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Min Pin from Suburb to Condo

This is a place to gain some understanding of dog behavior and to assist people in training their dogs and dealing with common behavior problems, regardless of the method(s) used. This can cover the spectrum from non-aversive to traditional methods of dog training. There are many ways to train a dog. Please avoid aggressive responses, and counter ideas and opinions with which you don't agree with friendly and helpful advice. Please refrain from submitting posts that promote off-topic discussions. Keep in mind that you may be receiving advice from other dog owners and lovers... not professionals. If you have a major problem, always seek the advice of a trainer or behaviorist!

  
Brutus

Napoleon Complex		 
 
Barked: Thu Jan 17, '13 1:13pm PST 
My five year old Min Pin Brutus is moving to a condo with me and my mom (parents just divorced and we can't afford our house in the suburbs). Problem is, he has an issue with barking at night (he hates his crate, but he's not housetrained well enough to sleep in my bed) and he barks fiercely at anyone who visits. Also, there is the housebreaking issue. Our condo will be on the bottom floor with direct access to a small stretch of grass and trees, so we can take him out on a leash easily, but he doesn't "go" on a leash. While I'm at school, I want to make sure my mom can leave him home without being in his crate if she has to go out for a while. A friend of mine is offering to help, but I would just like any advice you guys have?
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Mr. Jake the- Beagle

I am Murphy's- Law Embodied! <3- Me!		 
 
Barked: Thu Jan 17, '13 11:59pm PST 
sounds like you have a slew of issues. I'll do my best to help you out.

For the crate... you need to get him used to being in it while you're at home with the door open so he can come and go from it. Then place him in it with the door closed for a short time then open it again while you're still around. Then continue this with you leaving to go outside fo ra minute and so on unti lyou can be gone for hours and he enjoys the crate. make the crate enticing. Jake has a black kong he only gets in his crate and i stuff that with sardines and rice and fresh cooked yams (his favorite things) and he only gets this kong in his crate. He used to try to take this one from his crate but i would take it from him and put it back in the crate until he learned that one only came if he was in the crate. He had a red one for around the house and such. Some natural calming aids may help also with his crate fears. I didn't have much success with anything but the thunder shirt. but there are lots of OTC calming aids you can try.

For the barking... Is it out of fear? protection of terrotiory or an alert?

If its out of fear or anxiety the calming aids might help with that as will having guests over more often. He may just need to get used to more people. But i don't have much experience with this since my Jake only barks to let me know someone's at the door or walking up the walk. Once they're here he wants to greet and stops barking.

As for the not peeing on a leash thing. That's a waiting game. My dog used to hold in his pee while on walks because he knew once he peed he'd have to go back home and i'd go to school. Well i showed him. We waited one time and walked almost two miles before he finally peed and pooed. You have to wait your dog out. Eventually he will elimiate. And when he does you praise him like there is no tomorrow. Throw a parade.

When i moved from the house i rented into my own apartment I no longer had a yard for jake to run around in while i got ready for work so he could do his business. (Now i have an awesome custom made dog run) but prior to that. We walked a lot and i left pee pads in teh house. Let's just say Jake didn't quite get those. shh and i had a lot of accidents in those first two days. But finally he peed on the pad and i threw him the biggest party. He got a piece of bacon and so much love and praise and after about a week of parties he pees on the pads regularly when i'm not home. This also worked when teaching him to pee on the 3x5 piece of sod i have brought to my house once every two weeks for him to eliminate on outside in his run.

You have to try and make all these experiences fun for him. Or at least that was the method that worked best for jake. When i put him in his crate he gets his black kong filled with amazing things. When he gets left at home alone inside he gets his red kong filled with peanut butter and whatever left overs were from the night before and yams and for just around the house when i'm home he had a different purple food stuff toy or his dog puzzles. he's learned to associate each of these things with the area or thing.

I hope this helps. This is just how i got jake to do what he does and I hope it helps you too.

Good luck. wishes

Jake's Mom.
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Smokey

Let's play tug!!		 
 
Barked: Fri Jan 18, '13 12:42pm PST 
Sorry to hear about the unwelcome changes.

Here is some good information on housetraining, which applies to any age dog. The key is constant supervision or confinement at all times.

I would start now with making outside noises a good thing. When your dog barks or looks toward outside, reward him with a handful of treats as soon as he disengages by looking back at you, looking down, or relaxing his body. I think the best way is to use tiny treats and scatter them all over the floor, which keeps him busy until the noise has stopped. Make sure to use something he really likes. This may seem like it's rewarding your dog for barking, but most dogs don't learn that way. Rather they start to develop a positive association with calming down after hearing a noise, so they do it more. After five years of practice, you'll most likely have a pretty long road ahead of you teaching him not to bark excessively. You may need to run cyclone fans or play loud classical music for awhile at the new place to keep your sanity intact, and to keep your min pin from getting so worked up that he can't calm himself down anymore.

If you have a birthday or anything coming up, maybe ask for a basic training class. Look for one that's positive only; punishment will just lead to tons of other problems down the road. The humane society might be a good place to start if you have one nearby. This will improve your relationship with your dog so that he seems working with you as a good thing, teach you how he thinks and learns, and improve his concentration, impulse control, etc.
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