Ok, about 2 weeks ago, I adopted a 2 year old male Samoyed Husky. This dog was trained (supposedly by an actual trainer) by the owner previous to the one I adopted him from. Right off the bat he started marking a few spots, but with a little work, I ended up reteaching him that it was wrong to do such. Now I am faced with the problem that he will only listen to the commands he was trained in, when there is a treat in someones hands. Also, he refuses to crap outdoors. We take him out on a walk 3 to 4 times each day and 2 of these are really long walks. The issue is, he just won't do anything but pee outside. He just seems to get distracted by everything going on and just won't do anything until he gets inside the house. He knows its wrong because as soon as he sees us, he walks around with his tail between his legs, his ears down, and tries to hide.
I just don't know what to do. We got this dog because he was suppose to be already trained and I can tell he was, however; he refuses to follow his training. What can I do? I can't do the reward technic if he won't even attempt to go outside. Also, I am living paycheck to paycheck and I can't afford to hire a trainer to help me out with this (I can afford bills and food and to take care of him be it food or vet but nothing else).
If anyone has any idea what to do, or if you might be willing to help me out here Victoria, I would appreciate it very much.
Thanks,
Diago
Major issue with new dog
Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost
Congratulations on your new family member! You are both in the still getting to know each other stage so don't get frustrated about the pottying.
You may have to adjust his feeding schedule to help him potty when you walk him. Make a mental note of the times he goes poo & figure out how many hrs after last meal it is. It typically takes 8-12hrs for food to go thru.
When you walk him & he hasn't 'gone,' come in for 5 mts & bring him right back out. NEVER ever scold him, shove his nose in it or whack him. If he is putting tail btwn legs & tries to hide that indicates that he is afraid of you & possibly afraid to 'go' in front of you. Just clean up real well with vinegar or enzymatic cleaner (from petstore) roll up a newspaper & whack YOURSELF on the head with it. You might want to tether him to you when he comes back from a walk & hasn't 'gone' that way you can catch him sniffing/circling & can whisk him right out. the first time he 'goes' outside praise treat throw a small party. Before you know it, he will be a perfect pottier. Good Luck!
You may have to adjust his feeding schedule to help him potty when you walk him. Make a mental note of the times he goes poo & figure out how many hrs after last meal it is. It typically takes 8-12hrs for food to go thru.
When you walk him & he hasn't 'gone,' come in for 5 mts & bring him right back out. NEVER ever scold him, shove his nose in it or whack him. If he is putting tail btwn legs & tries to hide that indicates that he is afraid of you & possibly afraid to 'go' in front of you. Just clean up real well with vinegar or enzymatic cleaner (from petstore) roll up a newspaper & whack YOURSELF on the head with it. You might want to tether him to you when he comes back from a walk & hasn't 'gone' that way you can catch him sniffing/circling & can whisk him right out. the first time he 'goes' outside praise treat throw a small party. Before you know it, he will be a perfect pottier. Good Luck!
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Smillin'Sammy
- Posts: 59
- Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2009 8:30 pm
Congrats on the new dog, I'm so jealous! I want a samoyed so badly. I know a lot about them, so I think I may be able to help. First, you are going to have to work hard with this dog. Samoyeds are strong headed because they were bred that way. As sled dogs, they had to be able to ignore commands if they new there was thin ice or another problem the sled rider couldn't see. Work hard, show him you know what you're doing, and use high value treats. Be consistent, and use uh-oh when he does something wrong. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'd recommend you get Victoria's book, as it covers training well and you'll need to be the best trainer you can for this dog. Rent it from the library, or whatever it takes.
As for the potty training, don't free feed. Then, monitor the times he goes. About 5 minutes before the usual time, lead him out. If he hasn't gone by 10 minutes, bring him back in, then immediately back out. Repeat until he goes, then give lots of praise and treats.
Be very consistent with praise and treats for good behavior, it will seem a lot of the time that you have to force the things through his head
But he is very intelligent, he will have no trouble learning, it's just doing. Remember that. Good luck, and be happy you have such a great breed of dog!
As for the potty training, don't free feed. Then, monitor the times he goes. About 5 minutes before the usual time, lead him out. If he hasn't gone by 10 minutes, bring him back in, then immediately back out. Repeat until he goes, then give lots of praise and treats.
Be very consistent with praise and treats for good behavior, it will seem a lot of the time that you have to force the things through his head
But he is very intelligent, he will have no trouble learning, it's just doing. Remember that. Good luck, and be happy you have such a great breed of dog!Contrary to popular belief dogs have no concept of the rightness or wrongness of any behavior. What your dog was doing was giving you an appeasement gesture as a reaction to the subtle cues of anger you were displaying...cues you may not even realise you are giving.
Second, training is a continuous process and does not ever stop. There is always something new to teach, refine or improve. Training is an important way for owners to build a bond of trust with their dogs.
Low cost training options and instruction may be available through your local humane society. Another option would be to request to audit a class. Auditing is basically attending the class without a dog. Take copious notes and spend time at home applying what you learned in the class.
For the potty issues, make sure he is on a regular feeding schedule. After a week or so he should also have a regular potty schedule. If he does not go when you are outside, restrict his access inside and take him back out every 5-10 minutes until he does go outside. By restricting his access mean either keep him tethered to you or in an xPen where you can watch for signs of needing to go. If given an indication of a need to go...then by all means go outside.
Commands can be retrained to whatever you want them to be. As far as treats, it sounds like with some command you need to start working with a variable reward schedule...vary both the size of the reward and frequency of the reward, but always reward the behavior you want.
A reward is anything pleasing to your dog...it could be food, play, a toy, verbal praise, petting etc.. vary type and amount of rewards (think slot machine) they do nt always pay out and that gets people to put more money in in the hopes that the next pull is a jackpot.)
Second, training is a continuous process and does not ever stop. There is always something new to teach, refine or improve. Training is an important way for owners to build a bond of trust with their dogs.
Low cost training options and instruction may be available through your local humane society. Another option would be to request to audit a class. Auditing is basically attending the class without a dog. Take copious notes and spend time at home applying what you learned in the class.
For the potty issues, make sure he is on a regular feeding schedule. After a week or so he should also have a regular potty schedule. If he does not go when you are outside, restrict his access inside and take him back out every 5-10 minutes until he does go outside. By restricting his access mean either keep him tethered to you or in an xPen where you can watch for signs of needing to go. If given an indication of a need to go...then by all means go outside.
Commands can be retrained to whatever you want them to be. As far as treats, it sounds like with some command you need to start working with a variable reward schedule...vary both the size of the reward and frequency of the reward, but always reward the behavior you want.
A reward is anything pleasing to your dog...it could be food, play, a toy, verbal praise, petting etc.. vary type and amount of rewards (think slot machine) they do nt always pay out and that gets people to put more money in in the hopes that the next pull is a jackpot.)
Thanks for the replies guys. I will give all of your suggestions a shot. What is really weird about this dog, is that he was going outside the first few days I had him, he was really good about it. Then I got a headcollar for him due to the fact that he pulls really hard on a normal leash. After I started to use that, he started pooping in the house. Could the simple fact that he has lost all control on the leash be the cause for this new issue?
EDIT: Finally got him to go outside again, however; I had to put the old collar back on. I'm not sure if that is why or if it was just coincedence. The issue could also be because he is easily distracted outside. Perhaps he just got bored and finally went.
EDIT: Finally got him to go outside again, however; I had to put the old collar back on. I'm not sure if that is why or if it was just coincedence. The issue could also be because he is easily distracted outside. Perhaps he just got bored and finally went.
Just a general piece of advice - if ever you get a new dog as an adolescent or an adult, treat it just the same as you would a puppy. Don't assume any prior training at all.
If it has been reliably trained to do certain things already you will soon find out. If not then it's up to you to train it.
Even dogs that have been 100% house trained in it's previous home can regress in a new home. New place, new rules, stress all play a part.
Pam
If it has been reliably trained to do certain things already you will soon find out. If not then it's up to you to train it.
Even dogs that have been 100% house trained in it's previous home can regress in a new home. New place, new rules, stress all play a part.
Pam
If it seems like the head collar is what's making him uncomfortable enough not to poop outside, then it might be a good solution not to use it.
I would suggest reading this thread on loose leash walking:
http://www.victoriastilwell.com/phpBB2/ ... .php?t=858
I made the mistake of thinking that I could put no-pull harnesses on my dog and it would stop him pulling, and it seems to be a common misconception. If you teach him not to pull, then you can walk him without a head collar. Have a look at that thread and reply there if you have any questions. Good luck. My dog was a nightmare to walk when I first got him and walking him was so unpleasant. Now I love walking my dog, he's a pleasure on leash and it's all because of that method.
I would suggest reading this thread on loose leash walking:
http://www.victoriastilwell.com/phpBB2/ ... .php?t=858
I made the mistake of thinking that I could put no-pull harnesses on my dog and it would stop him pulling, and it seems to be a common misconception. If you teach him not to pull, then you can walk him without a head collar. Have a look at that thread and reply there if you have any questions. Good luck. My dog was a nightmare to walk when I first got him and walking him was so unpleasant. Now I love walking my dog, he's a pleasure on leash and it's all because of that method.
