Guest klbarry914 Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Hi- My friend adopted 2 greyhounds(approx 1yrs old) who are not NGA dogs about 4 months ago. They are both the most loving greyhounds and he is thrilled to have them. However he has been having some major problems with them and was hoping that some people could offer him some suggestions. They continue to pee and poop in the house even though they are on a strict schedule and go out several times a day to a extra large fenced in back yard. They are still working on being on leashes and if you take them for walks they will not go the bathroom. They will only go when off the leashes in the yard. We took them for a 3 mile walk the other day and did not pee or poop once on the walk. They have been checked out by a vet and they are healthy. I have watched them pee in the house even after having been outside for a good length of time. They are chewers from everything to the sides of the couches, pillows, their beds, to remotes, shoes, you name it and they will chew it. They have plenty of toys and mostly do this when they are left alone for short periods of time even just when he is in the shower. He has tried several different things including kongs but they don't seem to like them. They also have very sensitive stomaches and really don't do well with very many kinds of treats. Please help! He loves these dogs, but they are beginning to destroy all of his rugs and couches and needs some help with what works. Thank You! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Sounds like the perfect candidates for crate training. Clearly they're not housebroken, and they're too young to be trusted out loose in the house. They'll learn to relieve themselves on leashes soon enough, but he needs to read up on housebreaking and teach them as if they are tiny puppies. Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greyt_dog_lover Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 you dont have a "behavioral problem", you have a housebreaking problem. More outside, bring treats (kibble that they eat will suffice) when you take them out in the yard. They dont get back into the house until they eliminate. When they do, throw a party and give treats. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. Take out at least every 1-2 hours when they are awake. When taking a shower or leaving, crate as George has said. Chad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Geostar Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 I agree with Susan.. your friend needs two crates.. Here's a prime example of what some dogs think..."Gee, I don't know any better, so, I'll do my business anywhere I please!".."Then, I'll tear up a cushion..raid the trash can..and on and on".. And, to make maters worse, they are just pups still! Most dogs don't reach maturity until being either 2 to three years old. One year old greyhound pups are a handful! Best wishes with those cuties.. Be firm, be steady, never raise your voice and yell,never, hit a dog, use your eyes to let the hounds know.. -star Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gemma Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 you dont have a "behavioral problem", you have a housebreaking problem. More outside, bring treats (kibble that they eat will suffice) when you take them out in the yard. They dont get back into the house until they eliminate. When they do, throw a party and give treats. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. Take out at least every 1-2 hours when they are awake. When taking a shower or leaving, crate as George has said. Chad This is great advice! People tend to assume that dogs just know it's best to go outside but we have to actively teach them where it's acceptable to eliminate. I have had great success with new fosters by rewarding eliminating outside, and keeping them fully supervised, or crated/baby gated when I can't watch them. The fact that your friend has them on a schedule will also help but he needs to go a step further by rewarding elimination out of the home. If he hasn't already, I'd also recommend thoroughly cleaning the rugs/carpets they have messed on with a good enzyme cleaner. He should also look out for behaviours that indicate they are thinking about going. Pacing, sniffing the ground, circling; all cues that the pups likely need to go. For the chewing, again, supervision or crating is key. When they go to chew something inappropriate, he should redirect them to an appropriate item, like a nylabone. If he can't watch them, even just to take a shower, into the crate (or a babygated, dog proof area) they go WITH a kong or a chew toy to keep them occupied. Patience and consistency is key. We had a foster once who was a MENACE. He would chew and swallow anything he could get his teeth into. He destroyed countless toys, slippers, eye masks, and blankets before I smartened up and actually worked to correct his behaviour. We did the whole redirecting and crating thing, as well as giving him a special chew he got at the same time every night, in his crate, for some 'down time'. This helped tremendously and, by the time he went to his forever home, he could be trusted around stuffies and pillows again. It took a lot of work but it was worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Psycmeistr Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 My dogs won't eliminate on lead, either, but I kind of like it that way. Saves the hassle of carrying little plastic bags with "presents' inside for the duration of the walk. But this summer, I plan to take them camping... so they'll have to void on lead sooner or later.. and that will be that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jbbuzby Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 CRATES!!! And muzzles! Totally agree with the person who said they must be treated like tiny puppies before anything else can be done. Don't have them out unless they are being supervised, and immediately take them from their crates outside every time. I'd find a puppy schedule and stricter regiment and go with that. They should also be kept in sight at all times, meaning limiting access to the rest of the home until they are trustworthy. Also, the living area should be thoroughly cleaned. You have to completely eliminate the urine smell to get them to not pee there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Repeating what has already been said but... The key, rather obviously, is to restrict their access to these items when not being supervised & reduce their ability to practice the behaviors. Use crates, muzzles, baby gates, xpens, etc to restrict them when unsupervised. While being supervised use redirection to acceptable chew toys & reward them for good behavior. Reward them just for hanging without chewing. Reward early & in the beginning reward often. Your friend needs to do her best to catch them being good & reward them BEFORE they start the unwanted behavior. This will in time make being good feel more rewarding to the dog then misbehaving. She will also need to have appropriate chew items available. For potty training go back to square one & treat them like you would a pup. (again as already stated) There's no other solution. If something goes a miss & there is an accident just clean it up. Don't scold or punish them after the fact. They are highly unlikely to associate that with their housebreaking error. If your friend catches them in the act of going potty in the house just take the dog straight outside to finish. The goal & the real key to success is to prevent as many accidents as possible for as long as possible until it is habit to potty only outside. Since they now have a built in pattern of going indoors it will take longer to housebreak them but it is absolutely possible to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruitycake Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 The lack of housebreaking is the lack of housebreaking training by (and of) the owner. To properly housetrain, you need to prevent the opportunity for misbehavior and the reinforcement of that misbehavior (hey, going potty feels really good, you know, and is really rewarding no matter where it happens). The dogs don't know where it is and is not suitable to potty, they need to learn. As for the lack of pottying on lead, it can be trained with lots of work and dedication. It took us about a month before Monty was comfortable enough with us to not try to be on the other side of the universe when he was pottying (very shy about it). We would walk him for hours, sometimes give up and keep him either in his kennel or on leash with us in the house, and then go back outside (yes, even in the deep cold winter we spent a lot of time outside with him). If the dogs are spooky or shy about elimination, the "celebration" after elimination may have to be a very subtle one (quiet "good boy/girl" and the best, stinkiest treats possible). Monty wouldn't take treats outside for nearly a year after we got him no matter what they were (he was spooky). If there is a backyard, he is going to NEED to go out with them and watch to make sure something is being done. This would also help alleviate the shyness to a little extent. Even if he has to pretend to not be looking anywhere near the dogs as they eliminate (which, again, we had to do with Monty - watching from the corner of our eye to see that things are being done as we didn't even dare MOVE because he'd stop). I know that sounds like a lot of work, but it's better than having a house full of mess, isn't it? Even if you live in the northland and have temps in the negative digits Fahrenheit in the winter, if he wants his house not to be a doggie bathroom, he's going to have to do this now. And take the discomfort that comes with it, unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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