step in the wrong direction
* i noticed traces of poo on the newspaper which suggested that he had eaten it to hide the evidence. * he has been refusing to do a number 2 outside, and im giving him loads of time, and instead he has done it under the kitchen table and in the bathroom. is this a temporary setback? what am i doing wrong? he was doing so well |
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| It sounds to me that Alfie is afraid to poop in front of you. Perhaps when he has had an accident he sensed your disapproval and/or frustration. House-training takes an abundance of patience and for every step forward you will have 2 steps back. You will think ah he's got it only to find the next week he is having a million accidents. He is not old enough to even realize that he has to go. Just keep taking him out....every 20 minutes or so. If she doesn't potty when I take her out.....she goes back into the crate. She is really good about not pottying in her crate so I know if she does have to go she will tell me. As soon as she wakes from a nap I take her out right away before we play.
I make a huge happy fuss when she does well(potty outside) and at this point I say nothing when she is having an accident...I just take her outside and then clean up the mess. Yes some days are just miserable...and some days are great....its all part of puppy parenthood, and thankfully is does go by quickly....it just doesn't seem that way when you are right in the middle of it. Richy don't be worried about Alfie being in the crate when you are home, it you cannot watch him 100% its better he is in the crate. When you said he pooped under the kitchen table and the bathroom that suggests to me that maybe he is having too much freedom when he is not crated. (if I remember correctly he is crated right?) If Alfie is eating his poop on a regular basis you can put a teaspoon of pureed pumpkin in his food (the pure pumpkin not the pie stuff) this makes the poop not tasty to a dog. It worked for me, I had a dog that liked to eat the poop of my other dogs. It was gross, but thankfully she got over that phase quickly. |
| i should have said no he is not crated.
i have now taken ot having alfie in the room with us at all times though so i can keep my eye on him. |
Richy wrote: i should have said no he is not crated.
i have now taken ot having alfie in the room with us at all times though so i can keep my eye on him. OK, I thought Alfie was crated. Crating is the EASIEST way to house-train a dog. It also gives them a safe place to be when you can't watch them. Most dogs LOVE their crate, its their 'den'. Dog's don't like to potty where they sleep so a crate helps that. And when they are older you just enlarge their area little by little and then they get the idea that the whole house is their 'den' and they won't potty inside. Where is Alfie when you are not home? Is he just in your kitchen? When Aflie starts teething...which will be soon, he will want to chew and he won't know that he isn't allowed to chew your table, or cupboards or doors. Crating eliminates this as well.....just my opinion.  |
| we have a large reception hallway (its a flat we live in - or should say apartment) and so he's in the hall when we're not in, with all the doors closed. its a decent sized area, but contained enough that he should consider it his 'den'.
what i have noticed is that anytime he poops when we're out, its always on the newspaper, which is nearest the front door, and furthest away from his bed, so in some ways he is getting the hang of it... im not sure i can really afford one of those crates, and there isnt a great deal of room for them, if they are as big as i think.. we're on the ground floor, which helps a little, and there really isnt anything other than a radiator in the hall, to chew on. |
If you can't get a crate, your set up sounds good....just don't be surprised if one day he chews on the wood frames around the door way. Scarlet has already done that on the doorway to the garage pen from the dog run. 
And if Alfie is pooping furthest from where he is sleeping I would say yes he is getting it! The crate I have is 76cm high, 52cm wide and 90 cm long, and yes they are a little pricey.....but it saves my furniture from being chewed so I consider it a good investment My other 2 sheepies have the same size crates and they are full grown, so unless Scarlet is a lot bigger than my other 2, this crate will be the only one she needs. |
| I live in Glasgow, and while the place i am in at the moment is a pretty good area, its still glasgow (read "no mean city" if you arent familiar)...
As i said, im on the ground floor, and so, at the moment during the day our curtains are closed in the living room. My plan in the long term was that when alfie is big enough, and more importantly, trained enough, when we're out he can have the run of the house... This would mean that i could start opening my curtains during the day because any would be burglars would be presumably deterred by alfie: unless of course they know that he would really just lick them to death. |
| Pets at Home sell a liquid to put in the dogs food which is tastelss going in but flavours the poo so they don't eat it!! |
Richy wrote: i have now taken ot having alfie in the room with us at all times though so i can keep my eye on him.
This is a good plan, but make sure that you react appropriately. When you see his signals for potty. (sniffing the ground, doing in circles etc.) take him outside IMMDEDIATELY, and when he does his job give him a treat and have a party. If you don't get him outside in time, then smack yourself upside the head and try harder next time....
Do NOT scare him or scold him for doing potty near you, or you will never be able to reward him for going outside. He will hide from you all the time, inside and outside, and you will find presents hidden away inside the hosue where he will feel safe. Good luck. |
Bosley's mom wrote: If you don't get him outside in time, then smack yourself upside the head and try harder next time....
LOL! There are a few things that we "taught" Bailey that I'm still smacking myself in the head about  |
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