[tabathafx]

Hoping for some advice on a 5 month old Dachshund. I currently have a very well trained 2 year old Chihuaha/dachshund mix. So I know the basics of Potty training and all the tricks and techniques. But I am having trouble with an adopted dog that seems to have lived in very poor conditions and is very hard to potty train.


We adopted him from a lady that never potty trained him or even took him outside due to not having completed shots. We are trying to crate train him to use the puppy pads inside because he doesn't do anything outside. He just stands there outside with me and wants to be picked up. (He has separation anxiety I think because he never wanders on his own). He sleeps in his crate and when he wakes up he just pees on his bedding, or he will pee from excitement from seeing me in the morning on his bedding. I will move him to the pad and tell him to go there and he then just lays down on the puppy pad as he just peed on it from excitement. He has no accidents while he is outside of the crate, we have never caught him sniffing around to go potty either. But he won't go after he is fed or even after he naps. He just always want's to be held or pet. He also likes to lay/sleep on the puppy pads even though they have pee on them. I feel like he doesn't even know that he's peeing, he just pees from excitement or if he gets scared and also right when he wakes up as he sees me come into the room to let him out of the crate. I don't know how to start properly potty training him, because he can hold it in for a very long time. I will take him outside in 15 minute intervals after he eats and he still won't go. Any suggestions on different methods to get him to pee on the puppy pads or outside?

Any advice would be so much help!

 

[GitaBooks]

I'm so glad you gave this dog a chance to live a good life. He's lucky to have you. :thumbsup:

First off, you mentioned he was 5 months old, rescued from poor conditions, and never taken outside. That is a lot for a little pup to go through because he never has learned anything about what it means to be outside the house, walking in the grass, marking his territory, or anything like that. During the critical learning phase he missed what it was to be a dog and so it will be much more difficult, but certainly possible, to retrain his mind.

We adopted a pup around 7-9 months old from what we believe was a puppy-mill (we didn't know until we had already agreed to adopt him). We think he was kept in a crate with plastic bags because whenever he saw one he would go on it, like he just needed to. He was bad about going in the house as well, simply because he didn't know better. He also had behavior issues around people and dogs, not knowing how to show respect or to interact with our pack like a dog taught by its mother would. Pups taken from their mother before 8-12 weeks often do not know how to behave around other dogs properly.

The first thing you want to train him is not to avoid going inside, but to start going outside. Give him some good food and water, let him rest, then take him out on a leash. Bring out your other dog and let him run around in the yard or walk on a leash. Wait for a good long time, up to 30 minutes or so, just letting the little guy realize what outdoors mean. Let him sniff your other dogs marking posts and droppings to get the clue. Play with him, get him excited and comfortable, offer him some food, let him see your other dog playing and enjoying himself outside.
The most important thing is that you do not want to "feed" the pups anxiety and human dependency but teach him how to be a dog again so he can enjoy life to the fullest. Be there for him and support him, make sure he isn't afraid, but don't be too quick to pick him up and bring him in just because he uncomfortable. If he is cold that may be a problem, in which case a sweater might help with that.

You mentioned separation anxiety. This may be caused by a number of things, though it could be connected to being separated from his mother too young, being kept indoors with people and never being introduced to other dogs or being outdoors, and many other such things.
To help him out with this you can encourage a little running on a leash to get him excited and loosening up. Offer treats and toys while outside, walk slightly out of his range and call him to you and then walk some more. Sit down in the grass and just let him walk around you, following his nose to something interesting. Keep it calm and enjoyable and he should realize how much fun it is.

As for peeing in his crate and sleeping in it, this could be step two. Now, you may never know what his life was life before he came to live with you. Sometimes dogs do things that seem to be unexplainable, but there could be a very real reason for what he does. A dog kept in dirty conditions will learn to live with it and be forced not to care. If your little guy was kept in a dirty crate he may just not care that he is laying in his own pee because he is use to it.
You could try offering a larger crate or a crate with a blanket on one half and puppy pads on the other. Try to get him to realize that he can go in one half and rest in the other.
If he pees while excited, this can be a sign of difficulty controlling his bowls, or just a puppy that gets excited and is showing submission. Getting past a submissive peeing behaviors is generally not to difficult if you just stay calm and don't encourage it. However, some dogs just get so excited it is hard for them to do anything else. You could try opening the crate and calling him outdoors without reaching for him, as pups often go when they see someone bending down towards them or reaching for them.

His cuddly behavior is very nice, who doesn't like a sweet dog , but to help him fully get out of his shell encourage him to do some simple tricks, play in the living room, explore the floor, chew on a chew-treat or Kong, play with your other dog, or perhaps take him on outings where he can see other things and realize there is more to being constantly stuck to someones side.

Give him some time. If you've only had him a few days he needs to get use to the new house, owner, routine, yard, food, smells, and so much more. Keep a schedule for him, so he knows what to expect, and as he grows in confidence and health he will likely get past these difficult behaviors of puppy-hood.

I certainly hope this helps. Best of luck with your little guy! :thumbsup: