Aurora

[Jay_Bunny]

My cousin just recently moved (like last week) to Arizona with his girlfriend and moved into her parents house. The parents already have a dog and said that my cousin could not bring his husky puppy (I'd guess 5-6 months old) with him. So he left her in the care of my mother.

Aurora is untrained but a complete sweetheart. She gets so excited when she sees someone she knows and likes that she will piddle on the ground/floor or on your shoe from all the excitement. That is really the issue. She continues to use the bathroom in the house and my mother hates it when dogs do this. She has considered giving the dog up for adoption since she doesn't want to deal with it but I told her that I wouldn't let her do that and that despite the fact that I already have two cats in my new apartment, I would take Aurora on if only to save her from being adopted by another family when she is not even my mother's dog to give away. So my mom and I worked out a deal. I will take Aurora for the weekend, picking her up on Friday and keeping her until Sunday night or Monday morning, giving my mom a few days off from having her. During this weekend long stay, I will begin to train Aurora to go to the bathroom outside, quit her biting habit, lay down, come, stay, ect. She's incredibly intelligent but I'm worried about the bathroom in the house problem.

My apartment complex gave us carpet instead of hardwood,(we asked for hardwood, they told us it was hardwood, we walk in and we have carpet) and that will be harder to clean pet messes from than hardwood. We have access to a carpet steamer/cleaner but I really want to have her well trained before my cousin comes back in 6 months to get her.

Any ideas? I can easily train her to sit, come, stay, ect, but the housetraining is another thing. (Pictures to come on Friday!)

[littleindiangirl]

I have never had a problem except a few puppy piddles. What i did is take them out constantly. It will probably be different for an older puppy, but I watch them most often in the morning right after they eat, and several times during the day. I dont even give them a chance to pee on the carpet.

The peeing on the ground or herself when excited is something I haven't really tried to work with, as the only dog that I have that does it is a toy poodle, and he barely squirts.

[Sunny1]

I would start by getting a crate (you can usually find them on craigslist fairly inexpensive, just make sure that you scrub it out really good and use bleach to try and get rid of any other dog scents). Crate training a puppy is by far the best thing in helping to housebreak it. Always keep the puppy supervised while out of the crate, and even limit its free run in your apartment. I have even gone so far as to attach a puppy to a leash and attach the leash to a belt loop so that it can walk around with me through the house, but I can keep track of where they are and what they are doing. Take the puppy out frequently, give it a command to go potty, and always take it to the same spot to do its business. Also another big thing that has worked for me is to feed on a schedule, at this point don't let the puppy free even if you decide to do so later. Feed the puppy after you yourself eat (this will also help in establishing that you are alpha in the house, never feed your dog first!!). Feeding on a schedule can help you to predict when the puppy will need to go to the potty. And remember feeding treats can cause a puppy to have to potty also, I only add this because some people will overlook that. Always take him out after playtime. And remember to Praise Praise Praise!!! Every time your puppy potties where it is supposed to, always praise him!! And don't punish him for pottying in the house unless you catch him directly in the act. If you catch him in the act use a firm "NO" and then immediately move him to his potty spot outside. If you find he has already pottied somewhere, take him out to his spot, at this point it is too late to punish him for it. And don't clean accidents in front of your dog, this does not help establish you as alpha. I hope I covered everything here, and I hope that this helps you!!

[Sunny1]

As far as the pup peeing from excitement, I would reinforce her sit. She may be much less inclined to pee if she is sitting, this may also help to calm her down during the initial excitement of seeing someone that she likes. Just don't give up on her!! It is going to take some time, but with regular work you'll get her there!!

[Jay_Bunny]

I don't intend on giving up on her like my mother has. The only reason my mother agrees to keep her for half the week is because of the risk of me getting found out by the apartment complex. I already have two cats in the apartment. Not sure how much trouble I'd get in for having a dog but my mom agrees to paying any fines I might be charged with if I'm caught with Aurora.

I have a lot of patience with dogs as I realize they don't understand on the same level as we do with most things. She comes with a crate and it is of good size. She has room to move around and sleep comfortably. We are going to be getting a baby gate to confine her to the kitchen during those times we are not home. As far as my mom can see, she doesn't jump so we shall see.

As for the peeing from excitement, she will even pee while sitting. I don't think she even knows she's doing it.