Tough time house breaking my puppy!!?
I have an eight month old Labrador Retriever puppy and he pees all over the house and walks right over it and he makes the whole house messy. I am having a hard time training him also, as he chews up wire even though i spend a lot on chewtoys and chewsticks. For the peeing part…I take him out once in the morning and once in the evening…i am also ready to take him out for a third time, if needed. Due to his “messyness” i have put him in the baclony (which is enclosed, he doesn’t feel cold) but as a dog I think he should be let out and not cruelly locked up. Anyways, I don’t want to give Theo (the puppy) away, but I want him to be a well trained dog…how can I train him myself? Should I go in for a professional trainer? Also, i don’t mind cleaning up after him…it’s just that after I clean it up, the whole house stinks…I currently use Lysol (Lizol in some places), but it doesn’t really help with the stink. How can I live with a calm, smell free dog? PLEASE HELP!
You’re not letting him out often enough. Labs are high-energy breeds and larger dogs sometimes grow faster than their bladders, so he might have to empty it more often. I’ve been training my lab/shepherd cross and he’s down to 8-10 times a day – he’s four months old — but three times is just not enough for your pup. Would you expect a little kid to make it on two toilet breaks a day? How many do YOU take?
He needs to get out more. First thing in the morning, just after he eats, sometime mid-day, as soon as you get home, after dinner, and just before you go to bed are what I would consider MINIMUM. Yeah, it’s a lot of work. Most people don’t realize how time-consuming it is to raise a pup, and that’s why you see so many young dogs in pounds.
A puppy won’t learn to go outside unless he spends enough time outside to get praised, often, for doing his duty where he’s supposed to. If you can’t spend the time with him, see if you can get a neighbor or friend to stop by and let him out more often during the day.
As for being “cruelly” locked up in a crate… Yes, it is cruel if you’re going to be gone all day. But giving him a crate and training him to stay in it works really well — IF you can let him out after a reasonable period.
There’s a very good book: 1-2-3 Good Dog. It’s by Third Way dog training, and my sister has used it with her large dogs; but she works at home. There’s also The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Positive Dog Training, which I’m using with my pup.
You might need a professional trainer at this point. You’ve trained your pup into bad habits and it’s going to take time to you un-train him. Whatever you do, get someone who uses POSITIVE reinforcement. You might check a dog-training club, they usually cost less.
If you decide you aren’t going to keep Theo, contact a breed rescue (google Labrador Retriever rescue.) That will give the pup a better chance of survival–a lot of dogs are put down in pounds within a week of being abandoned.
If you’re going to step up and take care of Theo, good for you! Most pet stores sell an enzyme solution that does a much better job of taking out the smell. The surface has to be kept damp while the enzymes work (the enzymes break down the protein in the urine, which causes the smell) but unless the item is totally soaked you should eventually clean up the smell. Also, plain white vinegar on a fresh pee-spot will neutralize it.
Labs are great dogs, but they’re kind of like a bull in a china shop. The trainer I go to has Labs, and she says she has to work with training a little bit every single day. They’re really a commitment.
Good luck!
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