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House Training Adult Dog

Thanks everybody! It's a lot to think about. I'll dig through these posts and try to find something that works for me. Kyle, I'll definitely check out that book!
 
Most important question I have to ask: How old was the dog when he was neutered?

Teaching a dog to pee out side is something any decent trainer can teach in less than a week. But marking in the house is a whole different ball game. If he is used to marking his territory out side then when he comes in and now the house becomes his territory. When you take him on walks, does he try to mark "every" tree or does he just walk and pee when he has to?

Our oldest is an intact male German Shepherd Dog who was raised outside until he was about 4, then the owners gave him up to a working dog rescue. He was then picked up for a police dog prospect from a local trainer and then I bought him. He was(I retired him last Nov.) everything a police service/protection dog should be. But that growing up outside came with baggage. In the house he is kept with in eye sight of Katie or I at ALL times. At least once a day we will catch him trying to wander to another room in the house where we can't see him so he can mark. He knows if we see him it is trouble and he has great control of his bladder/bowels. If he needs to pee he'll go to the back door and "ask" to go out. He can sit in his crate for 8 hours and not a drip.

...the point of that rambling is an outdoor raised male could present problems with not just bladder control or learning to pee outside but on marking. Some dogs you can break the habit others are to strong willed and dominate that it can make for a life long battle. I know you said he is neutered but other organs create testosterone too, not just testicles. And its not rare for these other organs to step up their production when the two downstairs disappear. If he was neutered at a young enough age (under 1 1/2 to 2 years) as most people do, it stunts the dog mental age by not letting the brain go through puberty. This keeps dogs all happy/giddy and puppy playful for so long into their lives and rarely have any dominance issues.
 
Don't bother with Culture Clash. It's not a how to guide to dog training, it's more of poorly organized rant with some bits and pieces of useful information. Definitely not something that will help you in the basic endeavor of housebreaking a dog. It's also filled with a whole lot of one sided propaganda you might as well spare yourself.

Not trying to knock you, Kyle, but I've read the book and I wouldn't recommend it in this scenario.
 
MalinoisK9 said:
Most important question I have to ask: How old was the dog when he was neutered? ...If he was neutered at a young enough age (under 1 1/2 to 2 years) as most people do, it stunts the dog mental age by not letting the brain go through puberty. This keeps dogs all happy/giddy and puppy playful for so long into their lives and rarely have any dominance issues.
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All the pups were spayed or neutered around 6 months. I'll definitely be keeping a close eye on him until I find out if he's a "marker" or not!
 
Josh, this might be a useful resource. I haven't read it myself, but from what I've heard, it's pretty spot on and very concise.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Housebrea...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258664960&sr=1-1

Also, I'm chuckling about dogs neutered young not marking... my aunt's dog was neutered at 6 months a will mark anything and everything if he gets a chance. Not that Sheldon's point isn't valid, but many dogs mark regardless of whether they are castrated or not.
 
Emily1188 said:
Don't bother with Culture Clash. It's not a how to guide to dog training, it's more of poorly organized rant with some bits and pieces of useful information. Definitely not something that will help you in the basic endeavor of housebreaking a dog. It's also filled with a whole lot of one sided propaganda you might as well spare yourself.

Not trying to knock you, Kyle, but I've read the book and I wouldn't recommend it in this scenario.
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I haven't read it either ( pretty much rain my dogs my way and it works, no negatives here), but I did read the reviews and they mentioned what you were saying as well. Did you read her second book?
 
Don't they make what is basically a giant velcro ace bandage to put around the midriff of a dog who's prone to marking which, once he's peed himself a time or two, is supposed to eliminate that behavior when he's wearing the thing?
 
desertanimal said:
Don't they make what is basically a giant velcro ace bandage to put around the midriff of a dog who's prone to marking which, once he's peed himself a time or two, is supposed to eliminate that behavior when he's wearing the thing?
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The belly band? I read about that last night...interesting product!
 
ForkedTung said:
I haven't read it either ( pretty much rain my dogs my way and it works, no negatives here), but I did read the reviews and they mentioned what you were saying as well. Did you read her second book?
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Frankly, she's no use to me. I am not interested in radical Skinnerian behaviorism as it's long debunked, and she buys into it whole heartedly. So no, I have not read the second book.

I'll only say if no "negatives" (Do you mean aversives or positive punishment? I'll assume so for the time being) works for you, wonderful. However, the idea that it will work for every dog with every handler with every problem, and that anyone who doesn't train as such is cruel, is one I highly object to. I've done more thinking on the subject then I care to admit, and sufficient to say, I've not found any persuasive evidence that all dogs can be trained using such limited methods (nor persuasive evidence that all dogs will die if subjected to moderate levels of punishment... sometimes I wonder if these trainers are talking about the same animal I am...)

To be honest, I can't really understand the sentence, "pretty much rain my dogs my way and it works, no negatives here"... So I went with what I thought you meant...
 
Michael823 said:
Yes you have... Your dog better be a search and rescue, police K9, bomb sniffing machine by the time he goes to live with you, or else...
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Just because a place specializes in advanced dog training doesn't mean they don't apply to a normal house pet. Where do you think you start most working dog training at... as a new dog in the house.

If I was the average pet owner I wouldn't settle with some Petco cookie cutter training session... I'd want the best available advice out there. It's not like we start a green dog off right on building searches and narcotics. We start with basic obedience and house breaking them. So yes the later chapters in the books won't apply to a pet owner... but the beginning chapters of it will be some of the most expert advice you could possibly find on the subject.
 
I love the leerburg site! I wish I had it to my disposal when I had my gsd. Not that she was hard to train at all. But it sure would have been a very welcome guide to training her when she was a pup.
 
desertanimal said:
Personally, I'd keep him on a lead on my waist for a while when inside (when not in a crate, obviously), but I bet vetusvates is right and it will be less of a problem than you suspect.
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This is the ideal method. Crate training, when done properly, is your best friend. It creates a safe haven for your dog, and a clean house for you. Plus, crated dogs cannot harm themselves or eat anything potentially harmful when you gone. It protects all involved. It must however be done right-get a book!
 
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