We rescued a dog about a week and a half ago and are having trouble training the dog to go outside. She is 1 1/2 year old boxer mix. She has messed in several different places in the house sometimes twice a day. She has also had loose stools. We gave her Tripe mixed with her food for a few days, but that didn’t help. We are back to dry food (last 24 hours) bust are still having a problem. Any advise?
This poor dog is in a new place, with new food and likely stressed. You need to feed her some plain boiled rice with some lean meat chopped fine mixed with her kibble – white meat, skinless, boneless chicken would be good.
If the diarrhea doesn’t get better in a day or so, please get her to the vet for a fecal and some meds.
You can give her some Kaopectate too meanwhile.
I sure wouldn’t give her tripe, or any new food until she is settled and well.
Potty training means getting a routine established, you take her out on leash or in your fenced yard to the same area — when she gets it right, you praise her long and loud and give treat. Do this over and over.
Get her out within 10 minutes after meals (at least 2 meals per day), when she wakes up, before bedtime, and every 2 hours or so if possible until you get a routine established.
Do NOT give her free run of the house, she’s new, she doesn’t understand the rules yet, and if she has pottied somewhere already, you need to NEUTRALIZE that area – not deodorize, neutralize, or she can still smell it and will use that place again.
Do not yell or hit if she potties inside,neutralize, clean up and blame yourself for not watching her.
Either crate her or baby gate her somewhere she can’t make a mess when you cannot watch her.
Be patient, get her out to the same area and keep her restrained indoors where she can’t make a mess until she understands what the routine is. Takes time.
Well with loose stools it will be difficult for them to hold it long. I’d say the food you feed her has more to do with the problem. Dry food with high proteine and less corn will help. Try IAMS the green bag and don’t switch the food around for a while. If it continues it could be another issue like a parasite.
As for the potty training, frequent trips outside with a positive reaction when she goes outside worked for me. Give her a treate and let her know she did a really good thing. Boxers are pleasers and she will eventually get it. Second, get a kennel to place her in while she is in training. Put her in when you it when you are not watching her, she is less likely to potty in her bed.
Make sure her diet is a good quality dry food like James wellbeloved, Burns or Hills. They are low residue so the dog will need to poo less. Add a little water but no meat and avoid treats until she has a settled tummy.
Next clean any soiled areas with biological washing powder only as this will break down the smell of where she has already had an accident and deter her from returning to the same spot.
I can’t stress enough how punishment will make the dog worse and she will have to empty her bowels more often if you tell her off or smack her for having accidents. The physiological effect of stress on a dog results in an increase need to empty the bowels and bladder more frequently so it will not help your situation. It is particularly unfair to come home and punish a dog from messing because they could have done it some time earlier and won’t relate the crime with the punishment.
Put the dog in the garden every two hours and after every meal, game and sleep.
You don’t say as to when her last stool sample was checked. It is possible that she may be infected with a parasite that causes the loose stool, and spasms of the colon, that she cannot control. (some parasites can flourish after exposure to stress, and re-homing is definitely a stressor!)
After you have made sure there is no medical problem, you can try some pro and/or pre-biotics to restore the normal intestinal flora, and your problems may resolve.
Follow your veterinarian’s advice, and you should be in good shape.
Enjoy your new pup!
Having and sticking to a schedule is the best thing you can do for your new dog. You also need to get the loose stool under control first, as a dog with loose stool will naturally have a much harder time trying to hold it, you know how you feel when you have the same problem. Once you find a good food that helps them to produce a good hard stool your dog will go to the bathroom much less and it will be easier for him to hold it until you let him out. (I highly recommend Royal K9 dog food). Then go to my site, I am a dog trainer and read my blog here: http://www.blueribbon-k9.com/dogblog_files/dog_blog_house_training.php I offer step by step instructions on the most effective method to potty training your dog.
There you’ll find two pages on the proper way to potty train your dog one in the blog and one in the puppy training page here: http://www.blueribbon-k9.com/puppytrainingtips.html.
I sure hope these pages help you. Good Luck!
Dave
as far as training, it takes time. when the dog has its nose to the ground sniffing around, take it outside, command it to go #1 or #2. when it actually goes, praise it for going #1 or #2. go even as far as petting its chest when its finished. what this does is give the action a command, and the praise will teach the dog that its better to go outside. when the dog is caught in the act in the house, give a stern no, and take it outside.
as far as loose stools, with dogs they’re digestive system needs consistency. I suggest not giving human food to dogs, it is better to give dogs a high quality/grade dog food. I suggest a grain free all fish dry dog food, I use Orijen, I’ve heard Taste of the Wild is just as good. The high grade food will allow its body to retain more of the nutrients and water, which will harden the stool.
Well try walking her outside for awhile and maybe long distant times and if you finally walk in and she just takes a whiz then scold her when she finally dumps/whizzes outside give her a tree and rub her behind the ears. then if you really can’t train her tie her outside and she’ll eventually get the point that grass+dog+Gotta pee=potty on the grass.
wow! i wish i had the patience to do the kind of work your doing. more power to you! 🙂
Well first you stop looking for a pat on the back. Then you train it like any other dog!