Potty Problems

[GableBabble]

I have a 8 month old Peekapoo who is about 4 pounds. He is a tiny guy. We have tried potty training him for outside, he hates being outside and will not leave anyone's side when he goes out. I have sat outside for an hour or so with him trying to get him to go. He will not. So we started using pads inside. He used the pads religiously, until a month ago. Now he goes everywhere.
Nothing in his life changed, nothing is wrong with his health, he is just very stubborn. This morning I get up, and let him out of the bedroom. He goes into the kitchen eats a few bites, gets his water, then runs into the living room and starts to take a poop on my area rug. I yell NO! He just looked at me. I walk over there and he is still mid poop just looking at me. So I say NO again (like I have done many times), pick him up and carry him to the kitchen to his pad.
I have a child gate locking him off from exiting the kitchen and he is still sitting at it stareing at me as I type. He has yet to poo on his pad.
Any idea's to get him back in the habit of going on his pads?

 

[SillyChicken]

I'll give my advise, you may not like it though. My first response is why do you want to train him on the pads at all.. if he can be trained to do that, he can be trained to go outside. All dogs are trainable, it's generally the trainer that is the problem, not the dog. I'm a big dog person, so you'll have to forgive that I'm not as soft about managing dogs as a small dog person generally is. I'm not a candy coater, but not trying to be mean to you at all.

Time for some obedience training to start for you both!! .... just cause he's little doesn't mean he doesn't need to have manners! Standing over a puppy and saying NO, means what to him exactly? He's not been trained to understand the word, or to go outside, and obviously, not trained to go on the pads either, but it sounds like the message is, it's ok to go inside... so what does NO mean to him?

and I'll be honest, I hate it when people "give up" and use the ppads... you basically are telling the dog it's ok to go inside and then you have a life time of ppads to deal with, won't be able to take him anywhere (you wouldn't be welcome in my house with him or the pads)... know what I mean? Do you really want to deal with them for the next 20 years?

I would spend as much time with him outside as possible, going for walks. He's afraid of being outside because he's not out enough to know it's ok. Take him for walks, let him explore. Get one of those wire crates or play pens and put him outside in it while you do chores (cover it on top to keep the sun and critters away from him) While you have him outside for a walk around the yard, ignore him.. don't look at him, don't talk to him, don't hold him, don't let him pull you back in side (he's what? 1-3 pounds? LOL, try telling a 60 pound puppy he can't pull you inside till you're ready!) etc..walk where you want to walk. Make sure you're not checking in with him to see how he's reacting.. because he's watching to see how you react.. you're supposed to be alpha leader in large and in charge! IF you pay attention to him and coddle him, give him any attention while he's afraid, you're reinforcing his fear. Don't even pet him until he becomes more relaxed outside. The only time I'd praise him or give him a tiny treat, is if you see him potty outside. Always say potty or what you want to use, while he's going so he can associate the word with the action.

If this were my dog, he would be tied to me by a leash, so he can be redirected and taken outside to go. Start properly potty training the dog. Take him outside at least every hour, after eating, drinking, after naps etc..praise him when he goes outside. You should also get a crate for him so that if you cannot watch him, at night or if you go away or are on the computer and cannot watch him, he can be crated.

I'm not an expert and my ideas may not work for you.. I've trained my own dogs, all mastiffs, for the last 15 years. In OB and protection sports. So my experiences are a bit different... but dog mentality is about the same. How many times do you see these little dogs a neurotic mess because they are handled with kid gloves, when they really need to be handled like dogs?

 

[Redyre Rotties]

For the pad idea to work, you MUST have a boundary area such as a crate or box with an entrance, etc. You CAN teach a little dog to use a dedicated area like this to potty, but you have to work WITH him, not against him.

Step one is that all puppies/dogs need to eliminate when they wake. Make up an area with the pads in your house, using whatever barrier you can put together to keep him in there. The idea potty area has a place where he can walk in, that you can block off temporarily to keep him in there for now. Once he is trained you can remove the barrier and he will use the area when he needs to. In the morning, put him in there, and go about your business but keep an eye on him. LEAVE HIM IN THERE until he goes. Once he starts to go, start saying whatever you want to use as a potty cue for him. I say GO POTTY. Doesn't matter what you pick. Just pick something, and every time you observe him eliminating in his appropriate area, repeat it until he is done. Then immediately remove him, give him the tastiest most high value treat you can think of, and tell him what a good dog he is. Do this whenever you feel he might need to go. It can help to keep a diary of what he does when so you learn when he needs to go to the potty area.

Other times in the house I would keep pants on him for now.

Supervision is very important. Give him ZERO CHANCES to make a mistake where you can't see him. Use gates to keep him in the room with you, leash him to your belt, etc. I cannot stress how important this is. If you combine rigorous supervision, with an enclosed indoor area for pottying only, along with teaching him a verbal cue for elimination, you will get there.

Good luck.

 

[GableBabble]

Thank you for the responses. I will try them and see if it works to trigger his previous training. Also, I did not give up and start using the pads out of frustration. We live way out in the country and have lost a small dog to hawks, and another medium dog to a coyote. I just do not trust him off lead, outside without supervision. I take him out with me and with our family. For walks, recreation, tending the chickens and feeding other animals. He has also gone with me to schutzhund training with my GSD. He just really hates dirt. Even in the chicken pens he will go jump onto a bale of straw or whatever he can get on to get off the dirt. Mostly he sits on my husbands shoe. When on lead, no matter how many times he is corrected, he will skip or jump over parts with dirt. We do ignore him when he is acting crazy or any way other then normal.
I think the biggest thing that is getting to me is that he was fine. Using his pads and being obedient, then POOF. He is a dork.

I have never taught a dog to potty on command. This will be something different.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Thank you for the responses. I will try them and see if it works to trigger his previous training. Also, I did not give up and start using the pads out of frustration. We live way out in the country and have lost a small dog to hawks, and another medium dog to a coyote. I just do not trust him off lead, outside without supervision. I take him out with me and with our family. For walks, recreation, tending the chickens and feeding other animals. He has also gone with me to schutzhund training with my GSD. He just really hates dirt. Even in the chicken pens he will go jump onto a bale of straw or whatever he can get on to get off the dirt. Mostly he sits on my husbands shoe. When on lead, no matter how many times he is corrected, he will skip or jump over parts with dirt. We do ignore him when he is acting crazy or any way other then normal.
I think the biggest thing that is getting to me is that he was fine. Using his pads and being obedient, then POOF. He is a dork.

I have never taught a dog to potty on command. This will be something different.

You've gotten some good advice here already, just thought I would add a couple things (or maybe just say them differently).

First of all, if you're going to a SchH club with your GSD and training there, then you already should know that dogs don't come with knowing what your words mean. That process to allow them to understand your requirments is called training. So, essentially it sounds like you know what training is, but have not applied those same principals to your toy breed. Forget about your dog being small and train him the way you're learning by your Training Director at the club -- not saying you should use all the same techniques, however learning is learning no matter what breed.

Secondly, as was already stated, get him a crate. OR you can get a small x-pen to keep him confined in an area that doesn't have carpeting. When he's OUT of the confined area or crate, have him on leash AT ALL TIMES. To be successfull you need to do this 100% of the time for at least 4-6 weeks. That is another thing beautiful about crates, it gives both of you a break. Put him on a potty and feeding schedule. When they eat and drink they have to go potty within a half hour, so do not free feed. Always know when he's eaten. Take him outside at least every 1-2 hours, bring an extra special treat with you and calmly praise him as he is going potty then give a food reward immediately. Food will help him change his mind about where to potty much faster than without.

As you are praising him tell him "goooood potty" or whatever command you want to use for elimination: potty, do your business, ect. That will condition him to the word. Then after a while you can take him out with the words, "lets to potty" or when he's outside "go potty!" and he'll already associate that word with the behavior. It takes several weeks of high level consistency for them to be truely trained in this. But it is exceptionally useful later.

Hope this helps and good luck to you!

 

[SillyChicken]

Thank you for the responses. I will try them and see if it works to trigger his previous training. Also, I did not give up and start using the pads out of frustration. We live way out in the country and have lost a small dog to hawks, and another medium dog to a coyote. I just do not trust him off lead, outside without supervision. I take him out with me and with our family. For walks, recreation, tending the chickens and feeding other animals. He has also gone with me to schutzhund training with my GSD. He just really hates dirt. Even in the chicken pens he will go jump onto a bale of straw or whatever he can get on to get off the dirt. Mostly he sits on my husbands shoe. When on lead, no matter how many times he is corrected, he will skip or jump over parts with dirt. We do ignore him when he is acting crazy or any way other then normal.
I think the biggest thing that is getting to me is that he was fine. Using his pads and being obedient, then POOF. He is a dork.

I have never taught a dog to potty on command. This will be something different.

It's really no different than teaching a dog to sit or lay, they associate the word with the action. A dog will do darn near anything for you, as long as they understand the action for the word.

No different than the work in SchH... which I did a lot of myself. We had a little jack russel training for Sch... Skippy! They even competed, it was really funny to watch, that little guy put his heart n soul into going after the "bad guy"! So there's no reason you can't teach your.. poowhatever it is, to obedience at the same level.

(sorry if I sounded so gruff in my other post, was a bad day for me, but no excuse for coming off rude... sorry)