URGENT, how to train an older dog?!?!

[Stephine]

My fiancé and I own a 2 year old Pom, she’s 4lbs. She was originally a birthday gift to myself two years ago, and at the time I didn’t pay attention to training. She was just so small the mess didn’t bother me. I am in law school and didn’t have the time. After 4 months it began to bother me so I purchased a crate. It took her a good couple of weeks to get used to going outside and not messing her crate or the house but at last there was some sort of success with the occasional pee on one side of the cage (another mistake i made, got her a "roomy" cage".

Now we are in a brand new home and expecting. We are both dog lovers and let her sleep on our bed twice, of which she held her bladder in until she was let outside. We decided its probably not a good idea to get her used to sleeping in the bed with us since we have a baby coming in 2 1/2 months. Bijou (the dogs name) is a VERY persistent animal...some animals will whimper when put in a crate for 1/2 hr at least....this little thing has lungs on her that will take her the entire night. She has finally calmed down and become used to the idea of sleeping in her crate at night again after the two nights she slept with us BUT for a week now consistently she is peeing her cage (which is significantly smaller so she splashes in it all night and needs a bath EVERY morning). She is let out at 12am before my Fiancé goes to bed and I am usually up quarter to 6. We know she can hold it because she does so on when she sleeps in our bed. She also stays in her crate when we leave the house for a long period of time and she also holds her bladder then. It’s only a night occurrence. She is also fine when it comes to holding her bladder while we are home and she is out and about within the house.

We are at our wits end and don’t know what else to do...please I would love to hear any advice.

thanks

Stephen + Josephine

[Natalie]

Dogs usually keep it in when they are sleeping so maybe she isn't sleeping well down stairs without family members, or needs a change in feeding times to agree with her bladder lol.

Also, if she's peeing in her crate it might be an idea to get a slightly smaller crate (depending on the size of the one you have currently). Dogs with crates that are too big will end up doing their business in one end and sleeping in the other, so that might be an option to try.

apart from that i really don't know what to suggest but there are plenty of experts that visit the site so im sure one of them will post some help soon. best of luck!

[rebecca]

Hi Stephanie

We have a miniture jack russel who would happily sleep in our bed all night, we have a routine now where she comes into bed for 1/2 hr while we read then gets put in the spare room in her bed to sleep. every night we use the same word 'stay' when she goes in and slowly but surely she has learnt not to move out of bed.....she also has a toy and sometimes one of our socks with her, we have even found sometimes she takes herself off and sleeps in the bed when we are both in the house

if she does cry at the door during the night one of us goes out and very firmly says no and puts her back in bed this works every time

the minute she gets up in the morn we take her for a quick out the door wee walk (any delay and she wets herself) and give her heaps of prasie and a treat....if there is a mess in the room from the night before we scold her and she hates this so again slowly but surely there are less and less messes... im just wondering about these crates,,,wouldn't she be happpier in a wee dog bed of her own??

hope this helps a wee bit....im am certainly learning on the job !!

[Canine Psychology Centre]

Hiya,

Where's the crate? If it's not already in the bedroom with you, try that, at least until she gets a bit better and happier. No soothing tones or trying to make her feel better as she whines. In the dog world, her behaviour would recieve a nip. A sharp, "no" should let her know that a boss dog is present. If she feels like you're the pack leaders, she'll feel more secure. Keep it calm but firm, not angry.

[wayalex2@gmail.com]

Hiya,

Just want to jump in on the end of the post and hopefully someone cane help.
A year or so ago My partner and i adopted a jack russel bitch who is 11/12. She had always slept upstairs with the previous owners and had the run of the house. This didnt suit us so we tried keeping her in a separate bedroom, she used to scratch and mess during the night so i moved her downstairs to the kitchen.
The kitchen doesnt have a door so we lock her in with a baby gate but every night she scratches, wee's and poo's (she does do it on the newspaper we leave) but this is getting boring!!
I have tried the thing of a t-shirt of mine in her bed which doesnt work! Also tried a squirt of water in the face and a sharp no when she has done wrong. From my bed i can shout 'no' and she wil scurry back to bed, but 5 mins later she is scratching again and jumping at the gate!!!

First problem to solve is the weeing and poo's in the morning (she can go all night without going if she sleeps upstairs with us). Is it ok to tell and animal off a while after she has done this? does she know what she has done wrong?
Second problem is how to stop the scratching once and for all!!!

Sorry this is lenghty but hopefully someone can help!!

Alex

[mac.]

No you can't tell a dog off a while after the event the dog will not understand what it has done wrong.

[Princess]

Very true Mac, its something like after a second of the dog doing something wrong the don't know they've done it and so won't know why you are shouting at them!
So if you go out and come home to a chewed up sofa, don't shout at them! As difficult as that probably is.
x

[mac.]

didn't realise i was that quick but i know that a while after the event they definatly wouldn't remember, oh and i know how the chewed sofa feels with my first dog which was a border collie my god i was not happy, but on the plus side we got a nice new sofa obviously a year later when she got out of chewing.