[Olympia]

Alright, so we seem to have a lot of dog people on here, and I'm at a loss. My Dobie Mocha, she's around 14 weeks, enjoys peeing on things. Except it seems more behavioral than needing to pee, I think...

At first, she used to always pee on her dog bed. Annoying, but it was easy enough to wash.. Then it was my bed..

Now last night she moved onto to the basement couch.. She had JUST gone outside and peed her little heart out, then we went back downstairs and she immediately jumped on the couch and peed! Like I did not even see it coming! I always wash the area really well so there's no scent left, also.. She WOULD be fully house trained if not for this, she knows to wait at the door to be let out and everything.. She just likes peeing everywhere she sleeps..

My dad said she's marking her territory, but she's just a puppy! I'm just at a loss at why she's doing it.. Opinions? Solutions?

 

[sparkyjoe]

Unfortunately I don't know of an easy answer. Puppies are wonderful, but each one presents its own challenges.

OK, so this may sound harsh but it's not meant to be...

Barring instances of excitable/submissive peeing, which are a different matter, any dog who pees in the house is not housebroken, and is NOT to be trusted with freedom in the house unless you're watching with an eagle eye. Period.

My suggestions are to use tethering, which is where you use a leash to attach the dog to you so you never give them the opportunity go out of your presence and pee. Also, using a crate or kennel is the best option for when you can't pay 100% attention, or when you are out of the house.

Also, you must make sure that you are removing all traces of the odor, so using an enzyme based product (ie Nature's Miracle) is essential.

Other's may have more or better ideas, but these are some tried and true methods.

Good luck!

 

[Olympia]

I use natures miracle actually. :3
She did this right in front of me, she usually pees when I'm with her, anywhere that she sleeps.. We never leave her alone.
I could try the tethering but I feel like shed rip me in half LOL. we just started leash training.

 

[sparkyjoe]

Well, if she's doing it right in front of you, then you have the opportunity to correct her. No?

 

[Olympia]

I don't really know how to properly correct her. Everyone says different things.. Yesterday I just yelled no! At her, and took her off the couch and we went outside. She's doing this less and less so maybe shell stop after a few more times?

 

[sparkyjoe]

Yes, everyone says different things about "corrections", and you can't listen to everyone.

I tend to listen to what others say, then make up my *own* mind based on what I'm comfortable with and what works for me.

The nice thing about tethering is that you already have them leashed so you can immediately a do a "leash pop", which is a quick, non hard/violent tug on the leash, and then get them outside very quickly. The key is timing. You have to correct right when she starts peeing, preferably BEFORE she actually starts.

"Yelling" isn't always helpful, but a firm "no" or whatever you use, can work, mainly to startle her into stopping. Try not to use her name when correcting, but I've found this almost impossible.

Also, don't forget to have a PARTY when she pees outside. And you have to have good timing then too; Don't wait til she's stopped to start praising.

I unknowingly trained my dog to the phrases "find your spot" and "hurry, go potty" by using those phrases every time I took him out. I also used the phrase "are you done?" which taught him we were going inside. It was fun to see the look on his face when I would ask him if he was done and he still had to go. He turned ALL BUSINESS and quickly started hunting for a place to do his bid'ness.

I'm not saying all dogs will learn this, but dogs do like consistency, so they *can* learn that when you use consistent words/phrases.

Yes, hopefully she will stop soon.

 

[Olympia]

Yea, I try not to use her name but sometimes it comes out. Our other dog knows to pee when we say go pee (in Polish) and she is catching on to this pretty quickly..

Do you train dogs? I have another question.. She is constantly biting our older dog really harshly when they play around, like my older dog has tons of scabs (you can feel them) from her, but the older dog isn't correcting her.. I kind of want her to stop biting the older dog so much, that's the way they play, the old dog knows not to bite hard but she doesn't..

 

[sparkyjoe]

Thanks, but nah, I don't professionally train, just my own dog, for fun.

Ugh, biting is a tough one. Sigh... in my PERSONAL opinion there are two ways to handle this issue. You can either let them be dogs and sort it out themselves. Or, as pack leader, you can step in to correct the pup by separating them and possibly even putting her in "time out."

Here's a link to some interesting information on Dobe puppy development, from what sounds like a reliable breeder... http://www.doberman.org/articles/puppy.htm

 

[Aus]

Sparkyjoe is 100% correct in saying -consistency- is the most important thing here. Pick two or three words or sounds and use -only- those. Your pup just isn't house trained yet. Some take time to get good at it, more if they are feeling anxious or confused (too many words used, rebukes she doesn't understand) about what is expected of them.

First - have her vet checked to rule out bladder issues. A pup with a trick bladder won't be 'fixed' by anything but a vet.

That ruled out, try praising her a LOT and maybe even giving her a small treat when she manages to pee outside. It's just as important that you are out there with her, as well, to teach her what's the -right- thing as well as the wrong thing to do.

How much attention is she getting for peeing outside, as opposed to when she pees inside?

Dobies are eager to please, usually, and punishing a puppy more than 10 seconds after they do a wrong thing is totally wasted effort - and will only increase her anxiety (another cause of excessive house peeing), as she'll have no idea what's she's being yelled at for. Not that she should be being yelled at.

How often do you take her out to pee? Every two hours is not abnormal for a pup. Also, watch her carefully for 'signs' she is about to pee (sniffing about, circling, restlessness, seeking corners, whatever her thing is) and swiftly take her out.

Take her out every two hours regardless, and tell her she's a good dog, even if she doesn't pee. Don't play with her or talk to her, just let her sniff around and pee if she needs to. This should not be 'too much hard work' - she is just a pup and her needs have to be met.

I used to use a sharp (NOT loud!) 'bah!" sound to show disapproval, I never used regular 'human' words that the dog might hear a lot in conversation. And then took my pups outside, immediately, even if they weren't 'finished' (lots of paper towelling kept handy!).

Also, for pups that proved harder to train, I'd keep a little paper from the last pee and lay that on top of new paper for the scent, which is where I'd take the pup to pee instead of shoving them outside, which can be overwhelming for some. Every day I moved the paper closer to the door until it was outside, and from there 'outside' was the place to pee.

Patience and watchfulness, and your continual presence is necessary for her to learn what's right and wrong.

I'd suggest joining a local kennel club for puppy classes. Lots of knowledgeable people to talk to, as well as opportunity to help the pup learn important things - socialisation and basic manners, etc. This will help you gain her trust so training at home is easier, too.

 

[Olympia]

So she's in her dominating stage. Good to know, never was too keen on tug of war with dogs anyways. It makes me feel bad that the puppy is constantly dominating our older dog (biting, jumping, taking food/toys RIGHT from her mouth) and my poor dog just takes it all :/

We started the tethering and it is not going well! She hates not being able to follow the boxer around.. Guess she will have to learn I'm her leader, not the boxer

 

[sparkyjoe]

Yes, yes. What Sid said!!

 

[Olympia]

We take her our at least every 2 hours, and at a point I stopped going with her, but I started again now that she's "relapsed." I think I'll start giving her treats when she pees
She is extremely pushy. I have a feeling she is going to be a challenge.
We started tricks- sit, lay down, and spin around. Except now she gets them all confused. For example, at a sit, she sits and then lays down immediately. I think only focusing on one trick a session will stop this from happening? I give her treats as rewards.. Totally new to me because my other dog is NOT food motivated at all, it's funny to see a dog that loves food so much to me. xD

 

[lorax84]

The only thing that I would suggest is to make sure you are giving praise for good actions, not just correcting the bad ones. When I first got my pit she went out every 2 hours when I was home. When she went to the bathroom outside she got a treat, later I cut out the treats and just gave her physical affection when she finished peeing outside. Dogs only can associate praise (or correction) with their actions in the last minute tops, so you have to be quick with the praise or the dog doesn't associate the two actions. If your dog pees on the rug and you don't notice for 30 minutes there is really no point in correcting them.

She is extremely pushy. I have a feeling she is going to be a challenge.

You may want to read up on training method for dominant dogs. Their are many small things you can do to keep her from becoming to dominant and thus a problem. Things like letting the dog on the couch can have a huge impact on their behavior. Just a tip from a pitbull owner.

 

[Aus]

As for the biting - like with the peeing, it's SO much better to 'head her off at the pass' and get to her -before- the undesirable behaviour happens. Watch what she does when preparing herself to 'attack' the older dog and when you see her start to do whatever she does to prepare for it - step in - *before* she does a bad thing, and distract her. Give her plenty of chew toys. The older dog will eventually lose its patience - though I've seen older dogs (bitches, mostly) sustain some very nasty 'puppy cuts' before they lose tolerance. Best to avoid that altogether, its not nice for either dog and you face potential vet bills. Head her off at the pass, use the 'bah' word when you see her *thinking about* attacking the older dog, distract her to a positive experience and walk her a LOT. In my experience, 90% of 'naughty puppy syndrome' is not enough exercise, not enough avenues to relieve teething issues, anxiety over inconsistent owner behaviour and/or boredom.

I think only focusing on one trick a session will stop this from happening?

Yup. She's only a baby, and trying to please you. Make it easy for her, at this stage.

Oh yipes - I just read "14 weeks" - she is an infant! so make that training REALLY easy. better she have fun learning one command like 'sit' for two weeks, than becoming confused about a pile of 'em.

 

[Olympia]

Alright. Yea, my moms' had it and she's not allowed on the couch upstairs, which is why we got her a bed.
I will do my best to keep her from biting Zara!
And we always have a ton of toys, especially stuffed animals, since she has that Dobie thing that she has to suck on something.. :3
She's having a really hard time being away from Zara right now.. she's tied to me. I think I'm gonna go chill on the floor with her.. I don't think it's healthy for her to be THIS attached to the other dog.

 

[lorax84]

Alright. Yea, my moms' had it and she's not allowed on the couch upstairs, which is why we got her a bed.
I will do my best to keep her from biting Zara!
And we always have a ton of toys, especially stuffed animals, since she has that Dobie thing that she has to suck on something.. :3
She's having a really hard time being away from Zara right now.. she's tied to me. I think I'm gonna go chill on the floor with her.. I don't think it's healthy for her to be THIS attached to the other dog.

Don't lay on the floor with the dog, especially with a dominant puppy. Making it clear in her mind that the floor is for dogs and the chairs/couch/etc. ifs for people will make your job much easier over the next 6 mo.

 

[FishyFishy89]

Puppy or not, she is marking her territory.

When she pees in an inappropriate place firmly tell her "no" and show her the correct spot to pee.
And when your out of the house I suggest crating her in a crate that she only has enough room to walk in, turn around and lay down.

This is going to be a long and tedious process and it does require patience. I wish you best of luck with her.

Also, no matter how much you clean the spot, there is always a scent. I believe a dogs nose is 10 times strong than ours and they will clearly smell where they have pottyed.

 

[Olympia]

Don't lay on the floor with the dog, especially with a dominant puppy. Making it clear in her mind that the floor is for dogs and the chairs/couch/etc. ifs for people will make your job much easier over the next 6 mo.

Oh poopy! Good to know! Either way she doesn't want to be around me. She keeps trying to escape

 

[FishyFishy89]

We take her our at least every 2 hours, and at a point I stopped going with her, but I started again now that she's "relapsed." I think I'll start giving her treats when she pees
She is extremely pushy. I have a feeling she is going to be a challenge.
We started tricks- sit, lay down, and spin around. Except now she gets them all confused. For example, at a sit, she sits and then lays down immediately. I think only focusing on one trick a session will stop this from happening? I give her treats as rewards.. Totally new to me because my other dog is NOT food motivated at all, it's funny to see a dog that loves food so much to me. xD

I suggest keeping treats to a min. Instead use lots of praise. Get really happy for her. Say "yes! Good girl! You went tinkle(or whatever word you use) outside! What a Good Girl!"

When I was training Emma I ran into the issue of having to correct Emma and repeat my commands when I didn't have a "cookie". She was just doing the trick for the cookie and wasn't doing them to please me. I hate repeating myself and when it comes to my dogs. I expect them to "sit" when I tell them to. Not 5 seconds later.

 

[Olympia]

Yes, I plan on weaning her off the treats pretty soon..

Tethering so far consists of high pitched whining and pulling me