dog training

[loza]

hi all, can ANYONE help!?! I have a dog that is 8 months old. He is a staffordshire bull terrier. I have had him from 6 weeks old and adore him. He has never chewed my furniture or been aggressive to others. BUT....i cant seem to toilet train him! no matter what me and my partner have tried he just does it in the house or werever he can! we do work from 9 til 5 everyday and he stays at home with our 7 years old staffy bitch. I cant really take him to dog training as there arent any in my area and i dont drive. does anyone have any tactics i could try out??

[kita1]

Try this link

http://www.ttlntl.co.uk/1/behaviour.htm#HOUSET RAINING

also if you go to

http://www.ttlntl.co.uk

they have a forum on dog training and lots of articles that may help you.

9 to 5 is a long time to leave dogs, could you possibly get a friend or neighbour to pop in at least once and let them out for a wee etc.

[loza]

yes i am actually moving house this week. Already discussed with a friend that as she is a full time mum and doesnt work at the mo. she will take them out twice whilst i am at work. Bonus! Thank you for your help.

[pmjblue]

when you are at home do you put him outside everytime he 'goes' in the house? you probably do, but unfortunately, when he is left during the day, and no one is there to let him out, he doesnt understand so is just doing it anywhere. It would be a good idea to perhaps have a week or two off work so you are there 24 hours to drive home the message. When having a new puppy I make sure I am with them 24 hours a day for a few weeks, and they usually get the message within a few days - and just have the odd accident. However, having said that, my one bitch 'never' had an accident, think she was in the minority though, she just seemed to understand she had to go outside with the others. Put him outside everytime he eats and when he wakes up and say a word that he associates with going to the loo! 9 - 5 is a long time to leave any dog, but hopefully you have got this sorted when you move house.

[hattster]

Absolute rubbish...9 - 5 is fine for a dog to be left alone , aslong as the dog is well occupied and has plenty of tys to lay with then he/she will be fine. I have a dod he's 7yrs now and he is regularly left alone, the dog will adapt if you train it from an early age

[pmorley]

I made a complete mess of it when I first got my puppy. I smacked him and put his nose in his mess the first time he did it (that was what my dad used to do). All I managed to do though was make him hide everytime he wanted to go and he was scared of me. I went online for advise and basically, ignore the mess when they go inside, if you see them going pick them up and deposit them outside/on paper straight away, even if it means getting wee'd on, and huge amounts of praise for going outside (treat with something really tasty like cheese. It worked for me in no time at all, and god did I feel bad about that smack.

[leelapops]

hattster-not "absolute rubbish" at all-some dogs, like mine, never adapt to being left for a length of time, no matter how frequently you expose your dog to being alone. You can't generalise so much-some breeds are better at it than others, and of course it's unreasonable to expect that dog owners shouldn't go out to work or shopping! But my dog is my priority-I am responsible for his welfare and I take this responsibility very seriously.

pmorley I really admire your honesty-I also started out quite naive, and I regret it! But I have learnt, and it sounds like you have too :)

Lisa x

[kita1]

hattster: The problem with leaving them for long periods is that if/when they are ill and need regular medication (antibiotics etc) you are not there to give them the tablets.

Also if they manage to hurt themselves (my neighbours cat had the TV knocked over onto it, it was so badly injured it died later) they could be in terrible pain for hours, or bleed to death if they cut themselves.

I have had dogs when I worked full time and have been in a situation when I had a dog come out of major surgery after two days care at the vet and I had to leave her all morning as I could not possibly get time off work. Thankfully she did not rip her stiches out or anything and she was OK, but it was more luck than good judgement.

If you are going to leave a dog for long periods you have to be prepared for many situations, the least of your problems is a wrecked house!

loza: good luck with your move, in your new house start as you mean to go on, if you can prevent him 'going' in your new house he will not establish a pattern and you may be able to housetrain him better.

It might be an idea to confine them to one safe room rather than giving them the run of the house. If you choose the kitchen just make sure they cannot get in the cupboards to anything poisonous (like bleach etc).

[pmjblue]

hattster - you have your thoughts, and others have theirs, but dont discount others feelings as 'absolute rubbish'. For instance how would you give a puppy the necessary four meals a day if you were at work 9 - 5? and how would you house train it? An older dog may 'appear' to be OK at being left, and I know people that do leave them, but dogs cant actually tell you they are bored can they? My husband is semi retired and at home with the dogs most days, all day - and I am home just after 3pm, but it is often 7pm before we eat, as I walk the dogs, feed them and play with them - I am also up at 5am walking them before I go to work - finishing work at 5pm, may be getting home at 6pm, so where is the time for the dog, or will it just get weekend walks, as amongst my friends I am in the minority taking the dogs out 'before' work?

[gelda]

Hattster, how would you like it if you were left alone for 8 hours or more and couldn't get to the loo when you wanted to go