Dog Training Q&A

Jessica is having trouble with her new Labrador/Golden Retriever cross:

“my bf and i recetnly bought a 6 month old blk lab/ golden retreiver puppy hes not housebroken….we’ve had him for almost 2 weeks now. he ends up pee’n and pooping on the carpet right infront of me.. the family we bought him from said he was house broken as soon as we brought him home he went on the carpet … and then we took him on vacation with us to VA and he does nothing but go on my friends brand new carpet we’ve been here for about a week now my bf takes him out every hour and he wont go.. he’ll end up going when he comes home.. and weve tried alot of ways to make him go outside… we only leave the house for about 2 hours a day and leave him home alone. .please help.. i dont know what to do.”

OK, my first bit of advice is aimed at readers of this post, as it is too late for you to do this bit, but will help anyone who rescues or buys a dog that is old enough to go out after having all their shots..

Provided your dog is old enough to not have to be kept at home for the first few weeks (and in the case of this question, six months old falls into that category), the first time you bring them home, do not go straight into the house! Take them for a 15 or 20 minute walk around the neighborhood so they can get used to the new surroundings.  This will not only help burn off some nervous energy (that might cause them to involuntarily pee or poop in your house), but also stimulates them to mark and therefore hopefully empty their bowel and bladder.  By praising them when they do, you are teaching the dog where the right place to potty is.

The other issue that might make the problem worse is immediately taking the dog on a trip with you.  Dogs are very sensitive to changes in their environment.  Ideally, there should be a “boring” routine for the first few weeks when you rehome an older dog (the exact same walking route at the same time each day – seven days a week – etc..).  You can get some great tips about what I mean and why it’s important here: The Two Week Shutdown

I would wait until you are back home and try to establish a routine (look at other posts in the housetraining category here).  Food at set times and regular walks (not just taken into the yard – again, use the dog’s natural marking instinct – if you are out and about, the dog will pee and poop to leave their own scent for others to find)

Give your dog time to settle and set a routine to suit your lifestyle and the dog’s toilet habits and things should be fine within a few weeks

Nancy has this problem:

“Just rescued a 2 yr old snoodle, Scooter, is is name, he was housebroken at one time but now is confused, you can walk him for an hour and he will wait until you are not looking or even looking and he will pee inside and hide to poop
I am now crating him when he is out of my site, is this the correct procedure? The only time he is safe to not pee or poop is in the bed with me at night, in his dog bed at the end of my feet in the bed with me. Please tell me how to teach Scooter to pee and poop outside so he can have free rein of the house when I am not home” (more…)