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Date Posted: 20:42:51 01/18/05 Tue
Author: Kristin
Author Host/IP: 66.19.102.50
Subject: Re: Housebreaking a Deaf Boxer Puppy
In reply to: Rick 's message, "Re: Housebreaking a Deaf Boxer Puppy" on 19:25:05 01/18/05 Tue

Actually, the crate is the best option. Is the crate in a bedroom? Maybe keeping the crate in a bedroom, either yours or your daughter's, will keep him quite at night. The couch is also a place where the "alpha" dogs (ie. the people) get to sit, so it's still letting him feel like he's an equal. I'd do the crate if at all possible.

To help keep him happy in the crate, get a Kong and fill it with something hard to get out. He'll spend the first while in the crate working on his Kong, and then hopefully settle in to sleep.

If you just can't keep him quite in his crate at night, then the sofa is a little better than the bed.

Also, since he's peeing in some of the same places, you'll need to clean them up with an enzymatic solution. We can clean a place up and think the smell is gone, but dogs can still smell it and are attracted back to that spot. Go get Simple Solution, Nature's Miracle or Petzyme. I think I use the Simple Solution. Follow the directions on the back exactly to the letter. Test a piece of carpet for staining first (I heard one person say it turned her carpet brown). Then, use the solution. I've had great success with the stuff. It absolutely got all odors out for me.

The fact that he's peeing on the bed is also a sign that he's perhaps showing some dominace behavior. Do you have a plastic liner down on the matress? It can be very hard to get the urine smell out of a matress because it can penetrate so far into the foam. Even though my dogs are housebroken, I still always keep a plastic liner on the bed in case of an accident. In order to keep me from sweating because of the plastic, I use two or three thick matress pads. This helps keep a layer of air between me and the liner. I haven't had an accident with the dogs in the bed, but if I did, I'd only have to wash the matress pads and bedding.

It's very good news that he's not soiling in his crate. That means you've still got his natural instinct not to soil in his "den" in tact. You've just got to help him learn that his den is the whole house.

Remember, keep your eyes on him 100 percent of the time he's not in his crate. If he goes to the bathroom and you're not there, you've missed an opportunity to train, and, more importantly, he's thinking that maybe it is OK to pee in the house. You have to catch him in the act, and the only way to do that is keep you eye on him. The Petsmart book on potty training will tell you this as well.

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out. Also, be patient. Once you've recommitted yourself to catching him every time he pees, you've got about two months to go before you'll see true effects.

And, you mentioned living in an apartment. Does he have a yard to play free in? A Boxer puppy will really need a place to run free, and it must be fenced in as he's deaf. You can't let a deaf dog (or any dog for that matter) run free as accidents are the number one killer of deaf dogs.

-Kristin



>>Hi Rick,
>>
>>Is he neutered?
>>
>>I understand the not being able to afford a trainer
>>thing. What I suggest is that you get the potty
>>training book from Petsmart. Also, I'd recommend you
>>get the KISS Dog Training Book. I don't know the full
>>name of the book, but it's in the KISS series, and
>>it's for general dog training. It's a mostly red
>>book, and rather large. However, it's an easy read
>>with lots of pictures and good info. For someone
>>dealing with a dog who needs training but cannot
>>afford a trainer, this is a next best option.
>>
>>Since your boxer is acting out some, I would suggest
>>he not be allowed to sleep in your daughter's bed at
>>this time. There's a thought among trainers and
>>behaviorists that when we allow dogs to sleep in the
>>bed with us, we're telling them that they're equal to
>>us as far as pack hierarchy goes. (I'm assuming you
>>know that dogs have a pack hierarch that goes from top
>>dog down. You must be top dog.) If our dogs don't
>>view us as top dog, or they think they're equal to us,
>>they have no problems acting out, including peeing in
>>the house when they want.
>>
>>I only let the dogs that don't show dominance
>>behaviors toward me sleep in my bed. Currently, my
>>deaf sheltie is spending his nights in a crate. I had
>>him sleeping in my bed for a few weeks, and he started
>>showing dominant behaviors toward me. These behaviors
>>include any growling, snipping, pushing, protecting
>>food/toys, herding his people, etc. I think Jericho
>>started herding me, and so he found himself back in
>>the crate at night. He's better again, but I'm
>>keeping him in his crate until he's around two and a
>>half.
>>
>>My other dogs all spent the first year of their life
>>in their crates at night. I do keep the crate in my
>>bedroom, though, so I can hear if they get into any
>>distress. After they turn a year old, I quit crating
>>them at night. They may sleep in my bed or on the
>>floor of my bedroom. My other two dogs have never
>>challenged my authority, so they continue to have the
>>reward of sleeping out of the crate. I recommend
>>keeping your dog crated at night for a year to really
>>send the message to the dog as to who's in charge of
>>the house.
>>
>>I'm glad you're only correcting when you catch him in
>>the act. Good job. Also add a hand signal "NO!" to
>>your No face when you catch him being bad. I use a
>>fist. You can learn to "yell" with your fist by
>>shaking it harder when you're more serious and upset.
>>Of course, never use the fist to hit the dog. This
>>won't work...there's a reason why, but I won't go into
>>it (too long). You'll end up with more potty training
>>problems if you spank for this bad behavior.
>>
>>Also, get a squirt bottle. Get a small one (or a
>>water gun), and carry it with you. Velcro it onto
>>your belt loop or put it in your pocket. Hide it
>>under your untucked shirt, though, as you don't want
>>the dog to know if you're "armed" or not. Along with
>>the "NO" face and hand signal, squirt your dog for
>>being peeing. Now, some dogs really like being
>>squirted, so if he doesn't seem to mind this, or even
>>likes it, quit it. It won't work. Some trainers say
>>use vinegar water in the water bottle, and squirt the
>>dog. This can cause blindness, so don't do it. Only
>>water in the water bottle. You can use the squirt
>>bottle in conjunction with your fist and No face
>>whenever he's being bad.
>>
>>What he needs is a bigger consequence for being bad
>>than just a no face. However, it has to be something
>>that isn't so big as to cause damage to his psyche.
>>Squirting water is a great tool for the dogs that hate
>>it. If water doesn't affect him, let me know. I'll
>>give you another idea.
>>
>>Also, is he peeing in his crate? This is important
>>for me to know as well.
>>
>>Try the above - get the books - and let me know how
>>he's doing. Also, let me know now if he's peeing in
>>his crate and if he's neutered. Also, is he peeing in
>>the same spots, or just where ever?
>>
>>Good luck,
>>
>>Kristin
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>Thanks for helping me! I am the same Rick. I need to
>>>let you know that I have had a boxer in the past and
>I
>>>love animals in general. I can't afford a trainer ,
>>>but will not let my puppy go either. I love him very
>>>much and want him to be happy and healthy.
>>>Now to answer your questions - 1-We correct only when
>>>we catch him in the act / We show him our NO face and
>>>take him outside right away 2- He stays in a large
>>>crate when we are gone and seems to like it - He uses
>>>it when we are home and he is free to come and go in
>>>it.3-We are gone during the day 3 to 5 Hrs. at a
>>>time4- He sleeps in the bed with my daughter.>Hi
>Rick,
>>>>
>>>>My first bit of advice would be to see your vet.
>>>>Sometimes, inability to housebreak can be caused by
>a
>>>>medical problem. It's best to rule that out first.
>>>>
>>>>Second, is your dog neutered? At 8.5 months,
>puppies
>>>>are already sexually mature. Unneutered dogs will
>>>>begin marking at about six months of age. Marking
>is
>>>>where a dog will pee small amounts of urnine often,
>>>>marking his territory. Neutering should greatly
>help
>>>>this problem.
>>>>
>>>>Also, you didn't mention how you are correcting the
>>>>problem. Give us an idea of what you're doing to
>>stop
>>>>the behavior.
>>>>
>>>>There's a great book at Petsmart that costs only $5
>>on
>>>>potty training. You can find it near the Petsmart
>>>>training area, and it's really good. It's a small
>>>>book called something like, "Potty Training is
>>>>Possible." I used the philosophy behind that book
>to
>>>>potty train my last two shelties, including my deaf
>>>>one. I really like it. It's a very easy read, and
>>>>won't take you long at all to go through the whole
>>>>book. Go out and get it.
>>>>
>>>>Most potty training problems occur because we aren't
>>>>consistant in our training efforts with our puppy.
>>>>It's hard to potty train a dog and takes a lot of
>>work
>>>>on our part.
>>>>
>>>>Let me know how you're currently correcting your dog
>>>>when he goes. Also, when are you correcting the bad
>>>>behavior? Are you correcting after the fact or
>>during
>>>>the event? Also, where does the dog live when
>you're
>>>>not home? Where do you want to puppy to go to the
>>>>bathroom? Outdoors? Are you paper training? (I
>hope
>>>>not with a big boxer!) How long are you gone during
>>>>the days? Where does he sleep at night?
>>>>
>>>>Lack of potty training is the number one reason dogs
>>>>wind up in the shelter, so it is a very serious
>>issue.
>>>> However, it's also fixable with proper training.
>>>>
>>>>I think you may be the Rick that wrote earlier about
>>>>the hyperactive boxer. How is is doing? Have you
>>>>found a good trainer? A good trainer will also help
>>>>you with potty training issues.
>>>>
>>>>One more thing, I'm not a fan of limiting water
>>supply
>>>>to dogs because of the potential for dehydration.
>>The
>>>>"Potty Training is Possible" book lists this as
>>>>something to do, but I really am concerned about
>>doing
>>>>that to dogs. My dogs have access to water 24/7,
>and
>>>>during potty training, I just keep my eye and ear on
>>>>them for when they drink. Shortly after drinking,
>>>>un-potty trained dogs will need to go outside.
>>>>
>>>>Let us know how he's doing.
>>>>
>>>>-Kristin
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>We have a sweet 8.5 month old deaf boxer puppy.
>>>>>He is taking hand commands and is doing well in all
>>>of
>>>>>his traing and learning. EXCEPT he pees constantly,
>>>>>I'm talking 2 or 3 times an hour.We tried cutting
>>>back
>>>>>on his fluid intake but that did'nt work. That's
>bad
>>>>>enough but now he is starting to look us in the eye
>>>>>and pee on the carpet,bed or furniture. Where ever
>>he
>>>>>is --- It's like he is upset with us and acting
>>out--
>>>>>but this behavior has been going on since we got
>him
>>>>>at 5.5 mths. .Can someone please help me with this
>>>>>problem.
>Thankyou = Yes He was neutered at 7 mths./No he never
>soils his crate/ It always is on the carpet or the bed
>when he pees. Never on the hardwood or vynal.He will
>sleep on the couch in the living room if she makes him
>leave the bed is this OK? Because if we put him in his
>crate he cries and our neighbors have complained (We
>live in an apt. house.) He does not cry in his crate
>when we leave each day though. We have peeked thru the
>door opening and he just lays down and goes to sleep.

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