I currently have a very lazy 8 year old shepard(female), a 3 year old boxer mix(female) who thinks she's a puppy -- Earlier this week I adopted a 8 month old Boxer/Pitt mix to keep my other boxer mix busy so she won't harass the shepard.  So far it's worked great, the 2 boxer mixes get along VERY well and play all day long.


Only problem is the new dog who was supposidly housebroken (according to the vet I got her from, she found the dog abandoned)...... pee'd in the house twice the first night, pooed the next day and then pee'd again last night.  Each time I've caught her in the act, and diciplined her..... and then throw her back outside -- she looks guilty as can be when I do this.



Any suggestions?  Is this just something that takes time while adjusting to a new home?





And for all you pitt haters, she is a total sweetheart and will lick you to death....... although I think she's developed a taste for TheRedHorseman.

IBTCTCG

(In before the "call the cops" gang)


ETA- just re-read and noticed it's a she-dog.  We had a border collie pup that was pissing and shitting in my daughter's bed and my wife's side of our bed.  Weird.  Vet said it was a dominance thing and suggested getting some ducks to let the dog have something to herd.

We got rid of the dog.

Quoted: IBTCTCG (In before the "call the cops" gang)

Whoa that's neat.

Quoted: Quoted: IBTCTCG (In before the "call the cops" gang)www.1911og.org/forum/images/smilies/post.bmp

Hey. Wow.  Never got called a troll before.


OK.  Call the cops.  Have them shoot the dog.  All pit bulls are for shit and should be banned.  Their owners are all gangsta wannabes.

That is all.

In times when other punishments failed, I always grabbed the dog by the back of the neck and picked it up off the floor and shook it.  Dogs have specially designed skin on their necks, so it isn't as cruel as it sounds.  In fact, in the wild that is how a mom will carry her young.  Tell it "bad dog" and put its face close to where it pooed or peed, so it knows why it is being punished.  It didn't make the dog mean at all, but then again it wasn't a pitt bull.  Don't know how a pitt bull would respond to this kind of treatment.

Yes.  We have one idiot dog that still isn't perfect about it.
During training, anytime the (good) dog made a mess in the house, we'd immediately take him outside.  Our first dog, which we raised from a puppy, is perfect about it.  Our second, which my wife bought from some people that shouldn't own dogs, is not.  
ETA: With regard to the other post, we were told that punishing the dog for going in the house will just make the dog try to hide it.  We never punished our first dog.  Someone might have punished our second at some point.  He seems to have some issues with going and always acts ashamed if he's done something in the house.

Quoted: Any suggestions?  Is this just something that takes time while adjusting to a new home?

Keep it in an indoor pen until it learns to poopy outside.  And take it out on a regular schedule.

Quoted: Tell it "bad dog" and put its face close to where it pooed or peed, so it knows why it is being punished.

This will only make your dog not pee or poop IN FRONT OF YOU.

Confine your dog while you're away...I know it sucks, but it sucks less than a stinky house.  Dogs will not defacate or piss where they sleep.
Have a set routine with specific times each day (morning, lunch, dinner works for me) when you take them outside to do their business.  Praise them (ALOT) when they perform as desired.  It's also less confusing if you use the same exit outside each time; this is how dogs learn to go to the door when they have to "go".

The above will work provided your dogs aren't "marking"...makes it easier if they are spayed or neutered.

All this plus lots of patience.  Of course, it may be a behavioral problem at which point you should consult a vet.  

Crate training has never failed for me. Dogs will rarely poop or pee where they sleep.
Put the dog in the crate every time you shower, sleep or leave the house. Dogs are den animals
by nature, The crate is her den.

I'd also suggest hanging a bell from your front or back door
low enough for the dog to ring when she needs to go and do her business. Any bell dangling from
a string will work. I use a large Christmas "jingle" bell. While training her, take her head and rake
it across the bell before you open the door to take her out. She'll learn to do it on her own within 4 weeks.

Dog's nose meet mess, plastic coke bottle with 10 pennies, meet dogs ass.  The noise of the pennies will scare the dog more than the beating.  YMMV

Set and follow a pee-pee routine .Repetition is the only way to teach -dont punish  her - punishing will only confuse her and  she will just start peeing in less obvious places,like an open closet ,or a corner, because everytime she has to go she will think she is doing something that is wrong and you will be mad at her.

Remember ,the lack of opposable digits precludes letting herself out ,and makes you the smarter one to boot.
So be smarter.

Repetition
Repetition
Repetition
Repetition
Repetition

she'll catch on.

Quoted: Crate training has never failed for me. Dogs will rarely poop or pee where they sleep. Put the dog in the crate every time you shower, sleep or leave the house. Dogs are den animals by nature, The crate is her den. I'd also suggest hanging a bell from your front or back door low enough for the dog to ring when she needs to go and do her business. Any bell dangling from a string will work. I use a large Christmas "jingle" bell. While training her, take her head and rake it across the bell before you open the door to take her out. She'll learn to do it on her own within 4 weeks.

+1

I've only had the crate fail once.  A Shi-Tsu (sp?) of my moms.  It would happily shit in the crate and dance in it each and every day.  It was impossible to keep that dog from pissing and crapping in the house.  I took it and gave it to a rescue.  Felt terrible, she was a sweet dog, but that was just not something I could handle.  No confinement, no matter how small would stop her.

She almost ruined my well trained Husky.  He would have to 'mark' any room she pissed in and I was going nuts.  Get that under control ASAP.  We nearly had a purging of all dogs in my life the night I found a spot they had had a piss war for days we didn't know about.

Quoted: In times when other punishments failed, I always grabbed the dog by the back of the neck and picked it up off the floor and shook it.  Dogs have specially designed skin on their necks, so it isn't as cruel as it sounds.  In fact, in the wild that is how a mom will carry her young.  Tell it "bad dog" and put its face close to where it pooed or peed, so it knows why it is being punished.  It didn't make the dog mean at all, but then again it wasn't a pitt bull.  Don't know how a pitt bull would respond to this kind of treatment.

Wrong.

All that does is make the dog aware that whatever he did immediately prior to you picking it up was wrong.  Usually, the dog is told "Come here!", so when you then apply discipline, all the dog really learns is to fear coming to you.  That is a bad thing.

You need to catch her in the act.  When she is doing it, a firm "NO!" along with grabbing by the scruff and removing the dog to the outside should work given time.  The other thing you have to address is the dominance issue.  While the dogs may struggle to attain dominance over each other, you should be the top dog without doubt, and the dogs should know that going inside is not allowed according to the Alpha (you).

Along with the above, do the following:

1.  Start obedience work.  NILIF (Nothing IN Life Is Free).  If the dog wants attention, tell the dog "(insert name here), Sit".  When the dog sits as commanded, lots of love and attention.  Move on over time to "stay", "down", etc.    This gives lots of positive interaction with purpose and will both help make the dog aware who is boss and also help the bonding process.  Dogs need leadership!  You can take it as far as you want, but every dog should at least know "sit", "stay", "down", "come", and "NO!" IMO.

2.  Always make the dog sit and stay when being fed.  Put the food bowl down, then release them with "OK!" when they have done so like they should.  The Alpha controls he food supply, and it's an easy way to help establish dominance.

3.  Alphas always go through doorways first.  Whenever going in and out or through rooms, go first.  Put the dog on sit/stay and go through, then release them with the "OK!" command.


I got a very dominant male GSD a few months ago, and it's amazing what the above has netted me in terms of a loving dog that doesn't screw up very much.  I even posted here about him.  I knew how to get it done, but was losing patience.  His biggest issue was chasing rabbits and squirrels, pulling on his leash/chain.  I started putting him on sit/stay whenever he saw one, and he is even getting better with that.  He is getting to a point now where when he sees a rabbit, sometimes he just goes ahead and sits without being told LOL.

It takes time.  Be a patient, and kind owner who is extremely consistent in the application of the above rules, and you will be rewarded in spades.

Quoted: I've only had the crate fail once.  A Shi-Tsu (sp?) of my moms.  It would happily shit in the crate and dance in it each and every day.  It was impossible to keep that dog from pissing and crapping in the house.  I took it and gave it to a rescue.  Felt terrible, she was a sweet dog, but that was just not something I could handle.  No confinement, no matter how small would stop her.

Uh, huh-huh-huh, huh-huh-huh.  You said Shih-Tzu!

Teach by example.

Whenever you have to shit or piss go outside and do it.
Bring the dog with you and let it watch.

Give the dog treats whenever it goes outside.
Say to the dog "go potty outside"
Take it outside to play.  Throw a ball/stick/bone.
The excercise will make it pee usually.
Give it a treat and lots of positive reinforcement.  
It will take some patience on your part, but positive reinforcement, along with scolding (not beating, maybe some light hitting) will do the trick.
I promise.

Quoted: I have a female Aussie.   Though she took well to house training,  until she was about two years of age she was susceptible to submissive urination.   When she got too excited,  she'd squat and dribble. She grew out of it.    That's something that some dogs just do.  Particularly submissive females. CJ

Yeah, my boxer mix that's 3 did that for the longest time....... the sad part is the look on her face she'd get doing it, without me saying or doing anything to her -- she was terrified because she knew it was wrong.



I guess I've lucked out in the past with dogs, usually it's just a matter of them getting used to a house vs a kennel and then it's fine.



For the record, she has a bed in a crate she sleeps in (in my bedroom) my other dogs have beds also, but outside the crate -- I can trust them not to jump on my bed and not to pee/poo in the house.

Quoted: Quoted: I have a female Aussie.   Though she took well to house training,  until she was about two years of age she was susceptible to submissive urination.   When she got too excited,  she'd squat and dribble. She grew out of it.    That's something that some dogs just do.  Particularly submissive females. CJ Yeah, my boxer mix that's 3 did that for the longest time....... the sad part is the look on her face she'd get doing it, without me saying or doing anything to her -- she was terrified because she knew it was wrong. I guess I've lucked out in the past with dogs, usually it's just a matter of them getting used to a house vs a kennel and then it's fine. For the record, she has a bed in a crate she sleeps in (in my bedroom) my other dogs have beds also, but outside the crate -- I can trust them not to jump on my bed and not to pee/poo in the house.

Yup.  I should have talked about that in my first post.  

If the dog is submissive peeing, going Alpha on her will make her pee worse.

It's counterintuitive, but when this is the case, easing up on the dog and just being the gentle, encouraging guide can fix it.

And also ditto on crate training.  It works too.