[MillerMax]

We have an 8 month old German Shepard, American Pit Bull mix who we adopted at a local pet store on adoption day. We originally bought a crate for him (Miller) and from the get go he HATED the crate. There has never been a day since we've had him at 7 weeks old that he didn't make a huge, nasty mess in his cage. After 4 months of constantly cleaning the cage out, surrounding walls, and farwar places (ECK!) :eek: we gave in and designated the smaller guest room which was a HUGE mistake. We kept the crate inside the room open for him to go in and out. But I think that only confused him more. He then deficated in the cage still, and in surrounding areas. Now we resorted to letting him have the run of the house and he completely destroys EVERYTHING. Brand new shoes (bought three pairs of brand new shoes in ONE WEEK!), pillows, the couch, mail... everything and naything he could get his mouth around. We tried kongs, frozen kongs with peanut butter, chew toys, chew ropes, rubber toys. He still destroys the house. Everyone keeps saying one day he will eventually just stop. Well... I'm still waiting!

He has had puppy, beginer, and intermediate classes. He know a lot of tricks, both from puppy school and things we've made up at home. But he still soils when we leave for work. We allowed him in our bedroom at night, and there has only been one mess when we first got him at 7weeks old. And that's it! He can go the whole night with no mess, and won't touch anything in there now either. But will mess everywhere and tear the house up when we're gone. :mad:

He is a very gentle and sweet dog, but his messing has to stop!

HELP!

[froggy7]

I'd suggest talking to a behaviorist (NOT a trainer), and see if they can give you some advice. It sounds to me like you have given the puppy too much freedom, and not enough leadership, which makes it hard for the dog to understand what you expect. A behaviorist can look at your particular situation and interactions and help you figure out how to get the behavior under control.

[amricca]

Do you take him out on a regular schedule? Puppy's need a routine and that means getting up early everyday and letting him out every hour or so. Reward him when he goes outside. Clean up where he has been messing so there are no smells left, otherwise he think it is OK to go in that spot. Exercise, and lots of it, will help with behavioral problems in the house. Separation anxiety can be solved by leaving the house then coming back in in a minute, repeat this a lot until he can relax and realizes you will be back.

[MillerMax]

We try to keep his schedule as consistent as possible. Wake up at 630 am every day, he's taken out within 5 minutes from waking up. He will stretch then go lay by the door and wait for us to let him out. We always go out with him and make sure he goes before he is allowed back in the house. I take him out as soon as I get home, then I clean his messes up. I take him out every time he goes to the door and rings his bell. We tied a bell to the door and taught him to smack it when he needs to go. That case if we're not in the same room, we can hear that he has to go. We've tried cutting down the amount of times he's getting fed a day to only once at 5pm when I get home. That did not seem to help. I have realized if either me or my husband is out side he will run from the front to theback door until he is either let out with us or until we come in. I know he is very stubborn, and I don't know how to brake his habbits because we do attention spoil him. I am the discipliner however, and the food giver. I've looked into doggy day care, but I really can't afford that.

[spinphoto]

I used to have the same problem so I started doing a lot of research about dog psychology and this is how I dealt with it:
Routine as follows:
Exercise, discipline, affection.
Maybe I should ask a few questions first..
How do you react towards Miller when you come home?
Do you ever punish him to the crate?

Try this at first, it may sound cruel but dogs need this kind of structure.
Completely ignore your dog. Wake up in the morning, motion for the leash, tire the dog out until he's pooped. Bring him home and find a way to entertain his mind (I make my dog sit, hide his toys and make him find them) Then put him in the crate, give him something VERY special, (I use smoked moose shoulder purchased from a local feed store) Every time he tries to leave the crate with the bone, put him right back in, once he is comfortable in the crate motion for him to come out, take the bone away. He should only receive the bone when he is in a calm-submissive state, inside his crate no exceptions. Just before you leave for work, feed the dog a large bowl of food, (this is a natural instinctual routine) the dog will be so tired after all the exercise and food, it is natural for him to rest. Put him in the crate with the bone and leave. When you get home, only after he is completely calm, give him LOVE LOVE LOVE.
This may not work instantly but trust me, it will in time, my dog came with every behavior problem I can come up with and this really worked for him, he's a border-collie lab with limitless energy...

[MillerMax]

At first I would give him attention as soon as I came through the door. And immediately put his leash on to go out side and "potty". Now I come in, ignore him, clean the messes up and then take him out. We never punish him to his crate. His crate isn't even in the equation anymore. His "brother" who lives down the street, uses his cage now and from what I heard is doing well with it. But we ultimately removed the cage from him because we noticed his pads were either red, irritated or sometimes bleeding from him trying to get out. I will try your suggestions, but with his bed we keep in our room? Maybe I should move it from the bedroom to the living room when we are gone during the day?

[linnealand]

Hello! Get yourself a copy of the puppy whisperer by paul evans asap! I also highly recommend how to raise a puppy by cutherford and neil. It sounds like their books would answer your every question. There's also a book called how to house train your dog in 7 days, which you might find useful.

One very, very important thing to remember is that your pup is now an adolescent. Just like human teens, their behavior does change. For example, even a house-broken dog that has mastered a great number of tricks might just start ignoring you and peeing on the rug. This is a phase of the pup's growth, and it can be very tolling. It starts at around 6 months, and it can even last until he's a year and a half old. The good news is, however, that it IS just a phase, and he WILL grow out of it. Keep doing what works, and keep training him, but if it starts to get stressful, just let loose instead and play with him. This is a time to cut a little slack. The sad part is that most people don't know that this is a true phase, and most dogs are given away during this time. Hang in there!

Whatever you do, don't punish your dog for eating the furniture or anything else that he has done while you've been away. He needs to go from smaller to bigger spaces, and he's obviously not ready to make the move to that kind of freedom. So, although you probably won't like this, in these situations it's always the humans' fault. It sounds like you need to teach your pup to like the crate before it really gets too late. There are tricks for this - read those books. Never ever make him stay in the crate if it's upsetting him. It sounds to me like you'd also benefit from a play pen (indoors), rather than an entire room. You can bring him out into the house when you have the time to dedicate to watching his every move, and nipping bad habits in the bud.

Unless his crate is too big (like he can sleep in one part and poop in another), pooping in the crate is unusual. Dogs do NOT like to poop or pee where their bed is. I would say that you're not getting to him on time, or perhaps you should feed him his dinner at a much earlier hour so that he can eliminate completely before bed. In addition, you should always walk him right before bedtime.

Good luck, and stay strong! It's ALL about how you teach him. All of it.