Stupid dog training

[Mikayla]

We have a really stupid dog. And I really don't like calling him that, but he is.

He is about nine months old, we got him from the shelter in February, he is a Shi-Tzu. (Profile picture deal is him) He is not potty trained after months of trying, he chews, he digs, he howls and he pees when you pick him up. And that's just the beginning.

My parents want to get rid of him, but they really haven't tried to train him, because I'm the animal lover it's my job. They have no plans to help me, so basically, I have tried to train him previously but all tries have failed. Does anybody here have any advice on how to train him?

 

[alli713]

Have you ever taken a dog training class before? If you haven't I suggest it as it can help the newbie.

For house breaking, is he crate trained? That is a MUST for all dogs. It greatly helps with house breaking.

What sort of activities does he get to do during the day to keep him busy? He's still a puppy so he's going to have tons of energy. Does he get walks? Perhaps start games with him. Teach him tricks. Give him puzzle toys to keep his mind busy like the Tug-A-Jug or kongs filled with frozen food or peanut butter.

 

[greychins]

What methods have you used to try to potty train?

What I did here was that I would take the dog out on a schedule. Like when the dog would get up in the morning, I'd take her out. She'd eat, I'd take her out. She'd sleep, when she woke up, I'd take her out. and so on. It took a bit of time, but this did work for me.

As for chewing... he's still a puppy. They do that.

I have no idea how to help on the digging, howling, or peeing when you pick him up though. Sorry, maybe someone more experienced can help with those.

 

[Mikayla]

Alli- What do you mean by crate trained? Like when we leave the house? We lock him in the kitchen. At night? Yes he has a kennel. Also, I would like to try a training class, but my parents may or may not support that. We also live in the boondocks so finding one might be difficult! They want things to get better, they don't want to make them get better. Thanks a lot for the toy suggestions...I never thought of that!

Greychins- We let him out on a schedule but he has no interest in going to the bathroom, and since I am not here in the day my dad does that, and he refuses to stand out there and watch him. For the chewing, he normally doesn't do that bad, but my dad didn't lock him up and look what happened? He chewed up my mom's shoes.

Thanks so much for your help...

 

[alli713]

Crate trained means that any time you cannot watch him 100% of the time, he goes into the crate. Dogs by nature will not go to the bathroom when they cannot get away from it. So the kennel must only be big enough for him to turn around and lay down, not run circles in.

Shutting him in the kitchen when you're gone is only going to make it harder to train him. Because he doesn't get that he shouldn't go in the house.

My dog made what I called banshee noises as a puppy. It was horrible. But it got better as she got older, now she only does them when she plays. But, I found that I had to take her on a walk every. single. day. I also took her to a dog park, or just letting him run around outside will help. He needs stimulation. A bored dog becomes destructive and naughty. With a small dog, he won't need as long of a walk as my big dog needed, but he needs a walk every day to keep him tired.

 

[Riven]

I'm guessing he is neutered right?

Is is a howl or a yelp when you pick him up? Could it be a pain issue? Possibly a bladder issue?

If he's chewing a lot get him real bones, you can get them at the butcher or grocery, let him have it for about an hour, but then toss it back in the freezer for a while. Or some other natural bone that will last a while.

I agree with crate training.

Contact your local extension office and ask if they have a dog 4H group, call the leader, they will be glad to help!

 

[Mikayla]

He is neutered

He is crate trained if that is what you mean. :]

Shutting him in the kitchen was not my idea, but my mom doesn't like putting him in the kennel because "It's unfair that the other dogs are out."

About the pooping, when we go on trips or we are at other people's house, we lock him in a small kennel. He poops in that. Sometimes he'll eat it, sometimes he'll roll in it. So I think we should try to get him trained to the 'potty pad' so that when we can't take him out, like when we are gone all day, he can go, but in one place. I know that they can 'hold it' as our other two do.

Nicole-He doesn't howl when we pick him up, he only does this when he doesn't want to be picked up. So I don't know if we scare him or what.

 

[Riven]

I hate to say this, because I know some people will disagree, but sometimes you just can't train them. Sounds like he was a puppy mill dog who lived in a kennel rolling in his poop, so it's not gross to him, it's all he's known.

If he'll go in his kennel, he doesn't care, a potty pad will probably be futile unless he always goes in the same place. I hate to say it but he might just be an "outside dog". My exes mom has a dog that was like that, you couldn't house train her, or teach her anything, she seriously had doggy ADHD...

The fact that he'll pee on you when you pick him up, might be fear, but the house training... that's another deal all together. You might post on your local CL or ask the local shelter if there is anyone who works with puppy mill dogs that could give you tips, because that's what it sounds like he is.

I'm sorry for you, your family, and the pup for going through this. It's sad that people get a dog and don't know how to start it, so it ends up in the pound and turns into a vicious cycle. And then you have the puppy mill issues... that's just a whole other level of sad and wrong.

 

[Mikayla]

We did thank he was a puppy mill dog, he has a wicked under bite and we thought that they didn't want him because of that.

I don't know about the outside dog, he doesn't like to be outside without our other dogs, he just howls and barks and it just breaks your heart! I think having other dogs is just really all he's ever known.

I volunteer at the shelter quite often and they don't have anyone...they're broke. He is not going to the shelter. I love everyone there, and they are great with dogs, but he is NOT going to the Humane Society.

 

[alli713]

Hmmm yeah, the fact that he rolls in the poop or eats it shows that he isn't like most "normal" dogs. Most dogs hate being by feces.

 

[fanofdmb84]

ALL dogs are capable of being trained!! The key is that not all dogs can be trained with the same methods. You need to find a method that will work for you. One of my own dogs took a YEAR to be fully crate trained, but now he is perfect in a crate (no messes, no howling, etc). My other dog is severely submissive (I'm his 3rd or 4th owner so I have no idea how it began). He pees at the slightest thing, and sometimes nothing at all. I've had him for 2 years and it has gotten better, but it is still a work in progress. He is an extreme case, though; most dogs who urinate submissively grow out of it or at least improve greatly with some simple training.

I do this for a living, and I've seen some really "dumb" dogs, but he does not sound dumb to me, he sounds like he is scared and completely unsure of what is expected of him. I'm working with a puppy-mill dog (2 in the same household actually) and both are Lhasas, and they take a little extra work, but improvement is possible and there is hope.

PM me if you'd like to talk in depth.

 

[RoniM]

I agree with Diana... all dogs can be trained. The question is if the person doing the training has the patience and consistancy to do it.

Crate training is a must and just putting a dog in a crate doesn't make them crate trained! You need to start small. Make sure you have taken him out for a walk to tire him out and that he has relieved himself. Then put him in a clean comfortable crate. When he is in there sitting quietly for a few minutes, take him out and give him a treat. (find something that he really loves, I find bits of real meat like chicken or hamburger will have them paying very close attention to you!)

Keep doing this for longer and longer periods of time. If he dirties in the crate.. do not give him a treat when you take him out. Scold him (you don't need to scream, dogs know from your tone of voice that they did something wrong), clean him and the crate, then put him back in. Consistancy is the key! It would have taken him a long time to learn that being covered in poop was ok, it will take a long time for him to unlearn it.

I believe you can get something that makes the feces taste very bitter, you should ask your vet. (who would have thought you would need to make poop taste worse! LOL)

Hope this helps! My little Boston Terrier is crate trained and cries if the door closes and she can't get back in when she's tired! She also cries when she is loose in the house and no one is home... she just doesn't know what to do with herself!

 

[chinnychinchinchilla]

i just want to throw this out there: always give your dog real bones not rawhides. we used to give our dogs rawhides then we found out they are bad for them and we stopped. when a dog chews a rawhide they break off and swallow peices, the peices then expand in the digestive track and can cause blockage. in fact we warned my grandma about this and she didnt believe us. well her dog got a rawhide blockage and was too old to survive the surgery so they had to put him down. it was really sad, i loved that dog he was so sweet. that just goes to show you how dangerious rawhides are. and i agree with Diana, all dogs can be trained. when we got out puppy she was harder to potty train that the other dogs so we kept her on a strict schedule. she would go out every half hour to hour. at night she would stay in her crate (which should only be big enough that they can lay down, turn around and stand, not walk). unless we had our eyes on her the whole time she was out she was in her crate. and i mean the WHOLE time. when we were gone she would stay in her crate. a few weeks of this and she was potty trained to go outside to pee. it took about 2 months before she was completely potty trained. just stick with it and dont back down. oh just another thing: pee pads smell really bad, and i mean quick! my grandma had a dog that was completely blind and had brain problems. she refused to go to the bathroom outside and would only go on the pee pad. it was actually pretty cool because she had the whole house mapped out in her head so she wouldnt bump into things. so she always knew where her pee pad was, the second her feet touched the pee pad she knew she could pee. that dog was amazing. she could come to a house shes never been to before and have the whole house mapped out in a few hours. it was really cool. she ended up having to be put down because of whatever was wrong with her brain. she kept having frequint sezures and the vets could not figure out what was wrong with her brain and why she was having sezures. they got more and more frequint and messed with her behavior and she seemed like she was in pain so my grandma made the decision to put her down. they still sometimes cry about it. good luck the training can be done, you just have to stick with it!

 

[arf2184]

See if you can find a trainer (certified with the APDT if possible). You can search here: http://www.apdt.com/petowners/ts/default.aspx

Both of the trainers I use are in the middle of no where so you may find on closer than you think.

Find someone who keeps class sizes small (4-8 dogs) and someone who also works on behavior issues using positive methods. My classes only cost $60-$75 per 6 week session. With the knowledge of a good trainer, you can speed up the training process and things will be a lot less stressful on the whole family if you get some help.

 

[Mikayla]

I do believe he can be trained, what I think is that he is exceptionally bright but stupid in the fact that he can't do anything with it. Our family is NOT consistant, my mom refuses to feed on a schedule (Though our chihuahua weighs 12 lbs...), my brother does NOTHING to help, and my dad swears by the spank the dog sensless if he does anything wrong method. And being the youngest they REFUSE to listen to me.

Thanks for the rawhide tips! Again the issue of they most likely WILL NOT listen to me. It's really frusterating actually.

The problem with the training is that we live in the boondocks and the closest trainer (certified or not) is an hour and a half away. Any suggestions?

Give all the tips you can...I really want him to stay here with me!

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

she seriously had doggy ADHD...

My parents keeping say my dog is ADHD. She was a tough one to potty train. We have 2 others that are potty trained to bark at the door if they need out, unless they are in their room at night and then they use puppy pads. But only use puppy pads of a night time if they just can't hold it and their room is pretty long (it's a closet that was made into their room).
Mia just wouldnt get it. She'd go out and play with anything, leaves, grass, rocks. etc. Then come in and go potty.
We just worked with her and asked her every 30 minutes if she had to go potty. If she didnt go out on her own, we'd sit her on the porch and tell her to go pee. Finally she has caught on and goes out whenever we ask her. So we just had to change our daily routine to help her and the others have adjusted to this routine as well.
Don't get me wrong she still has accidents here and there but not very often. They are started to be far inbetween.
Maybe just find a routine that works for you dog. Maybe take him/her outside every 20-30 minutes and keep doing it that way (maybe later start taking him/her out every 45, then later every hour). See what helps the dog best.

 

[Mikayla]

The issue I have is that I am not home until 4:00 everyday, only my dad is. And he says that it wastes his time to stand out there with him. If it was me, I would. But until four I can't. Truthfully, it is most of the time when we're gone that he acts up.

Alos, I don't know if there really is anything we can do about this, he is a really big bully to our other two dogs...and suggestions? He just bigger and puppyish so he figures that he can throw that around I think.

 

[3CsMommy]

I'm going to say something that might be unpopular, and I'm sorry if this hurts your feelings, but I question whether living with someone that "spanks the dog senseless" is fair to the dog. Much of the behavior you've written about can be fear/anxiety based. Beatings don't work; it's been proven. If he refuses to learn, he shouldn't be allowed to mistreat your (innocent) pets. You've said yourself that you don't think your family will go along with providing the dogs a consistent routine; to me, that says that the dogs aren't going to have the environment they need to be happy and mentally stable until you can have full charge of them yourself, and with being in school, I know how difficult that is.

Is there another adult in the family that can help you stage an intervention, or even help find homes for the dog(s)?

 

[Mikayla]

I know where your coming from, I know that it's not right, but he doesn't listen. As much as I hate to admit it, the short slightly chunky girl, no one is gonna listen to, and I'm gonna have to work twice as hard to make them listen, I just need someone bigger than me to make him listen!

He's actually starting to listen better now, because Franklin (the pup) is actually his dog, we volunteer at the Humane Society and the police brought him in, he weighed only four lbs, and had puked all over himself. And my dad loved him. So we got him for my dad on Valentine's day. I think he wants to keep him but he wants the easy way out, and maybe he's realizing that that's not gonna happen, and I'm the way to make a good outcome. He doesn't like to ask for help.

We're not giving up on him yet, I asked for help, and I'm not giving up without trying.

 

[3CsMommy]

Sometimes, its a respect problem. You're their child; they're used to you thinking wearing fairy wings and mismatched socks to school is a good idea. It can take a while for them to realize that not only might you have a good idea, but they might be entirely wrong. Proving that is going to be tough, not gonna lie. So, if there's somebody at the Humane Society that your dad likes and respects, that will believe you when you tell him/her about what's going on, that's where I'd go. It's not necessarily a matter of size, but age and their perception of "experience".