My Puppy Is Disgusting

[Desert Tortoise]

What everyone else has said. I would only add that when I took my dog outside with the leash, I took him to the area of the yard I wanted him to do his business.

This taught him to go in one specific area of the yard. I have a big yard and my experience with dogs is they like to poop all over the place. By teaching him to go to one corner (the far back corner) it made clean up easier and it was out of sight and smell. (I live in the desert.)

I was more leaniant with peeing since I could easily hose down that part of the yard. Especially as he got older and the old boy didn't really want to go too far into the yard to pee.

Good luck!

[Aggie_Ama]

Mimi,

Thanks for the tips but I am sorry your friend felt the need to say she felt sorry for my dog though. No one who knows me personally would EVER feel sorry for my animals, in fact I am shocked after what we did for Maggie Bear that many on TE followed to see that put on this forum it actually made me cry. I know I am frustrated with my little guy but I also love him to bits. My husband does as well but he wasn't living with me with Heidi so this is his first puppy ever.

I recognize this is not his fault, it is mine but it still doesn't make it hard to not be frustrated when he is constantly playing in his feces and needs to be bathed daily.

[Aggie_Ama]

To address the other suggestions:

He has had four vet visits, they said he is perfect health but did show a super stubborn streak typical of schnauzers. He is smart, he knows sit and stay already. He also knows what "go to bed" means and will sometimes go. We broke him of being a biter in about one week by just telling him no when he did it. He is already showing progress on not jumping which we started last week.

I think the part that is frustrating is Heidi potty trained so easily, I got her at three months old, she crate trained easily and my mom has Jens' brother who is also already almost completely potty trained. Her dog will alert them of his need to go already so I am skeptical that Jens is too young. I will take him out on a leash, I hadn't started him on one because I don't like to collar leash small dogs and he is only now large enough for the harness that was the smallest I could find (I sure they make smaller but I couldn't find it). I have already been taking him to the same spot on the grass. I can start getting up multiple times a night, I had read at his age he should be able to hold it about 4-5 hours which is how long he is usually kenneled overnight. I feed him on a dependable schedule, the last feeding is as soon as I get home at 6:30-7 but I probably don't feed him quite early enough in the morning. We come home at lunch to let him out. Unfortunately we live 25 miles away so we can only come home at lunch. My husband would take him to his work but they have no airconditioning and it is 105 degrees in Texas right now, he does not feel it is a suitable condition for the dog. Plus he is having a problem with rattlesnakes and does not want any employees bringing their dogs because of them.

[redrhodie]

I don't have any tips, but you are obviously very loving and great dog owner. I am a cat person, but even they can be very frustrating, and kittens, forget about it! They drive you nuts (but it's worth it!). Just know this is temporary. I'm sure you'll figure it out. Take the good advice, and leave the other. 8 was harsh, but remember, it was said by someone who is a friend of a member, who doesn't know who you are, or what you went through with your other dog. Take it with a grain of salt. You know it isn't true, and so do most of us.

[Aggie_Ama]

Take it with a grain of salt. You know it isn't true, and so do most of us.

Thanks Red, just got my sensitive pants on today. I see a lot of good advice in this thread so I am going to try a few different things with Jens. In a few months I will be saying what a good boy he has learned to be.

[Biciclista]

Amanda, my friend likes animals more than people and sees through their eyes more than ours and is cynical to boot. I am glad you are taking suggestions to heart, and I am sorry if she offended you. Her advice is brilliant though so I thought it would be worth it to share it here.

[Sardine]

Amanda,

I have to say that I thought the comments by the dog trainer were a bit harsh But I've had some experience of them (friends etc.) and sometimes, their negative experiences can make them less tolerant than they could be. I don't know you but would suggest that you don't take it to heart. I followed the thread about your dog Heidi and was very moved by your dedication and devotion to her. I hope she's doing well now. For about a year, I had been nursing my boy, a 13+ basset hound, who was progressively deteriorating due to arthritis so your experience struck a chord. I finally had to let him go in February. Your dogs are lucky to have you. Persevere and you'll find something that works. I wish you well.

[meggers113]

I'm not sure how much truth there is to this, but when we house broke our first puppy, I remember reading that some dogs get pleasure from watching thier humans clean up after them. Whenever my puppy would make a mess in the house, I'd put him in a different room or outside while I cleaned up the mess.

We got lucky in that our second dog was easier to house break than the first, I can't imagine going the other direction and having a more difficult time the second time around. Hang in there, he'll get it eventually!

[Biciclista]

Amanda,

I have to say that I thought the comments by the dog trainer were a bit harsh But I've had some experience of them (friends etc.) and sometimes, their negative experiences can make them less tolerant than they could be. I don't know you but would suggest that you don't take it to heart. I followed the thread about your dog Heidi and was very moved by your dedication and devotion to her. I hope she's doing well now. For about a year, I had been nursing my boy, a 13+ basset hound, who was progressively deteriorating due to arthritis so your experience struck a chord. I finally had to let him go in February. Your dogs are lucky to have you. Persevere and you'll find something that works. I wish you well.

you said it!

[Aggie_Ama]

Thanks biciclista and Sardine. Like I sad, I am sensitive especially with my furkids.

Meggers- I think you may be right. The dogs want your attention and so they see you responding to something they did.


This is actually my third dog to housebreak and despite being an abused rescue Maggie Bear housebroke with ease. I think she was so eager to please and get love she learned what Heidi was doing. She only had struggles after her kidneys started failing.

Oh and since Sardine mentioned her, Heidi is doing amazing! She is walking, even running, she can sit normal, she does seem to tire easily but I am not sure that is the back still healing or the fact that she is about to turn 10 years old and aging. She does still have a shake in one side of her back legs but she can potty without going on herself, she will get a re-check at 8 weeks but she is better than we expected.

[RubyTuesday]

If you don't mind my rambling, I will tell you what happened to me when I was training my Maxwell, when he was a pup. The advice I got, was probably the best single advice I ever got from anyone. So here goes the story:

Maxwell was 10 weeks old when I got him and it was January and cold (by California standards). I didn't have a doggy door, so Maxwell was crate trained. He slept most of the night in his crate (with one scheduled outing at about 2:00 am). We would take him out in the morning to pee and usually he would go and then back in the house for breakfast. This is where it got interesting. After breakfast he always needed to go back out to poop. So we would take him out again, standing there with our treats to give him a reward when he presented us with a poop or a pee. However, on this second trip out, he would do nothing. He would walk around smelling the bushes and the trees and a big zero would happen. It was cold, so we would stand there freezing waiting for the gift from Maxwell .......nothing. When we first brought him home, he would always go for us after breakfast and we would give him his treat and then race in the house with the puppy. But somewhere along the lines, it changed and he would not go now after breakfast. Finally, in desperation, we would take him back in the house where he would immediately pee on the floor or worse poop on the floor. Huh? what??? You were just outside!!!! Why now? He did this for over a week until I was ready to scream. He would not pee outside, just when he got back in the house.

I finally called a friend who raises dogs in desperation. When I told her the story she laughed and said she knew how to fix it. Seems as if, Maxwell enjoyed his treats after a pee, but he enjoyed being outside even more. He would go first thing in the morning because he wanted to go back in the house for breakfast. But, after breakfast he wanted to play outside. I wanted to go in because I was cold. My friend told me to stop and think like a dog. She said that Maxwell viewed my picking him up and carrying him in the house, after he pee'd or poop'ed as a punishment. He wanted to be outside sniffing the trees and bushes while I wanted nothing more for him to pee and then grab him and go in the house because I was cold. So Maxwell would hold the pee as long as he could while he was outside because if he did, I would not pick him up and take him in......punishment in his eyes. Once in the house, oh yeh, now he can pee cuz he is already where he didn't want to be.

So, the next morning we took Maxwell outside after breakfast. I planned on the long wait with a heavy coat. I waited and waited and waited and waited.....finally, I waited him out. He was also done being outside and he poop'd. I gave him the treat for the gift and then did NOT pick him up and take him inside. I let him stay outside sniffing around some more. Then after he adequately had time to forget he had poop'd, I carried him in the house. We did this every morning. He played outside after he pee'd or poo'd and I waited him out and did not carry him in the house after he produced.

After this revelation, we had no other problems with potty training. Maxwell knew he would get to stay outside and I got my puppy's pee on the grass.

Think like a puppy if you can. Is your sweet baby thinking she is being punished for something? Are you treating her after she pee's each and every time? Are you doing something after the puppy pee's that makes her feel like she is being punished? I know it is hard to think like a dog, because we are humans. But this was a changing point in our puppy's training and I hope it will help you think like your dog.

One last thing. Puppies are not vindictive. They don't punish you for an action or hold a grudge. They are a bit like goldfish. If you don't catch your dog's pee'ing in the crate or pooping in the crate or on the floor, it is YOUR fault and not the puppy. Don't bother yelling at them after the fact, they have no idea what you are saying. They hear "blah blah blah blah and it is really loud. But, they have no clue why you are angry. That was a really good thing for me to learn. If you catch them making the mistake punish immediately and then let it go, because they will want to sit on your lap and snuggle within a minute after they got in trouble. All is forgiven as far as dogs are concerned, one minute after it happens.

Good luck with your beautiful baby. I am sorry I was so long winded.

[Biciclista]

wow, Ruby, that was choice!

[Irulan]

Is there any way to re organize your time so you aren't leaving for big chunks of time for work? I would think that would be very tough on a young dog.

[Aggie_Ama]

I think you are on to something Ruby, I think he wants in to be with us so he doesn't want to potty outside because he has our undivided attention. Heidi usually goes and is let back in so he has us all to himself.

I usually don't leave the house until 7:00, I just get up when my husband does so the dogs can. I am actually usually home by 6:00 but he goes out and dinner is not until the dogs get to potty and the cat box gets cleaned. There is no way to re-organize our work schedules the best we can do is come home at lunch. The longest he is home is if we car pool and that is 6 hours before lunch.

[PamNY]

Ruby, excellent example of humans learning to understand dogs.