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December 2010 Moms
OhSewCrafty
member
**GrayGhost** I need your infinite dog wisdom!
OhSewCrafty
member
After a few weeks of fostering that dog I talked to you about, Gracie, the rescue director suggested we bring her back so she could be placed in a home without children. We agreed since the nipping was only getting worse and we were literally losing sleep over it. The good news is that she was placed in a home without children and with other dogs and is doing fantastic! I felt horrible "giving up," but she was just not happy here with a small kid around.
Aaaanyway, we are fostering with plans to adopt a puppy. Yeah, we didn't want a puppy at first, but we met her at an adoption event and fell in love. She's 7 months old and a border collie/black lab mix. She's sweet as can be and great with Charlie. She listens relatively well for a basically untrained puppy, but we're having problems with house training her. I was wondering if you had any suggestions.
She's good in her crate and doesn't go in there, but when we bring her outside she just cowers near the door and shivers/shakes. Its been in the 20's here since we got her and we're not sure if its the weather or if she's afraid for some reason. She spent the first few months of her life in a shelter cage 
so we know the leash/outside thing is very new, but we're not sure how to coax her to go outside without tormenting her. The few times she has successfully gone outside we give her lots of praise and a treat, but most times she just cries to come back in and then pees right inside the door.
We've been trying to use the crate to train her, but I hate keeping her in there too long because that's the kind of life she came from and she's just not making the connection.
Thoughts??
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Re: **GrayGhost** I need your infinite dog wisdom!
I'm not GG but we had some similar issues with our border collie/husky mix. We also got her from a shelter at about 6months old. She had only known a bad home and shelter life and was literally terrified to walk on surfaces other than concrete (how sad is that!). She would pee on the carpet b/c she was too afraid to walk across the wood floor to the back door.
We got her in the summer so we would just spend a lot of time out there with her. It might just take one of you bundling up and playing with her outside for her to start to feel comfortable.
Good luck!
Awww that is so heartbreaking! That's the kind of thing I'm afraid of - that she's scared for a reason and I don't want to unintentionally make it worse.
I wish it were summer, I feel like this would be much easier. I'm thiiiiiis close to getting a doggie coat and booties. lol I don't even know if its the cold or fear - it looks the same to me.
Ginny DX 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
Charlie DX Specific Antibody Deficiency & ASD
A puppy? You're crazy! LOL (But in a good way!)
Hmm...I'll be honest that I've never had a puppy. Our youngest was 18 months when she came to us. But I do have some experience troubleshooting potty issues, so I'm happy to throw out some suggestions.
While she's still learning the ropes, I would try crating her when you can't supervise her and tethering her to you with a leash when you can. That way she has to stay close, and you'll be able to see her if she starts getting ready to squat, so you can whisk her outside.
I am huge on positive training (with or without a clicker) and shaping, so I would bring treats with you on every walk. If she seems uncomfortable pottying on grass or out in the open, you could start bringing her to potty somewhere close to your home (maybe even where she's sheltered from the wind, if it's cold), and click, treat and praise her when she pottys. After she's pottying consistently, you can even introduce a command, like "go potty" or "hurry up." (Some dogs can actually go on command). After she gets the picture that going potty outside is good, you can start shaping the behavior by slowly raising your criteria for your praise/reward. For instance, start encouraging and rewarding her when she pottys farther from your home or when she pottys on grass. I like to eventually work toward having one standard potty location, so that the association forms with your dog that when I go here I go potty. I think it makes it easier for them to focus and get down to business, rather than walking them a different place every time where they're not sure what you're out there for.
Timing of potty trips might also help. Timing is huge with my senior dog, and I think for puppies whose bladders and tummies are smaller, it can be an issue too. Try walking right after a feeding (instead of before) and adjust your timing based how readily she seems to go. Also, you probably know this, but they say that puppies can hold it the number of hours that equals their age in months plus one (so eight hours for her), so make sure you're going out at least that often.
Also, if you really think it's the cold, you could pick up a sweater for her. Sounds silly but some dogs are just sensitive to the cold and going out when it's cold or rainy is a deal-breaker for them.
Not related to your question, but I bet with that mix of breeds she's going to be so smart and a rockstar at obedience and dog sports. I'd start early on all the basic positive obedience training (and tricks if you like), so that she's ready to keep learning new skills that will keep her busy little mind and body active through her adolescent phase. Puzzle toys and doggie daycare are also the bomb for bratty super-genius dogs.
GL! (Oh, and I'd love to see some pics, too!)
A couple more thoughts on getting her outside. Bribery is always good. Pay attention to what things she just can't resist and use them. If she's food motivated, try hot dogs or cheese or boiled chicken. If she doesn't care for food much, try bringing a favorite toy, like a tug or a ball and letting her play as the reward. If that doesn't work, you could also teach her a "touch" command and coax her outside by having her follow you and touch your hand or a target stick. If she's super-anxious, you may try classical conditioning instead of counter conditioning: rather than asking for a separate behavior, like walking or going potty, just start flooding her with treats when she steps outside. That type of conditioning tends to overcome fears faster than training an alternate behavior.
Oh yes, we know that we're nuts.
Thank you so much for the ideas! I was wondering if classical conditioning would be more helpful at this point since we're pretty stuck at ground zero. lol She isn't a huge treat type pup thus far, however, but that could just be from not getting treats in the shelter. Above all, we're trying to form a bond with her so she trusts us and wants to listen to us, which is going well so far at least.
It breaks my heart when she looks so scared and confused outside. I just may get her a sweater. I noticed that as its gotten colder, she's getting white flakes on her black fur - dry skin I'm assuming. Maybe she is just sensitive? I know its not her food (she's on Nutro Naturals and has been for a while).
Either way, thank you again! I'm excited to start training with her - she really does seem so smart and rambunctious. Once the weather gets nicer I have a feeling she's going to have a blast outside. :-)
Ginny DX 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
Charlie DX Specific Antibody Deficiency & ASD
That is so, so, so important. Once she knows she can trust you and that listening brings good things, I am sure things will get so much easier.
For dry skin, you could try a little bit of fish oil, flax oil or coconut oil in her food, or I understand you can rub the coconut oil right onto their skin on any hot spots or rough patches. I've done the fish and flax with my terrier, but I am planning to order some coconut oil from Amazon really soon, because I keep hearing awesome things about it.
She is so lucky to have found you guys.
I hope she settles in and starts having lots of fun soon!