how much problem is "couldn't be housebroke"? - adopted, now pics!

[lizardz]

Looking forward to seeing pictures of the cute one when you get her home

(We all know you're going to adopt her!)
Liz

 

[sourland]

Crate train, crate train, crate train, and continue to crate train even after you think the dog is house broken. Our dogs are never allowed unsupervised freedom in the house until they are a year old. We have never had a dog that was not house broken, and most within a week at the most. A German shepherd male that we got from a breeder who crated him was housebroken from the moment he walked into our house at 8 weeks old. Consistency in handling is essential. Immediate access to the outside after removing from the crate or feeding are musts. Praise for good results, and generally ignoring bad are efffective.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

5 months old? - I bet its just recently been neutered - and probably at its other owner's was let run loose in the house 24/7 and let eat whenever it pleased - thus it couldn't be pottytrained. Feeding at certain times, allowing water at certain times, taking out 30 minutes after eating/drinking UNTIL they go potty, postive reinforcement (treats and or lavishing praise and attention) for doing what you want...Then crate training = house trained dog. At 5 months its got much more control on the bladder than at 2 or 3 months and so once he understands what yo want of him - it shouldn't be too difficult. Crate training is definately the way to go too.

I am glad your looking to adopt from a shelter. Whoot.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Quote:
This is not a dog that cannot be trained. This is a dog that was not managed. Dogs who are properly confined and exercised do not dig sheetrock off walls. Dogs that are properly supervised, confined, and trained do not pee on beds and etc.

Most of the time most dogs can be housetrained. There ARE some who are very tough cases. Sometimes if a puppy was raised on wire, or forced to live in dirty conditions, or taken away from his littermates way too early, they simply do not grasp the concept of keeping the den area (your house) clean.

The most success is had by strongly rewarding the dog for all outdoor elimination, TELLING the dog what the action is as it is happening (for example, say "Go peepee" while the dog is peeing), and careful confinement and supervision while inside the house.

I think you should get this dog understanding that it can be VERY HARD to housetrain some dogs with the above mentioned background issues.

I agree with what you say here too. And I will add that there are medical problems that cause incontinence. Urinary tract infection (bacterial infection in the blardder and kidneys) can cause horrendous issues, not to mention painful and miserable dog. There are also anatomy issues that can cause this problem.

My sister bought a beautiful GSD puppy for her family. The puppy was wonderful with a great temperament. His only issue? As he grew he started "leaking" when he'd get up from laying down. I was living with my sister at this time so I put the dog on a strict potty schedule and she took him to the Vet. Sure enough he had a UTI. Several rounds of anibiotics later and no improvement. Over two months the situation got worse.

Long story short the puppy had a urethral sphincter that stopped growing properly and then finally completely failed. It was a physical deformity and not real common. The dog went from leaking a drip or two, to streaming a steady stream with every step he took. The fact that his bladder was always open left room for bacteria to grow continually and the constant UTI's weren't fair to the dog. Neither was the fact that their entire downstairs carpet was covered in dog urine.

The euthanized him, opting out of an expensive and unreliable surgery.

What I am trying to say is that the dog should be evaluated for a physical issue by someone other than the Shelter staff.

 

[Ema]

Quote:
Rancher hicks, I hadn't even read the rest of the posts, I had just posted, I just literally had to go back and find your post...lol...I will admit some dogs are harder than others and sometimes bad behavior is hard to get them out of, the OP definitely has to choose whether they have the time to devote to the dog. Rancher I completely agree with your decision, some dogs will go out of their way to continue in the behaviour they know!! I've had many dogs growing up and now 5 of my own, I am not a breeder and I rescue all my pets, except my chickens, I had to purchase those to say the least I have had some nightmare times with my dogs, but they are all very good dogs now. the worst one ate a brand new couch and a huge hole on a wall that led straight through to the next room, he would attack any sort of black garbage bag and chase rollerbladers around, I had him until earlier this spring, he turned out to be the best behaved of them all, my sweet bird doggie was a black lab and still very much missed. I rescued him from a pig farm, they had him tied up to a steel tank the chain was only about 2 feet long, he was thin, full of fleas and ticks, and standing in his own feces and urine. ya I struggled with him, but eventually he learned to respect me and everyone else in the house.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

Another thing the make those pooch wraps that go on male dogs (just wraps around middle) that are for incontinence and or potty training - potty training type is made to make the dogs uncomfortable from wetting themselves - and so they learn till it comes off and/or associating it getting taken off with outdoor time ....I personally would only use it for when I wasn't home when I first got an unhousebroken dog - so he gets the idea reinforced even when your not there.

 

[arabianequine]

Google them they are called belly bands we use them on our little dachsund boys this is where we get ours www.decotogs.com

I did not crate train and now my saint is 7 months old and she is potty trained she tells us when she has to go outside and I did not always ignore the accidents in the house so there was some negative punishment too it worked for us. Anywhere from a smack on the butt and no or putting her nose in it and saying no she always was put outside asap. The night was the last to stop.....she would always pee at least once....we would find it the next morning luckily we had plastic runners down and she would always pee on them. It has been at least a month now since she stopped that. Actually last night she had the trots and she would whine and nudge me about every 45 min for like 3 times.

During the day now she usually one or all goes to the door which I can see from my desk, nudges me, whines. If the door is open she will just push the screen door open it is not latched and go out but she can't get back in so she will bark to get back in at the door and/or at our bedroom window run back and forth they are a distance apart from each other, jump on the screen door and bark she can see inside there is no glass in the door or screen.

I think a lab of only 5 months old is trainable still with no other issues health problems or anything like that. Good luck!

 

[smileyhayes]

first,
God Bless you for considering a rescue ! I, too, recently rescued a lab pup, who was basically the same as your situation. It took a little longer, and much more diligence than say, a non-kenneled dog, but after a couple HARD months...staying on top of everything, she is finally house broke.... and the bonus.. because of all the dilligence with that little gal, she listens more, pays attention more, and is just generally more alert and responsive to my calls, moods, noises...ect....
Good luck !

 

[wildeflowers]

The untrainable dog is a VERY rare anomoly. If a dog is not getting housebroken, the problem is not the dog. It is the trainer.

I agree, crate train, and you will likely have few problems.

 

[MomtoSyd&Emma]

I have to chime in here, and say that I have housetrained many many many dogs, we are foster homes for the SPCA and the local Pug Rescue. I had to rehome our own Pug because we could NOT get her housetrained. She was a puppy mill rescue and we adored her, she was GORGEOUS. We kept her for nearly 2 yrs working with her like you would a 8 week old pup, I even set the stove alarm to go off every 30 minutes for potty breaks.

NOTHING worked with her, she was medically/physically perfect. Just wouldnt train. I took all I could take, but when she started peeing on OUR couch, beds etc... she had to go. We still miss her, she was gorgeous, fun, sweet everything you could ask for in a dog, but she wouldnt house train or crate train for that matter (she would pee, poo and then lay in it in her crate)