OK, I'm out of the closet. I'm the one with the puppy having housebreaking problems, and rather than have Sandra run interference....here's the situation....
First, I'm not a dog idiot. I breed Aussies, and have owned lots of puppies and dogs of several breeds as well as fostered MANY rescued Aussies, Labs, and a few others. I have had small dogs before, but this is my first Cavalier. I have NEVER had this much trouble with potty training. My expectations: I do not expect a 14 week old puppy to be trained, to hold it for long, etc. However, every approach to training I have read (and trust me, I've read a bunch in the past couple of weeks!) operates on the assumption that the puppy wants to be clean. This puppy doesn't seem to care. I know she was in clean surroundings before she came here, and she has every opportunity to be clean now. So I don't get it. I work at home, and the x-pen is right next to me in my office. Usually I'm here. The pup is out for play time and attention at least 10 minutes of every hour, and often lies on my lap while I'm working. If she's too lively for that, during work time she's in the x-pen, which is set up with her litter box at one end, and her bedding at the other. Litter box has a weewee pad. I replace the pad EVERY TIME it's used -- usually within minutes, otherwise as soon as I get home, and I'm never gone more than a couple hours. When she goes outside the litter box (which she does at least half the time, whether or not the pad is clean -- i.e. I've come home after being gone a short time, and found a clean pad and p&p all over the floor of the x-pen), I clean and deodorize the whole area as soon as I know. When she goes on the floor, I clean and deodorize it. When she goes on her bedding, I remove and replace it, and launder it. If she's gotten herself dirty, I give her a bath. (we're talking 5-6 times a day) It's been suggested that she eats poop because she has access to it for too long a time. Nope, wrong, I've seen her pick one up as I'm moving FAST toward the pen, going AACCKKK and clapping my hands. She does not spend time in a dirty pen, other than as I said, if I have to be gone for a little while. Sometimes that's an hour or two, sometimes it's 20 minutes while I take the big dogs for a run or clean up their yard. Sometimes when I get back her pen is a serious filthy mess because she sometimes tramps through the pee (and sometimes poop) and smears it all over. I don't leave her crated because she will go in the crate, even if there only a short time, and I don't want her lying in it! She's neither overfed nor underfed. I did change her food, but not immediately when she arrived here, and I made the change slowly. Her stools are firm. I feed on a strict schedule, allow her 15 minutes to eat, then remove any leftover food. She's not getting treats because I'm trying to keep things as rigid as possible in terms of intake. I don't scold her for mistakes, and if I see her go in the litter box I praise her, cuddle her, and bring her out for play time. She sleeps in her crate beside my bed. When she asks out, I'm up and out to the litter box with her in a flash, but often she goes in the crate BEFORE she asks out. I'm a very light sleeper, so I'm sure she's not asking out first. I've had two fecals done to be sure she doesn't have any funny fauna or flora in her system, and she seems to be perfectly normal. I'm feeding her Innova, which is free of all the common allergens (which isn't to say she couldn't have a problem with something in there but it doesn't seem likely). I'd prefer to train her to go out, but it's very cold here now (18 F at the moment, windchill -6), especially at night, and even with her oh-so-stylish polar fleece jacket, she'd freeze her fanny outside. So, I think I've covered all the issues that were raised. I'm still stumped. Every time I think she's improving, she surprises me with a major setback. I have to tell you, as a breeder, rescuer, obedience instructor, and writer, this experience is making me adjust my attitude about people who have housebreaking problems! The conventional wisdom doesn't always apply and doesn't always work. So, any more ideas? Sheila Boneham Perennial Australian Shepherds & One Cavalier! Bloomington, Indiana www.perennialaussies.com ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 1999 by its original author.
