Problems house training
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| Wow; this sounds tough! Good for you for taking this sweetie in and being willing to work with her!
I'd suggest using a bell when you take your new sheepdog out. One of my two pups had a hard time with house training. Bell training involves hanging a bell near or on the door that you use to take your dog out. I ring the bell before we go out, then we go, and the dog does their business. Eventually the idea is that they associate ringing the bell with going out, and will ring the bell themselves to tell you they need to go. Its worked for us. it can backfire on you... my other dog has associated ringing that bell with just wanting to go our for any reason. Ride in the car? Ring the bell. Play in the yard? Ring the bell. Want to go for a walk? Ring the bell!!! But its worth not having the messes on the floor!!! |
| I am glad you found the perfect dog for you!
you may have to crate her for a while to let her tell you she needs to go out - but if she is a puppy mill dog she may feel free to go in the crate. Keep her off of carpeting if possible - we had a dog that would only pee on carpet or grass when we got her - her fiirst snowy winter was a treat. Use an enzyme rug cleaner for the urine smell. but many here have found it easier to get rid of the carpeting. |
She wasn't a sheepdog, but my husband's coonhound lived the 1st year and a half chained up to a barrel. 
No socialization, no manners, no concept of what furniture, toys or anything was. Potty training took lots of work. It still isn't perfect - she has pee accidents occasionally. We have had her almost 2 years - in January. She is incredibly loving and the sweetest dog. She was fearful of people - she was a basket case. My grandkids can do anything with her now - in fact she thinks my 6 month old grandson is her's exclusively (we are working on that one!) We used frequent potty trips out with the other dogs, out everytime she got up and started walking around. Kept her in eyesight at all times in the house - shut doors, put up gates. We crate her when she can't be supervised - she still will scavenge (oh - did I mention they starved her too? )
Good luck, the hard ones are worth it!  |
| First, congratulations on adding this beautiful sheepdog to your family.
As the other posters have mentioned, she can be housetrained. Just expect it to take a lot of time and patience on your part. Each time you take her out and she pees or poops, praise her ("good pee" or some other phrase that you use consistantly). It doesn't matter what you say...just use the phrase consistantly. Also, try to bring her to the same place each time you take her out to pee. She will get the idea in time. Enzymatic cleaners are great for removing stains and oders. I typically use Nature's Miracle (I acutally buy it by the gallon since I do a lot of fostering). There are some other out there....just check what your local shop carries. One last thought - if you haven't done it already, have her checked by a veterinarian for a possible medical issue such as a urinary tract infection. That can also cause a dog to have accidents. Good Luck Jennifer, Baxter, Cassiopia and Abby |
| Thank you for rescuing this sweetie. Great advice so far. With Oscar, positive reinforcement was key. Every time we took him out, we said (signed, as he is deaf) "potty" as he peed, and most importantly, gave him his absolute favorite treat the second he was finished. It does require that you take her out on a leash and return immediately back to the house so she knows what she is being rewarded for. It also means separating potty time and playtime outside for awhile, but it does work.
When Oscar had accidents in the house, no muss, no fuss, no drama, we just cleaned them up as if nothing had happened and went about our business. He figured out that potty in the house meant no treat, and potty outside meant that he got a goodie, so it didn't take long. If Oscar could hear, we would have tried the bell method in addition to the positive reinforcement, as I have many friends who have been successful using the bell by the door. Good luck with your pup. Laurie and Oscar |
| Jennifer_t and Oscar's Mom are both quite right! I used to praise the heck out of my girls when they'd go outside. So much so that "Be good!" became our command for them to pee!!! We'd tell them how good they were whenever they went outdoors instead of in, lavishing them with praise (house breaking two at one time was heard, so we might have over-reacted a bit when they did it right). Then we'd go out, and I'd say something like "who wants to be good?" And they'd squat right then and there, to get that praise! Now I just have to command them to "be good" and they pee. |
| Thank you to all who have sent advice. I feel so much better knowing that others have been through difficult times with their dogs. I'm also encouraged to hear that others were able to take dogs with sad pasts and make them a part of your family. She was totally baffled by my kids at first, but now lets them brush her, hug her, play, all of that. She's going to be great. I'm getting a baby gate today so that will help. I just don't have the heart to crate her, but she is confined to one room at night now--a room with no carpeting and I'm happy to report that last night and this morning we had no mess on the floors! I feel very encouraged and being able to share with all of you has helped so much. I have to admit that for the first week or so I thought I had lost my mind or was going to! I'll try Nature's Miracle for the carpeting. I have another enzymatic cleaner, but I can still smell it so either it's not doing its job, or I'm not getting all of the spots. Again, fellow sheepdog lovers, thank you so much! |
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