Potty training... help!

[sdfgshjg]

First of all, I am new here! I love online communities for animals. I am currently using quakerparrots.com and ferretvillage.org as well. I am happy to have found one where I can discuss my dog with everyone!

Right now I do not have any other animals besides my dog. I did have two ferrets, but one died, and the other was traumatized, so I gave him back to his original owner who was ecstatic to have him back.

Also, I plan on getting a quaker parrot in the next couple of months.

Anyway, I have a shih tzu named Zoe. She will be two in April.

I got her almost a year ago, and she has not been properly potty-trained since.

I am her 4th or 5th home, and I think that is why she is so confused with potty training. She absolutely will NOT poop in front of me or anyone else. I know she was, at one point, abused by someone... and I think she associates pooping with being bad and she will not do it around me, even though I take her outside all the time. She pees, but she does not poop. She only poops when I go to sleep or when I leave.

When I got her, she was kennel trained. She slept in the kennel everynight. But I have grown so attached to her that I cannot let her sleep in a kennel... I think it's mean. Some of you may do it, and I'm not saying it's mean for you to do it, but I just can't. She cries when I put her in her kennel... literally. So she sleeps in my bed at night with me and my boyfriend.

She has ruined our livingroom carpet from peeing and pooping on it. I've tried several different things, and none of them have worked.

I've tried putting a tie-out in the back for her to be out there by herself, but lately it has been too cold to actually leave her out there. I've tried locking her in the bedroom, but then she will go on the bedroom floor. I've tried locking her in the bathroom when I leave, but she cries and cries and will bark for hours.

She's very emotionally disturbed. I've spoiled her and she's a good dog, but I just cannot get this under control. She knows it's bad... all I have to do is point and she cowers. I do not like to hit my dogs... my boyfriend thinks that is the ONLY solution, but I refuse to. He would all the time if he could. She knows it's bad though... I just can't get her to understand that pooping is OK as long as it is outside or on a potty pad.

She's a very happy-go-lucky dog other than that. Lately, I have just been cleaning up after her and telling her she's bad when she does it... I honestly do not know what to do. I thought about putting baby gates in the kitchen and putting her in the kitchen when we leave so it is easier to clean. That's the only thing I can think of.

Somebody, PLEASE help me. But understand that, like I said, she has had 4 homes before me, in the 1 year before I got her, so she's very confused.

Any help is appreciated...and thanks in advance.

:D

[Dogwise]

First of all, I am new here!

Welcome aboard.

[quote]I got her almost a year ago, and she has not been properly potty-trained since.I am her 4th or 5th home, and I think that is why she is so confused with potty training. She absolutely will NOT poop in front of me or anyone else. I know she was, at one point, abused by someone... and I think she associates pooping with being bad and she will not do it around me, even though I take her outside all the time. She pees, but she does not poop. She only poops when I go to sleep or when I leave.

Well if she was corrected for going when caught in the act of course she thinks it's bad. But why do you think she was abused? And she does it at night because she can and has no reason not to.

When I got her, she was kennel trained. She slept in the kennel everynight. But I have grown so attached to her that I cannot let her sleep in a kennel... I think it's mean. Some of you may do it, and I'm not saying it's mean for you to do it, but I just can't. She cries when I put her in her kennel... literally. So she sleeps in my bed at night with me and my boyfriend.

You need to seriously change the way you think. "Kenneling is mean?" Is putting a child in it's crib at night also mean? And if the child cries, should we take them out at night and put them in our bed? You ever watch any of those nanny shows? Wrong! wrong! wrong! your dog will only get worse if you don't change what your doing, and start managing her time. Allowing her to sleep in your bed is only rewarding her for her bad behavior. Keep her in your site when you home, kennel her at night and when your gone. There's no magic spell that's going to change your situation, just good old house training.

I've tried putting a tie-out in the back for her to be out there by herself, but lately it has been too cold to actually leave her out there. I've tried locking her in the bedroom, but then she will go on the bedroom floor. I've tried locking her in the bathroom when I leave, but she cries and cries and will bark for hours.

Dogs should NEVER be tied to anything, THAT'S CRUEL. Let me get this strait. she goes on the living room carpet, so you lock her in the bedroom? What is it your trying to teach her? And if she's crying in the kennel, you need to teach her not to. Let me ask a couple of questions.
#1. Do you walk her?
a) how long?
b) how often?
#2. Do you talk to her as your leaving?
a) if you do, DON"T. That doesn't help any dog, especially an unbalanced one, which is what you have.
The sad thing is, your now part of the problem. Treating dogs like humans is wrong. Dogs like being dogs. No dog looks at us and thinks, *gee I wish I was human*.

She's very emotionally disturbed. I've spoiled her and she's a good dog, but I just cannot get this under control.

So why is it you can't see that spoiling her is not the right thing to do.

She knows it's bad... all I have to do is point and she cowers.

OMG please tell me your not one of those (my dog knows it's done something wrong) when I catch what she did wrong after fact kind of people. She has know idea why your correcting her, she only knows your mad, even if your just pointing your finger.

I do not like to hit my dogs... my boyfriend thinks that is the ONLY solution, but I refuse to. He would all the time if he could. She knows it's bad though... I just can't get her to understand that pooping is OK as long as it is outside or on a potty pad.

Again, NO! she doesn't know she's bad, she just knows your mad. Your boy friend hit's her??? Then your right, she has and is being abused...BY YOUR BOY FRIEND!!! One should not only hit their dog, one should not even be yelling at it. And if your boy friend is cruel enough to strike a dog, I can guaranty he's yelling at it.

She's a very happy-go-lucky dog other than that. Lately, I have just been cleaning up after her and telling her she's bad when she does it... I honestly do not know what to do. I thought about putting baby gates in the kitchen and putting her in the kitchen when we leave so it is easier to clean. That's the only thing I can think of.

So far everything your doing is wrong, I'd change my way of thinking if I was you, buy some books on dog behavior and educate yourself and you boy friend. Oh and by the way, if your boy friend thinks hitting a nd yelling at your dog is ok. You might want to think twice brfore having kids with him.

Somebody, PLEASE help me. But understand that, like I said, she has had 4 homes before me, in the 1 year before I got her, so she's very confused.Any help is appreciated...and thanks in advance.
:D

It's not the homes before her that are the problem, it's what's going on in your home that's the problem. Now you can think that my answer to you is harsh, or you can see it for what it is, honesty in it's purest form without all the BS most would throw at you to protect your "feelings." Because your feelings aren't what at stake here, the dogs well being is. I can tell you love your dog, so stop doing what makes you feel better and do what's good for your dog. Period.

[catcher T]

good advise, Dogwise,,I just want to add that alot of times dogs are not quit sure what is expected of them or where the door is,,make sure you always take her out of the same door,,never, never point fingers as a way of training,,we had a trainer that was a finger pointer and they duck taped her fingers together for a day LOL no more pointing! I also tie one of my dogs out,,the other two don't leave the yard,but, I also stand there and watch my dogs,,do not treat this dog like a human,,it is not,,start back with cage training and train her like she is 8 wks old

[DiggityDogs]

I'm sorry, but if you think it's 'mean' to crate a dog and you have to have her in your bed every night, you're going to have problems with that dog for the rest of it's life. You originally said when she came to you she was crate trained and slept in the crate every night, and then went on to say that now she cries when you put her in, so why can't you see that you created that problem by allowing her to sleep in your bed? I agree with DW, and think you really should rethink this dog situation. If you are unwilling to take the steps it takes to fix your dog's problem, but continue to 'spoil' and abuse her by punishing her inappropriately and not giving her any structure, then maybe you should not have a dog. It's quite unfortunate for that dog that she's had to bounce from home to home, but she's better off doing that than being yelled at and 'punished' constantly for something that's not her fault.

[StarWhisper]

Anyway, I have a shih tzu named Zoe. She will be two in April.

I got her almost a year ago, and she has not been properly potty-trained since.

Okay this is where your problems start if you had this dog for almost a year and she still has not been properly potty trained then something should be telling you that the training methods you are using does not work.


I am her 4th or 5th home, and I think that is why she is so confused with potty training.

I find that to be a poor excuse. Having personal experience with fostering various dogs from various situations I know if the dogs in my foster care are not being sucessfully housebroken it means that I need to modify what I am doing to suit the individual dog.

She absolutely will NOT poop in front of me or anyone else. I know she was, at one point, abused by someone... and I think she associates pooping with being bad and she will not do it around me, even though I take her outside all the time. She pees, but she does not poop. She only poops when I go to sleep or when I leave.

Are you taking her outside long enough?

When I got her, she was kennel trained. She slept in the kennel everynight.

It sounds like whoever had her previously was at least making some steps to housebreak her and keep her safe. If that's your definition of abuse then I think you really need to re-evaluate things.

But I have grown so attached to her that I cannot let her sleep in a kennel... I think it's mean. Some of you may do it, and I'm not saying it's mean for you to do it, but I just can't.

Allowing your dog to have free and unsupervised house privalleges when you are not awake to supervise is not a sign of attachment or affection, it's a sign of stupidity. Kenneling is done for a reason. The crate when used properly is an awesome training tool.

She cries when I put her in her kennel... literally. So she sleeps in my bed at night with me and my boyfriend.

She is crying because you have conditioned her into believing the crate is a bad thing. I'd be willing to bet you used it incorrectly.

She has ruined our livingroom carpet from peeing and pooping on it. I've tried several different things, and none of them have worked.

Nope you ruined the carpet by allowing an unhousebroken dog free reign of the house.

I've tried putting a tie-out in the back for her to be out there by herself, but lately it has been too cold to actually leave her out there.

I really hope you are joking here. Do you know how dangerous tying up your dog is?

I've tried locking her in the bedroom, but then she will go on the bedroom floor. I've tried locking her in the bathroom when I leave, but she cries and cries and will bark for hours.

What a shock you are leaving the dog tied up and locked away and you are not getting positive results.

She's very emotionally disturbed. I've spoiled her and she's a good dog, but I just cannot get this under control.

She's not emotionally disturbed. She needs consistant training.

She knows it's bad... all I have to do is point and she cowers.

She's not cowering because she did bad. She's cowering because of your body language at that time.

I do not like to hit my dogs...

Nobody should hit their dog. I've trained numerous dogs with various dominance levels and I never had to raise my hand or voice.

my boyfriend thinks that is the ONLY solution, but I refuse to. He would all the time if he could.

I personally would not be involved with someone that thinks hitting a dog is alright.

She knows it's bad though... I just can't get her to understand that pooping is OK as long as it is outside or on a potty pad.

She does not know what she is doing is wrong. Your timing is all off and she has no clue why you are correcting her.

She's a very happy-go-lucky dog other than that. Lately, I have just been cleaning up after her and telling her she's bad when she does it...

Unless you catch her in the act as it is happening you should not be correcting her at all. If any corrections are needed after you find she has soiled in the house you may proceed to hit yourself over the head with a rolled up newspaper and repeat the phrase "I should have been watching my dog".

I honestly do not know what to do. I thought about putting baby gates in the kitchen and putting her in the kitchen when we leave so it is easier to clean. That's the only thing I can think of.

If you really want results you have to change your way of thinking. What you are doing is not working. I won't help you if the only solution you want is what will make clean up easier...if however the results you want are a well adjusted dog that is housebroken that I can help with.

Somebody, PLEASE help me. But understand that, like I said, she has had 4 homes before me, in the 1 year before I got her, so she's very confused.

That's a cop out. She's confused because you are failing to show her what you want. I have seen no evidence in your posts that suggest this dog was abused. The only abuse mentioned was by your own boyfriend.

You mention that this is a happy and well adjusted dog for the most part, that does not suggest abuse to me. Where did you get her? Dogs truly from abusive situations are generally placed with more experienced owners that understand how to deal with and handle behavioral issues.

[sdfgshjg]

It was hard to read all the replies in the way they were written, but I understand what you guys are saying... I think you have misunderstood me though.

She cried before I ever started letting her out of the kennel at night. Anytime I put her in it, she cried... even the first night I had her. She hates the kennel. She associates it with sleeping, being bad, and vet visits. She doesn't like it at all.

And yes, I do walk her.. quite often. She goes on a walk everyday, around the block. And I let her out, other than that, 3-4 more times during the day when I am awake and home.

Also, she was abused... the first home that had her, their son abused her. He would put her in the toilet and try to flush her, he hit her, etc. That's why they got rid of her. The second home only took her to get her out of that situation. I'm not sure about the third home, but the person I got her from didn't know what she was doing. I'll admit, I am not the smartest when it comes to raising animals, but she was just plain stupid.

I admit that I probably haven't helped her much by babying her, but she is very emotionally distressed. I don't think there's anything wrong with using kennels, but when I put her in them, she cries and moans and she just hates it. I'm sorry if you think it's wrong, but I can't leave her in there when she's obviously hating it. I just can't. Maybe that's not how you think, but that's how I think.

Anyway... I don't see a problem with letting her sleep in my bed. That's what she's done since she's been here. Sometimes I don't let her sleep in the bed... soemtimes she sleeps on the floor, but she is in our room with us.

She's also usually scared of guys... and no, my boyfriend does not hit her. He WANTS to, but I don't let him. I just don't believe in hitting my animals... I don't think that will teach her anything.

And you misunderstood the bedroom thing. I didn't mean I just lock her in there when she's bad... I put her in there when I leave to avoid her pooping on the floor. She didn't poop on our bedroom floor usually. That's also why I sometimes put her in the bathroom.

I don't see a problem with tying a dog out on a leash, either. If you think it's ok to put them in a kennel and let them cry for hours, but it's not ok to put her on a 30 ft leash and let her roam on her own? She likes it... it's not mean at all. I put her there and leave her for about 15 minutes and she just goes around and sniffs everything and loves it. But it's been too cold lately to let her out there.

Anyway... sorry, didn't read all of the responses, didn't want to forget what I wanted to say in this reply. I am doing that now.

And no, no one hurt my feelings. I'm very opinionated myself, and I actually appreciate the advice. I understand that I am not doing much to help her, that's why I came here... to learn. I need to know what I need to do to help her understand that pooping on the floor is bad.

And she DOES know pooping is bad. She absolutely knows. I don't mean I point and yell at her.. all I have to do is walk NEAR the poop and she runs away and hides. And it's funny because I have NEVER hit her, yet she runs from me. I do tell her no and it's bad, but like I said... I honestly don't know what to do to punish her. That's why I came here.

Anyway, like I said... you didn't bother me. I came here for help and that's what I'm getting, I appreciate it. I'm going to look at the rest of the replies and see what kind of help I can get... not criticism. Thanks.

[sdfgshjg]

I'm sorry, but if you think it's 'mean' to crate a dog and you have to have her in your bed every night, you're going to have problems with that dog for the rest of it's life. You originally said when she came to you she was crate trained and slept in the crate every night, and then went on to say that now she cries when you put her in, so why can't you see that you created that problem by allowing her to sleep in your bed? I agree with DW, and think you really should rethink this dog situation. If you are unwilling to take the steps it takes to fix your dog's problem, but continue to 'spoil' and abuse her by punishing her inappropriately and not giving her any structure, then maybe you should not have a dog. It's quite unfortunate for that dog that she's had to bounce from home to home, but she's better off doing that than being yelled at and 'punished' constantly for something that's not her fault.

That whole statement was full of ignorance.. you misunderstood my whole post. If I did not care, why would I have come here for help? Yeah, rethink that one please. Anyway, no, I do not yell at her all the time. She is spoiled... but that is why I came here to find out what exactly I should try to do to her because I honestly don't know. I've tried everything I can think of and she just can't grasp the fact that I do not want her to poop on the floor, or she doesn't care.

[sdfgshjg]

I didn't read star's post because the first statement was her telling me my training methods are not working... and I understand that. THAT'S WHY I CAME HERE. I don't know why it's that hard for everyone to understand... yes, I realize I have no clue what I'm doing, that's why I came for advice.

Now, if any of you want to give me advice rather than critisizing me and being rude, I'm all for it... but if you are going to continue to just tell me what I'm doing WRONG and not tell me what I should do to correct it, please move to another post.

[sdfgshjg]

Eh, nevermind... I'm just going to delete my account and figure it out on my own. I don't want to wait for replies from people who are not actually trying to help me. If YOU cared about dogs, you would actually give me TIPS, not tell me what I'm doing wrong. I already know what I am doing is wrong. That's why I came here... because I wanted tips... I didn't need all 4 or 5 of you to tell me the EXACT same thing. That's just ridiculous... not to mention rude.

No, tying your dog out is NOT mean. I have a huge picture window and I can see her fine while she is outside. She loves being out there. I think locking them up is a hell of a lot more mean than tying them out outside where they like to be.

Anyway... none of you are actually helping, you're just being rude, so this site was pointless to join. Thanks for the NON warm welcome! I appreciate it!

I hope one day you realize that being nice is more rewarding than being a jerk. I really do.

And I also hope that the next person who comes along needing advice, you actually GIVE them advice rather than shooting them down with things they already know they are doing wrong. No ****... that's why I came here. Yeah... think about things before you type them out. Please. I know you guys are smarter than that.

Have a nice day... and no, don't bother replying, it won't matter because my account is gone and I'm not coming back. I will figure this out on my own.. I'd rather do that than have some old "know it all" dog owners be rude to me.

See ya.

[DiggityDogs]

Once again, if you are REFUSING to do what is right for your dog, you should rething having a dog. Just because she cries in the crate does not mean it's wrong or bad to put her in there. You said 'I'm sorry, but I just can't'
If you 'can't' care for your dog, you should find her a new home. I'm sorry you think my response was ignorant, but between the three of us who responded, There are at LEAST 30 years of combined experience with dogs. You go find yourself a trainer- They'll tell you the same thing. Dogwise and I both own our own businesses training and are former K9 handlers, not sure about Suki, but she knows what she's talking about. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who can help you better than this, but you are obviously unwilling to hear anyone else's opinion or advice because you THINK your dog is 'disturbed' or distressed or however you want to put it. The bottom line is YOU are the problem, and you need to fix the things you are doing wrong. If you did ANY study on dog behavior, or basic training, you'd know that a crate is the safest possible place to keep your dog, and if you think it's OK to tie your dog out, ask around and talk to someone who's had their small dog attacked while it was left unattended on a tie out, or somone whose dog hung itself when it's tie out got tangled. (oh and by the way, if you didn't want us to 'misunderstand' your post, you should have given us facts instead of excuses and whining)

[DiggityDogs]

And I also hope that the next person who comes along needing advice, you actually GIVE them advice rather than shooting them down with things they already know they are doing wrong. No ****... that's why I came here. Yeah... think about things before you type them out.

If you know you're doing it wrong why don't you fix it whith the VALUABLE advice you've been given for what most of us private trainers charge up to $100 an hour for - and you got it FREE. Maybe you should take your own advice.

[Dogwise]

Have a nice day... and no, don't bother replying, it won't matter because my account is gone and I'm not coming back. I will figure this out on my own.. I'd rather do that than have some old "know it all" dog owners be rude to me.

See ya.

Your ignorance is astounding, and it is you my dear that didn't understand anything anyone was saying to you. And you have some nerve telling anyone here they're mean when you live with someone who hits and yells at your dog. *And I don't care weather he does it all the time or not.* Oh! and I'm just curious as to how one might actually know their dog enjoys being tied up. And by the way, EVERYONE! gave you tips on how to fix your problem, you just chose to put your fingers in your ears and go, Lalalalalala...I don't like kennnels...Lalalalalala...doesn't any have any magic beans instead...Lalalalalala. What a joke. You come on here acting like you don't know one end of a dog from the other end, people actually give you advise and you want to whine about it. So you still think kenneling is cruel? well brightgirl, i notice you didn't answer my question. Are baby cribs cruel to? Oh and I guess beating the dog for going in the house is way better than kennel training. by the way, it's called kennel training because you only use it long enough to house break a dog. And as far as not replying goes...Bahahahaha are you kidding me? This is a forum and we WILL reply, because we (well me anyway) know for a fact that account or not, you'll look to see what was said. I just feel really sorry for your poor dog.

[Dogwise]

Oh! and one last thing, since you think crating a dog is cruel and beating it is not. I actually do have one magic trick that will stop the dog from going in your house, and make both you and the dog happy. And! it's not going to cost you a dime. FIND THE DOG A BETTER HOME!!!

[RobDar]

I do not know if you deleted your account yet but here goes....
People who have adult dogs who are not potty trained always seem to treat them differently than puppies. Like it is cute when they are puppies and worth punishing them for when they are adults....like because they are not puppies they should know better. This is applying human behavior to your dog. Any dog at any age that is having problems with house training needs one thng and one thing only...to go back to the begining! Treat her like a puppy and train her like a puppy! Take her out as soon as she wakes up, after she eats, yadda yadda yadda! A puppy potty training book will help!

****zu's are somewhat known for potty training problems. It is right there in their name for god's sake! LOL LOL LOL!

...some of what was posted about this post was a little harsh. I hope that this does not become yet another forum where if someone posts something that people do not agree with they get reamed for it. This girl was right about one thing...the blow by blow dissertation of why she was a fool was not very helpful.

[StarWhisper]

It was hard to read all the replies in the way they were written, but I understand what you guys are saying... I think you have misunderstood me though.

No the truth is you want to be coddled. I have little patience for people that want to be told they are doing good when what they are doing is harmful and damaging to an animals well being.

She cried before I ever started letting her out of the kennel at night. Anytime I put her in it, she cried... even the first night I had her. She hates the kennel. She associates it with sleeping, being bad, and vet visits. She doesn't like it at all.

Then that's your fault. Whenever a new foster enters my house I don't care if I hear that the dog does very well in a crate I start from step one and act like the dog has never been crated in it's life. I then proceed to introduce the crate in a positive manner. Properly introduced and used crates are wonderful training tools.

And yes, I do walk her.. quite often. She goes on a walk everyday, around the block. And I let her out, other than that, 3-4 more times during the day when I am awake and home.

A romp around the block is not a walk. Sometimes all it takes to get a dog to go to the bathroom in a good romp and some real exercise.

Also, she was abused... the first home that had her, their son abused her. He would put her in the toilet and try to flush her, he hit her, etc. That's why they got rid of her.

Do you have evidence of this? You are making accusations of not only animal abuse but parental neglect as well. Those are some heavy accusations.

The second home only took her to get her out of that situation. I'm not sure about the third home, but the person I got her from didn't know what she was doing. I'll admit, I am not the smartest when it comes to raising animals, but she was just plain stupid.

What was the third person doing that was so wrong in your eyes? What made her "just plain stupid". From my view point you have neither the knowledge nor experience in canines to question anyones methods.

I admit that I probably haven't helped her much by babying her, but she is very emotionally distressed.

No she is not. You are emotionally distressed about the whole thing and are projecting your feelings on the dog.

I don't think there's anything wrong with using kennels, but when I put her in them, she cries and moans and she just hates it. I'm sorry if you think it's wrong, but I can't leave her in there when she's obviously hating it. I just can't. Maybe that's not how you think, but that's how I think.

Again you are using the crate incorrectly. You are teaching her the crate is a form of punishment, a negative thing.

Anyway... I don't see a problem with letting her sleep in my bed. That's what she's done since she's been here. Sometimes I don't let her sleep in the bed... soemtimes she sleeps on the floor, but she is in our room with us.

Sleeping in the bed is not the problem. The problem is she has not earned the right to have free reign of your room unsupervised.

She's also usually scared of guys... and no, my boyfriend does not hit her. He WANTS to, but I don't let him. I just don't believe in hitting my animals... I don't think that will teach her anything.

Your boyfriend "wants" to hit her and you are still with him? I can guarantee you someone that wants to hit a helpless little dog will hit a person.

And you misunderstood the bedroom thing. I didn't mean I just lock her in there when she's bad... I put her in there when I leave to avoid her pooping on the floor. She didn't poop on our bedroom floor usually. That's also why I sometimes put her in the bathroom.

Noone misunderstood you. You are simply trying to sidestep the issue. You have been told what you are doing is wrong and that your housebreaking methods have to be a little more involved than putting your dog in a room and leaving her there.

I don't see a problem with tying a dog out on a leash, either. If you think it's ok to put them in a kennel and let them cry for hours, but it's not ok to put her on a 30 ft leash and let her roam on her own? She likes it... it's not mean at all. I put her there and leave her for about 15 minutes and she just goes around and sniffs everything and loves it. But it's been too cold lately to let her out there.

It's irresponsible to leave a dog tied up and unsupervised. Did you ever think of the harm that could be done? She can get herself tied up and severly injured or killed...do NOT laugh it does happen...Choking/Strangulation can occur...She can be attacked by another dog. Letting a dog roam on its own unsupervised is stupid and dangerous. Do not compare it to the safety of a crate which again if you took the time to educate yourself on the proper use of your dog would not freak out in it. You love your dog you claim yet you would stupidly risk her life because you are lazy and ignorant?

Anyway... sorry, didn't read all of the responses, didn't want to forget what I wanted to say in this reply. I am doing that now.

Uh huh.

And no, no one hurt my feelings. I'm very opinionated myself, and I actually appreciate the advice. I understand that I am not doing much to help her, that's why I came here... to learn. I need to know what I need to do to help her understand that pooping on the floor is bad.

You have been given advice you don't want to listen to it. You can not be helped until you realize everything you are doing is wrong and you need to modify your way of thinking to your dogs best interest.

And she DOES know pooping is bad. She absolutely knows. I don't mean I point and yell at her.. all I have to do is walk NEAR the poop and she runs away and hides. And it's funny because I have NEVER hit her, yet she runs from me. I do tell her no and it's bad, but like I said... I honestly don't know what to do to punish her. That's why I came here.

She does NOT know pooping is bad. She is responding to your body language and posture. Dogs are excellent reads on body language.

Anyway, like I said... you didn't bother me. I came here for help and that's what I'm getting, I appreciate it. I'm going to look at the rest of the replies and see what kind of help I can get... not criticism. Thanks.

Please you are so insulted that you didn't have your feeling coddled it's ridiculous.

[StarWhisper]

Eh, nevermind... I'm just going to delete my account and figure it out on my own.

So you are saying the dog will never be house trained? That's a shame.

I don't want to wait for replies from people who are not actually trying to help me. If YOU cared about dogs, you would actually give me TIPS, not tell me what I'm doing wrong.

Shhh here's a little secret...part of given someone advice IS telling them what they are doing wrong so they cease doing it.

I already know what I am doing is wrong. That's why I came here... because I wanted tips... I didn't need all 4 or 5 of you to tell me the EXACT same thing. That's just ridiculous... not to mention rude.

Obviously you don't know what you are doing is wrong, if you did know what you are doing is wrong you would not be defending why you did it with lame excuses. What did you want someone to come along and coddle you for what you are doing?

No, tying your dog out is NOT mean. I have a huge picture window and I can see her fine while she is outside. She loves being out there. I think locking them up is a hell of a lot more mean than tying them out outside where they like to be.

Yeah you keep telling yourself that when your dog strangles itself or get mauled by another dog. You are being lazy and failing to supervise your dog. That is not only cruel but irresponsible. Your ignorance is truly showing. I really suggest you take the time to research proper crate training.

Anyway... none of you are actually helping, you're just being rude, so this site was pointless to join. Thanks for the NON warm welcome! I appreciate it!

Do you realize that you are behaving like a spoilt brat? You have been given advice it just is not sugar-coated like you want it to be.

I hope one day you realize that being nice is more rewarding than being a jerk. I really do.

Advice you should take yourself. You are throwing a tantrum because you don't like being told you are wrong.

And I also hope that the next person who comes along needing advice, you actually GIVE them advice rather than shooting them down with things they already know they are doing wrong.

Advice is given but I am not going to waste my time given out good advice to someone who can't remove their head from their behind long enough to understand that the first thing they need to learn is why what they are doing is wrong.

No ****... that's why I came here. Yeah... think about things before you type them out. Please. I know you guys are smarter than that.

You mean sit around thinking of what to say so I don't hurt someone's sensitive widdle feelings? Sorry not going to happen, if I see someone say something that tells me they are doing damage to their dog I am going to speak up on it.

Have a nice day... and no, don't bother replying, it won't matter because my account is gone and I'm not coming back.


I'll let you in on another secret...as it stands right now (at the time of my posting this piece) your account is NOT gone. Lying is not becomming, it's very easy to tell if an account has been deleted or not.

You will be back, you may or may not respond to this thread..if you do respond your post will echo of more victim mentality.

I will figure this out on my own.. I'd rather do that than have some old "know it all" dog owners be rude to me.

See ya.

You will figure out nothing. You will just continue to do further damage to your dog. FYI your dealing with more than just "know it all" dog owners...many of us here have extensive experience with dogs on a professional level.

[LoveNewfies]

Well, if you're still around to learn how to help your dog:

For starters, this dog can never be left unsupervised until she is reliably house broken - if you are that set against crate training, you are going to have to be more in tune to your dog. Keep her with you every moment and learn her "signs" that she needs to go to the bathroom. Overnight is a problem - she does her business when you are sleeping - I suggest getting yourself up every hour to take her out - she will evenutually have to do her business outside - and when she does, praise her like you've never praised her before - every time - this isn't going to change in a day. Don't scare her with too much loud praise, give her her favorite snacks, lots of "good girl" and pats - make her feel like she just won the dog of the year award.

During the day, keep her tethered to you - do not let her out of your sight. Again, watch for her signs that she has to go - she will give you signals, you just have to recognize them. Get her outside and again, each time she goes where she is suppose to, reward her tremendously.

It is super important not to let her out of your sight at all - one uncorrected accident is a set back - if she starts to go in the house, tell her "outside" and promptly bring her outside to finish - again, followed by lots of praise. She will eventaully tell you when she has to go - and overcome her fear of pooping in front of you - she will learn it's a good thing.

I don't think she's as much of an emotional mess as she is confused - be consistent and true to her with housebreakeing - you need to act as though you are starting over with a puppy.

Good luck - and honestly - if my bf or husband or anyone even threatened to hit any of my animals, they would certainly find their bags packed and waiting on the curb - that can be sign of deeper issues. Just my two cents.

[Dogwise]

...some of what was posted about this post was a little harsh. I hope that this does not become yet another forum where if someone posts something that people do not agree with they get reamed for it. This girl was right about one thing...the blow by blow dissertation of why she was a fool was not very helpful.

"A little harsh"? LOL And? I think you need to read her post a little closer, and then perhaps you can unstand why those of us who actually care for dogs were being so "harsh". If you don't get it, well then. As far as..."I hope that this does not become yet another forum where if someone posts something that people do not agree with they get reamed for it." that's not what happened here. And my guess about you is, your a trouble maker. Yopu think you have the right to tell other members here how they should say what they wish to say, but just so you know, YOU DON'T. And doing a "the blow by blow dissertation" is a way of touching on each point someone makes. which we have every right to do.

[chacha]

I know this is a old post but I have a Shih Tzu and they are hard to potty train. You can't let them have the run of the house and they need frequent potty breaks. If a dog pees or poops in the house it is the owners fault not the dogs. There are a lot of good books about potty training and lots of info on the web. All dogs can be potty trained. With my Shih Tzu I needed to take her outside every 2-3 hours until she figured it out. It took awhile too.