I hate Puppies!!!

[peyjax]

I am officially about to lose my mind. I am what you would say not a dog person. My DH is most definatly a dog person. My whole family has dogs, I was always the one who was not interested. They always made me out to be unhuman for not liking them. I don't hate them per say, better than cats, but not a huge fan none the less.

There was only one dog on my list of interest. When I went to switzerland when I was single I noticed the Bernese Mountain Dog while there. I thought it was the most beautiful dog ever and it was the only dog I could ever see having. Fortunatly the price of the dog stopped that from happening. Flash forward 7 years with two small kids and a dh who has longed for a dog since the day we got married. My dh miraculously found a Bernese dog we could actually afford. So for my dh and kids I agree and research training, food , and all the extras. I researched and read everything I thought. I don't remember reading how awful puppies are.

My dh tells me last night that "yeah the only good thing about a puppy is that it is cute, thats it." I knew that potty training would be hard, but seriously peeing on yourself and on the floor three to five times every day is getting really old. My house smells of urine. I bathe the dog every other day, that can't be good, but what else do you do. I keep a record and take him out every half hour to an hour and he still pees???? I am going crazy. Oh yeah and I am allergic to him to top it all off. How long does this last?? Go ahead and tell me I am stupid for agreeing to it, I know! My kids are now attached, but to young to help out. My dh tells me that it will pass and the puppy will turn into a good dog. I am not so sure about that, I might ruin him.

 

[Holly]

It does pass and you will end up with a good dog.


My dog is seven months old and he was a lot of work for the first few months. Hang in there.

 

[MyManGoofy!]

I am officially about to lose my mind. I am what you would say not a dog person. My DH is most definatly a dog person. My whole family has dogs, I was always the one who was not interested. They always made me out to be unhuman for not liking them. I don't hate them per say, better than cats, but not a huge fan none the less.

There was only one dog on my list of interest. When I went to switzerland when I was single I noticed the Bernese Mountain Dog while there. I thought it was the most beautiful dog ever and it was the only dog I could ever see having. Fortunatly the price of the dog stopped that from happening. Flash forward 7 years with two small kids and a dh who has longed for a dog since the day we got married. My dh miraculously found a Bernese dog we could actually afford. So for my dh and kids I agree and research training, food , and all the extras. I researched and read everything I thought. I don't remember reading how awful puppies are.

My dh tells me last night that "yeah the only good thing about a puppy is that it is cute, thats it." I knew that potty training would be hard, but seriously peeing on yourself and on the floor three to five times every day is getting really old. My house smells of urine. I bathe the dog every other day, that can't be good, but what else do you do. I keep a record and take him out every half hour to an hour and he still pees???? I am going crazy. Oh yeah and I am allergic to him to top it all off. How long does this last?? Go ahead and tell me I am stupid for agreeing to it, I know! My kids are now attached, but to young to help out. My dh tells me that it will pass and the puppy will turn into a good dog. I am not so sure about that, I might ruin him.

While I cannot understand where you are coming from as I am a HUGE animal lover, I can suggest talking to a professional trainer for tips on house-training.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Housebreaking a puppy requires rules, boundaries and limitations.
Sounds like you are doing none of that. I would be losing my mind too!!!

Puppies or a dog get NO FREE ROAM until they are housebroken.

And to be honest, housebreaking a dog is the easiest part of owning a dog. So, I suggest putting on the ALPHA hat and change it up.

 

[winkers]

Oh, the joy of puppies!
My condolences.............
I'm not any help, I have a 1 year old that still eats everything and can't seem to understand that when she goes outside, she should pee. She thinks she should pee on the carpet as soon as she comes back inside.

 

[java]

My friend keeps her Bernese in the garage most of the day - with free range over the yard. It is fenced in.

Is your yard fenced?

Oh but that Bernese is a wonderful dog- yes hairiest thing I have ever seen but so soft and friendly. And really it cracks me up when he rounds up the kids.

She has mentioned that he was easier to train than the smaller dogs.
Remember he has a big bladder. He may need to pee more than one time when he goes out. Give him time.

He'll get it. Are you crate training him? That was the only thing that worked for us in the beginning.

Good luck and really they are good dogs.
PS why isn't dh doing all this if he's the dog guy? I hope when he is home he is doing it.

 

[peyjax]

Housebreaking a puppy requires rules, boundaries and limitations.
Sounds like you are doing none of that. I would be losing my mind too!!!

Puppies or a dog get NO FREE ROAM until they are housebroken.

And to be honest, housebreaking a dog is the easiest part of owning a dog. So, I suggest putting on the ALPHA hat and change it up.

Could you please be more specific. Yeah I watched and read all that alpha stuff. Not sure about that, I think if you got it you got it. He is submisive to me (rolls over, comes when I call, etc.) It is just the peeing.

NO FREE ROAM. Got that, he is crate trained and only gets freedom after being outside and pottying. Yet he still pees on the floor and in his cage. I read that you have to wash off the urine in the cage and on the dog so he does not do it again. I do that, it is as if he has no control. Are you serious that housebreaking a dog is the easiest part???

 

[Nana Annie]

1) put a divider in your crate to make it smaller. Your puppy should have just enough room to stand up, turn around once and lay down. Any more room than that and you defeat the purpose of the crate.

2) Assuming that you did as much research about your breeder (the most important researc), then don't be afraid to pick your breeder's brain on tips on how to survive puppyhood. That is what a responsible breeder is there for, they are there to help you raise your puppy into a well mannered dog.

 

[java]

. Yet he still pees on the floor and in his cage. I read that you have to wash off the urine in the cage and on the dog so he does not do it again. I do that, it is as if he has no control. Are you serious that housebreaking a dog is the easiest part???

How big is his crate? He should be in one just big enough to turn around in at first- dogs generally don't pee where they sleep. (note I said generally)
I disagree on the housebreaking being the easiest part.
I have a lab that quickly got it. She has had only 2 accidents since we have had her and she is 2 now.

The french bulldog on the other hand. Ugh she took forever. It was every 30 minutes. She would pee we'd come in she'd pee again.
FINALLY she got it. About 4 months in. Good luck.

 

[Nana Annie]

My friend keeps her Bernese in the garage most of the day - with free range over the yard. It is fenced in.

Is your yard fenced?

Oh but that Bernese is a wonderful dog- yes hairiest thing I have ever seen but so soft and friendly. And really it cracks me up when he rounds up the kids.

She has mentioned that he was easier to train than the smaller dogs.
Remember he has a big bladder. He may need to pee more than one time when he goes out. Give him time.

He'll get it. Are you crate training him? That was the only thing that worked for us in the beginning.

Good luck and really they are good dogs.
PS why isn't dh doing all this if he's the dog guy? I hope when he is home he is doing it.

Never keep a dog cooped up in the garage all day. Garages are extremely dangerous with all the chemicals and material that are in them.

Besides, dogs are pack animals - they need to be with their packs or families. If one is just going to shove the dog in the garage and the backyard, then they should rethink why they are getting a dog.

 

[robb01]

It'll grow our of it, just have to wait, and wait, then you'll have a wonderful dog that you'll love (hopefully)

 

[ticktock]

Could you please be more specific. Yeah I watched and read all that alpha stuff. Not sure about that, I think if you got it you got it. He is submisive to me (rolls over, comes when I call, etc.) It is just the peeing.

NO FREE ROAM. Got that, he is crate trained and only gets freedom after being outside and pottying. Yet he still pees on the floor and in his cage. I read that you have to wash off the urine in the cage and on the dog so he does not do it again. I do that, it is as if he has no control. Are you serious that housebreaking a dog is the easiest part???

I'm not a dog person either but I'm wondering if maybe he has a bladder infection if he's peeing THAT much? I've had a couple puppies that I trained (for my DS) and they didn't pee all the time. Maybe 4-5 a day? You need to keep them outside until they do their business. We had a corgi that would hold his poo and then come inside and poo in his kennel and then throw up (I guess the smell got to him). I'd take the pee any day over that. To be fair he had some genetic malfunction and died young, though I don't know how that related to his bowels. He was the sweetest dog though. Isn't that always the way?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Could you please be more specific. Yeah I watched and read all that alpha stuff. Not sure about that, I think if you got it you got it. He is submisive to me (rolls over, comes when I call, etc.) It is just the peeing.

NO FREE ROAM. Got that, he is crate trained and only gets freedom after being outside and pottying. Yet he still pees on the floor and in his cage. I read that you have to wash off the urine in the cage and on the dog so he does not do it again. I do that, it is as if he has no control. Are you serious that housebreaking a dog is the easiest part???

Yes I am serious. It is the easiest part of dog ownership.

The key is NO FREE ROAM. He doesn't get "freedom" until he stops peeing in the house, period. It is not up for negotiation.

Boundary setting is the most effective form of dog training. Dogs understand boundaries. We crated our dogs till age 2.

You can leash the dog and it is forced to follow you. This is effective as teaching the dog you are the boss.

When the dog starts to squat you can give the correction and get him outside.

Was this a "mall dog"? If that is the case, this is why the dog is peeing in the crate and you have to train it out of them.

Have to have alot of patience and more importantly do NOT allow the dog off leash in your house. He must not pee in the house.

A trip to the vet is in order as well to check his urine.

Get a system and work it.

 

[mjkacmom]

I had a puppy, and I vow never again. If and when we get a dog, it will be a rescue, and my main stipulation is that it's housebroken. I've had 5 babies, and none were as bad as having a puppy, even potty training.

 

[Hercules10]

NO FREE ROAM. Got that, he is crate trained and only gets freedom after being outside and pottying. Yet he still pees on the floor and in his cage. I read that you have to wash off the urine in the cage and on the dog so he does not do it again. I do that, it is as if he has no control. Are you serious that housebreaking a dog is the easiest part???

To be honest with you it sounds like you getting the procedure down somewhat and now just need a lot of patience. However:

Is the crate you're training him in too big? Should be big enough for him to stand up in and turn around in but that's it. If it's too big he won't consdier it 'his' cave.

As for alpha tips. Eat before he does. If you open the door to take him out, you go first and he follows. Basically think of your self as his boot camp sergeant.

When he gets to you take deep breathes and just tell yourself it will get better.

Good Luck!

 

[MushyMushy]

When your pup is not in the crate, you should keep him tethered to you always. You'll also start to notice the signs when he's ready to pee and you can whisk him out.

Also, positive reinforcement! Get teeny tiny treats -- like cook some chicken and keep it cut up into little pieces and keep in a baggy in the fridge. Whenever he goes when and where he's supposed to go, immediately praise him and give him a treat. Immediately!

I don't agree with MM about housetraining being the easiest. I've got one of the most stubborn dogs for housetraining. She simply hates going outside, and will only pee in the basement. It's tolerable because we can hose off the cement floor, but still. She just hates going outside. I've never had so many problems housetraining a dog in my life.

 

[Nana Annie]

If your puppy is being particularly stubborn about housebreaking, you may need to resort to keeping the puppy tied to you at all times. That way you can always see when he is about to squat.

You have to be extremely diligent about the housebreaking. No dog has ever "outgrown" it. Housebreaking is hard work. I also disagree that housebreaking is the easiest part. It is hard because you can never let your guard down. This is something that has to have the utmost of consistency.

If you miss just one accident, you set your housebreaking back by weeks. If you keep the puppy tied to you, then you won't miss a potential accident.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I don't agree with MM about housetraining being the easiest. I've got one of the most stubborn dogs for housetraining. She simply hates going outside, and will only pee in the basement. It's tolerable because we can hose off the cement floor, but still. She just hates going outside. I've never had so many problems housetraining a dog in my life.

I have an aggressive dog that bites. That is the worst thing, trust me.

He was messed up when we got him and he is better but he hates children and bit my nephew.

 

[JessicaR]

Housebreaking a puppy requires rules, boundaries and limitations.
Sounds like you are doing none of that. I would be losing my mind too!!!

Puppies or a dog get NO FREE ROAM until they are housebroken.

And to be honest, housebreaking a dog is the easiest part of owning a dog. So, I suggest putting on the ALPHA hat and change it up.

Exactly!

My female tried my patience a bit and in the end I tethered her to me all day long until she caught on. Once we started that it was a matter of days and she was trained.

You have a giant breed dog - read up on them specifically! I have two Mastiffs also. I also love BOUNDARY spray - it really worked great for us.

http://lambertkay.com/products/prod...=40&cid=adwords_Boundary-spray-exact-Boundary

You have a HIGHLY trainable dog! They just get bored easily. The dog is picking up on your signals and positive reinforcement should work well for you.

http://quamut.com/quamut/bernese_mountain_dogs/page/how_to_train_your_bernese_mountain_dog.html

Good Luck!

 

[MontanaZoo]

I am betting from how your dog is acting that it was either paper trained or crated too much. Then they get used to going where they sleep. Pet store animals are notorious for this. My dog was paper trained, which unfortunately teaches the puppy that it's ok to go inside and it's ok to go on something flat on the floor.

This is how I dealt with my puppy - cocker spaniel that I had since 10 weeks old. I did the umbiliical tether. I work from home all day so I had him leashed to me all the time (on a belt loop). He would go where I go, when I stared seeing behavior like he needed to go outside, I would take him outside and tell him to go potty until he did, then tell him he was a very good boy and pet him. If there were any accidents inside, unless you catch them in the act, there's no reason to chastise them. Dogs don't associate what happened an hour ago with what you're yelling at them for.

After he started getting that outside is the place to go. I would close the door to my office and let him roam around, still taking him outside regularly and watching for behavior that he needs to go. I still crated him when I left or at night though since he wasn't potty trained.

I kept gradually expanding where he could roam as he learned to associate that as part of the "sleeping - no potty" area. I still had trouble with rugs, he would associate that with paper training. That took longer to break.

How I taught my dog I was alpha is that he'd always have to wait for me (and no joke, I volunteer at a zoo and they do teach the wolves that the keepers are alpha so they'll be submissive to them). I'd also hold him down (gently) if he was nipping at me. I had to do this with my brother's (much bigger) dog too. He would still turn and bite at me if I was holding him down so I'd hold him down until he kissed me (licked my hand). It turned a bitey dog into a real love bug.