surchinmy
Ultra ALPHA
Sep 28, 2004, 2:59 AM
Post #2 of 2
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Re: [Mini Bud] Holding it to go in the house.
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Hello ... Dogs are very much creatures of habit ... " ... I acquired him from a man who just couldn't keep him due to health reasons. He had him going on potty pads due to living in an apartment ..." I would suspect that the above has a lot to do with it ... and not so much dominance, being unaltered or other such ... After 4 years of eliminating indoors on pads ... as far as the dog understands, he is permitted and allowed to emininate indoors. Retraining is definitely possible but will require much patience and consistency. Now that you have got the pads, and have started laying the pads down indoors, take a pause and seriously consider where you wish the dog to eliminate - bathroom or outside ... Decide on one and fix it ... To begin ... everytime the dog uses a pad ... lots of praise & even treats ... This is VERY IMPORTANT. Get the dog focused on using the pads, the priase & treats will reinforce the lesson. The idea is to get the dog so focused on using the pads, that the location of the pads becomes secondary. Slowly start removing the pads one by one ... leaving only one pad. Continually praise & treat ... With that in mind, slowly (and I mean really slowly, rushing will probably cause more mistakes. Better to go slow and sure) move the last pad towards the desired location. Remain consistent. If mistakes are made (that is to be expected) ... Avoid reprimanding your dog when mistakes are made (remember you are trying to retrain him out of a habit that was previously trained into the dog - its really not his fault) ... Reprimanding a dog when trying to house train or retrain house training, produces more negative than positive results. Use the "search" function & check the threads on "housetraining". During this period of moving, you have to keep an eye on the dog, if he looks like eliminating anywhere but on the pads, lead him back to a pad. Just a thought: With a dog that is already trained to eliminate indoors - making the bathroom the location is probably gonna be easier than expecting the dog to ONLY eliminate outdoors. Encourage the dog whenever he eliminates outdoors, but keep a pad in the bathroom for the dog's emergencies. Cheers
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