help us housetrain a dog from a shelter

Welcome to I-Dog.  As you can see by my avatar, I'm rather partial to poodles.  What size is your new poodle?

Poodles are very bright and usually housetrain very easily.  This poor guy has been through an awful lot of transitions.  He may have been housetrained in a home at some point, but that doesn't mean he'd be housetrained in yours.  It takes a dog about 6 months or more to totally adjust to new surroundings and owners. 

You need to treat him as if he's a puppy, but he will learn much quicker than a pup would.  I assume he sleeps in his wire cage and isn't having accidents there?  When you get up in the morning, take him out immediately and stay with him.  When he pees and/or poops, give him great loads of praise, throw a party, and give him a treat.  Alot of dogs need to go again an hour after their morning visit to the yard, so do that for him.  Then, take him out at least once an hour all day.  Some times he may go, and then you heap the praise.  Others, just enjoy the outdoors with him.  When he is in the house, do not give him free run, keep him confined to a small area of the kitchen.  If he's just gone pee and poop outside, then give him some freedom to play with you in the house for an hour or so before confining him again.  Always go out the same door, keep the routine the same for every trip outside.  If you like to take him for walks, take him out to the yard and have him pee and poop there first before heading off to the walk.  If he has an accident in the house, don't yell at him, just get his attention by saying a short phrase like "EH" and gently lead him to the yard, and even if he was already done inside, tell him he's a good boy outside. 

Most importantly, totally clean any spot in the house where he has had an accident.  Use an enzymatic cleanser (like petastic) and then spray the area with NO GO, which helps mask any remaining odors. 

Pay close attention to him, and you will find that first you will be housetrained, you will know what times of the day he goes and will also recognize signals that he needs to go (like, you're playing inside with him but can't keep his attention, or he starts sniffing around). 

Don't be afraid to crate train him.  Even though he was kept in a small crate for many hours, a crate is probably still a comfort zone to him.  I recently fostered and then sent to a new home a 6 year old poodle who spent 20 hours a day in his crate for 6 years.  He still loved his crate and would retreat there when he needed to. 

And, Post a picture!!!



  

thanks so much...few more questions...
 
1. when we take him outside should it be on a leash rather than run play time?
2. will no go stain the carpet and where do i get it...ordinary pet store?
3. we can easily confine him to kitchen with baby gates....should he sleep in his crate or in gated kitchen (tile floor)?  up until two days ago he had all downstairs but we tried to watch him.  my wife runs early in the morning, would let him out, he would pee and then come back inside and pee.  for sure during this time he is going to be in the kitchen.
4. someone told us to stick their face in it and say "no" but everything i read says don't do that.  is this like child psychologists who say never tell your kids no, or do dogs really not get cause/effect unless they get "caught in the act."

ORIGINAL: prologue
1. when we take him outside should it be on a leash rather than run play time?

 
IMO he should be on leash at all times unless you have a fenced in yard. If thats the case when you are taking him out to go potty have him on a leash so he knows there is business at hand. Once he goes potty praise like crazy give a treat and if you want to play let him off leash.
 

2. will no go stain the carpet and where do i get it...ordinary pet store?

 
I cant help you with this one but I can say that I dont use any store bought products when cleaning accidents. I use a solution of 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water and it works wonders. A bottle of vinegar is about 65 cents and the water, well its free []
 

3. we can easily confine him to kitchen with baby gates....should he sleep in his crate or in gated kitchen (tile floor)?  up until two days ago he had all downstairs but we tried to watch him.  my wife runs early in the morning, would let him out, he would pee and then come back inside and pee.  for sure during this time he is going to be in the kitchen.

 
Thats entirely up to you but I really recommend that you crate him at night because if hes not house trained confining him to a large area can regress the training because if he wakes up in the middle of the night needing to relieve himself he can just do it in the kitchen [&:]
 

4. someone told us to stick their face in it and say "no" but everything i read says don't do that.  is this like child psychologists who say never tell your kids no, or do dogs really not get cause/effect unless they get "caught in the act."

 
NO NO NO you do not rub their face in the mess that is just disgusting and degrading who ever told you that you should tell them to catch up on things, we are in the year 2006. If you dont catch your dog in the act you CANNOT correct the behavior because they really wont get why mom and dad are yelling. When he has an accident dont let him watch you clean it (I dont have any idea why, maybe some members can explain this?)
 
Also if you catch him in the act try to startle him and pick him up and dash outside to his designated potty area. Hopes this helps! Dont give up, he will catch on soon enough and you have the advantage that he is an adult and can actually hold it for longer than a pup!

your pup is absolutely gorgeous by the way! and so is your daughter? they seem very happy together

he hasn't had any accidents overnight until last night. 
about how long should a dog his age be able to hold it.
today we have taken him out every hour on a leash to the backyard where he has gone outside. he just looks at us like "what are we doing?"   He last peed at 4:20 and it is now 8:45.  When we take him out, how long should we stay out with him?
 
thanks.

I cant remember at what age my Golden was able to hold it for a long time, but just to give you a slight idea Lizzie is 5months old and she can hold it for 2-3 hours during the day and at night she doesnt go out (I am TERRIFIED of the monster sized cockaroaches that are in my back yard at night!)
 
I remember our Shih Tzu wouldnt go out if it was raining and somtimes she would hold it all day!
 
But since your pup isnt house trained yet i'd recommend every hour and a half to 2 hours. Whenever you take him out try to remember when he actually goes out so you can establish a pattern. Maybe every hour is too much?

He's 1.5 years old, right?  He can hold it for a good long time.  Misty is also 1.5, and here's her pee schedule: 

Get up in the morning, go out to the yard and pee and poop, this is between 7 and 8 a.m.

Go out an hour or so later and poop.

Go out late afternoon and pee, this is usually 4 p.m.

Evening walk after dinner and usually a pee and maybe a poop, usually 6-7 p.m.

Pee before bed time, around 10 p.m..

But, since your guy is in training, he needs to go out more.  Pretty soon you'll see his schedule and be predicting his peeing and pooping. 

we never let our dogs out to play until they were house trained.  it just seemed easier to teach them that to be outside was to do their business ... they were allowed outside time after housetraining was complete.

Are you NAMING the behavior when he potties?  If not, you should be.  Helps alleviate the confusion.  Just give a command word while he's going "Do your thing, go potty, hurry" what have you, but give it a name.
 
I am of the personal belief that if a dog can't be watched, it's crated, and that goes for it's entire life.  I think I'm one of the few that thinks that way, but I'll never be comfortable just letting my dog out to roam the house when I'm away.  I'm just paranoid like that.
 
If I can't take him with me and nobody is home to watch him, he's in a crate, no ifs ands or buts about it

You don't let pups go out to play until they are HOUSETRAINED?  Poor things.
 
I train whole litters at a time, and all it takes is constant attention, key phrases and consistency along with a lot of praise.  I confine pups at nite to a giant crate/exercise pen combo, and release them to outside telling them "lets go outside and go potty"...I go WITH them, regardless of the weather and I praise each and every one for "goooooood potty".  When they are outside PLAYING, I'm there as well and anytime someone potties, I praise.  But gosh, I can't imagine not letting them PLAY.

edited due to a pm I received

I typically foster german shepherds and very few people want BIG dogs that play tag around the pool tables....MOST folks want pups who play HARD outside and settle nicely inside.  My method works nicely as well, but I certainly wouldn't expect any pup to be reliably housetrained in a matter of two weeks....unless of course the breeder or foster home had started the housetraining before they went home.
 
 

edited due to a pm I received