Help with my puppy

[Missdirected]

Okay guys, I am at my wits end with this puppy! He is so smart - I can teach him a new trick daily but the potty training :shakehead I am about to pull my hair out. I can't give him away, I love him to bits, but good grief... Any suggestions?

Also we go to Costa Rica soon and I am fearing he will be worse when I get back.

Background: He is a yellow lab about 5 1/2 months old. My son's gf got him when she turned 18, cause she could Anyway, at about four months she realized he was too much, so I took him.

 

[Scuba65]

The best thing and only thing I would recommend for housebreaking is crate training. the best thing that ever has come up is that. I have to rotties and I have had other dog's in the past..and that's the only way I've been able to potty trained them is by crate training.

 

[cbborromeo]

I agree with Scuba65 about the crate training. If you don't have a crate, then barricade the pup in the kitchen for a time. Most importantly, use one of those enzyme cleaners to kill the pee smell around your house. Even if you use bleach and the odor goes away for you...dogs can still smell it and will continue to pee in their old spots. I went through about 5 gallons of that stuff before my pup was trained properly.

Last resort is to call a dog trainer who will show what you can do to train your dog properly. I only had one session with a dog trainer and I found out so many things!

Best of luck!

 

[dsteding]

Welcome to dog ownership (I grew up around retrievers, my mother is a dog trainer, so I know a bit about this).

Bottom line is this involves schedules and using commands, you want the dog to get used to the idea that it is going to be taken out regularly. Use a leash, take you dog out at regular intervals (once every two hours) and do it after feeding, before you leave the house, and in the evening before bed. The dog will eventually (over like two, three months) get used to this schedule.

Basic training of your dog now, as in heeling, having it come when you call it, teaching it not to jump on strangers, and teaching it not to beg, will have great benefits down the line. Crate training is a good suggestion, my mom still crates her dogs when she is out of the house, and if you have more than one dog, it is a good idea to keep them separated so the bond to you and not to each other.

A quick google search yielded this article, which isn't a bad start:

http://www.8pawsup.com/articles/training/housebreaking.html

My guess is this pup is a bit behind the learning curve because the girlfriend probably didn't understand the significance of dog ownership, unfortunately the burden is now on you to correct that mistake. Good luck, a deliberate, thoughtful, proactive approach will be successful, and you will eventually have a dog that you really enjoy being around.

Oh, and basic puppy classes are not a bad idea either.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Wonder if my husband would let me foster him for your trip, of course you'd have to get him to Ohio

When we potty trained our yellow female (now 3 yrs old) we just kept an eye on her constantly and when it looked like she was snooping for a potty spot we took her outside. She figured the "outside" and "door" part out quickly but since we were taking her outside without her asking she missed the "how to ask to go out" part. She would sit quietly by the door until we noticed OR until she couldn't hold it any more and she would potty by the door. Keep him in a crate as the others said and make sure it's not too big, he should be able to stand, turn around and lay down comfortably but that's it. Most dogs won't potty where they sleep.

Make a big deal out of it when he does it right, Labs love to please!
Good luck!
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[drbill]

So glad that "our" old English sheepdog got potty "trained" with one swat from a newspaper. I hated to do it, but he never made the mistake again. Tough love.

 

[herman]

Crate training is the way to go. It's simple and effective. Just make sure the crate is just big enough for the dog to lie in but no more room than is necessary. Any time the dog is not in the crate, keep one eye on them and any hint they are considering taking a bathroom break (walking around sniffing), take them outside immediately. I prefer to make them follow me to the door and sit for a minute or so, that way they get the idea of going to the door and waiting when they have to "go". Most labs take less than a week to train.

 

[CBulla]

Crating helps out soo much!

 

[tstormdiver]

Yes! crating, definitely. Dogs are denning animals & will not mess in the same area where they sleep. Also try to have set times when you take him (or her) out. Take him out first thing in the morning & after each feeding (do not leave food down at all times, have set feeding times to get his system on a regular schedule), a couple of times though the day & just before bed at night. Don't worry about the crate seeming mean, it's not. The dog will look at the crate as a safe haven, when he wants to get away & rest. My Lab routinely sleeps in hers.

 

[Missdirected]

Okay, I have the crate. He doesn't go potty in there and does know that is a safe haven.

Carpet cleaning - doing that regulary! I am the queen of that I believe

Now he was doing really great but as soon as I give him the tiniest leeway, meaning let him roam the house some w/o my direct supervision, bammo! I was keeping him right under my feet. Maybe I should go back to that and if I can't have him right under me put him in the crate? I have to say, I feel really bad sticking him in the crate when I am home.

I also take him out about ten minutes after eating. Especially at morning and night - that is when he does ALL the business. So you guys really think it will just take longer since he wasn't properly trained in the beginning? I guess the only thing I kinda wonder there is that he catches on to new tricks so quickly. After about ten minutes he will have a new trick down. :ne_nau:

*Here and there, when we went to the door, I was trying to get him excited to go out - getting him all riled up. Someone mentioned staying at the door a minute or two. I haven't done that one religiously but I will do now. That is what some of you are saying, yes?

* I noticed as I was writing that (here and there) that shows inconsistency on my part!

Oh and just fyi, I have a five year old German Sheperd now.

Thanks for your time and input.