Quote:
Originally Posted by Britster  I see a lot of people on here who think it's no big deal, or think it's funny, that their adult dog still goes to the bathroom in the house (not on the pee-pad, I'm not talking about pad training).
Or people that blame the breed because they are known to be hard to housebreak.
To me, that is unacceptable if it's happening more than once a month (even that would be pushing it for me personally). Now, obviously, I'm not an aversive trainer. If Jackson had an accident in the house, I would never yell at him or shove his nose in it or anything. So when I say "not acceptable" I just mean I would work on re-training the dog. But he hasn't had an accident probably since he was 1yrs old.
But I just don't get it. I have a feeling if we had a dog like a German Shepherd that was still pooping and peeing in the house, it wouldn't be acceptable (considering their pee spots and poop piles are ALOT bigger than a Yorkies, lol).
Unless a dog had a medical problem, it seems like people just give up? Do people just get lazy and not feel like fixing the problem? Or why is it acceptable to you for your dog to potty in the house? Of course not including times when they are sick and throw up or have diarrhea, etc.
I'm just curious, for real. |
But it is also not the end of the world (for me). Let me try to give you a visual so that you may understand the
why, since I'm a very curious person myself and usually, like you here, I'm not judging I'm just curious
My house was referred to as
the museum by family and friends. I didn't held get-togethers, parties or entertained more people that I could closely monitor in my house. Every thing was in its place and there was a place for everything. I would tolerate nothing less than cleanness, neatness and complete order. There was absolutely no democracy in my kingdom, I was sole ruler, period.
I couldn't stand 'loud' colors on my walls (still can't), my carpets were off-white (or light beige) and light wood and fabrics on my furniture and soft, light draperies. I never went to bed leaving dirty dishes in my sink, never left the bathroon vanity with water splash stains, or the hair blower out.
When I said 'spring/winter/summer cleaning', I meant
thorough cleaning, not just dusting and picking up. It meant drapes went to the cleaners, curtains that I could wash at home would get washed, ironed and before putting them back, I cleaned the blinds one by one, the windows and screens.
Cabinets would get emptied and cleaned inside and out, all its contents washed and dried before being put back. Even top of cabinets would get the grease and dust removed. Every inch of my house would get swept, vacuumed and mopped, top, under, front, back, and sideways... Four times a year this was my ritual. And then there was the
maintenance--- keeping it all looking and smelling just as it did when I finished cleaning. That required daily rituals and weekly management.
I bought dozens of cheap slippers for man, women and child (prayed that kids would stay home) all sizes I could get at the flea-market, so that people who had to take their shoes off at the foyer, would not leave that awful foot odor on my carpets and which lingered in the air for days anyway even after I sprayed with Fabreeze
Can you believe I was that much of an an** retentive, control freak??? Yep, I was. I feel much better now
You see, I adopted a little girl and she turned my world upside down
. She was a little pig, who pottied, vomited and rubbed her royal fur-butt everywhere while I would quietly freak out and thought I would go insane for sure. This little girl stole my heart with those beautiful innocent eyes and the occasional kiss. Then came her brother who showers me with love and all that only a fur-baby can offer.
Together these two little piggies have thought me what's really important, what's worth having a fit over, what priorities are and what it all means
.
I'll be honest, I struggled at the beginning
It wasn't easy to relax my ways at first. I put my babies in crates (though I hate those cages), I close out areas so that they would only have access to a few rooms (which ruined my wall paint) while I was training them with all the patience my love for them could muster.
I traded carpets for wood-like floors, invested in ugly colored rugs and made other changes that I wouldn't have been able to live with before they came into my life. When they gave me signs of being totally hose-broken, I got rid of all the obstructions and gave them free range of
their home.
They did great for a while, but with sickness and disruptions in their lives, plus their daddy being an enabler, they relapse once in a while and do have accidents every now and then. It's not the end of the world for me because I know that after a relapse, I should not expect them to go back to normal in a snap of my fingers. I love them enough to be patient and understanding. And as long as they're healthy, which is my #1 concern, we'll try again, no biggy, no need to get my undies in a twist
