New 6 month old doodle

[Traci Henry]

Hi everyone!

My family and I adopted a barely 6 month old golden doodle last week.  Her breeder had her living in a barn with her litter mates and mom.  She would bring her into the house twice a day for socialization.  Since bringing her home she I have discovered she is not housebroken.  She will stay outside for a while without going potty then comes inside and promptly goes.  She is very stressed when we leave to go to work and school when we crate her.  Any suggestions anyone has would be great!

Traci

[Judy, Meg & Polly Wolly Doodle]

This is a major change for your pup and she has no one to cuddle with to get through it.  There is a teddy bear with a heart beat that makes them feel like they have another pup with them, I don't know what it is called but someone on hear will chime in soon with the name or you can check Amazon and I am sure it will pop up.  If your breeder is close you may be able to get a piece of blanket with the litter mates scent on it and that may help.  She isn't housebroken because she has been living in a barn and no one taught her but doodles are smart and she should learn quickly, our new 4 month old is coming along pretty well.  When you are home it is time for lots of hugs, belly rubs and reassurance, this is such a big and traumatic change for her.  Good luck and try to relax into the process and help her enjoy the new home.

[Stephanie and Ragley]

I believe what you are talking about, Judy, is a Snuggle Puppy! They even make a "cream doodle" one. They come with a little heating pack and a device that makes a puppy heartbeat sound for them to be comforted by. You can get them on amazon or from doodlecountry.com

[Kris and Sawyer]

Doesn't sound like she was in the best situation. I would keep her tethered to you at all times when you are home, don't give her a chance to have an accident. Take her out frequently. And give lots and lots of praise/treats when she does go outside. Ignore it if an accident happens inside, don't even give her eye contact. The stuffed toy Judy is talking about is called Snuggle Puppy and comes in a Doodle one. It has a warmer and a heartbeat you can put inside of it which makes the dog think it is with it's pack. It can help with separation anxiety. Some people have had success with putting a blanket over the crate, I always put animal planet on the TV before I leave. :-). How long are you gone? Is there a way for someone to give her a potty break at lunch? She's stressed right now because this is all new. I also highly recommend getting her in training as soon as possible. Our trainer says new dogs should start as soon as possible (when they are older like this) Hope that helps.

[jenn D]

I agree with what everyone else said. Keep her tethered to you when you can, and schedule food and potty breaks. Lots of praise when she goes outside. Also restrict her space indoors when not tethered. Is going to take some work but you can do it! These guys are smart.

[Judy, Meg & Polly Wolly Doodle]

I should have added about restricting space, with our new Polly we have everything gated off, in the kitchen or computer room with us, in the living room with us or in the crate at night.  She will eventually graduate but she earns the trust as we go and we try not to give her too much at a time, baby steps that are solid with no slipping back until she gets the next space opened up.

BTW if you have not used bells for potty training you should try them, many people use them so the dog has a way to signal that it wants to go out. 

[jenn D]

Judy,
I always cringe when I have to type that (about restricting space) because I know people typically don't want to hear it and its a pain to do. It doesn't look good and its not always easy to do. I just keep the baby gates and fences I had when my kids were babies. It's help to keep them around for potty training or if you have a sick dog. But in reality, restricting the space works well and fast.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

But is makes life so much easier as you work on the potty training, doesn't it, Jenn?

[Jennifer Tramell]

You might want to consider an option other than a crate.  I had a couple dogs who hated crates but were as happy as anything in a bathroom or a laundry room.  You need a safe area (check for anything that can be eaten or chewed, pulled down, etc) and I would give her some blankets/old towels to sleep on (think fluffy hay).  Think about where she was living and try to give her something similar.  My non-crate dogs stayed in a small room with a linoleum/tile floor (easy to clean up) and a baby gate across the door.  I fed them in their area and would put them to bed with some yummy toys - maybe even a couple treats.  The point is to make "their room" a place full of pleasant associations (I go in this room and get treats), safe cuddles (my dogs always like to scratch up a soft place to sleep), and yummy smells (treat filled kong or similar toys).

 

This poor girl has gone from limited human interaction and life in a barn to only human interaction and life in a crate (not being negative, just looking at it from a doggies point of view).  Until she starts to enjoy her new surroundings, I understand her feeling stressed - I would be too :-(

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Just wanted to add that the baby gate is crucial if you keep a dog in a bathroom or laundry room, as opposed to just closing the door to the room. They must be able to see out. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There are 3 parts to housebreaking a dog: 1. Teach the dog where she should go, 2. Teach the dog where she should NOT go, and 3. Eliminate all traces of odor in the places where she has made a mistake so that she doesn't return to those places.

You also need to feed her on a regular schedule so that her bowels are on a regular schedule. :) Meals need to be given at the same time every day.

In order to teach number 1 & 2, it's necessary to always praise her every time she eliminates in the right place, and to correct her every time she makes a mistake. In order to do that, you must see & reward her for pottying outdoors and you must catch her in the act of making a mistake indoors every time. You cannot reward a behavior if you don't see it, or correct a behavior after the fact. So ideally, it goes like this:

The dog is never allowed a chance to have an "accident" without you seeing it. She must be crated or otherwise confined when nobody is home, and tethered to you or otherwise supervised when you are home. Keep a leash on her. Every "mistake" she makes that goes unnoticed is reinforcement of the wrong behavior.

You always have high value treats handy to reward her for "going" in the right place, and you always go outside with her.

When you do see her start to make a mistake, you immediately stop & correct her verbally with a clear "Eh Eh Eh" or "No", spoken loudly and firmly but no screaming or yelling. Since she is always wearing her leash, you can also grab it and get her outside fast. If she finishes what she started when you get her outdoors, you give her a treat and praise her to the moon. Have a "good dog" party. Act like an idiot, lol. You are teaching her that pottying inside makes you unhappy, showing her where she should be doing it, and then rewarding her for making the right choice. 

Then you clean up the area where she made a mistake with an odor neutralizer designed for that purpose, like Nature's Miracle. Just cleaning up is not enough; you may not be able to smell anything, but trust me, she can. You have to really saturate the area to eliminate any odor, or the dog will return to that spot. 

Good luck. :)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Of course she isn't potty trained.  Living in a barn with her litter, doesn't teach her about houses at all. You need to begin at the beginning of potty training as if she were 8 weeks old.  It will go fast once she understands inside is a no and outside is a yes.

[Ginny Nightingale]

Wow...you have gotten great advice and I agree wholeheartedly that you need to act as if she was a tiny new up, since mentally, that is where she is. She missed out on several crucial months of training and socializing, so it could be a bit of an uphill battle, but you will get there...one other thing to add...when she goes potty outside, say Good GO PEE ( or potty, whatever you like) and use that phrase all the time when she goes...eventually, she will go on command. Lots of happy celebrating too....she has probably gone in the barn and does not know how to go outside, but she will. Another idea is to put newspaper down for a day and if she goes on it ( in the house) then you can bring it outside to create the odor in the outdoor area...that works well with young pups who get confused when first switching from paper training to housebreaking.