Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Animal biologist here. It seems you got a pet without having any interest in learning about the psychology of the species you were taking in. This is necessary if you are planning to live indoors with any other animal, including your own human family.

Peeing indoors is never acceptable, not even for puppies. When she has an accident inside, you raise your voice and do your best to have a very displeased tone. Dogs are very sensitive to tone, but don't have good memories, so you need to catch her in the act, or a few seconds after. That's when she'll make the connection between your anger and her peeing on the floor. You also need to use enzymatic cleaner on all the spots she's peed to get rid of the remaining molecules, otherwise she might believe it's OK to pee there.

The dog should not be so anxious and/or excited when it meets strangers. You need to train her to greet more strangers, outside, and reward her on the spot when she doesn't pee. In the meantime, if someone she doesn't know is planning to visit, they need to meet the dog outside first, to avoid her peeing indoors. You can wait for your guest outside, encourage her to pee before they arrive, then have the meet-and-greet outside before coming in. Reward her every time she meets someone without peeing. If that works (she doesn't pee for about 5-10 meetings in a row), you can give her a potty break before they come, bring her in, then ask that they come in very quietly, and you reward her for a well-behaved greeting. If that's successful, try an indoor meeting without a prior potty break.

As you can see, training a dog means immediate negative feedback when they do wrong, but gradual adjustments to the ultimate correct behavior, with lots of rewards along the way for incremental progress. Your goal is to always put them in a position to succeed, because timely food reinforcement is an extremely powerful tool.

I can't help you with your annoyance that she's always "there" - you can just ignore her, OP. But is there anything else that you think is not normal and that you need help with?

OP here. OMG, can you come to my house? Do you have a company you recommend to help train or learn about her? This has been amazing. I will admit that we do not have her around many other animals or people and I have no clue what her life was like before we got her from the shelter. She does this thing though, which I would love your input about. When she meets other dogs on a walk, she lays down, her ears are back, tail tucked and she just lays on her back. Is she scared? I mean, obviously, but what should I do? If they are not near her, say like across the street, then she growls and barks. I do have the enzyme spray. Your idea about having guests meet her outside is something I never even thought of, so thank you. I guess I feel bad for just ignoring.

Ha. Thank you, PP. No pet business, I'm a research scientist. Your dog lies down and presents her belly as the ultimate sign of submission, which is on par with the peeing when she meets strange humans at home. You can use a gentle soothing voice and caress her when she lies down like that (no treats). She has a submissive personality, which in itself is fine, but the barking and growling is an aggressive response that also originates from fear. You need to keep an eye on that, because she's still a puppy, and might develop more aggression as she matures into dog teenage-hood. She badly needs to socialize with an older, calm, well-mannered dog, one on one. Ideally, they would go for walks together regularly. Do you know of any? That will work wonders. Right now she sees the entire world as a threat. If you don't take steps now to show her that dogs and humans can be safe, she might grow up to be permanently clingy, develop destructive behaviors when left to her own devices (like bark incessantly or chew up your stuff), or become more aggressive.

I hesitate to recommend a puppy socialization class or doggy daycare, because the classes are full of poorly trained dogs, and the daycare will be entirely overwhelming to her in her current state. No dog parks either. Maybe you could ask around if any dog training operation works with a trained dog as "mentor" to the dog students. If you don't know of friends with really calm dogs, then maybe you could pay someone to borrow their super chill dog regularly.

OP again. Geez, you are amazing. I just signed her up for doggy daycare thinking that will help but I will NOT do it. I do have a family member that has a dog that is so calm but it is a large breed (a doberman). She was terrified or submissive to a small yorkie. Would the doberman be ok? He is very chill and calm. She does seem submissive. I was on the phone and took my eye off of her for one minute and she pooped on the floor. I could not raise my voice because I was on an important call but she knew it was wrong and walked right to her crate. She never willingly goes to her crate. As if she put herself in time out. It was my fault she pooped on the floor, I should have had her near me or had her go to the bathroom before I got on the phone. Would someone coming to the house to train her be ok? I just want her trained for safety reasons, nothing major.

I'm not the PP, I'm the one who just recommend Paw Mind Body. Ask the Dobies owner what he/she thinks. They know their dog. Mine are Rotties and they are actually very good with other dogs. I've had friends bring puppies over to socialize with them, even much smaller dogs. They tend to know how to behave and one-on-one with a calm dog would be much better. Off leash in a neutral area is best if possible.

NEVER a dog park. It's the worst place to take your dog, especially a fearful one.

OP here. Got it, thank you! I will ask. No dog park either. I figured a neutral area is best so neither one feels territorial.

Exactly. That's why off leash is often better too, nobody feels like they need to protect "mom". Mine are in a very different mode when they're on leash vs off leash, the Dobie might be the same.

Anonymous wrote:I think people need to research breeds before choosing one. Many breeds follow you around like shadows and others are more independent and will leave you alone. I personally like the ones who are with me nonstop. I have a 9lb dog who follows me everywhere.

sorry OP. I think if you could get the dog to attach more to your kids or spouse it would get easier.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Animal biologist here. It seems you got a pet without having any interest in learning about the psychology of the species you were taking in. This is necessary if you are planning to live indoors with any other animal, including your own human family.

Peeing indoors is never acceptable, not even for puppies. When she has an accident inside, you raise your voice and do your best to have a very displeased tone. Dogs are very sensitive to tone, but don't have good memories, so you need to catch her in the act, or a few seconds after. That's when she'll make the connection between your anger and her peeing on the floor. You also need to use enzymatic cleaner on all the spots she's peed to get rid of the remaining molecules, otherwise she might believe it's OK to pee there.

The dog should not be so anxious and/or excited when it meets strangers. You need to train her to greet more strangers, outside, and reward her on the spot when she doesn't pee. In the meantime, if someone she doesn't know is planning to visit, they need to meet the dog outside first, to avoid her peeing indoors. You can wait for your guest outside, encourage her to pee before they arrive, then have the meet-and-greet outside before coming in. Reward her every time she meets someone without peeing. If that works (she doesn't pee for about 5-10 meetings in a row), you can give her a potty break before they come, bring her in, then ask that they come in very quietly, and you reward her for a well-behaved greeting. If that's successful, try an indoor meeting without a prior potty break.

As you can see, training a dog means immediate negative feedback when they do wrong, but gradual adjustments to the ultimate correct behavior, with lots of rewards along the way for incremental progress. Your goal is to always put them in a position to succeed, because timely food reinforcement is an extremely powerful tool.

I can't help you with your annoyance that she's always "there" - you can just ignore her, OP. But is there anything else that you think is not normal and that you need help with?

OP here. OMG, can you come to my house? Do you have a company you recommend to help train or learn about her? This has been amazing. I will admit that we do not have her around many other animals or people and I have no clue what her life was like before we got her from the shelter. She does this thing though, which I would love your input about. When she meets other dogs on a walk, she lays down, her ears are back, tail tucked and she just lays on her back. Is she scared? I mean, obviously, but what should I do? If they are not near her, say like across the street, then she growls and barks. I do have the enzyme spray. Your idea about having guests meet her outside is something I never even thought of, so thank you. I guess I feel bad for just ignoring.

Ha. Thank you, PP. No pet business, I'm a research scientist. Your dog lies down and presents her belly as the ultimate sign of submission, which is on par with the peeing when she meets strange humans at home. You can use a gentle soothing voice and caress her when she lies down like that (no treats). She has a submissive personality, which in itself is fine, but the barking and growling is an aggressive response that also originates from fear. You need to keep an eye on that, because she's still a puppy, and might develop more aggression as she matures into dog teenage-hood. She badly needs to socialize with an older, calm, well-mannered dog, one on one. Ideally, they would go for walks together regularly. Do you know of any? That will work wonders. Right now she sees the entire world as a threat. If you don't take steps now to show her that dogs and humans can be safe, she might grow up to be permanently clingy, develop destructive behaviors when left to her own devices (like bark incessantly or chew up your stuff), or become more aggressive.

I hesitate to recommend a puppy socialization class or doggy daycare, because the classes are full of poorly trained dogs, and the daycare will be entirely overwhelming to her in her current state. No dog parks either. Maybe you could ask around if any dog training operation works with a trained dog as "mentor" to the dog students. If you don't know of friends with really calm dogs, then maybe you could pay someone to borrow their super chill dog regularly.

OP again. Geez, you are amazing. I just signed her up for doggy daycare thinking that will help but I will NOT do it. I do have a family member that has a dog that is so calm but it is a large breed (a doberman). She was terrified or submissive to a small yorkie. Would the doberman be ok? He is very chill and calm. She does seem submissive. I was on the phone and took my eye off of her for one minute and she pooped on the floor. I could not raise my voice because I was on an important call but she knew it was wrong and walked right to her crate. She never willingly goes to her crate. As if she put herself in time out. It was my fault she pooped on the floor, I should have had her near me or had her go to the bathroom before I got on the phone. Would someone coming to the house to train her be ok? I just want her trained for safety reasons, nothing major.

I'm not the PP, I'm the one who just recommend Paw Mind Body. Ask the Dobies owner what he/she thinks. They know their dog. Mine are Rotties and they are actually very good with other dogs. I've had friends bring puppies over to socialize with them, even much smaller dogs. They tend to know how to behave and one-on-one with a calm dog would be much better. Off leash in a neutral area is best if possible.

NEVER a dog park. It's the worst place to take your dog, especially a fearful one.

OP here. Got it, thank you! I will ask. No dog park either. I figured a neutral area is best so neither one feels territorial.

Anonymous wrote:One more thing to consider — since she’s young and still adjusting to her environment, if you’re the only pack member at home with her during the day, she’s taking her cues from you. If you are quiet and still for long periods without interacting with her (even looking over at her), she’ll know that it’s okay to rest. If she’s loose and able to follow you around, and especially if you’re constantly checking on her, approaching her, making eye contact, talking to her, touching her, she’ll feel like it’s always time to be “on.” She still needs her rest. It’s okay to crate her with a Kong and ignore her for a couple hours during the day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Animal biologist here. It seems you got a pet without having any interest in learning about the psychology of the species you were taking in. This is necessary if you are planning to live indoors with any other animal, including your own human family.

Peeing indoors is never acceptable, not even for puppies. When she has an accident inside, you raise your voice and do your best to have a very displeased tone. Dogs are very sensitive to tone, but don't have good memories, so you need to catch her in the act, or a few seconds after. That's when she'll make the connection between your anger and her peeing on the floor. You also need to use enzymatic cleaner on all the spots she's peed to get rid of the remaining molecules, otherwise she might believe it's OK to pee there.

The dog should not be so anxious and/or excited when it meets strangers. You need to train her to greet more strangers, outside, and reward her on the spot when she doesn't pee. In the meantime, if someone she doesn't know is planning to visit, they need to meet the dog outside first, to avoid her peeing indoors. You can wait for your guest outside, encourage her to pee before they arrive, then have the meet-and-greet outside before coming in. Reward her every time she meets someone without peeing. If that works (she doesn't pee for about 5-10 meetings in a row), you can give her a potty break before they come, bring her in, then ask that they come in very quietly, and you reward her for a well-behaved greeting. If that's successful, try an indoor meeting without a prior potty break.

As you can see, training a dog means immediate negative feedback when they do wrong, but gradual adjustments to the ultimate correct behavior, with lots of rewards along the way for incremental progress. Your goal is to always put them in a position to succeed, because timely food reinforcement is an extremely powerful tool.

I can't help you with your annoyance that she's always "there" - you can just ignore her, OP. But is there anything else that you think is not normal and that you need help with?

OP here. OMG, can you come to my house? Do you have a company you recommend to help train or learn about her? This has been amazing. I will admit that we do not have her around many other animals or people and I have no clue what her life was like before we got her from the shelter. She does this thing though, which I would love your input about. When she meets other dogs on a walk, she lays down, her ears are back, tail tucked and she just lays on her back. Is she scared? I mean, obviously, but what should I do? If they are not near her, say like across the street, then she growls and barks. I do have the enzyme spray. Your idea about having guests meet her outside is something I never even thought of, so thank you. I guess I feel bad for just ignoring.

Ha. Thank you, PP. No pet business, I'm a research scientist. Your dog lies down and presents her belly as the ultimate sign of submission, which is on par with the peeing when she meets strange humans at home. You can use a gentle soothing voice and caress her when she lies down like that (no treats). She has a submissive personality, which in itself is fine, but the barking and growling is an aggressive response that also originates from fear. You need to keep an eye on that, because she's still a puppy, and might develop more aggression as she matures into dog teenage-hood. She badly needs to socialize with an older, calm, well-mannered dog, one on one. Ideally, they would go for walks together regularly. Do you know of any? That will work wonders. Right now she sees the entire world as a threat. If you don't take steps now to show her that dogs and humans can be safe, she might grow up to be permanently clingy, develop destructive behaviors when left to her own devices (like bark incessantly or chew up your stuff), or become more aggressive.

I hesitate to recommend a puppy socialization class or doggy daycare, because the classes are full of poorly trained dogs, and the daycare will be entirely overwhelming to her in her current state. No dog parks either. Maybe you could ask around if any dog training operation works with a trained dog as "mentor" to the dog students. If you don't know of friends with really calm dogs, then maybe you could pay someone to borrow their super chill dog regularly.

OP again. Geez, you are amazing. I just signed her up for doggy daycare thinking that will help but I will NOT do it. I do have a family member that has a dog that is so calm but it is a large breed (a doberman). She was terrified or submissive to a small yorkie. Would the doberman be ok? He is very chill and calm. She does seem submissive. I was on the phone and took my eye off of her for one minute and she pooped on the floor. I could not raise my voice because I was on an important call but she knew it was wrong and walked right to her crate. She never willingly goes to her crate. As if she put herself in time out. It was my fault she pooped on the floor, I should have had her near me or had her go to the bathroom before I got on the phone. Would someone coming to the house to train her be ok? I just want her trained for safety reasons, nothing major.

I'm not the PP, I'm the one who just recommend Paw Mind Body. Ask the Dobies owner what he/she thinks. They know their dog. Mine are Rotties and they are actually very good with other dogs. I've had friends bring puppies over to socialize with them, even much smaller dogs. They tend to know how to behave and one-on-one with a calm dog would be much better. Off leash in a neutral area is best if possible.

NEVER a dog park. It's the worst place to take your dog, especially a fearful one.

Anonymous wrote:One problem could be is you had a vague idea of why you wanted a dog.

I wanted a dog to go on long daily hikes with so I would not be alone in the woods, and also for protection. Also I thought it would help my boys be off screens, be outside more, and be warmer, kinder people. My DH also needed to walk and be outside more.

The trade off was some freedom and having to do all the work associated with having a dog. It’s working out well—much better than expected.

Maybe figure out why you wanted or have a dog? Can you run with it to get a higher intensity workout? Also my dog loves the fenced-in dog park near us where they can run and play with other dogs, but that may not be for everybody. They play hard for a couple hours and come back tired and happy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Animal biologist here. It seems you got a pet without having any interest in learning about the psychology of the species you were taking in. This is necessary if you are planning to live indoors with any other animal, including your own human family.

Peeing indoors is never acceptable, not even for puppies. When she has an accident inside, you raise your voice and do your best to have a very displeased tone. Dogs are very sensitive to tone, but don't have good memories, so you need to catch her in the act, or a few seconds after. That's when she'll make the connection between your anger and her peeing on the floor. You also need to use enzymatic cleaner on all the spots she's peed to get rid of the remaining molecules, otherwise she might believe it's OK to pee there.

The dog should not be so anxious and/or excited when it meets strangers. You need to train her to greet more strangers, outside, and reward her on the spot when she doesn't pee. In the meantime, if someone she doesn't know is planning to visit, they need to meet the dog outside first, to avoid her peeing indoors. You can wait for your guest outside, encourage her to pee before they arrive, then have the meet-and-greet outside before coming in. Reward her every time she meets someone without peeing. If that works (she doesn't pee for about 5-10 meetings in a row), you can give her a potty break before they come, bring her in, then ask that they come in very quietly, and you reward her for a well-behaved greeting. If that's successful, try an indoor meeting without a prior potty break.

As you can see, training a dog means immediate negative feedback when they do wrong, but gradual adjustments to the ultimate correct behavior, with lots of rewards along the way for incremental progress. Your goal is to always put them in a position to succeed, because timely food reinforcement is an extremely powerful tool.

I can't help you with your annoyance that she's always "there" - you can just ignore her, OP. But is there anything else that you think is not normal and that you need help with?

OP here. OMG, can you come to my house? Do you have a company you recommend to help train or learn about her? This has been amazing. I will admit that we do not have her around many other animals or people and I have no clue what her life was like before we got her from the shelter. She does this thing though, which I would love your input about. When she meets other dogs on a walk, she lays down, her ears are back, tail tucked and she just lays on her back. Is she scared? I mean, obviously, but what should I do? If they are not near her, say like across the street, then she growls and barks. I do have the enzyme spray. Your idea about having guests meet her outside is something I never even thought of, so thank you. I guess I feel bad for just ignoring.

Ha. Thank you, PP. No pet business, I'm a research scientist. Your dog lies down and presents her belly as the ultimate sign of submission, which is on par with the peeing when she meets strange humans at home. You can use a gentle soothing voice and caress her when she lies down like that (no treats). She has a submissive personality, which in itself is fine, but the barking and growling is an aggressive response that also originates from fear. You need to keep an eye on that, because she's still a puppy, and might develop more aggression as she matures into dog teenage-hood. She badly needs to socialize with an older, calm, well-mannered dog, one on one. Ideally, they would go for walks together regularly. Do you know of any? That will work wonders. Right now she sees the entire world as a threat. If you don't take steps now to show her that dogs and humans can be safe, she might grow up to be permanently clingy, develop destructive behaviors when left to her own devices (like bark incessantly or chew up your stuff), or become more aggressive.

I hesitate to recommend a puppy socialization class or doggy daycare, because the classes are full of poorly trained dogs, and the daycare will be entirely overwhelming to her in her current state. No dog parks either. Maybe you could ask around if any dog training operation works with a trained dog as "mentor" to the dog students. If you don't know of friends with really calm dogs, then maybe you could pay someone to borrow their super chill dog regularly.

OP again. Geez, you are amazing. I just signed her up for doggy daycare thinking that will help but I will NOT do it. I do have a family member that has a dog that is so calm but it is a large breed (a doberman). She was terrified or submissive to a small yorkie. Would the doberman be ok? He is very chill and calm. She does seem submissive. I was on the phone and took my eye off of her for one minute and she pooped on the floor. I could not raise my voice because I was on an important call but she knew it was wrong and walked right to her crate. She never willingly goes to her crate. As if she put herself in time out. It was my fault she pooped on the floor, I should have had her near me or had her go to the bathroom before I got on the phone. Would someone coming to the house to train her be ok? I just want her trained for safety reasons, nothing major.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the same. When my dog and cat pass on, I will never own another animal. I don't understand why people are ok with following an animal around and picking up its poop. I got the dog because I love seeing people with their animals (the cat we inherited) - but I hate the smell and I especially hate having to plan my day around walking the dog. I have one hour in the morning before work - I could either lift weights and run or I can take the dog for a walk. But I have to walk the dog so my own health suffers. When I sit down to watch a movie in the evening, the dog wants to play. I'm a slave to the freaking dog.

OP here. This is my problem too. I want to work out in the morning, like intensely when the family is asleep but she needs to be walked. Then if she doesn’t poop, I have to watch her like a hawk to make sure she doesn’t poop in the house. She is not a dog that I can run with as she is small. That is why I asked another poster how long should I walk her to tire her out enough so that I can come home and work out?

No, she doesn't need to be walked first thing. I get up an hour before my dog gets out of her crate so I can shower and have my tea while the house is quiet. If you want to work out first thing, do that. Train your dog to the schedule that works for you, not the other way around.

The more you walk your dog, the more you'll need to walk your dog. Yes, they do need outside exercise, but what they really need is stimulation. Two 20-minute walks a day plus 2 "stim breaks" with an engagement exercise (lick mat, kibble rolled up and tied in an old towel or some other kind of "snuffle mat", a frozen treat, a kong stuffed with PB and hard-to-reach treats like bits of carrot...) is plenty for a small dog. Yours is still a puppy, and coming into that "teenager phase" between 1-2 years. There will be pushback and whining. Treat it the same way you'd treat your kid whining about wanting to stay at the pool, eat more snacks, watch TV all day... "I hear you, and the answer is still no".

You'll like your dog a lot more when you start treating it more like a dog. They're trainable. Teach it what you want and it will learn to adapt to you.

OP here. Thank you for this. Where do you suggest I keep her crate at night? She is in our room. She is so excited when I get out of the bed that I let her out and we both run outside to let her pee so no accident. After that, she is wide awake so I do not want to put her back in the crate to work out.

I have two (very large) dogs. I love dogs and love having them. But. They are not even allowed in the upstairs of our house. Keep her crate somewhere else. Laundry room? Office? Pick a spot that isn't in someone's bedroom. You'll both sleep better.

My dogs sleep (mostly) in the family room. Sometimes I come downstairs and find the bigger one (130 lbs) sleeping in the powder room--it's like a den or crate for him and he likes that. Dogs often like small confined spaces and will choose them. Crates are good for them, it keeps them safe and they know it's their space.

Just remember that she's a puppy and will chill out over time. When she pees outside, praise. If you catch her attempting to pee inside, sharp and loud no and immediately go outside. It won't take long.

You can leave her on your deck unattended unless she's small enough to fall off between slats? You said 20 lbs, doesn't seem like she would. I leave mine on our deck, and they're actually big enough to jump over the railing, but they're not stupid enough. They just like to chill and watch the world go by sometimes.

OP here. Thank you for this. I will move her crate to the family room. She can fit through the deck slates but I can put another barrier around the bars as an extra precaution. I am starting to think that I am creating her to be so attached to me.

Yes, if you spend a lot of time with her. (PP here). I'm in my office and both of mine are currently in here with me, the big one sleeping under my desk. Last week, someone rang the doorbell and when he jumped up my whole desk moved--the folks on my Zoom thought it was an earthquake.

Anyway, I would recommend contacting this company/trainer. Fernando. Paw Mind Body www.pawmindbody.com; He has worked with my dogs, and with the dog of a friend who was very challenging. He's very reasonably priced IMO and came highly recommended by our vet. We liked him, and I've had 5 dogs (all well trained). We hired him because I'd never had two big dogs simultaneously and they had gotten into a couple of bad habits with each other (playing but it creates chaos!)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the same. When my dog and cat pass on, I will never own another animal. I don't understand why people are ok with following an animal around and picking up its poop. I got the dog because I love seeing people with their animals (the cat we inherited) - but I hate the smell and I especially hate having to plan my day around walking the dog. I have one hour in the morning before work - I could either lift weights and run or I can take the dog for a walk. But I have to walk the dog so my own health suffers. When I sit down to watch a movie in the evening, the dog wants to play. I'm a slave to the freaking dog.

OP here. This is my problem too. I want to work out in the morning, like intensely when the family is asleep but she needs to be walked. Then if she doesn’t poop, I have to watch her like a hawk to make sure she doesn’t poop in the house. She is not a dog that I can run with as she is small. That is why I asked another poster how long should I walk her to tire her out enough so that I can come home and work out?

No, she doesn't need to be walked first thing. I get up an hour before my dog gets out of her crate so I can shower and have my tea while the house is quiet. If you want to work out first thing, do that. Train your dog to the schedule that works for you, not the other way around.

The more you walk your dog, the more you'll need to walk your dog. Yes, they do need outside exercise, but what they really need is stimulation. Two 20-minute walks a day plus 2 "stim breaks" with an engagement exercise (lick mat, kibble rolled up and tied in an old towel or some other kind of "snuffle mat", a frozen treat, a kong stuffed with PB and hard-to-reach treats like bits of carrot...) is plenty for a small dog. Yours is still a puppy, and coming into that "teenager phase" between 1-2 years. There will be pushback and whining. Treat it the same way you'd treat your kid whining about wanting to stay at the pool, eat more snacks, watch TV all day... "I hear you, and the answer is still no".

You'll like your dog a lot more when you start treating it more like a dog. They're trainable. Teach it what you want and it will learn to adapt to you.

OP here. Thank you for this. Where do you suggest I keep her crate at night? She is in our room. She is so excited when I get out of the bed that I let her out and we both run outside to let her pee so no accident. After that, she is wide awake so I do not want to put her back in the crate to work out.

I have two (very large) dogs. I love dogs and love having them. But. They are not even allowed in the upstairs of our house. Keep her crate somewhere else. Laundry room? Office? Pick a spot that isn't in someone's bedroom. You'll both sleep better.

My dogs sleep (mostly) in the family room. Sometimes I come downstairs and find the bigger one (130 lbs) sleeping in the powder room--it's like a den or crate for him and he likes that. Dogs often like small confined spaces and will choose them. Crates are good for them, it keeps them safe and they know it's their space.

Just remember that she's a puppy and will chill out over time. When she pees outside, praise. If you catch her attempting to pee inside, sharp and loud no and immediately go outside. It won't take long.

You can leave her on your deck unattended unless she's small enough to fall off between slats? You said 20 lbs, doesn't seem like she would. I leave mine on our deck, and they're actually big enough to jump over the railing, but they're not stupid enough. They just like to chill and watch the world go by sometimes.

OP here. Thank you for this. I will move her crate to the family room. She can fit through the deck slates but I can put another barrier around the bars as an extra precaution. I am starting to think that I am creating her to be so attached to me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Animal biologist here. It seems you got a pet without having any interest in learning about the psychology of the species you were taking in. This is necessary if you are planning to live indoors with any other animal, including your own human family.

Peeing indoors is never acceptable, not even for puppies. When she has an accident inside, you raise your voice and do your best to have a very displeased tone. Dogs are very sensitive to tone, but don't have good memories, so you need to catch her in the act, or a few seconds after. That's when she'll make the connection between your anger and her peeing on the floor. You also need to use enzymatic cleaner on all the spots she's peed to get rid of the remaining molecules, otherwise she might believe it's OK to pee there.

The dog should not be so anxious and/or excited when it meets strangers. You need to train her to greet more strangers, outside, and reward her on the spot when she doesn't pee. In the meantime, if someone she doesn't know is planning to visit, they need to meet the dog outside first, to avoid her peeing indoors. You can wait for your guest outside, encourage her to pee before they arrive, then have the meet-and-greet outside before coming in. Reward her every time she meets someone without peeing. If that works (she doesn't pee for about 5-10 meetings in a row), you can give her a potty break before they come, bring her in, then ask that they come in very quietly, and you reward her for a well-behaved greeting. If that's successful, try an indoor meeting without a prior potty break.

As you can see, training a dog means immediate negative feedback when they do wrong, but gradual adjustments to the ultimate correct behavior, with lots of rewards along the way for incremental progress. Your goal is to always put them in a position to succeed, because timely food reinforcement is an extremely powerful tool.

I can't help you with your annoyance that she's always "there" - you can just ignore her, OP. But is there anything else that you think is not normal and that you need help with?

OP here. OMG, can you come to my house? Do you have a company you recommend to help train or learn about her? This has been amazing. I will admit that we do not have her around many other animals or people and I have no clue what her life was like before we got her from the shelter. She does this thing though, which I would love your input about. When she meets other dogs on a walk, she lays down, her ears are back, tail tucked and she just lays on her back. Is she scared? I mean, obviously, but what should I do? If they are not near her, say like across the street, then she growls and barks. I do have the enzyme spray. Your idea about having guests meet her outside is something I never even thought of, so thank you. I guess I feel bad for just ignoring.

Ha. Thank you, PP. No pet business, I'm a research scientist. Your dog lies down and presents her belly as the ultimate sign of submission, which is on par with the peeing when she meets strange humans at home. You can use a gentle soothing voice and caress her when she lies down like that (no treats). She has a submissive personality, which in itself is fine, but the barking and growling is an aggressive response that also originates from fear. You need to keep an eye on that, because she's still a puppy, and might develop more aggression as she matures into dog teenage-hood. She badly needs to socialize with an older, calm, well-mannered dog, one on one. Ideally, they would go for walks together regularly. Do you know of any? That will work wonders. Right now she sees the entire world as a threat. If you don't take steps now to show her that dogs and humans can be safe, she might grow up to be permanently clingy, develop destructive behaviors when left to her own devices (like bark incessantly or chew up your stuff), or become more aggressive.

I hesitate to recommend a puppy socialization class or doggy daycare, because the classes are full of poorly trained dogs, and the daycare will be entirely overwhelming to her in her current state. No dog parks either. Maybe you could ask around if any dog training operation works with a trained dog as "mentor" to the dog students. If you don't know of friends with really calm dogs, then maybe you could pay someone to borrow their super chill dog regularly.