[J.B.Nadolny]

First off I will admit that I didn't train my dog initially as good as I should have. She is about 2.5 yrs old and I have had her since she was 4 weeks old. i started to housetrain her immediatly upon getting her, and doing a little other training also. She immediatly learned how to go outside and had very few accidents. I don't even remember the last time she had an accident, until....

I recently moved from a condo with a doggie door and small backyard area where she pooped and peed just fine in dirt, when she needed to go she just walked out the doggie door did her business, and came back inside. I took her on plenty of walks but she would never poop on her leash no matter what I tried, but she peed just fine.

Now I have moved into a one bedroom apt with no private patio and of course no doggie door. I take her for walks about 3-4 times a day, she pees everytime, but has only pooped once, which I think was on accident. It's almost like she is embarrassed to poop while people are watching. She also won't poop while I am home, she held her poop in for about 2 days before going on the carpet, then the once outside, then once a little bit later inside, all large amounts. She can hold it very long but not now, usually going everytime i leave the house. she also pees on the carpet, all in random areas in the living room. She makes no indication when she has to go and even if she did she won't go poop on the leash.

Not only does she poop and pee in the apt whenever I am gone but she also whines constantly. I recently got a call from management while I was at work telling me that the next door neighbors had complained about the whining, so I need to do something immediatly. I made an audio recording last night and when she isn't whining (about every 7-10 minutes for 2-5 minutes) she is running all around the living room, I leave the bedroom closed. She does not eat anything or really mess with anything though.

When I do take her for a walk she is on a pronged collar and is usually pretty good unless anything, and i mean anything happens. A person is walking across the street, a dog even up to 100 feet away, any person whether it be male/female adult/child, cars driving by, etc. when she sees a person or animal she will began to run in every direction possible, whines, and will not listen to commands which she normally does. If a person gets to close she will bark very aggresively like she wants to kill and eat them.

Do I have to start from square one with her? right now I have gated off the hallway to my bathroom as a den area with food, water, sleeping area, and some toys. I have started to try my best to be the pack leader reading everything possible to try and get her to snap back to being trained(ish). For now since I need an immediate solution would a no-bark collar be appropriate because I don't want to get kicked out of my new apt 2 weeks in. Of course training along with it and having her get used to it while I am still around? I work usually long shifts at night 6 days a week but my girlfriend is home a lot, but sometimes not. I need help because I can't stand cleaning up poop 4 times a day. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

forgot to mention a few things. When I leave and come home I have always done the standard of not giving her any attention as I am leaving, and when I get home I ignore her the best I can but she usually jumps a few times before calming down. I have now started to leave out her toys and leave on the radio but it hasn't worked. She never ever whined at my old place and didn't even really care that I was leaving.

Also right now she is being free fed. She eats a fine amount but just nibbles at the food all day long until it is gone, then i refill. Can I just switch to feeding her at set times? I am afraid that she won't eat enough because she is used to nibbling. Should I add anything to the food to make her eat it faster?

Also regarding potty training should I try and train her to use a large litter box indoors or continue trying to have her poop on a leash?

thanks

[Dogstar]

First, a no-bark collra isn't a solution here- she's anxious about the routine change, a no bark collra will probably make things worse.

Secondly, I'd start by going to scheduled meals (put the food down, leave it for 15 minutes, pick it up)- missing a couple of meals won't hurt her. Mix whatever isn't eaten after the first meal with a pocket full of tiny (pea sized) treats and start doing more training, using her regular food along with the treats as rewards. I'd recommend going to NILIF for everything just to get her used to some structure. You *might* try taking her out on a flexi and seeing if that will help her poop- if she was reprimanded at all in the psat for pooping indoors, she may have generalized that pooping near a person (within sight) = getting reprimanded. A flexi may help.

Lastly, I'd start working on desensitizing her to stuff that she encounters on leash. "Fiesty Fido" and "Cautious Canine" along with "Click to Calm" all might be useful books for this. Any chance you can take her to doggy day care a day or two a week? It'd up her exercise and get her out of your neighbors' hair. If you can do half days, four days a week, that might be even better- take her in the morning, pick her up and drop her off at home at lunch, and she'd probably sleep all afternoon.


Cait

[Barhund Canine]

She is probably more freaked out with the move more than anything. Everything she knew was completely changed. She may also be trying to cover other animals scents in the new place you moved into. I would introduce her to a crate and make it a comfortable place for her to go and use it when you are not able to supervise her. She was also used to the idea of going outside when she wanted, now she can't. Get her on a feeding schedule take her out every hour or so. Praise her really well when she does eliminate outside, encourage her to go, tell her go potty. If you are able to find a spot where you can put some of her stool and leave it there to help her associate where she is supposed to go. Try to find a similar spot like a dirt spot, or grassy spot, where she was comfortable going. Some dogs get used to going on a certain type of material like concrete and have trouble going on grass, or vise versa. Also try walking and playing with her more. Sometimes more activity will make them want to go easier. the more you let her go in the apartment the more she will think it is ok to go in there. You may also want to limit her freedom and keep her on a leash with you while you are doing your normal thing. It wil help you bond more and will usually give her more confidence. I would also provide her with more training to help her focus on you more, it will also build her confidence up and help getting her used to the new surroundings easier.

[J.B.Nadolny]

update on the situation. on her walk tonight she offically went poop for the second time ever on a leash. I tried to praise her with treats but she won't eat treats until we get back to the apt. I did praise her verbally and made it known it was a good thing. Is it possible to train a dog to both use pee pads indoors and go outside? and is it a good idea?

what is a good way to get a dog to eat all her food when being switched to scheduled eating? right now she is so used to nibbling her and there so when she initially gets a new bowl of food she won't even touch it for maybe even an hour.

thanks. i think she is slowly returning to normal. now just have to work on the distractions during the walks. there have been a few times when she looks like she is going to poop then all of a sudden stops.

btw i never mentioned that she is a 40lbs rot mut mixed with an unkown type of dog. I havn't owned very many dogs but she seems "special" to me if you know what I mean. Is that possibly why she is hard to train?

[Barhund Canine]

It might take awhile to get her to eat all of her food when switched to a schedule. Leave her bowl down for 15-20 minutes she will get the hang of it. Sometimes they eat all their food sometimes they don't. You might want to try and walk her good 15-20 minutes after she eats that will help promote her to eliminate. Keep encouraging her to go if she seems to get distracted. If she doesn't want to take treats that is ok just give her lots of praise and a good petting when she does go. I would definitely feed her twice a day, if you expect her to eat all of her food at once it could cause her to bloat. Bloating sometimes happens with rots when they eat too much at one time over a period of time. You don't feed them less you just spread it throughout the day. I wouldn't worry too much about it, just something to be aware of.

How you treat her since she is special to you could affect the way she takes to training. You will just have to watch your self and not praise her for not doing what you want or is asked to do. If you want her to do something follow through. Set her rules and make her follow the rules, be a fair, consistent, strong leader. That is the best way to show her affection. It probably wouldn't hurt to get her back on a training schedule and work with her. Dogs need the challenge, training stimulates their mind, yours too. By trainer and building your bond with her and her confidence with you will go up also, which will help with the distractions.