I'm am SO frustrated!! He's turned into a terror!

[SweetCuteness]

Oh boy... where to start.

1) Before Ferdinand's neuter (he had it done about 2 months ago) he was 95% potty trained. He would have about 1 accident per week in the house. But ever since his neuter, he never asks to go out anymore - we will take him out to go potty and be outside with him for 30 minutes, then he'll come inside and pee right in front of us (thank goodness we have tile floors). Then as we're cleaning it up, he'll poop in front of us. I just don't know what to do anymore. The pee pads came back out this morning - and we're baby-gating him off from the hallway this afternoon (he seems to think the hallway is his own designated litter box). He chewed through the first gate, so we have to buy another.

2) The past week he's developed this horrible barking habit. He'll sit on the couch and bark, I'll firmly tell him "NO barking!," he'll stop long enough for me to tell him good boy (I usually wait a 30 seconds or so after I tell him no barking), then he'll start barking again.

3) Also, he sleeps in a crate next to our bed. For the past couple months he has been waking up between 4am and 5am wanting to go outside to potty. I'll take him out, then put him back in the crate, but he'll just whine until 7am when it's time to come back out. So I've been letting him run free in the house after he wakes up the first time so we can get some sleep. I thought he would grow out of the whining for 3 more hours, but he hasn't. Does anyone know how to break him of this and for him to be quiet until it's really time to get up? I'm sure letting him free in the house while we sleep for 2-3 more hours doesn't help with his regressed potty training.

Any advice would be so greatly appreciated. I just want my good little boy back.

[FirstYorkie]

Welcome to the wonderful world of canine adolescence. (At least I assume Ferdinand falls into that group). They truly do lose their minds for a while, don't they?

Here are my thoughts...

As far as the break in housetraining, I think you are doing exactly the right thing: go back to the basics as if he were a new puppy. Contain him when you can't watch him, hurry him to the correct spot if you catch him going in the wrong place, and most important, REWARD correct pottying heavily (with praise and yummy treats). Reward, reward, reward. Make it exceedingly clear which pottying pleases you. He has lost his mind, he doesn't remember, so you'll have to start over.

Barking. It sounds like he is taking your "good boy" as a release from the "no barking" command. I'd do 2 things. 1) I'd try very s-l-o-w-l-y increasing the amount of time in between the "no bark" and the praise. 2) I'd change the words you use to praise his quiet. Oh, and one other thing - if he is sitting on the couch barking at things outside, I'd close the drapes.

Sleeping. You might not want to go this route, but how would you feel about him sleeping in your bed? That might get him through the night.

Hang in there. You'll eventually get your good little boy back.

[cariblonde]

he is a cutey! I have a little terror of my own so I cant help you in that regard but I just wanted to tell you he is adorable

[SweetCuteness]

Originally Posted by FirstYorkie

Welcome to the wonderful world of canine adolescence. (At least I assume Ferdinand falls into that group). They truly do lose their minds for a while, don't they?

Here are my thoughts...

As far as the break in housetraining, I think you are doing exactly the right thing: go back to the basics as if he were a new puppy. Contain him when you can't watch him, hurry him to the correct spot if you catch him going in the wrong place, and most important, REWARD correct pottying heavily (with praise and yummy treats). Reward, reward, reward. Make it exceedingly clear which pottying pleases you. He has lost his mind, he doesn't remember, so you'll have to start over.

Barking. It sounds like he is taking your "good boy" as a release from the "no barking" command. I'd do 2 things. 1) I'd try very s-l-o-w-l-y increasing the amount of time in between the "no bark" and the praise. 2) I'd change the words you use to praise his quiet. Oh, and one other thing - if he is sitting on the couch barking at things outside, I'd close the drapes.

Sleeping. You might not want to go this route, but how would you feel about him sleeping in your bed? That might get him through the night.

Hang in there. You'll eventually get your good little boy back.

Thank you for your great advice. I guess he is still an adolescent - he's 14 months old. He had his neuter later.

We have started very heavily praising when he barks at the door and goes outside - I told my boyfriend we need to have a mini party when he pottys outside. I sure hope he learns again quick!

As far as the barking - those are things I hadn't thought of. I'll try to say "thank you" or something after the "no barking." I don't think he is barking at anything outside. He just looks at us and barks (talk about a headache creator!).

I generally do sleep with him in the bed when my boyfriend is out of town... but he moves around ALL night long. Maybe we'll give it a try for a week or so and see how it goes. Maybe I'll put his crate in the living room so he can use it during the day. I just don't want him to lose his good crate behavior if he isn't using it at all - never know when we might have to crate him and I want him to be comfortable in it.

Thank you again!! I really appreciate it (and my boyfriend I'm sure will as well).

[SweetCuteness]

Originally Posted by cariblonde

he is a cutey! I have a little terror of my own so I cant help you in that regard but I just wanted to tell you he is adorable

Thank you You have a cutie pie too!!

[Txgurl06]

i havent got skoshi fixed yet but he is doing the same thing with the potty thing i actually made a thread about it lol

he was like 99.9% potty trained but since like a month ago he has went crazy with his hormones and doing the same thing. we started letting him in the back yard with the other dog so he can play and use the bathroom. its all fenced in and we watch him out there. but its just sooo frustrating and i dont want you to think its just because you go him fixed because from my thread a lot of people are going through the same thing

how old is he? sorry if you already answered this

[SweetCuteness]

Originally Posted by Txgurl06

i havent got skoshi fixed yet but he is doing the same thing with the potty thing i actually made a thread about it lol

he was like 99.9% potty trained but since like a month ago he has went crazy with his hormones and doing the same thing. we started letting him in the back yard with the other dog so he can play and use the bathroom. its all fenced in and we watch him out there. but its just sooo frustrating and i dont want you to think its just because you go him fixed because from my thread a lot of people are going through the same thing

how old is he? sorry if you already answered this

He is 14 months old. Good luck with Skoshi!

[FirstYorkie]

Originally Posted by SweetCuteness

I guess he is still an adolescent - he's 14 months old...

We have started very heavily praising when he barks at the door and goes outside - I told my boyfriend we need to have a mini party when he pottys outside...

Yep, he's still a teenager, but should be getting his brain back soon!

A "mini party" when he pottys outside is great! Be sure you include party foods, too.

As far as my suggestion to let him sleep with you - Beware! If you try it for a week, you are probably going to have a very hard time getting him back in the crate at night. So, if you think there's a good chance that it won't solve your problem, you might want to ignore that suggestion.

Perhaps someone else can help with the sleeping-though-the-night problem. Anyone????

[medusa512]

Originally Posted by FirstYorkie

Perhaps someone else can help with the sleeping-though-the-night problem. Anyone????

do not let him "free feed" or "free drink" close to bed time. if you go to bed at 10, pick up the water at 8. take him out RIGHT before you go to bed or close to that time.
try some play before bed also. this works great with edgar. he'll wear himself out and sleep longer.

good luck!

[AngelWorks]

Milo is doing the same thing--he is 8 months old and two weeks ago he was accident free, going to the door to go out and aces.

This week, I am bringing him out every hour and I am still finding wet spots.

Oh grrr.

[yml]

My friends dog did the same thing after getting fixed 2 months ago, now has crystals in his urine...I noticed a change in my boyz the last 2weeks too, they "thank god" hold it longer and when they go they really go! and more often than not squat!!! However it takes them forever to go, I guess the horomones are not raging huh? - and I did make a recipe given to me for treats and it must be alot of fiber for them as they poop alot too, that they still do in the house at times and behind the doors, they know it is wrong, I would rather have that than pee I guess...A word of advice, we just replaced our tile floor in the kitchen, and knowing we were doing that it was the room for training as I figured it can be wiped up, BUT my kitchen began smelling as it soaked in the grout, so BEWARE! and good luck! yml

[stephluvsangel6]

mine is driving me crazy also, before frankie neutur he would always go outside and go potty and he would poo on the potty pad and now he has to go so bad he will get a bubble and i freaked out and called thevet who said take him outside and keep himoutside till he goes, yeah though easier saiad than done, he just goes and lays in the grass he doesnt even sniff or want to go potty and then he comes inside and pees and hikes on the molding on the wall, and im an losing it, i have just almost given up he makes me so frustrated, i just walk away and look at him and his face looks ike hes smiling almost, he he runs off now, he never did that before, he goes right under your feet as soon as the door is open and he runs out and starts barking and there is nothign there, and then when i go after him and tell him get ijn the house he will run to the front door and when i go to open it he darts the other way and starts barking again at nothing, and then when i finally get the ddor opened and him into it he runs under the bed and hides and wont come out till he sees me gone.

i dont know why and the vet said to just keep training all over again, cause they try to be stinkers, but he is worse now than before being netured training, im losing it, i am about to just confine him to one room and be tough and get tough, cause myhouse is starting to stink cause he does this all day long,


cant they get liek some sort of infection or something from not going potty?

i mean i take him out from the moment i get home like 4:30
he wont go, i try again every hour, he wont go, he goes and sits in the grass, so i go to bed at 10 i take him again and he wont go, so i put him in my room, with a potty pad and he doesnt wake me to go or bark nthing, and all night he doesnt use the potty pad, so he is either holding it, or he is going in the room, he used to go right before bed like 10 ish and then around 3 ish and then around 7 ish when we got up , but now he doesnt want to go

he got fixed at least a month ago and he has went out and went potty maybe 10 times outside and thats being lucky, the rest is inside the house

and thise urine outs are not taking the smell away, i need help, cause just like ferdinad he thinks his hallway is his king frankie potty pad, or litter pan, or heck pee pee palace. and it stinks and nthing is takig the smell out ?????


HELP ME AND FERDINAD MOM TO YTERS !!!!!

[TLC]

Oh Yes, I remember those days...Thank God they are OVER for me!

Best of Luck - I agree, time to go back to basics - BUT it does work

[SweetCuteness]

Originally Posted by medusa512

do not let him "free feed" or "free drink" close to bed time. if you go to bed at 10, pick up the water at 8. take him out RIGHT before you go to bed or close to that time.
try some play before bed also. this works great with edgar. he'll wear himself out and sleep longer.

good luck!

Sorry for the delayed response. Our internet decided not to work for a while.

I do pick up the water/food bowls around 7:30pm or 8pm, but he still seems to wake up between 4am and 5am to go potty.

[SweetCuteness]

Originally Posted by yml

A word of advice, we just replaced our tile floor in the kitchen, and knowing we were doing that it was the room for training as I figured it can be wiped up, BUT my kitchen began smelling as it soaked in the grout, so BEWARE! and good luck! yml

Oh ick! I haven't noticed that. Is your tile/grout sealed? Although, I'm sure if it is sealed it can still find a way to soak in.