[sallyi]

Hi everyone!

I just joined the forum tonight!! Tonight I happened to adopt a 1 year old poodle (female) from my neighbor, who does not have enought time to take care of her. I have a HUGE problem...This dog is not housebrokened....

PROBLEM: She has been caged and sleeping in her filth for 1 whole year (her whole life). She goes to the bathroom anywhere she wants (in her crate and in the house). I tried the training pads, but she does not understand what it's for. I even soaked the training pads with her urine... but she still poops in her crate, steps all over it... right now I'm confining her in her crate. She cries all the time when she's confined. I think that she's scared of the cage/crate since she's been locked up all her life. She whines (when she's crated), barks (for no reason), craves for attention, extremely hyper (shoots off like a rocket and lands/jumps on you) and wants freedom from her cage/crate.

GOAL: Train her to do her potty ON the training pads. I live in an apartment so it's inconvenient to always take her out on a walk to let her do her potty jobs. To stop her from barking, whining and being radioactively HYPER!!

What should I do??? My mom set a 1 week deadline on me... If I can't housebreak my new dog, she's gona send her away >_<!! Please reply ASAP! HELP!

[cigwyllt]

Oh my word, what a challenge. A week is not very long at all to try to break the habit of a lifetime, even if that life time is only a year long.

This is what I would try - decide where the toileting area will be and place the pads there. Get a longish lead and attach it to your waist and to the dog so that wherever you go, the dog goes too.

You need to be very strict about meal times and not allow her any snacks between meals.

Take her to the area where you want her to go to the toilet and stand there. Don't look at her, don't speak to her, just keep her there, with the lead in your hand for 5 mins or so. If she doesn't go to the toilet then attach her to your waist again and carry on. Go back to the toilet area after half an hour and do the same again. No eye contact, no touch, nothing until she goes to the toilet.

You may need to do this every half hour or so, keeping her attached to your waist in between times. When she does go to the toilet act as though she has done the most amazing thing ever! Give her a really special treat - a small piece of cheese or a piece of smelly sausage. And praise her to the skies!

You will need to do this all day every day for her to get the message but at 12 months she is old enough to learn very quickly. She should have the control even if she doesn't have the knowledge of what is needed.

[sallyi]

Thank you very much! I've setup a spot just as you said except that i'm using newspapers instead of house training pads (she likes to scratch/dig the pads). instead of locking her, i've leashed her to the cage n she seems not skittish about it. Today she did her business on the newspaper and my WHOLE family was THERE! Everyone single person cheered and praised her great acheivement ^_^ haha ~

By the way, after negotiating with my mom today with a vet's explanation as my backup, she extended the deadline to 1 month's time. XD i hope my dog will learn fast

[cigwyllt]

That sounds great. It would be good if you could take her out as much as possible as well. I know you can't be running up and down stairs every hour or so but it might make a huge difference.

[CorkyMax]

I copied a couple of ideas here from various places. Hope they are helpful

This is a paragraph off the net:

You can also train a puppy to do his pooping and peeing on newspapers but if you teach your puppy to do his business on the newspapers, do not teach him to go both inside and outside the house to do his poo/pee. This will only confuse the puppy. Just pick one method and stick to it. Using newspapers or doggy pads to house train puppies is a very messy way of house training because if you use doggy training pads or newspapers, most puppies are going to just chew all this up and make a big mess but it does work. Me adding to this: Even though the above says to stick with one method---I would try doing what the below (in dk. red) says! I would think if you took soiled newspaper from the apartment and placed it outside in the spot you want your dog to go that it would not get confused because it is still using the soiled newspaper in both places (apartment and outside).

These two ideas are copied from earlier threads in this forum.

You have to make sure there is no urine/ammonia smell in the places she has gone in the house or she will continue to 'mark' these areas---Sounds like it will be hard to find it all with all the areas she has prob. 'hit' but!! Do not use any cleaner with ammonia in it--Urine has ammonia in it and to the dog's very, very sensitive nose--This is urine!

Take some newspaper with the fresh poo and pee on it and take it outside in a good spot you want your dog to go on. Do this as soon as you catch the dog going in the house or even later if you can't catch in the act--Take the dog (on a leash perhaps) with you to this area you put the newspaper on--Keep repeating and make sure there is this dirtied newspaper there until it gets the idea. LOl, change to new soiled newspaper periodically of course.

[sallyi]

Originally Posted by cigwyllt

That sounds great. It would be good if you could take her out as much as possible as well. I know you can't be running up and down stairs every hour or so but it might make a huge difference.

Hi there!

Today my Minnie (that's her name) peed on the newspaper ^_^! YAY! but strangely, she does not poo there -_-... I don't get why. Usually if a dog pees at a certain spot, they'd poo there to right?

It's the 4th day that Minnie is living with us and she still isn't eating normally. For a 3 kg poodle (1 year old) I'm feeding her Earthborn puppy food (1 cup per day). The reason that i"m feeding her puppy food is because I have another 3 month old chihuahua named Yuffie. I'd say that Minnie is eating only about 1/4 of a cup per meal (2 times a day). Is this normal or should I be worried :S

Here's another big problem: Yuffie hates Minnie while Minnie wants to play with her. Yuffie always growls and tries to fight the new comer. How can I make them get along??

Originally Posted by Corky/Max

I copied a couple of ideas here from various places. Hope they are helpful

This is a paragraph off the net:

You can also train a puppy to do his pooping and peeing on newspapers but if you teach your puppy to do his business on the newspapers, do not teach him to go both inside and outside the house to do his poo/pee. This will only confuse the puppy. Just pick one method and stick to it. Using newspapers or doggy pads to house train puppies is a very messy way of house training because if you use doggy training pads or newspapers, most puppies are going to just chew all this up and make a big mess but it does work. Me adding to this: Even though the above says to stick with one method---I would try doing what the below (in dk. red) says! I would think if you took soiled newspaper from the apartment and placed it outside in the spot you want your dog to go that it would not get confused because it is still using the soiled newspaper in both places (apartment and outside).

These two ideas are copied from earlier threads in this forum.

You have to make sure there is no urine/ammonia smell in the places she has gone in the house or she will continue to 'mark' these areas---Sounds like it will be hard to find it all with all the areas she has prob. 'hit' but!! Do not use any cleaner with ammonia in it--Urine has ammonia in it and to the dog's very, very sensitive nose--This is urine!

Take some newspaper with the fresh poo and pee on it and take it outside in a good spot you want your dog to go on. Do this as soon as you catch the dog going in the house or even later if you can't catch in the act--Take the dog (on a leash perhaps) with you to this area you put the newspaper on--Keep repeating and make sure there is this dirtied newspaper there until it gets the idea. LOl, change to new soiled newspaper periodically of course.

Hi there!

Thank you very much for your suggestions! I got the odor eliminator formula to clean up all the "accient areas" that Minnie soiled.

Today Minnie peed on the newspapers and my whole family was there to witness the miraculous event! Everyone praised and woot woot her XD! Hahaha~ But then, she doesn't poop on the newspaper, strangely. I thought that maybe she wanted to poop outdoors because she used to go for walks everday in the old family, so I took her out for a walk today; however, she doesn't seem to want to do her business outside anymore.

I'll try the new "poopy soiled" newspaper tactic tomorrow! Thanks again!

[cigwyllt]

Are you sure your chi is being aggressive? When dogs play together they can be very loud, lots to growling and snapping of teeth. Take a look on Youtube for dogs play fighting. It can be quite reassuring.

[sallyi]

Originally Posted by cigwyllt

Are you sure your chi is being aggressive? When dogs play together they can be very loud, lots to growling and snapping of teeth. Take a look on Youtube for dogs play fighting. It can be quite reassuring.

I checked the youtube already. NOpe, Yuffie is seriously against Minnie. Whenever Minnie enters the room, she'd hide and growl (baring her teeth). Whenever Minnie gets near Yuffie, she'd "scream" and snap at her; however, I dun think Minnie gets the message that she's not welcomed near her. Lol ~

Should I let them continue the "Tom & Jerry" actions or should I separate them?

[lovemyH&A]

Originally Posted by sallyi

I checked the youtube already. NOpe, Yuffie is seriously against Minnie. Whenever Minnie enters the room, she'd hide and growl (baring her teeth). Whenever Minnie gets near Yuffie, she'd "scream" and snap at her; however, I dun think Minnie gets the message that she's not welcomed near her. Lol ~

Should I let them continue the "Tom & Jerry" actions or should I separate them?

Sorry they're not getting along! For right now, maybe you could keep them separate, separate walks, separate feedings, etc. And, anytime they're together, make sure you watch them closely.

Learn to watch their body language. Know what habits each dog has when they're getting to their "boiling point" so you can act BEFORE they possibly snap at one another. Sometimes they body language can be very subtle, like a pulled back mouth, or a tail that is down instead of up.

Also, with your potty issues: I want to congratulate you on successful negotiations with your mom! The biggest tip I ever got about potty training is to always, always, always watch your dog when he is out (not in a crate). If you use the leash to tether him to you, he will always be in your sight. That way, you can see the signs that she is about to potty, and you can take her to the pad in time. That way, there should never really be any accidents, because you are constantly watching! Over time, he will learn what to do on his own, and not need you to take her there!

[sallyi]

Originally Posted by lovemyH&A

Sorry they're not getting along! For right now, maybe you could keep them separate, separate walks, separate feedings, etc. And, anytime they're together, make sure you watch them closely.

Learn to watch their body language. Know what habits each dog has when they're getting to their "boiling point" so you can act BEFORE they possibly snap at one another. Sometimes they body language can be very subtle, like a pulled back mouth, or a tail that is down instead of up.

Also, with your potty issues: I want to congratulate you on successful negotiations with your mom! The biggest tip I ever got about potty training is to always, always, always watch your dog when he is out (not in a crate). If you use the leash to tether him to you, he will always be in your sight. That way, you can see the signs that she is about to potty, and you can take her to the pad in time. That way, there should never really be any accidents, because you are constantly watching! Over time, he will learn what to do on his own, and not need you to take her there!

Hi there!!
I think I am doing something wrong... I kept Minnie on leash for the past few days and take her to the newspapers every 2 hours, BUT she doesnt do her business... The potty zone is in a fenced area and we put newspapers. She gets nervous when she is in the crate n her only objective is to get out. So we tried an area that does not have a fence (just newspapers only) n she still does not do her business. As you know, Minnie gets really nervous when she is in her crate n will scream/howl if we let her alone, so at night she sleeps at my mom's bed. She does not potty on the bed BUT during the night she will leave the bedroom n head to our hallway n potty there... We tried putting newspapers at the hallway but she doesnt potty there either... Am I suppose to tether her to me when I sleep??


Furthermore, this dog doesnt eat much for a 3 kg poodle. Less than 1 cup of dog food and doesnt drink much water unless she is panting from after exercise time. She used to eat a lot more in her old home. They fed her Royal Canine In-Door feed but im tryin to change her dog food to Earthborn. She doesn't produce much poops and when she does poop, it is small, hard, and black... Completely different from Yuffie's feces. In fact, Yuffie (chihuahua 1.15 kg) even does her potty more regularly n more in volume compared to Minnie.

Minnie mostly sleeps throughout the day... Is that why she doesnt potty normally??

By the way, I found out from the vet that my dog is actually 1 year and 8 months old. Does this mean an almost 2 year old dog have a different way of potty training than the suggestion provided above?

[sallyi]

Originally Posted by sallyi

Hi there!!
I think I am doing something wrong... I kept Minnie on leash for the past few days and take her to the newspapers every 2 hours, BUT she doesnt do her business... The potty zone is in a fenced area and we put newspapers. She gets nervous when she is in the crate n her only objective is to get out. So we tried an area that does not have a fence (just newspapers only) n she still does not do her business. As you know, Minnie gets really nervous when she is in her crate n will scream/howl if we let her alone, so at night she sleeps at my mom's bed. She does not potty on the bed BUT during the night she will leave the bedroom n head to our hallway n potty there... We tried putting newspapers at the hallway but she doesnt potty there either... Am I suppose to tether her to me when I sleep??


Furthermore, this dog doesnt eat much for a 3 kg poodle. Less than 1 cup of dog food and doesnt drink much water unless she is panting from after exercise time. She used to eat a lot more in her old home. They fed her Royal Canine In-Door feed but im tryin to change her dog food to Earthborn. She doesn't produce much poops and when she does poop, it is small, hard, and black... Completely different from Yuffie's feces. In fact, Yuffie (chihuahua 1.15 kg) even does her potty more regularly n more in volume compared to Minnie.

Minnie mostly sleeps throughout the day... Is that why she doesnt potty normally??

By the way, I found out from the vet that my dog is actually 1 year and 8 months old. Does this mean an almost 2 year old dog have a different way of potty training than the suggestion provided above?

UPDATE ON WHAT HAPPENED:

SO last night I DID keep Minnie on leash with me while I sleep... When she gets all figety on my bed, I immediately took her to the her "bathroom crate," put her IN the crate (since she is reluctant to get in there and is afraid of being locked), tie her to the wooden crate (since she can easily climb over the crate without a leash keeping her), and hid so she can potty on the newspapers. And yes, she did it! YAY! This was on the 2nd floor.

But today noon when I take her to the livingroom with the same soiled newspapers placed at her area, she didn't potty ON IT but INFRONT of it. -_-... There was no fence around the newspaper area at the livingroom since I just tie her to the sofa. This was at the 1st floor.

QUESTION: Is designating 2 potty areas for an almost 2 year old too complicated for them to understand; hence I should only stick to 1 potty area only??

I THINK she seems to remember the "Place" to potty but not "What to Potty On".

My goal is to teach her to potty on the newspaper instead of the designated area. Am I doing something wrong or should I continue what I am doing? please advise ^_^ Thank u!

[cigwyllt]

Well I have no experience of training an inside dog but at her age she is old enough to be able to "hold it" and should be capable of going through the night without needing to go to the toilet, especially as it isn't anxiety driven and she is with someone through the night.

Is there no way you can take her outside regularly? First thing in the morning, a couple of times through the day and then at bed time? It sounds like she is trying really hard and trying to please you.

[sallyi]

Originally Posted by cigwyllt

Well I have no experience of training an inside dog but at her age she is old enough to be able to "hold it" and should be capable of going through the night without needing to go to the toilet, especially as it isn't anxiety driven and she is with someone through the night.

Is there no way you can take her outside regularly? First thing in the morning, a couple of times through the day and then at bed time? It sounds like she is trying really hard and trying to please you.

It's kinda working out now! Minnie thinks the crate as her toilet area already, but she needs someone to take her there; otherwise, she won't step in. But at least it's a start ^_^.

Is it normal that a poodle poops very little?? (and she eats very little compared to Yuffie) Like twice a day but her feces are like the size of a marble... 4 to 5 drops... My 4 month old chihuahua's feces are even bigger than Minnie's.

[EscVelocity]

Originally Posted by sallyi

It's kinda working out now! Minnie thinks the crate as her toilet area already, but she needs someone to take her there; otherwise, she won't step in. But at least it's a start ^_^.

Is it normal that a poodle poops very little?? (and she eats very little compared to Yuffie) Like twice a day but her feces are like the size of a marble... 4 to 5 drops... My 4 month old chihuahua's feces are even bigger than Minnie's.

Have you spoke to the vet about her bowl movements? It is somewhat normal for a dog who is going through a food change to have some issues. That is why most people recommend a gradual change when switching foods, by adding some new food into the old food gradually until you are completely feeding the new food. However, she should probably be on a dog food diet that is more in tune with her age. Puppy food does differ from adult dog food, and could be a cause of her hard stools. She may not be eating so much food because the calorie and fat count in puppy food is a lot higher than adult dog food. Puppies are generally more active and can burn these extra's, while adult dogs tend to calm down. If you continue with the puppy food, it can lead to obesity in adult dogs.