise. A good nap helps digestion. Following it with exercise, will bring a need for relief.

Pint, PLEASE reread what labman has written.

You need to WALK with your dog. He is not making the connection that you want him to make. Your just sitting there, as if you are relaxing in the house, is sending him mixed signals. He is not making the connection that outside is where he needs to do his business. To a certain extent, you are just expanding your living space, in his mind. You need to pay very close attention and learn his signals. If he is pooping immediately after eating, get him outside and walk with him. When he poops, praise him. Make a big deal out of it, praise him as labman suggested earlier.

It might be a good idea for you to take a couple of days off and watch your dog's every movement. As soon as he starts to poop in the house, just startle him a bit with a loud NO, maybe clap your hands, and get him outside, with you, immediately. WALK with him until he does poop and then praise. I had my dog housebroken in two days because I just kept her with me and watched her constantly. You need to train yourself on how to recognize your baby's signals. My dog is poop shy too. My attitude is "too bad". I need to be able to see that she doesn't have diarrhea or worms. You don't have to watch him while he is in the act, if you feel he seems disturbed by it. Pretend you are the pack leader and when he is doing his business you stand at attention and turn your head side to side as if looking for predators. Whatever it takes to give him the comfort level he needs. But, I can guarantee you that if your dog really needs to go potty, he will do it, whether you are watching him or not.

Pint is 7mos. And that is an EXCELLENT point about him thinking Im just extending the living space. The problem however, he thinks it's constantly play time! When Im outside with him, he just looks at me or jumps around waiting for me to play. Which is why I thought that if I ignored him, he would realize that I'm not playing. It's like we've taken a few steps back since the last time I posted. He's gone in the house AND in his crate.

Trust me, I watch him like a HAWK. I don't have a moment to myself. Because I'm constantly watching him. His body language aka Sniffing the floor. I don't even let him go into a room that Im not in. I just can't help but be overwhelmed as to why he's not getting it. I watch him and I have to interuppt him almost every time and take him outside with the poop in a paper towel.

I have really begun a strict schedule with his food. When he wakes up and when I get home. Its difficult because I can tell he's hungry later in the night. I guess he has to learn those are his 2 chances to eat. I will try excersisng him right after though. Thanks everyone. Im feeling extremely overwhelmed~~!

To have bowel movements at regular times, not only must you stick to a regular feeding schedule, but you must stick to a regular exercise schedule. Then as the time when you can expect a bowel movement comes, take him out. If you don't have a fenced yard, use a long tether. Keep him moving. Throw a stick or whatever. Sooner or later, he won't be able to hold it. He will drop the stick and start sniffing around, maybe running in tight circles. When he is finished, praise him. Make sure he understands he is the best little dog in the world.