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Pupforum presents your training questions answered by professional dog trainers.
Elaine has been training dogs professionally for 14 years. She is a CPDT as well as an endorsed member of NADOI. She is also certified in narcotics detection and is one half of a (twice) certified explosives detection team - the other half being her Dutch Shepherd Spawn, who is also titled in several protection sports. Elaine is the owner of Canine's Best Behavior, a Los Angeles based training company, offering Basic Manners, CGC, K9 Games (soon!) as well as behavior modification for aggression fears phobias etc.
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[Edit]
4/26/2006
HELP, We are considering adopting our 2nd dog from a shelter. The 1st one we adopted was 8 months old at the time and already housetrained by his foster mom. He has been a part of our family for 1 1/2 years now. The dog we are considering to adopt has been at a shelter for 18 months now & she is TWO yrs. old. We have gone to see her twice and seems very kind natured. However we did see that she urinated in her kennel with no thought about it, just peed with no smelling or advanced warning. We are leery now that being that she is 2 yrs old & been living in a shelter for 18months that she will be impossible to housetrain now. What can we do?
We are wanting to do this while our teen daughter is home for spring break for a week so that we can be there to monitor the potty issue and take her out 2 x's or more an hour. I know to praise her when she goes outside etc., but how should we show her to ask to go out? My dog that I already have just goes to the back door & does a small bark, whimper, or paws at it, same process to come back in. Will the new one learn from him? Or how do we teach that to a 2 yr old that is used to releaving itself anywhere. Thank You. (hmsmiller, Texas)
I think you sound like you are on the right track. I do not think it impossible to train her, but it will take some realistic effort. Good for you for setting up an every 30 minutes schedule. Many people would
assume since she is older that she must know how to hold it, but you know that is not true. Even a little kennel time can undo some pretty solid house training.
I would start with the 30 minute schedule and keep a log, noting when she goes and (more importantly) when she doesn't. She has a schedule it's just a matter of figuring out what that is. Within a few days you should see a pattern "She always goes first thing in the morning, she never goes at 5pm".
Once she's been pretty successful gradually increase her in home time. And consider using confinement for those times when she didn't go. Many people assume that she didn't have to go and then her have freedom, for me that's the last place I would let her run around the house. Confinement can be in the same room as you, on a leash, in a crate etc.
Speaking of which, if she is accustomed to it, you may want to have her sleep in a crate. That is 8 hours of bladder holding. Not forever, just long enough for you to see that she understands, not in the house.
Best case scenario, a few weeks of accuracy = your new dog knowing what to do. As far as the other dog teaching her, maybe. Her telling you may be as simple as heading towards the door, she will have her signals even if they aren't big. Better at first (and easier) to tell her!
Hope that helps and best of luck with your dog. I am sure she will enjoy her new home.
Elaine Allison CPDT NADOI
Canine Behavior Consultant
Canine's Best Behavior
1.866.K9s.Best
www.caninesbestbehavior.com
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