[yojav]

so here's a little background...

Chona is a mini shnauzer and was born on xmas day 2009. I got her on March 2, 2010. So I've had her for just over a month now... With the use of treats and a clicker she has learned some commands such as sit, stay, lay down, up (stand on back legs), kiss, and out. she picked up the crate training pretty well and have since moved on to a bed that is all her own. she sleeps indoors nightly and is outdoors while i'm at work. I walk her daily for 1-3 miles upon returning from work around 5pm. during our walks she stays either parallel to me or slightly a step behind me. she knows i'm the pack leader...

here's what's boggling me...every morning upon her waking up she'll scratch at my bed, I take her outside and she'll pee in her area. just like I'd always dreamed...it's when I take her for a walk. When we return from walking, I take her directly to her area to pee but she refuses. I walk her in the house on the leesh then straight back outside and nothing. I sometimes wait 30 to 40 minutes and nothing. the moment I take her leesh off inside the house (after walking her) she'll plop and pee. she has peed on her bed (totally confusing, considering all i've read about "dogs don't pee where they sleep"), my bed, the carpet, the sofa, the kitchen tile. pretty much every where....why the heck is she doing that??? it's almost like she can't wait to get inside to pee. she is so smart but can't seem to figure out that outside is the place to pee...PLEASE HELP ME. I don't want to resort to violence...eh, just kidding. Thanks.

 

[Cracker]

Okay. A couple of questions/concerns:

When she pees when you take her out in the morning, do you TAKE her out on leash and reward her? Are you using a cue word (not to be expected to BE on cue yet, but for learning to do it on cue)? Or are you simply letting her out in the yard to go. It's important to remember that relieving herself (especially after waking) is essentially a self rewarding (RELIEF) and you have to reward when it's done outside so that it becomes MORE so to go outside than outside.

Why are you leaving her outside all day? One, this does nothing for housetraining as she never learns to "hold" it. Holding it at night is easy, everything in her body slows down. It also means you don't have the chance to reward the behaviour. It is also patently unsafe to leave a puppy outside all day. Temperature fluctuations, theft, predators are only a few of the risks...unless she is kenneled and contained and has environmental protection out there you should rethink this.

As for the walks, 1-2 hours for a 4 month old puppy is a LOT. Way too much. Be very careful of conditioning your dog to need more and more exercise and to also cause stress on soft puppy joints and bones. Running and playing on grass is okay, walking on sidewalks etc on leash for this length of time is hazardous.

The behaviour of holding it when you return is possibly because she thinks outside time is over when pee happens or it may be she's uncomfortable peeing on the leash. When it's walk time take her out to PEE and wait until she goes and then reward her with a walk or play session (as well a treat for peeing, right after it happens). I would also bring the crate back and use it for those times when she hasn't peed and you come back from a walk. It does no good to let her off in the house with freedom to pee wherever she gets the opportunity to.

Puppies EARN freedom as they mature and as they learn their housebreaking. You've given too much too soon and are not managing the situation. The more accidents she has the harder it will be to housetrain her. This is an understanding issue on your part, not on hers.

And BTW, walking next to you or behind you is not about packleader work. Don't be surprised when she turns 5 months old if she turns into a pulling maniac...LOL. Adolescence is coming...Teaching LLW is important but dogs do not naturally "follow" a leader this way. Find some real books on puppy training (The Puppy Whisperer by Paul Owens or Before and After Getting your Puppy by Ian Dunbar).

 

[yojav]

I do not use a leash in the morning, but she does follow me directly outside. Once she pees I make a big fuss and give her lots of love and tickles. It makes sense to reward her w treats as well.

do you recommend crating her while I'm away at work? that can sometimes be up to 8 hours during the day...seems cruel.

I do leave the crate or her "room" outside for her and she uses it accordingly. is that a no no?

as for our walks...NO NO NO...1-3 miles! not hours...haha...i doubt my soccer knees can take such pavement pounding

how does a puppy become comfortable peeing while on the leash?

Thanks for the advice!