Dog Community

trying to train a 1 year old dog, that lived in a shealter all its life... help!

Posted : 7/3/2010 12:52:06 AM

i just adopted "Chad" a few days ago from are local no kill animal shelter, he has been there since he was 3 months old, it took me over 3 weeks to be allowed to have this dog in my apartment, since i saw him i really really wanted to adopt him. but The moment we got him out of the car...we had a HUGE problem.... to get in to the house you need to go up stairs..He didn't want to even walk near them.after trying with no luck, we had to carry the 70 pound dog up the stairs.. to are deck and in to the house.. He isn't potty trained at all! And only goes on the deck and not down the stairs to the Yard. 90% of the time he goes in the house... and i also always Watch him do it. In the act i will say "No Outside!" and quickly walk him to the deck...we have repeated this over 20 times now. and every half hour i jump up and say "lets go outside" "come on outside" "outside outside outside" i just want him to understand, this is OUTSIDE, and you potty OUTSIDE! very rarely he does go to the bathroom on the deck. when he does i try to praise him...but he doesn't care really...a tail wag is about all i get from him...and he just keeps walking around and doesn't even want the treats i give him half the time. it seems every time i bring him outside he doesn't go potty, but as soon as we walk inside the house He pees or poops. he peed 3 times in 10 minutes in the house but i had him on the deck for 2 hours and he didn't do anything! i have tried to get him to go down the stairs. he just gets to the first step...i tried picking him up...and working with him so he goes Up the stairs. and he pulls away even more. tried walking with him. playing around the stairs with toys, sitting on the steps, using dog treats, training treats, even hot dogs. and the most i ever get is him putting his front legs on the first step that's it. Any idea on how to fix this? so here is a recap list

1)Doesn't go up or down the stairs. only out on our deck (the stairs lead to the yard were i would like him to go to the bathroom)

2) He isn't house broken, he tends to always go inside, No matter how long i take him on the deck (will not go down the stairs) he seems to even hold it, Until we are inside to go to the bathroom.

3)And if he does go on the deck (he doesn't seem to care about me praising him) , he tends to go again once we are inside.

I love chad to death, but i fear if this doesn't stop soon, my landlord will make me take him back. also he isn't Neutered we had plan on getting him done in 2 weeks, would this help, or calm him down? stop peeing on everything or just so often?!

JackieG

Posted : 7/3/2010 7:27:43 AM

What it will entail to acclimate and train this dog is a big commitment of time and effort. This dog has spent the majority of his life in an environment that limited his opportunities to become a normal, balanced dog. You may never completely overcome this, in my opinion. You may improve his behavior and teach him how to live in a normal household setting but it will take extreme patience on your part. And lots of time.

The most important thing you need to keep in the forefront of your mind when interacting with Chad is that he is not doing any of these things with any intent to disobey. He also has no desire to please you and that is normal.

For Chad going to the bathroom outside is like asking you to start going to the bathroom on the roof of your house. It would be completely bizarre and terrifying to you to be asked to do this and that's how Chad feels. Indoors is where he has learned to potty. Don't scold him when he eliminates indoors. I would keep him confined to a crate when you are not actively interacting with him. The only way he will learn to go outside is if that is the ONLY place he ever has the opportunity to eliminate.

The above will be difficult because of his fear of stairs. I would try transitioning him to go on a potty pad on the deck while you work on the fear of the stairs. That fear can't be worked on until he is taking food rewards from you. He has to learn, from you, that if he does something you want, he is rewarded with something he wants, food. Toys and praise will not be rewards for this dog, initially, because he was never exposed properly to the type of early training and teaching that results in a dog that can be rewarded with anything other than basic survival needs.

Three days is not a long time and you may find that Chad has other behavior problems as time goes by. I would get him neutered and I'm surprised (actually shocked) he was adopted out without being neutered.

I would start feeding Chad all of his meals by hand. Each time you offer and he takes a bite of food, say "good" and say it in a sweet, loving tone that conveys the meaning of the word in your voice. If he refuses to eat from your hand, you will have to put the food away and wait until the next mealtime and try again. He may not eat for several days but he will not be physically harmed. Make sure he has water and is drinking. He has to learn to associate you with food before you can use food as a positive reinforcement for the behavior you want.

Chad may never bond with you like a normally raised dog. Some dogs can overcome this type of limited environment better than others. There are many factors that come into play. I would also caution you not to coddle Chad or feel sorry for him. He is what he is and the best way to deal with him is by patiently teaching him with positive reinforcement how to do the things you want and need him to do.

You have your work cut out for you and you've made a start by asking for some help. The next step is to educate yourself on dog behavior and training. You need to understand how a dog's mind works and the proven methods of teaching a dog. If you can find a positive trainer/behaviorist who will come to your house and work with you, that would be the ideal situation. At the very least, get some books and start reading. Here is a list of books I recommend.

The Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell. This is a little booklet that only costs $6.95.

Second Hand Dog by Carol Lea Benjamin, another booklet that costs around $10.00.

Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson will cost around $20.00

I know this is a long response and I hope it's helpful.. I would like to add that if you decide this is not the dog for you, return him to the shelter. Some no kill shelters do a huge disservice to dogs and their potential adopters by not recognizing that some dogs will never be good pets, due to their early lack of socialization and then add kennel confinement to that and you have a dog with the deck stacked against it. Chad might be salvageable but many dogs aren't. Even a well socialized dog takes a lot of training to be a good companion but you have adopted a huge challenge. Good luck.

spiritdogs

Posted : 7/3/2010 8:33:17 AM

House training is easier if you have a proven plan. Smile

Here's the cheat sheet that we use for our students (sorry about the crap that appears when I post in from Word):

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}

Keep your eye on the dog. Any time the pup is out of his crate, you need to be watching, and not from a distance! Use a waist leash or tether the dog to your belt. If Spot looks like he’s looking for a “spot”, say “Outside?” and gently, but quickly, take him out to the “approved area”. Learn your dog’s signals – does he sniff? Does he circle? Some pups are subtle and don’t ask in obvious ways – act preemptively and take him out. Use the same words all the time for the same functions. They can learn to do pee or poop on command! Your neighbors will be jealous in January when you aren’t standing outside for a half hour waiting for your pup to poop!

No scolding for accidents. Mistakes are nothing more than lack of supervision. (See rule #1 J) If you scold, an unintended consequence might be that your puppy learns that it’s dangerous to pee in front of the human – I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to be standing in the rain for 20 minutes waiting for my pup to pee, only to have him not pee until he could manage to escape my gaze and do it behind the dining room door. Accidents are the human’s fault for not watching the dog!

Crate or tether the pup to your waist when you can’t watch directly. Most dogs are reluctant to soil the “den”. Be sure that the crate is only large enough for puppy to stand, turn, and lie down. Any bigger and he can “get away” from the mess, so he might soil one end and sleep in the other. Buy a small crate, or partition off a larger one. Make the crate a happy place to be!

Reward for quick results. Have a few Cheerios in your pockets all the time. Tell puppy “hurry up” or “go pee”. When puppy piddles in the right spot, wait till he’s done (or he might think he’s being rewarded for shutting off the stream), then quickly say, “Good pee” and offer a treat. If he doesn’t go, crate him and try again every fifteen minutes until he does. Reward!!! Soon, you will have your pup pee’ing when you cue him to “Go pee”.

Important: Don’t just put the pup outside, he won’t be learning anything – stay with him. Reward him for a good performance and teach those cues! Once he gets it, start rewarding every other time, or every third time. Start using pats, or play, intermittently, instead of food.

Don’t clean accidents in front of Fido – Dogs are interested in what you are interested in – don’t accidentally train your dog to be interested in poop! He may start snacking…

Use an enzymatic cleaner to remove all trace of odor from indoor accidents (Trail, Petastic, Simple Solution, or Nature’s Miracle). Dogs return to the aroma – you need to get rid of it.

Urine marking is NOT a housebreaking issue – it’s a territory issue. Males destined as pets should be neutered before marking begins (5-6 months of age). Some dogs never stop marking once they start. Unless your dog will compete in conformation shows, get the “snip” early.

Times to take Fido out: Very soon after he wakes, eats, drinks, or plays.

How long can he really hold it? One hour longer than his age (in months) if he is awake. Small breeds have small bladders and may need more frequent trips outside. Pups that can sometimes hold it all night may still have to go if they awaken, and may not be able to hold it for the same length of time during the day. If he does go out in the middle of the night, put him quietly back in his crate when you come in, with no treat, no fuss, and no play! He will learn that nighttime is sleep time, even if there’s a brief potty break.

If you are a 9-5’er, day care or a dog walker is a good temporary help. Most people underestimate how long this takes. You can’t reliably train a puppy on your two week vacation. J

A dog that has never seen stairs will be afraid. Try this. Carry the dog up stairs until you are just a few steps from the top. Make a "cheese trail" or a "roast beef trail" to coax him up the remaining steps. When going down, same thing. Put him on the third or fourth step from the bottom and place treats on the steps and down the hall so that he follows them down on his own. Don't be afraid to wait him out a bit if he is hesitant at first, and don't drag him - that just sets up his "opposition reflex."

The books Jackie recommended are excellent. This really is a lot of work, because an un-socialized dog is often handicapped for life. But, I have known many owners who have done the best they could and ended up with a dog that is a great companion. As long as the dog is not aggressive, you have a much better chance of making his life better. If you cannot deal with a "project dog", however, and he can go back to a no kill situation, fine. I haven't much respect for a no kill shelter that doesn't make an effort to socialize a puppy - there are many volunteers who could do that job!

Neutering may help reduce urine-marking behaviors, but it also may not in some dogs. It's a good idea either way. If you think the dog is urinating excessively, have the vet check for a UTI.

JackieG

Posted : 7/3/2010 8:51:49 AM

spiritdogs
But, I have known many owners who have done the best they could and ended up with a dog that is a great companion. As long as the dog is not aggressive, you have a much better chance of making his life better.

I wholeheartedly agree and I wanted to say I don't mean to be too negative or imply that Chad is a hopeless case. Twenty years ago, I took in a two year old dog who had spent his entire life confined to an outdoor kennel in the owner's backyard. He was fed and watered and otherwise ignored. :( He did have a wonderful temperment and after much time and gentle training he blossomed into a wonderful dog. He never was completely comfortable in certain situations but he lived a relatively long, happy life with us and he taught me a lot. :)

glenmar

Posted : 7/3/2010 10:40:08 AM

I am appalled that the shelter adopted out a dog like this to an inexperienced home and a home that doesn't offer easy access to the yard. And still intact???? Wow.

The advise you have gotten is great. Calm, consistent and CALM are the keys here. I've fostered gsds who have been rescued from puppy mills at almost a year of age and its tough, but I have other dogs to help with the potty training. A crate or small confined area is essential, but don't be surprised if he soils his crate, having spent so much of his life pottying where ever.

You can do this, and you'll be glad you did, but it's going to require an enormous investment of time and of love.