Joined
·
11 Posts
Hi. I adopted Kettle about a week ago. She's a WONDERFUL gentle smart loving Cattle Dog mix--fully mature at 5 years old. And she's completely housebroken. She hasn't gone inside once. In fact, she's one of the best dogs I've ever had.
The problem: We have a wrap around back porch, one side of which we use and one side that we rarely go to. Since it is hot, we've left the door from the house to the porch open (entrance to the yard is closed with a dog-gate). Kettle seems to know not to soil the living areas inside the house and on the steps or porch that we use, but I found lots of poops and puddles on the side of the porch that we don't use. I've also found poops on the brick yard of our house, and she pees in the middle of the sidewalk
I'm assuming that this is the result of the training from her previous owners. And she isn't (in her mind at least) soiling the house. I think she thinks that she's doing what she is supposed to do. After all, she's outside.
What I want is for her to vacate on dirt or in a "natural" area--preferably in a consistent place--not on manmade surfaces. I'm not opposed to a doggie "litterbox" with sand or something in it, or is this cheating?
Any advice on how we can work on this? Preferably that doesn't involve me rubbing her nose in it or correcting her harshly? I mean, I would certainly correct her if necessary--but she isn't a particularly willful or difficult dog. I can tell how much she wants to please me, and thus far it seems to have been very easy for her to adopt some behaviors that I want.
Point being--I'd rather use her desire to please as the starting point rather than the "she's doing something bad which needs correction" starting point.
The problem: We have a wrap around back porch, one side of which we use and one side that we rarely go to. Since it is hot, we've left the door from the house to the porch open (entrance to the yard is closed with a dog-gate). Kettle seems to know not to soil the living areas inside the house and on the steps or porch that we use, but I found lots of poops and puddles on the side of the porch that we don't use. I've also found poops on the brick yard of our house, and she pees in the middle of the sidewalk
I'm assuming that this is the result of the training from her previous owners. And she isn't (in her mind at least) soiling the house. I think she thinks that she's doing what she is supposed to do. After all, she's outside.
What I want is for her to vacate on dirt or in a "natural" area--preferably in a consistent place--not on manmade surfaces. I'm not opposed to a doggie "litterbox" with sand or something in it, or is this cheating?
Any advice on how we can work on this? Preferably that doesn't involve me rubbing her nose in it or correcting her harshly? I mean, I would certainly correct her if necessary--but she isn't a particularly willful or difficult dog. I can tell how much she wants to please me, and thus far it seems to have been very easy for her to adopt some behaviors that I want.
Point being--I'd rather use her desire to please as the starting point rather than the "she's doing something bad which needs correction" starting point.
