Stubborn Pup

[EskimoFriend13]

My puppy is about six months old and out of control. I had no problem raising my golden retriever but my new pup is very stubborn. She knows to go potty outside but she still goes inside a lot. She acts guilty as soon as she does it and I rush her outside, but it does nothing. She shows no warning signs when she has to go, so when i catch her in the act, she's gone all that she'll go. She digs through the garbage even when i'm there. I tell her no and she does it again. She puts her tail between her legs but she repeats the same mistakes over and over again. When i can't watch her, she stays on the back porch with adequate shade and water and grass. She barks continuously out there and when i tell her to be quiet, it only lasts for two minutes. I want to fix this because it's hurting both of us. Thanks for your help.

[Kade]

Have you tried crate-training for your inside potty issues?

[princessjodi]

Crate training should help with lot of those issues...

Also, she may just want your attention. Negative attention is better than no attention. What about putting her on some sort of schedule? The crate would help with that...you know, time for potty, time for play, time to leave Daddy alone, etc. Some sort of structure could help...

[EskimoFriend13]

Is it not too late to crate train? I don't want to be cruel to her. If you guys could explain the best way to do this, it would be most appreciated. Also, she's pretty big so i want to make sure she has plenty of space. I think she gets jealous of the big dogs who get to go around the house as they please.

[Kade]

Having a crate can be very comforting for a dog. As long as it's not abused or misused, the dog will really like having a little den of its own. I know my puppy often retreats to his crate for a nap or if things get intense with the vacuum cleaner, LOL.

[Bella&Cissy]

Crates are really helpfull. I had a question for any of u goldie lovers!!!! Do you know which is the dominante allele if a light and dark dog and bitch have puppies. ie which is most likely any help would be great.


Thanks,

Bella & Cissy

[iloveamlet]

i have absolutely, word for word, the same problem. i know how frustrating it is. i thought puppy pads would help, and they don't. i'm gonna have to do the crate thing, even though when i did that a little, it didn't work. you have to be dedicated to it if it will work, and that's where i faulted.
good luck

[EskimoFriend13]

Ok. I've never had to crate a dog before. What is the best type to get, something inexpensive for a large dog? And why is this better than her place on our back porch?

[Jamilupine]

Lots of crate questions!
Not too late to start crate training, I believe it can be done at any age if done correctly (search this forum and web for more info).

I bought a Lifestages crate for my puppy. It's a wire crate with one door and a divider that can be used to adjust the space the dog has. As a puppy, you make the crate smaller, the size appropriate for the puppy. As the dog grows, he needs more space, so you can move the divider. The price of the crate was around $75 for a 30" crate. I put a sheet over it to make it more private and my dog likes it better that way.

A crate is safer for a dog becuase he can't get into trouble, lost, or stolen from the back yard. I feel safe leaving my puppy at home when I run to school or the grocery store because she can't chew up electric cords (or cats!).

I think that a STRICT schedule needs to be used to remedy the potty training problem, and a crate can help with this a lot. We stuck to the schedule closely for the first month, now Lucy is only crated when I'm gone or sleeping.

[Kade]

The whole point of crate-training is that your dog does not want to soil its sleeping/eating area. A crate is ideally small enough that your puppy will not want to potty inside of it -- because the entire available space is the puppy's den. (In the wild, wolves will leave the den to go to the bathroom.) So instead of violating its instincts, when possible, the puppy will hold it until it has the option of going elsewhere. This is where it helps to be able to get outside quickly, LOL.

You will need to clean any old pee-smell out using an enzymatic cleaner. Other posters can recommend one, I'm sure (Winston's accidents were all on machine washable items).

In the beginning, your pup needs to be crated whenever she is not right by your side. I would use this sequence: crate time, potty time (must be successful; if so, then treat and praise -- if not, then calmly say, "Oh well", and take puppy back to her crate). After a successful potty session, then the pup is allowed some freedom within the house. If she has an accident and you catch her in the act, say, "NO!" firmly enough to startle her, scoop her up and take her outside, let her wander a bit, and then bring her inside to her crate.

And don't let your puppy see you cleaning up any messes.

[Cassiepeia]

Originally Posted by EskimoFriend13

My puppy is about six months old and out of control. I had no problem raising my golden retriever but my new pup is very stubborn. She knows to go potty outside but she still goes inside a lot. She acts guilty as soon as she does it and I rush her outside, but it does nothing. She shows no warning signs when she has to go, so when i catch her in the act, she's gone all that she'll go. She digs through the garbage even when i'm there. I tell her no and she does it again. She puts her tail between her legs but she repeats the same mistakes over and over again. When i can't watch her, she stays on the back porch with adequate shade and water and grass. She barks continuously out there and when i tell her to be quiet, it only lasts for two minutes. I want to fix this because it's hurting both of us. Thanks for your help.

I agree with the crate training advice.

If she's pottying inside she either, doesn't actually know that it's not ok, or she could have something wrong with her (in which case a check up at the vet wouldn't be unwarrented).
If she's getting into the garbage, put it away so she can't. In a cupboard or something. If you can't, then just ban her from the area where the bin is. She's a dog...and dogs like yummy smells...lots of yummy smells (and treats) come from garbage bins.

The barking.... She mostly likely barks for attention, when she gets it (even if it's negative attention, as has been mentioned before) she's rewarded.
So basically she knows that in order to get your attention she just has to keep barking. You'll give her what she wants eventually.

How much time does she spend on the porch? Is she locked there? Is she alone? How much time do you spend with her and what do you do with her when you do have time with her (ie: do you play, train etc)? How much exercise does she get?
She may be bored as well as desperate for attention.

Cass.

[flyndog]

Right. You need to address the actual problems. Putting the dog in a crate doesn't do that. The is just a temporary measure for you to manage the behavior while you work on the problem behavior.