Calling All Dog Experts!

[SweetErika]

Porter, our ~11 week old foster pup (pic attached), is coming along with his training very nicely.

We started potty training early (when he was around a month old), so he's definitely got the 'outside potty' idea down, and he does go outside about 98% of the time, mostly because we take him out very frequently.

However, when he has the freedom to wander around or play in a small area outside of his room, he has a tendency to go off and pee. I don't know if he's trying to mark his territory or is just excited enough by having a little freedom to roam that he can't hold it very well. It's probably both, as he often seems to find pee in his system even after he's been outside recently.

We're doing our best to watch him even more closely, catch him in the act (and take him right outside to go, with lots of praise/a reward), and all of that stuff, but the real issue is that he doesn't seem to communicate his need to potty with us. His wandering around and sniffing could be innocent exploring or an indicator of his intention to pee.

Porter is an extremely quiet pup in general: he doesn't bark or really even whine, even in the morning after he's been locked in his crate all night (though I'm sure he would bark/whine if he was ready to burst, rather than go in his crate). When we had his brother as well, both guys would bark and cry to be let out in the morning, while waiting for their breakfast, occasionally when they had to potty, etc., but now that Porter's alone with us, he keeps quiet.

We've considered training him to ring a bell or something when he needs to go potty, but would prefer not to complicate his training with that kind of extra (because the whole point is to get him ready to be adopted and make his transition into his new home as smooth as possible for both him and his forever family). Honestly, I don't even know how to encourage him to bark, since the only time he's done that recently is when he saw strangers pull into our driveway and get out (he has some real watchdog instincts); he never barks when we're playing, walking, etc.

So, do you have any ideas on how we can train him to let us know when he needs to potty?

I'll probably have some other questions in the future, too, since we're planning on fostering for a good long time, but for now, this is my main concern and the only thing we haven't been able to work out.

Thanks in advance!

 

[FantaSeaGirl]

Scratch the door.

Erika,

I'm not a dog expert but I have 2 and have pretty much always had at least one.

My dogs are house trained and when they are locked inside if the need to go out then they scratch on the door. I didn't teach them this, they just seemed to learn it themselves. Perhaps each time you take Porter outside if you lift his paw & scratch the door he will realize that than results in the door being opened for him. I find it convient because even in the morning when I'm still in bed they will come upstairs & scratch on the window to let me know I need to get my arse out of bed & let them out. It's also convient that in their next home they will not need a bell or doggie door & a bark can be singled out for getting the attention of owners regarding strangers on the property.

Good Luck!

 

[fire_breeze]

What an adorable puppy! If I didn't have a cat who so dictated my home, I'd pick him up an instant!

I am not an expert, but I have been around dogs for most of my life. I do have several questions that came to mind that may or may not be some what relevant: Do you let him out to roam around the same time every day? Do you take Porter outside before he plays? Does he have a regular schedule? What were the circumstances that you've received the pup (rescue from puppy mill, abusive home?) It may be that he's so excited to be allowed to roam free that he pees, or he is marking his territory due to some trauma. Also, if I am not mistaken, Porter is a pit bull, and they are extremely territorial, so it maybe that he is acting on instinct.

What I ended up doing with my boxer-mastiff (who came from an unwanted home - I wouldn't say abusive, but troubled) was that whenever he peed inside, I'd bring him there and scold him and then I threw the soaked rag outside, brought him there and praised him. Also, whenever I took him outside, I had him sit at the door while getting ready. He associated pee with outside, and to go outside he must sit. Within two days, if he went to the door and sat, I knew he had to go. Of course, once he went, he received praises, belly rubs and ear scratches. It may or may not work.

Although, at 11 weeks, the fact that Porter goes out 98% of the time is very good. Give it some time, be consistent and within a short time he'll let you know when he has to go.

Good luck.

 

[off2bed]

We got a good tip from Victoria Stillwell on TV. Keep the pup on a leash, tied to your belt if you have to. Then he can't go pee where you can't see him. It won't take long for him to give you the signs that it's time to go out. Worked very well for us.

 

[NippleMuncher]

When you take him outside, are you letting him roam or are you getting him to potty on command? Training him to do it on command will give you the ease of "bedtime potty" knowing that he's done his business instead of just putting him out for a while where maybe he will and maybe he won't.

As to the problem outside of his normal room, it might be a territorial thing, but more than likely is nervous in unfamiliar places or maybe that he knows he's not supposed to be there and he pees. What you might try doing is when you let him out of his dedicated space, immediately take him outside to go potty on command, after that bring him in and watch him in the new area. He will get used to going outside when leaving his normal area and not doing it elsewhere in the house.

On a similar note, we've got a 10 year old Pomeranian. When she was younger and had a bath, she would be pottied before the bath, then let free in the house after being toweled off. As she's gotten older, she's taken to peeing shortly after getting out of the tub, so now instead of being left to roam, she's pottied immediately before and after the bath, no more problems. This is where going on command is extremely helpful because you know they've done it and they should be safe for a little while.

 

[SweetErika]

Erika,

I'm not a dog expert but I have 2 and have pretty much always had at least one.

My dogs are house trained and when they are locked inside if the need to go out then they scratch on the door. I didn't teach them this, they just seemed to learn it themselves. Perhaps each time you take Porter outside if you lift his paw & scratch the door he will realize that than results in the door being opened for him. I find it convient because even in the morning when I'm still in bed they will come upstairs & scratch on the window to let me know I need to get my arse out of bed & let them out. It's also convient that in their next home they will not need a bell or doggie door & a bark can be singled out for getting the attention of owners regarding strangers on the property.

Good Luck!

That would probably work, but I'm not sure because the way we have everything set up would make it very tough to be consistent. His room is the laundry room downstairs (where we all spend most of our time and can easily take him out through the garage to potty). We took off that door and put in a coated metal baby gate that he can't really jump or scratch on. We play with him downstairs (where he has access to the door he goes through to potty) and also upstairs, where there are lots of doors and his outside access is through a sliding glass door. He often goes and sits in front of the glass door upstairs - sometimes it means he wants to go out, but most of the time he's just interested in his reflection.

I think he'd have an easier time learning to ring a bell hung on each door (his baby gate, the door to the garage and the sliding glass one upstairs) than learning to scratch at three different types of doors. Plus, I don't really want to teach him to scratch at doors or walls because that's a behavior his new family may find very distasteful, especially when he's like 75 pounds.

What an adorable puppy! If I didn't have a cat who so dictated my home, I'd pick him up an instant!

Yep, we'd totally keep him if he wasn't going to get so big and we could have a permanent pet right now. Unfortunately, because he probably does have pit bull in him (his shelter thinks he's an American Bulldog/Pit mix), it won't be so easy to find him a home, as pit bulls have an awful reputation here and even mixes are banned in many municipalities. I've been marketing him like crazy since we got him, and the shelter still hasn't had any good candidates, so he'll probably be with us for a while.

Do you let him out to roam around the same time every day?

More or less. He usually comes out to play in the afternoon and evening (he sleeps most of the day because he gets tired out on his walks).

Do you take Porter outside before he plays? Does he have a regular schedule?

Yes to both. He goes out probably every hour when he's awake and always before he's let out of his room to play/spend time with us. Like I said though, he always seems to find pee in his system, even though he just pottied outside several times within the last half hour. He doesn't pee in his room unless he's really, really desperate Like this weekend, Hubby and I miscommunicated on taking him out and he went while he was waiting for us to come down, without barking or anything (though I'm sure he was sitting by his gate waiting for a while before he let loose).

What were the circumstances that you've received the pup (rescue from puppy mill, abusive home?)

He was found in a box on the side of the road with 11 of his siblings when he was about a week old. So, I don't think there's any memory of trauma or anything besides never really having a mother. When we got him and his bro at 3 weeks, they were starting to eat solid food and had no trouble going out of their crate to potty on the paper.

I'm sure part of his issues is being separated from the litter so young and now not having another dog to encourage him to bark and such. He was a little better at barking with his brother, who kind of bullied him and was always more needy and vocal in general. That said, he adjusted to life without his brother in a few days.

Also, whenever I took him outside, I had him sit at the door while getting ready. He associated pee with outside, and to go outside he must sit. Within two days, if he went to the door and sat, I knew he had to go. Of course, once he went, he received praises, belly rubs and ear scratches. It may or may not work.

Yep, we've been doing that for a long time. But I think the fact that he usually can't sit by the door we use to go outside most of the time is a hindrance. He does sit by his baby gate door when he has to go quite often, but he also does that when he doesn't need to go. I take him out regardless, but sometimes I feel like taking him out so often is discouraging him to bark when he really needs something.

And when we're playing? He doesn't go sit by the door, he pretends he's exploring and then just squats and pees, wherever he decides to go. He's sneaky enough that we can't see what he's planning, and bold enough that we usually see him doing it.

Although, at 11 weeks, the fact that Porter goes out 98% of the time is very good. Give it some time, be consistent and within a short time he'll let you know when he has to go.

Good luck.

Thanks, and that's what I'm hoping. I'm just worried he's learning it's okay to run off and pee, wherever he is and whenever he wants to go. The last thing I want is for him to finally be adopted, only to be returned he pees all over the place without notice!

I think he'd probably be a lot better off if he could let himself out when he had to go, but our setup (no dog door or fenced yard) makes that impossible.

 

[SweetErika]

We got a good tip from Victoria Stillwell on TV. Keep the pup on a leash, tied to your belt if you have to. Then he can't go pee where you can't see him. It won't take long for him to give you the signs that it's time to go out. Worked very well for us.

Yeah, we've been watching her show, and like her methods a lot.

I've tried and considered keeping him on the leash even more when he's out of his area, but that makes it a real hassle to play with him and habituate him to freedom in small doses. Still, I think keeping him on a short leash is probably what we're going to have to do. If nothing else, it makes it easier to get him outside as quickly as possible when he starts to pee in the house.

When you take him outside, are you letting him roam or are you getting him to potty on command? Training him to do it on command will give you the ease of "bedtime potty" knowing that he's done his business instead of just putting him out for a while where maybe he will and maybe he won't.

He pretty much pees as soon as he gets on the grass. Sometimes he likes to sniff around a little, and he definitely likes to find the perfect spot to poop, but we don't have a problem with him not going when he goes out.

And nighttime isn't an issue because we always potty him first and then lock him in his crate. On weekends (when we want to sleep in a little) or if he's not feeling well, we bring the crate upstairs so we can hear him if he wants to go out. Then we either wait until he starts rousting around in the crate and we wake up, or the alarm clock goes off (our failsafe in case we oversleep).

On a similar note, we've got a 10 year old Pomeranian. When she was younger and had a bath, she would be pottied before the bath, then let free in the house after being toweled off. As she's gotten older, she's taken to peeing shortly after getting out of the tub, so now instead of being left to roam, she's pottied immediately before and after the bath, no more problems. This is where going on command is extremely helpful because you know they've done it and they should be safe for a little while.

Yep, we have that issue too. The bath is just too exciting for him, even though he potties right before it. Now we know we can't let him walk out of the bathroom; he needs to be carried right outside as soon as he's towel dried. We'll start weaning him on to walking out to potty on the leash because he's going to get too big to be carried soon, but for now it's better safe than sorry since there's a whole lot of carpet between our shower and the sliding glass door.

 

[simplegirl]

They key times to potty for pups is:

Immediately upon waking (naps count)
Immediately after eating
Immediately after playing/exercise
..and before bed or prolonged absence, of course.

Continue the praise when he does go outside. And make sure you clean his accidents thouroughly. You don't want a lingering scent there that he associates with a place that's OK to use.

He's a cutie...give him a belly rub for me?

 

[Adrraiya]

Fostering Doggies

I have fostered many a dog in my day... in fact, my dad fastered before I was even born


I have also, with this, trained many dogs

I BELIEVE in the innocence of animals... so this is straight on your topic & trying to help you

So let's talk more about this, wanna IM me or what?

Adrraiya

 

[SweetErika]

I have fostered many a dog in my day... in fact, my dad fastered before I was even born


I have also, with this, trained many dogs

I BELIEVE in the innocence of animals... so this is straight on your topic & trying to help you

So let's talk more about this, wanna IM me or what?

Adrraiya

Say what? Who said anything about animals not being innocent? And what does that whole issue have to do with getting our quiet puppy to tell us when he needs to potty?

If you have suggestions, you're more than welcome to post them right here. That way others have the opportunity to benefit from your advice.



On a related note, I was very pleased to see Porter didn't potty in his room at all when we got home from a ~3 hour shopping trip tonight. He had to go so bad that he peed 3-4 times and pooped like crazy when I took him out, so we were really impressed that he just held it and waited. Maybe I haven't been giving him enough credit or opportunities to tell me he needs to go, so I'll have to do some experimenting with his potty schedule in the next few days.

He also barked once when he wanted attention tonight (Hubby took him right out to potty, and he did pee a little) and managed to make a little noise when we were playing this afternoon (I barked, said "speak" and gave him a treat when he made noise), so maybe he's just now finding his voice and can be taught to be more vocal when he needs something.

 

[christabelll]

commiseration

a dear friend of mine had a female pit.... just a puppy with big eyes and a wriggly butt...
She would get over excited and pee all over everything. Didn't matter if she had just been outside to potty. You petted her - oops squirt! You fed her oops squirt - lolol on and on.... as She got older she got better about it. She (the owner) told me - that young pits are prone to peeing everywhere until they are about 6 months old... And from what I saw it was true... as the Pup became a young teenager she quit having so many accidents and the last time I saw her was an adult pit with excellent manners and yes if she was really excited would bomb through the door pee a gallon then run back in to play.

Puppies are puppies they are gonna pee where ever its convenient - even if they "know" outside means peetime. A bit young for territorial behavior at 11 weeks so I disagree with that supposition.

Having had many dogs over the years I found consistency of when they are being let out - a watchful eye and water bottle at hand - meaning catching them in the act was best. I would spray water at them (no harm at all) then a quick shuffle outside, they - within a couple of days (one took two weeks but then that was one really dumb dog LOLOLOL whom I adored for being such a doofus), they got the message and stopped their excited gotta go now peeing.

Give it just a little more time and when you are playing with him and he starts rooting - take him outside - yes I know pain in the patooty - then bring him back in and play some more - each time he gets excited and rooting take him out. It wont take long for him to realize that he must go outside if he is that excited.

As for the barking - barking dogs are considered a nuisance in most neighborhoods. We have no less than 9 dogs surrounding our house... no dogs with us --- they are always barking the alarm.... even though they know us they still do it...even if there is nothing to bark at! If the dog wants to vocalise have no fear the dog will!

One - hahah her Name is Molly - Lab Retriever mix - she is stone silent - then as if on some magic queue she will sit there quite prettily posed on the stoop and bark. One bark at a time, evenly paced, woof - woof- woof until she reaches her owners in the house. She will cock her head and listen at the door barking in this even "monotone" until she hears them coming for her. Then she will back up from the door and wait in silence again....

But I like the idea of training to them to "speak" on command.......

 

[greeneyed_Lady]

The problem with teaching them to speak is that once they find their voice, it's hard to silence them again.

Porter is just 3 mo old... I'm sure he'll be making leaps and bounds in his training from this point onwards. Sounds like you are doing the right things tho.

I used crate training with our two. They were let out of the crate, taken outside right away, and if they didn't produce they were put back into the crate for 10 min and then taken out again. It's like potty training small children... take them to the potty every 10-15 min until they produce, praise the hell out of them, repeat as necessary. As the puppies get bigger, everything just seems to click for them.

I'd take him... he's adorable. I can't have pets where I am tho.

 

[SweetErika]

a dear friend of mine had a female pit.... just a puppy with big eyes and a wriggly butt...
She would get over excited and pee all over everything. Didn't matter if she had just been outside to potty. You petted her - oops squirt! You fed her oops squirt - lolol on and on.... as She got older she got better about it. She (the owner) told me - that young pits are prone to peeing everywhere until they are about 6 months old... And from what I saw it was true... as the Pup became a young teenager she quit having so many accidents and the last time I saw her was an adult pit with excellent manners and yes if she was really excited would bomb through the door pee a gallon then run back in to play.

Thankfully he's never had that problem. We've been careful to not hype him up when we see him, he meets people or dogs, and I think that's helped a lot. He gets incredibly excited with attention, new people and dogs, but not so much that he can't control his bladder.

Puppies are puppies they are gonna pee where ever its convenient - even if they "know" outside means peetime. A bit young for territorial behavior at 11 weeks so I disagree with that supposition.

Maybe for territorial marking, but he's definitely showing other signs of being territorial. Weeks ago, he and his brother started sitting down and watching everything on potty breaks and walks. And recently, he started barking a little when people and dogs come into our yard (tonight he just did it again when we went out to potty and someone was walking their dog by, even though we couldn't see the dog at first).

Last night I think he peed in the house for attention. He was on the leash right by me and I sat down to clean out my pockets quickly. He walked right in front of me and then peed a couple of feet away. When I caught him starting, he immediately ran to the door. He wasn't excited and we had just been out to potty. It just felt like, "Hey, I wanted attention, you ignored my attempts, so now I'm peeing to get your undivided attention and a treat when you take me outside!"

Give it just a little more time and when you are playing with him and he starts rooting - take him outside - yes I know pain in the patooty - then bring him back in and play some more - each time he gets excited and rooting take him out. It wont take long for him to realize that he must go outside if he is that excited.

Yeah, I think that's our best bet.

The problem with teaching them to speak is that once they find their voice, it's hard to silence them again.

Very true!

I'd take him... he's adorable. I can't have pets where I am tho.

That, or "I already have several dogs/cats," or, "I can't afford a dog right now," seem to be the going responses. I totally get it--we can't have a permanent pet or an adult Porter-sized dog, either, and it's certainly better for people to know their limitations, rather than get an animal only to have to surrender it to a shelter or mistreat it when they can't deal with it for whatever reason.

There's a guy in our neighborhood who's really interested in him, though, so I'm hoping he can convince his wife to come meet (and hopefully fall in love with!) Porter. The guy and his kids seem really nice, excited about getting a dog and it'd be cool to have Porter stay in the area, since we'd probably get to see him on walks every now and then.

 

[wrenchjr]

i currently have 6

i currently have 6 dogs aged 12yrs to 6mos. This may sound cruel but i find that when they go in the house a quick nip on the ear while holding them near the pee spot then straight outside seems to work good for my wife and I. Also on the bell issue, we have a bell hanging from our door just because, and the dogs have trained themselves to jingle it when they want outside.