Hi;

I'm new and I've got a problem, isn't that the way it always starts?

I've got a 6 month old Boxer, he's crate trained, and house broken. Mostly.

He pees and poops outside, but then he'll come back in and go for a dump in my living room within an hour or 2 of us coming back in. He's not asking to go out again, and he's doing what I'd think would be a full load in the yard (it's big enough I don't know where he's putting the rest!).

He eats well, doesn't get fed table scraps. I treat him when we go out. He's crate trained. But I can't trust him out of my sight.

What I don't understand is that he doesn't pee in the house anymore, just poop.

Any advice? I'm at my whits end. I can't leave him caged and I can't have him with me 24/7 (he doesn't fit in the bathroom!).

Thanks a bunch!
~ K.

Beat him to it. That's to say, 55 minutes after coming back in, take him back out, whether he's asked or not. Give him 10 minutes to have another bowel movement, and then come back in. Take him back out in 15 or 20 minutes. Repeat the process until he eliminates again, outside. When he does, praise him enthusiastically, so he'll know that's where he supposed to go. If you have to, crate him during the in house times between taking him back out for his second elimination.

If you still weren't able to time the outing just right, and you catch him going in the house, get visibly upset. Shout "NO! NO IN HOUSE!" and adopt an upset body posture. Then lead your dog outside, by the collar if you have to. Once outside again, tell him to "Potty OUTSIDE." After a few minutes, bring him in, crate him, and clean up the mess.

That is really solid advice. I would also add that if this does not work try letting him know a little more that you are upset. I practically had to ignore my dog for a week or so before she learned what she was doing wrong.

I don't agree with ignoring your dog. They don't have the mental capacity to understand why they are being ignored. They rely on instinct. They are all about the here and now.

You must catch him in the act and scold him loudly. Also, you have to kill off the scent from the spot he likes to dump on. There are many products on the market which eliminate the a dog's scent. Never use bleach or an ammonia based detergent because this tends to attract a dog's nose. Use a product that is made purposely for pet odor elimination.

Hope this helps!
__________________
For other training needs, check out:
Happy K-9 Dog Care: Your All-in-one Resource Guide
SitStayFetch: Effective Dog Training

Originally Posted by Nansetty

I don't agree with ignoring your dog. They don't have the mental capacity to understand why they are being ignored. They rely on instinct. They are all about the here and now.

You must catch him in the act and scold him loudly. Also, you have to kill off the scent from the spot he likes to dump on. There are many products on the market which eliminate the a dog's scent. Never use bleach or an ammonia based detergent because this tends to attract a dog's nose. Use a product that is made purposely for pet odor elimination.

Hope this helps!
__________________
For other training needs, check out:
Happy K-9 Dog Care: Your All-in-one Resource Guide
SitStayFetch: Effective Dog Training

But I have also been told that even yelling at you dog is rewarding them because you are speaking to them, therefore giving them the attention they want.

Oh yes they have the mental capacity to understand being ignored. Watch a mother dog discipline a pup sometime. She'll deliver whatever correction she deems necessary, then ignore the pup, even push him away, until he "kisses up", which is the doggy equivalent of an apology. It's her way of saying "If you can't play nice I won't play with you at all." Even puppies in a litter will ignore another pup who isn't playing nice. They do understand it.

It's instinctive for a dog to understand that there's safety in numbers. A dog in a pack has a much greater chance of survival than a dog on its own. Being shunned, driven out of the pack, can mean a dog's chance of long term survival is extremely reduced. This is doubly true for a puppy or very young dog.

Because we've created dogs to live within our society, we've also bred them to like being around humans, and to be adaptable to what we require of them. It's also been shown through research that dogs are very capable of interpreting human gestures and body language, and understanding what we mean. We've bred them to be this way over the centuries that dogs have been living as members of a human society. Wolves can't do it. They have no need to. Even chimpanzees can't do it. But dogs can, and do.

There are a couple things you should think about:

1. Control feeding. If you know when your dog is eating, it's easy to figure out when he will have to go out. Take him out 4 times instead of 2. If you have to, take him out like he isn't housetrained. It's possible you went 75% of the way but didn't completely housetrain him.

2. If he doesn't finish the food, take it away. Don't just leave food in the bowl, it will make it difficult to determine when he has to go.

3. Why can't you crate him? Please do not think the crate is a bad thing. I have a year old boxer that loves the crate. She spends most of her time in there. Just be sure the crate isn't so big that your dog can eliminate in one corner and lay down in the other. The crate should only be big enough to stand up, turn around, and lay back down. Remember, dogs are den animals.

Chad
www.virtualdogtrainer.com

I agree with Vetgroomer, those facts are important. However, when you are disciplining your dog when he/she does go in the house make sure that you don't just start shouting "NO, NO POOP HERE" or whatever words you use. Instead, make your tone calm but stern and authoritative. If you yell at a dog out of anger, they tend not to understand and consider you in a weak state of mind, ignoring you and the behavior. But if you speak with calm assertiveness, they will listen better, and it keeps your own voice from going hoarse. Then proceed with bringing them outside. Remember to reward going outside with the same. Not excitement, but with a calm agreement of the behavior. A few "good, good boy!" can go a ways longer then clapping your hands, shouting "GOOD GOOD POOPY" and petting him all over. This can sometimes distract the dog from what you were applauding in the first place, and just creates excited energy so that when you go into the house they are very excited and might go inside the house.