Can't Keep Teddy Anymore

[Bhikku]

What is his exercise level like? You might just need to jog the Devil out of him before you leave him by himself.

Housebreaking sucks. I had a Siberian Husky who never fully housebroke and she left devastating piles and lakes of pee in her wake. She also destroyed $1,000 dollars worth of lawn furniture. I had to take up sprint running just to keep her baseline psychotic.

If you are having problems training him to the pee pad inside, I would try housebreaking him to go outside. Maybe the pee pads are confusing him to the point that he thinks every place in the house is good to go on. Making him go to the bathroom outside may help define the difference between where he can go and where he can't.

Try leaving a Kong in his pen when you leave him. I recommend that he be x-penned and not crated, simply because he sounds like a mill puppy that has gotten used to sleeping in his own excrement. I think training him not to do that would be particularly difficult, considering it was an issue with his previous owner as well.

I recommend the book Surviving Your Dog's Adolescence, by Carol Lea Benjamin. It's a really, really good book for people dealing with the psycho teenage years of their dogs. I learned a lot from it.

Worst case scenario, if you must give him up, you will have less regrets and feel less guilt if you feel like you did the best that you could with trying to train him. Sometimes between hectic circumstances and a troubled past, it just doesn't work out. Given your situation, you may just not have the energy or the time to commit to work out Teddy's problems. There may be someone out there better suited.

But I urge you to at least give it a shot. You will probably feel intense guilt if you don't think you did the very best that you could for him. It sounds like you love him very much.

And if you decide to rehome him, please do not put him in a "Free to good home" ad. Labratories take unwanted pets through these ads and use them for animal research and vivisection. Try Yorkie Rescue or a local humane society. Also be honest with people about his problems. This ensures that he will get a new owner with the experience necessary to rehome him permanently.

Good luck! Keep us posted!

[medusa512]

it sounds like love. don't give up.

i have no explination about the bed thing...and i DO understand your frustration. maybe he got up, got scared, and couldn't immediately figure out how to get down....

edgar was a crate mess, too. and pads?? he'd shred them and pee elsewhere. he's 3.5 now and most of that behaviour has stopped. he does still have accidents in the house and a bit of separation anxiety, causing messy messes....

some things i've learned....
even if they've just gone out 20 minutes ago, my 2 go out before i leave the house.
they don't get water after 8p because they may not make it through the night.
i let them out 10-20minutes after they drink or eat.

it will calm down as he gets older, especially when the testosterone calms down. 'they' say that can take a few weeks to a few months. for us it's been a few months and i can tell a bit of a difference.

have you considered trying to find base housing? they are generally pet friendly. (but you are unsure of your new station as of yet, right??)

[YorkichonBella]

I hope things are improving with Teddy. I do have an excellent product for you to try though. I bought from my Vet, but found it online:
Amazon.com: Equalizer Carpet Stain & Odor... Works great! Has a nice smell to it! The stain disappears very quickly too!! I pd $12.00 @Vet.....think I will order from Amazon!
Good Luck! Pls don't give up on Teddy!!

[AvyQuinn]

I've had my baby for a couple months now and there's only been one time I've been ready to throw in the towel. At that point I stopped and thought. Why was I upset? What did he do? What didn't *I* do? How did *I* fail him? He's a dog and he can't understand me like my husband can when he's bad! (heehee) When I brought him home (like a baby I, myself, gave birth to) I stood resolute and was in for the long haul with him. I am the only thing he has. He looks to me for direction and love. I am obligated to give him the best life he can have! Just like a human baby... I can't give him away...

Originally Posted by SamiNFurbabies

I hope that you try with him. He needs you and loves you. You are his everything. Please be there for him.

Don't let your little one down! Take the time out to give him some rigorous training - try everything! Read books, talk to people... I don't think there are any hopeless untrainable dogs.


-Belly bands are awesome! So much off your mind!
-Take him out every couple hours to the same spot so that he knows where to go his business!
-Feed him at the same time everyday, then you'll know when he has to poop. Like clockwork!
-Write a schedule for him and stick to it! Same thing everyday! Same activities same time.
-Repetition is your friend and what he needs!
-Take him out for walks to get some pent up energy out!
-Praise him when he's done something good and give affection when he's earned it, not just whenever you want to give him some.
-Watch for the signs he's getting ready to go potty and take him out when he does Use the same words to tell him to potty each time!
-Get some apple bitter or shake a can of pennies when he's going after and chewing on something he shouldn't be. Give him something acceptable to chew and praise when he does.
-If you think his crate is too big, but a smaller one. You don't HAVE to listen to pet store staff lol

Once he's got the hang of things you can probably slack off on the schedule a little bit. My Hiro is getting used to things but I want to make sure I have reinforced the good and weeded out the bad. I give him little freedoms at a time as his crate training progresses. He will have his whole life to run around my house and check things out! Right now I think it is important to have some structure and discipline so he can be a happy, well adjusted, well trained member of my family.

Be patient! Give him the same dedication he gives you! He's not trying to be bad like we may think! Humans, well, humanize things. He's not being human; he's being a dog!

Originally Posted by medusa512

some things i've learned....
even if they've just gone out 20 minutes ago, my 2 go out before i leave the house.
they don't get water after 8p because they may not make it through the night.
i let them out 10-20minutes after they drink or eat.

MORE TIPS PLEASE!! I'm even going to write them down...

[llcornell]

You may already be doing this, I dont know but Ive been watching alot of the dog whisperer to help with the rescues Im fostering and he always says to walk the dogs for at least an hour a day preferably in the morning then feed them and they will sleep all day instead of having anxiety when they are alone. I have been doing the 1 hour in the morning and I also have been doing a quick walk right when I get home from work and right before bedtime. Its a pain to get up an hour earlier and its alot of walking but Im not spending time cleaning up other dog related issues so thats good. The poor dogs are so tired they only sleep but they seem content. He says in the wild they walk all day so its un-natural to stay pent up in the house in the daytime. I hope things work out for you.

[upindust]

here's what i do with teddy. I've had him seven months so I know about the scheduling.

- he goes outside as soon as i get up and he pees in the same area EVERY day and everytime he pees
- He poops in the same area every single day too he poops by noon but usually will not poop again unless i stay outside for over an hour trying.. HOWEVER if I leave for even 20 minutes, he could of just pooped.. he'll poop again and it doesn't matter if he's in a crate or not he will poop.. just in his crate he dances on it.so it's a HUGE mess to clean up.
- I bought the pads and use to put them down whenever I would leave. Well he used them twice in the entire 7 months I've had him and so I just started using them to clean up spills. But with his recent pee attacks(which he hadn't had since monday until today) I put one out JUST incase he couldn't hold it in that maybe he would use it instead and I put it in the area where he normally will poop when i leave.
- His exercise: playing with a jack russell beagle mix, and a pug dog. I only play by throwing his toy around but he rough plays with both of them sometimes at the sametime.. Just the past couple of days he hasn't got to play with them because of the cold. My husband is the one that rough plays with him(he has thicker skin).
- He gets fed at the sametime and HAS to have alittle bit of food before bed or I wake up to him having this empty stomach throw up thing going on. If I feed him alittle before bed it doesn't happen.
- The pottying is part of his separation anxiety but I do not know how to break it because if he's in the crate he poops if he's out of the crate he poops.

[upindust]

Originally Posted by llcornell

You may already be doing this, I dont know but Ive been watching alot of the dog whisperer to help with the rescues Im fostering and he always says to walk the dogs for at least an hour a day preferably in the morning then feed them and they will sleep all day instead of having anxiety when they are alone. I have been doing the 1 hour in the morning and I also have been doing a quick walk right when I get home from work and right before bedtime. Its a pain to get up an hour earlier and its alot of walking but Im not spending time cleaning up other dog related issues so thats good. The poor dogs are so tired they only sleep but they seem content. He says in the wild they walk all day so its un-natural to stay pent up in the house in the daytime. I hope things work out for you.

well I use to take him on a good 30 minute walk around the complex but when it gets cold I turn into a hermit and I HATE the cold.. I would have to do his walk then rewash my hair(because my beanie leaves a mark in my hair and I can't find the ear things that go behind your head). He seems to do really well when I walked him. I might have to just force myself to go out inthe cold.. it's just when it gets cold here it gets REALLY REALLY windy which is what makes it awful. I don't know how I dealt with the ohio winters! They were worse then virginia but then again I had good gloves, and things for my ears.

[SamiNFurbabies]

The pottying is part of his separation anxiety but I do not know how to break it because if he's in the crate he poops if he's out of the crate he poops.

I'll come back to this thread later---I really need to get to studying...however...
Maybe he just doesn't like where you are keeping him during the day... I mean...maybe it's an excitable place.
I keep Izze in my bedroom---where she is familiar... it's quiet and dark. It does help that she has a friend, but I wouldn't suggest one to you because you can't add another when you aren't committed to this one.
Walking is different from playing in the yard...I would start walking him before you leave to tire him out...so he won't be anxious...as someone said.
Also---Please reconsider and get the thought of rehoming him out of your head. Be resolute and committed to making this work out---put in the hard work and effort. If you do that... you'll have the best friend for life.

[SamiNFurbabies]

well I use to take him on a good 30 minute walk around the complex but when it gets cold I turn into a hermit and I HATE the cold.. I would have to do his walk then rewash my hair(because my beanie leaves a mark in my hair and I can't find the ear things that go behind your head). He seems to do really well when I walked him. I might have to just force myself to go out inthe cold.. it's just when it gets cold here it gets REALLY REALLY windy which is what makes it awful. I don't know how I dealt with the ohio winters! They were worse then virginia but then again I had good gloves, and things for my ears.

then walk him! I hate the cold too, but I walk my babies...
My skin bleeds---and I still walk them. I am in the midwest too and it is freeeeeezing...and I still walk them.

[llcornell]

Ive also heard that playing with another dog isnt considered exercise they have to walk and at least an hour. Its sounds like from what you said he was better when he was being walked. Sucks its too cold to do this.

[JeanieK]

I know this is going to get a lot of objections But----------------

You are blaming your dog for bad behavior that you yourself have created.

Dogs do not behave badly for spite or revenge or even for attention. They behave that way because no one has taken the time to properly train, teach, and socialize them.

Get a professional to educate you on what you should and should not be doing.

If you leave an untrained dog home alone you can expect there to be big trouble. worse yet, if they are not properly trained they could injure themselves.

It's like leaving a small child home alone. It is yhour ob to teach them and to protect them from themselves.

Dogs are not mature until they are at least 2 years old. Too many people get a puppy and never bother to educate themselves on dog behavior, or how to train them. And then wonder why the dog has issues.

[upindust]

Originally Posted by llcornell

Ive also heard that playing with another dog isnt considered exercise they have to walk and at least an hour. Its sounds like from what you said he was better when he was being walked. Sucks its too cold to do this.

the hell if it isn't exercise you should see these guys play.. they don't just roll around they run around and play chase and tackle.. by the time they are done teddy comes inside and sleeps a good long nap! The pug and him constantly play chase almost the entire time they play but lucy and him wrestle pretty hard.

[JeanieK]

Originally Posted by upindust

well I use to take him on a good 30 minute walk around the complex but when it gets cold I turn into a hermit and I HATE the cold.. I would have to do his walk then rewash my hair(because my beanie leaves a mark in my hair and I can't find the ear things that go behind your head). He seems to do really well when I walked him. I might have to just force myself to go out inthe cold.. it's just when it gets cold here it gets REALLY REALLY windy which is what makes it awful. I don't know how I dealt with the ohio winters! They were worse then virginia but then again I had good gloves, and things for my ears.

have you thought about getting a cat instead. of a dog. Some people are just not meant to own dogs.

or even an older dog that is already house broken.

[llcornell]

Ok I shouldnt have used the word exercise. The walk according to trainers is a mental stimulation that helps them fulfill something instinctual and help them to be calm and relaxed that playing cant give them.

[phfgkl]

All I can tell you is our obedience trainer taught us a long time ago, that when a dog does something wrong, it's NOT the dogs fault, it's the owners fault..He should have been penned up if you weren't right there with him..or, you should have had your door closed..And as Barbara said, if this upsets you, please do not have kids..I've had babies that have thrown up on good couches, thrown up on good carpet, gotten diarrhea on the carpet, and on and on...accidents happen, I have a $3500 leather sectional that is ruined from my puppy days of chewing, etc, but, it wasn't there fault, it was mine for going out to mow and leaving them in here not crated..but, their lives are so short, that little things in life don't really matter..Couches can be replaced..my carpet out here reaks of pee, mine are pee pad trained, but, I think at night, they just squat wherever they want out here, you know what?? I don't care, this is their room, they are blocked from going past the kitchen. I will replace this carpet one day...If you're upset with this sweet little guy, then yeah, maybe you should find him a good loving home. Has he been neutered? If not, then this could be why he did this.