Posted: 8/27/2025 4:11:55 PM EDT
Rescued a male Cavalier King Charles mix from the shelter last week. He came in as a stray and they neutered him two days before. Estimated to be one year old. I originally named him Maximus Decimus Meridius but it's more Maximum Destructivus Mischievous.  Our last shelter dog was a breeze and settled in almost instantly. This guy is a handful. He seems to have some manners but needs a lot of work. Very comfortable around people. Loves to give kisses and cuddle (for short amounts of time). He's not very good at telling us he needs to go out. First two days he had pretty bad diarrhea. Not unusual from the shelter so we went pretty easy on him. We take him out constantly and he'll poop or pee but rarely both. Then he does the other when he comes back in. He's really rowdy. I'm sure some of that is puppy energy but we need to get him to calm down a bit and stop jumping up on us. He's doing a lot of scratching to the couches and floor when he wants to lay down. He's humping everything. He takes to the kennel just fine at night. Wines for a minute or two and then settles down to sleep in the morning. No accidents in the kennel. He gets severe anxiety if one of us leaves, even if the others are home. He paces by the door and then wants to chew on something for a bit. He's fine on a leash out for a walk unless we encounter other dogs. Then he goes nuts. Barking, howling, pulling at the leash. Potty training is a priority, but what's the best approach to these other issues? 
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I'm not lazy, I just really enjoy doing nothing.
Joined:
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| Take him out every 1/2 hour and praise him when he goes. As soon as he starts to go, say "Go poop". He'll eventually put 2 & 2 together and try to go on command. All of my dogs understood this. As far as dog reactivity, do you have a dog park near you? A good idea is to take him there & keep him a good distance outside of the gated park & work with with him becoming neutral around other dogs. Bring his high value treats & toys & reward him when he ignores the other dogs & focuses on you & his stuff. I always teach my dog to make eye contact with me before rewarding, but that may be a little down the road for you. Marker training works very well. Good luck, he's cute! |
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With my pups I have a set of bells on the doors they use to tell me it is time. When I was training my boy I would ring it while also stating whatever word I’m going to use to let them know it’s time to go out. In my case, potty. While outside with a puppy I just keep saying it whenever they get distracted, so I constantly say it. I also have a bag of training treats and every time they go I treat it like I just won the lotto, singing their praise while giving them the treat, telling them they’re a good puppy. I just keep an eye on them and the clock if I notice they start to slow down and/or start sniffing, it is time to go out. My pup Hank only had three incidents leading up to him being potty trained and all three were on me not reacting to the signs. I’m getting ready to go through it again later this week when I pick up my new pup. I will also say it is easier to train them with older dogs. The older dogs know the routine and they help teach them in a non direct way. Good luck, stay patient it is totally worth it. |
World's okayist yeller
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We're approaching four weeks and failing miserably. We're taking him out almost every hour. When he goes, he gets treats. If he doesn't, we come back in. Today, he peed and pooped in the house immediately after coming in and doing that outside. No signs of anything. Didn't go to the door, wasn't pacing. Took the leash off, he squatted and peed. He's not even trying to hide when he does it. He can hold it all night in the kennel. Goes out first thing in the morning and poops/pees. No clue what we're missing here but this is really frustrating. I'm glad we held off replacing the carpet and furniture. |