[Asukol]

We got our puggle from the humane society and he is about ten months old. They told us he was crate trained and for the first few nights he was fine. Then he started pooping in his crate. Even during the day he doesn't "tell" us when he needs to go out -- so I end up walking him about ten times a day. I am not an experienced dog owner and I am feeling pretty hopeless here. I've read other posts about crate training. He has a metal cage with a divider to keep the cage small. I just don't see a pattern developing of when he needs to go out, how often I should take him, how to get him to "tell" us he needs to go out, and what to do about the pooping in the crate. Help!

[labman]

If you have read the other posts here, you will see that neither anybody else nor I have much in the way of good answers. I think much of the problem comes from poor early socialization. At 10 months, you could go to one meal a day maybe in the late afternoon when he wouldn't need to be crated very soon, and be sure you are feeding a concentrated, meat based chow. Make sure he has had enough exercise to stimulate the body to eliminate before bringing him in and crating him. Try giving him a Kong filled with peanut butter. You may also want to talk to the vet about medication.

Better leadership may help too. If you are top dog, then he needs to accept being crated. 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, Letting your dog know you are the boss

[RubyPitbull]

Asukol, thank you so much for choosing to adopt a dog rather than purchase one. You should be proud of the fact that you have given that poor guy another chance at life.

The problem with rehoused dogs that have been crated in a shelter, is that they become accustomed to eliminating where they are. There usually aren't enough volunteers around to walk the dog on a regular basis, so they aren't given the usual potty breaks they can get when they are in our homes. The older the dog, the tougher it is to housebreak them.

Please take a look at the links labman has provided. I agree that at 10 months old, you should be feeding only once a day.

I recognize that you can't watch the dog 24/7 but when you see your dog begin to eliminate anywhere in your home, including the crate, you need to give him a stern "NO" or a rapid repeat of "Eh, Eh, Eh, Eh", in a loud staccato. Basically anything you can do to get his attention to immediately focus on you, that is not hurtful to the dog. They will usually stop what they are doing because you have surprised them. Do not pet or praise him, just get your dog outside immediately. As soon as he eliminates outside, praise him with an excited "Good Boy", pet him a lot, and if he is food motivated, give him a small treat. Make a big deal out of the fact that he has done his business outside. If you can bring him to the same area each time that he eliminates, he should make the connection a bit more quick. Your dog will eventually associate that he receives positive attention from you when he does his business outside. If he eliminates indoors, and you aren't able to catch it in time, do not give him any attention, ignore him and just clean up the mess. This may take a while because you need to undo what he has learned. Please be patient.

You also need to train yourself in learning how to pick up his subtle signals that he needs to eliminate. Every dog is different and it will take you time to learn. Some dogs will circle when they need to defecate. As soon as you see him moving around a lot and looking for something that isn't there, that is usually a sign. Of course, with urination, as soon as he begins to pick up a leg is an obvious sign for a male. After a while, you will notice that there are certain times during the day that he needs to eliminate.

Please let us know how you both are getting along.

[bushg]

Askuol Here is Labmans sticky scroll down to house breaking. I did not see it in his answer.https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...man-53153.html

[labman]

Maybe we are going to piece a decent answer together. RubyPitbull has more experience helping dogs mistreated in the past than the rest of us. I may know how to avoid problems, but am not the best at fixing them. I didn't post a link to my sticky because I didn't see this as a housebreaking problem. It does have have material that will be useful in reading when your dog needs to relieve itself.

[bushg]

Quote how often I should take him, how to get him to "tell" us he needs to go out end quote I'm sorry labman , I just thought maybe you did not see that part of her question, I have read your stickey and thought It would benefit her. Also I remember you telling someone that they could train their dog to ring a bell placed by the door.