Re-Training a Puppy

In My Humble Opinion
1

We adopted a ridiculous little shih-tzu from a rescue last week. Her name is Jewels. Jewels came from a situation wherein she was neglected; her previous owner would confine her for long periods of time without taking her out to pee and poop. As a result, she held it in and ended up with bladder stones, which have since been surgically removed, and she is clear of any infections.

We brought her home Monday. We were warned that she may have some peeing in the house issues, but that she never, ever pooped inside. Okay, no problem we thought. Dave’s had animals his entire adult life, this shouldn’t be difficult.

A few accidents in the first day, pee, inside. I put it down to getting to know the place, fear, etc. No biggie. We figured by the third day that it was taken care of, as she hadn’t had any accidents in the house for the whole day.

Thursday, she went in to be spayed. After that, it all went to hell. She has pooped in the house three or four times, and peed as many times as well, in the few days since. This is with us taking her out at many intervals during the day; first thing in the morning (she’s crated at night), each time right after she eats, et cetera. I go outside with her and don’t play with her at pee time, and I praise her each time. She isn’t food-motivated, or I would give her a treat as well.

She is currently in our baby’s former play-yard (a six-gate contraption that serves as an outdoor playpen) outside. I can’t let her run outside because although our fence is complete, she’s a wee tiny 8-pounder who can squeeze under. She doesn’t go anywhere, but we live 20 feet from a major road and there is always the chance that she might. She is also not leash-trained, so taking her for walks doesn’t work. It’d be more of a drag than a walk.

Can anyone shed any light on our situation? I’m not about to abandon the poor thing after her rough short life (she was born January 2005), but neither can I have her constantly fouling our home.

2

Don’t give her a chance to go mess inside. When you can watch her, keep her on a short leash, even inside! That way you can keep an eye on her at all times and run her outside when she starts to squat. When you can’t watch her, or you leave the house (even for just a second, trust me!), put her in her kennel. The kennel should be small enough that if she messes in a corner, she won’t be able to get away–that will keep her from going. Eventually you should get to the point that when you are nearby she won’t mess, but I wouldn’t count on her ever being trusted unsupervised. My dog can’t be left alone for any amount of time outside her kennel, and I don’t expect she will ever get better.

3

Don’t think of it as re-training. Think of her as a brand-new puppy and treat her just the same.

I trained all three of my dogs with this method and I recommend it to anyone:

Begin with the new puppy by taking her out every couple of hours. It’s a pain in the ass (especially at night*) but you never have to correct mistakes if they never get a chance to make one. Take them out about ten minutes after they’ve eaten or drank because these are usually times when dogs want to go. As time passes, slowly lengthen the time between “outs”. If a mistake is made, go back to your last step in the lenghthening progression.

Once the dog can hold it for hours at a time, set up an “out” schedule. I take mine out at 5 PM, 8PM and 11 PM in the evenings. They get used to the schedule and won’t ask to go at other times unless they have a tummy upset.

Keep the puppy in your sight at ALL TIMES. If you are busy, put the puppy in a crate, but as a kindness to the puppy, try to keep him where he can see you while you’re at home. I used a baby’s play-pen that I bought at a second-hand store as the crate I would use duing house cleaning and the like. While you’re at work, put him in a smaller crate (just large enough to stand up and turn around).

Don’t correct the dog for a spot you find on the rug. The only time you can correct is if you see the dog squatting. Say “No!” in a sharp tone and take the puppy immediately out the door.

Take the puppy outside every time it whines. Again, it’s a pain in the ass until he figures out the connection, but well worth it in the end. After a while, he will learn that the whine tells the human he needs to pee and he won’t whine for any other reason.

How long have you had this dog, and how much have you done with her training-wise?

If you’ve had her for less than a year, don’t give up hope. My last adoption was an abused Jack Russel Terrier. I adopted him last October and he still has a lot of issues, but is slowly getting better.

There are very, very few dogs who are “hopeless.” Many need more intensive work and programs tailored to their personalities but almost every dog can be a good dog with effort and patience.

  • At night, you can stretch it out to four hours, just getting up once or twice in the night to let them out.
4

I’m a little concerned about this. Dogs need to be walked, and at 8 pounds, your new little pal can’t possibly overwhelm you. Begin leash training now, and walk her even if she isn’t controlled by it. When I got my black lab at the Humane Society, she was definitely not leash-trained and was strong to boot. We got through it. Dog parks are another option.

Exercised dogs are happier dogs, and in my experience, any problem behaviors are offset at least a little by good exercise. The rest is training.

5

I think you misunderstand. She doesn’t pull, she just huners down. She won’t walk. I wish she would get the hang of it, it would be nice to be able to walk her.

6

What a goofy thing! OK, I can see why walking her isn’t working for now.

7

As a puppy Tahoe did this–laying down, flopping around–it felt cruel to drag him, but leash training is important. Go to a soft grassy area, make sure she’s wearing a collar/harness she cannot squirm out of and just slowly, praising, coaxing, happy-loving voice all the time, “walk” her. Eventually, she will tire of being dragged, understand that you are the boss and get up and walk on her own four feet.

It feels so mean, but it was what we had to do and it worked.

I haven’t anything to add to the good advice on the other issues.

8

Heh. An eight-pound dog taking a fully grown woman for a drag. That’d be a sight to see.

9

Poor baby. My Sirius was like this when I got him. In a strange place he would lock all four legs and refuse to budge, trembling in fear.

It takes a while, but what she needs is exposure to the world around her in a non-threatening way. How is she about being carried? If she’s okay with it, start carrying her with you whenever you can while you go on your errands. I took Sirius with me to the bank, the dry cleaners and to pay bills. (Never to anywhere there was food or the place had a clear “no pets” policy. Otherwise, most places don’t seem to mind if the dog is in your arms and isn’t causing a ruckus.) Some dogs feel even more secure in a backpack where they can duck inside if they get really scared.

When you start trying to walk her make it a very short trip-- down to the end of the block, say. Walk as far out the door as she will go before locking up by luring her with treats. (Choose something super-yummy, like bits of hotdog.) The instant she freezes, sit down-- right on the edge of the sidewalk, if need be and make a show of being comfortable and relaxed. (If you’re nervous that she’ll get scared, she can sense that tension and will think there really is something to be afraid of.) Whenever she’s ready, get up slowly and try to lure her a few more feet. If she walks forward, praise her and give her the treat. Whatever you do, make sure the experience ends on a positive note. Don’t worry if you don’t get very far the first time or if she doesn’t seem to want to try. Try the same the next day, and then the next until she gets used to it.

Try to walk her in a quiet area where there aren’t a lot of cars rushing by or other people. You want to make it as calm as possible for her and work up slowly to interractions with other people and dogs and loud noises.

In the meantime, get her playing fetch or chasing a remote-controlled car-- anything you can do to make up some for not getting much exercise.

Another thing you might want to consider is Doggy Day Care. They’re getting really popular and chances are, there’s one near you. They usually charge by the hour, and some are more expensive than others. The reason why I recommend it is to get the dog used to being around new people, new situations and other dogs. She really needs to be socialized or she could become kind of maladjusted.

Polaris spent the first couple of weeks in Doggy Day Care huddled against a wall, too afraid to move, but slowly she started engaging with the other dogs and the trainers. It made a huge difference in her. Like your dog, she didn’t have a normal puppyhood, so she’ll always be a bit skittish, but I credit the experience with making her a lot better of a dog.

Your dog is probably always going to have special needs. She missed out on some crucial developmental steps, so she’ll probably always be a little timid. All you can do is gently encourage her and give her lots of treats to try to make the experiences as positive as possible. Be patient with her-- she’s probably scared out of her wits.