Posts: 935
From: North Carolina
Registered: Aug 2003

posted January 28, 2005 03:18 PM         

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He's a ten months old shepard mix, although I'm sure there's some golden retriever in him, too. His name is Achilles. We found him at a shelter near our old home and just fell in love. He's really nervous and scared of a lot of things, like cars and computers and other people so we're trying to take it slow with him. He's fine with us and in our home, though.
I've never had a dog before. It's really a dream come true for me.

The only thing that's getting me down is the housetraining. He just won't go outside. I'll walk him outside for 20 to 30 mins, sometimes an hour, and he'll just come back inside and then do his business. We're trying to tempt him with treats and give him lots of positive encouragement to go outside (which is not so easy for us when it's around 20 degrees out there) but he just won't do it. After multiple stains on the carpets that we're going to have to get rid of somehow, we've settled down to keeping him in the dining room/hallway area of our home which is the largest area of linoleum available. But he gets so sad there by himself and I can't bear to see him that way. Any advice?

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"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Ghandi

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Posts: 370
From:
Registered: Sep 2004

posted January 28, 2005 03:56 PM         

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congratulations on your new puppy!

puppy pads should do the trick. you can find them at places like petsmart. they're flat versions of a diaper -- absorbent material with plastic backing. disposable. they're treated with a smell that encourages eliminating. puppy will use the pad, especially if placed in the areas he already likes to go. they make them in different sizes up to very large doggie size. and they really contain the mess.

just pick it up and toss.

try always to put them in the places he likes to go -- you can layer several to cover a large area. then after he gets used to the puppy pads, maybe a week or 2, take him outside and place a pad on the ground. the smell and familiarity will entice him to go. try to take him either at the same time you've observed him going every day, or 30 minutes after a meal or drink, served at the same time every day.

if he learns this routine, of going at the same time every day, he will learn to go outside, if that's where his pad is. then habit should have him going without the pads.

leave a few pads lying around his favorite places in the house....soon you'll notice he no longer uses them.

hugs and kisses to new puppy.

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Posts: 214
From: Rochester Hills, MI USA
Registered: May 2004

posted January 28, 2005 04:28 PM         

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How sweet. I love dogs. This is what I did with my two male dogs. I would take him outside. (You have to go out with him too for a while and I know how hard that is in the cold.) Use a phrase that you will use always. Mine is "go outside" ( they know that means go pee.) I always say the same thing. Then if he does it, give him the treat. Maybe it will take a while but I think he'll learn. Also when you see him lift in the house always say NO firmly and take him out right away. He'll get it. Have fun and lots of love and loyalty.

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Posts: 20670
From: Columbus, GA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted January 28, 2005 06:24 PM         

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"Never mentally imagine for another that which you would not want to experience for yourself, since the mental image you send out inevitably comes back to you." Rebecca Clark

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Posts: 1658
From: California
Registered: Oct 2001

posted January 29, 2005 03:29 PM         

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Congratulations Eleanore!!!!

That's wonderful!!! I am so happy for you!!!

Sounds like there's some great advice here, although puppy pads didn't work for us. I guess every dog is different. I brought home my little girl at 7 weeks old. (which I think is too young, they should have stayed another week with the mother, but that's another subject). Right after she would eat a meal, we would immediately take her outside and tell her "go potty". After getting up from a nap or first thing in the morning, we would take her outside to "go potty". Every hour or two, we would take her outside to "go potty". She figured it out pretty soon, and now she knows what "go potty" means.
If you still have trouble I would suggest going to a basic obedience class, especially since this is your first dog. They will tackle all kinds of issues in addition to basic training. Your local animal shelter should offer some classes.
Good Luck!

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Posts: 5999
From: the stars
Registered: Jun 2004

posted January 29, 2005 06:55 PM         

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No fair! I've wanted one my whole life. *pouts*

Someday.......

That's very cool Eleanore!! Lucky you!! Congrats!!

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Posts: 935
From: North Carolina
Registered: Aug 2003

posted January 29, 2005 08:50 PM         

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Thanks for all the great advice! If he doesn't pick up on "go potty" soon, we're trying the doggie pads. An obedience class might be a good idea, too. I'm a big softie when it comes to discipline sometimes, especially with dogs. I just want to love them!

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"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Ghandi

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Posts: 20670
From: Columbus, GA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted January 30, 2005 10:38 AM         

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Superb advice!

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"Never mentally imagine for another that which you would not want to experience for yourself, since the mental image you send out inevitably comes back to you." Rebecca Clark

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Posts: 935
From: North Carolina
Registered: Aug 2003

posted February 02, 2005 11:16 AM         

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http://www.dogster.com/?113862.

Here's a link to his page on dogster. You can see his photo, too.

Edit
I couldn't seem to get to him with that link, but this one might work. http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?i=113862&n=113860&p=113864

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"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Ghandi

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Posts: 2073
From: A division of the United Kingdom, the southern part of the island of Great Britain. Originally settled by Celtic peoples, it was subsequently conqu...
Registered: Jul 2004

posted February 02, 2005 11:52 AM         

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Oh Eleanore ~ he's so precious!!! look at those gorgeous eyes

quote:

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He loves his teddy bear baby rattle.

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.........

Awwwwwwww!!

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Posts: 214
From: Rochester Hills, MI USA
Registered: May 2004

posted February 02, 2005 01:05 PM         

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Oh that is a sweet face. Thanks for the pic.

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Posts: 20670
From: Columbus, GA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted February 03, 2005 08:02 AM         

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"Never mentally imagine for another that which you would not want to experience for yourself, since the mental image you send out inevitably comes back to you." Rebecca Clark

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Posts: 3945
From:
Registered: Feb 2002

posted February 03, 2005 11:06 AM         

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He is such a cutie! Look at that sweet face.

I loved reading his profile too!

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Posts: 1658
From: California
Registered: Oct 2001

posted February 03, 2005 02:26 PM         

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Dear Eleanore,

Love to see the guy's picture and his page on Dogster!!! Isn't Dogster the coolest!?

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Posts: 935
From: North Carolina
Registered: Aug 2003

posted February 03, 2005 07:00 PM         

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Thanks everyone! He really does have a sweet face. He's really nice, too. He went to the vet today for a heartworm check (he's doing fine) and they even wrote in his chart how nice he is, lol. He's still a bit nervous but he's getting better and more comfortable with every passing day.

Oh, yes, Dogster is super cool! I sent the link to my friends with dogs, hopefully they'll join, too!

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"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Ghandi

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Posts: 935
From: North Carolina
Registered: Aug 2003

posted February 08, 2005 03:34 PM         

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Nephthys
I'm answering here because I didn't want to take the other thread far off base. As silly as it may sound, that little fishie is tugging at my heart.

Our doggie is doing pretty well. He's a little more confident now and he'll initiate a game of fetch or let us know if he wants to go out. He hasn't yet figured out that "out" is where he needs to go to do his business, though. We invested in those puppy pads and he's finally getting the hang of doing his business there. Soon we'll start putting one outside for him. Yay!
The only thing that has me worried is that he's a little sneaky and has managed to wriggle his way through my feet if I open the door for a second. I'm not exactly at my most agile atm and I'm scared he's just going to run off. We've caught him both times he's done it. He'll just come back if we call his name, but still. Any way to teach him to only go out with his leash on?

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"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Ghandi

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Posts: 29
From: eastcoast australia
Registered: Oct 2004

posted February 09, 2005 01:44 AM         

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he sure is a pretty poochy baby, i have one suggestion for making him 'go' outside, if you have a friend with a good doggie, bring him over for a visit and a poop and pee, dogs find it irresistable and follow suit just to leave their own mark.

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Posts: 935
From: North Carolina
Registered: Aug 2003

posted February 09, 2005 01:12 PM         

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Ooooh, I hadn't thought about that. Thanks! I guess we'll be having a puppy play date at my house sometime soon, hehe.

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"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Ghandi

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Posts: 1658
From: California
Registered: Oct 2001

posted February 10, 2005 12:10 AM         

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raihs ~ great idea!!!!!!

Eleanore, you have to teach him both to "stay" and "wait" when you guys open the door. So he learns that he needs permission to go out the door. I use hand signals in addition to words.
This is easier said than done; I am still working on it with my little girl who turns 2 in April. She gets so excited and !bolts! out the front door. Thank God we live in a court, not a busy street.
If you like, we can link dogster pages.

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Posts: 935
From: North Carolina
Registered: Aug 2003

posted February 10, 2005 08:19 AM         

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Oh,duh, "stay". I surprise myself with how I overlook the obvious sometimes. Hand signals? Hmmm, is there a book or something that shows which signals to associate with which commands? I think the signals would work well since he always looks at my hands when I'm talking to him (probably for a treat).
Sure, we can link Dogster pages!

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"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Ghandi

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Posts: 1658
From: California
Registered: Oct 2001

posted February 10, 2005 05:28 PM         

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Eleanore,

Why don't you contact your local animal shelter and sign up for classes? They really cover all the basic stuff, and give a lot of great ideas.

If you don't go to classes, I would definitely get a book. There's a lot of important things that dog owners need to know nowadays, with the public, manners, etc.

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Posts: 935
From: North Carolina
Registered: Aug 2003

posted February 12, 2005 01:49 PM         

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I'm still looking for a local shelter that offers classes. I recently found out about a shelter around here but they're only open a few hours on certain days and I haven't been able to get in touch with anyone.

I've looked for doggie training books at the library on base and haven't found any. I'll have to make a trip to the local library when I have a big chunk of day free because I can't check out any books unless I have a N.C. driver's license (I have my old FL license).

But I'll find a way!

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"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Ghandi

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Posts: 20670
From: Columbus, GA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted February 13, 2005 09:58 AM         

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"Never mentally imagine for another that which you would not want to experience for yourself, since the mental image you send out inevitably comes back to you." Rebecca Clark

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Posts: 20670
From: Columbus, GA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted February 27, 2005 08:18 AM         

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Any recent doggie stories?

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"Never mentally imagine for another that which you would not want to experience for yourself, since the mental image you send out inevitably comes back to you." Rebecca Clark

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Posts: 935
From: North Carolina
Registered: Aug 2003

posted February 28, 2005 10:35 PM         

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Achilles is doing very well now. He's gotten very used to his new home and will follow me around wherever I go. I think he's become more attached to me than to my hubby but it's probably because hubby works long hours a lot so he's not home as much as I am. He's a super snuggly doggie now and not afraid of initiating "play time" with us. We had a friend spend the night recently and he snuggled up to him the whole night on the futon. Our friend was very grateful, too, since Achilles kept him warm and it was a very cold night. He's very friendly and energetic but he still is very protective and will bark loudly if anyone/thing other than a child approaches our home (he's always looking out the windows). We're still working on the housetraining, but he's getting better at using the puppy pads so any day now we're hoping to make the transition to the outdoors. He's also ... smart, I guess, is the word to use. I can give him a stern look if he's doing something he ought not (like chewing on the couch) and he'll stop. I can also just think of him coming to where I am and he'll come. He's so great! He's also no longer afraid of our hamster and will follow her around when she's in her critter crawler. They make such a cute pair, I hope to catch them with a camera sometime soon.
I haven't yet been able to get in contact with a shelter what with all the other things that have been going on lately but I'm sure we'll find some puppy training lessons soon.

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"This above all:
to thine own self be true,
And it must follow,
as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false
to any man." - Shakespeare

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