On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 08:39:26 -0400 DaveR    
   whittled these words:   
   > This morning we took the dog out, he peed but didn't seem like he   
   > needed to go further because he ran back inside.   
      
   Next tme keep a leash on him and wait until he has fully relieved himself.   
      
   > When he was left alone for a few minutes he pooped in the house, in   
      
    Don't do that.   
      
   > multiple places in the same room, a same location where he has done   
   > this before.   
      
   DOgs prefer to go in the same places they have gone before. Don't let him   
   go into that room at all for the next week.  Keep the door closed or use a   
   baby gate to keep him out.   
      
   > Since we had just taken him out, is it a reasonable conclusion that he   
   > did this solely to get our attention?   
      
   Not at all.  Not even close.  He has been allowed to relieve himself in   
   the house and has developed a surface preference for the house.  Perfectly   
   normal.   
      
   > He was doing great for a week, no accidents at all. Now he has them   
   > every day. It's like we took a step backwards.   
      
   Sounds like you gave him too much room for mistakes too soon.  Take a step   
   backwards and start over.   
      
   > I read the Puppy Wizard guide to dealing with mistakes like this but   
   > it just doesn't seem practical. The dog does not behave according to   
   > the way the manual claims he should. We can't get him to calmly come   
   > over to the spot and when we drop the can (no matter how quietly) it   
   > startles him and/or he thinks it's something to play with. The only   
   > way to get him away from the spot to allow us to clean it is to   
   > confine her someplace because otherwise he follows us around.   
      
   > I'm inclined to confine him to the kitchen and give him no attention   
   > at all for awhile. Shouldn't this defeat the purpose of his 'mistake'?   
      
   Dogs have no secret plans and no intention to jerk your chain.  Having   
   that perspective is not a good way to develop a relationship with your   
   dog.  What he needs right now is close supervision, regular trips outside   
   with praise for performance, make it easy for him to be right and hard for   
   him to be wrong.   
      
   It is very common for people to misunderstand what their dog actually   
   knows and doesn't know.  It is sadly common for people to get angry at   
   their dogs because the person *thinks* they have *proof* that the dog   
   understands what is wanted.  Usually the person has in fact not actually   
   taught the dog anything, just expected it to understand based on the   
   person's *intentions*.  The dog, for its part, can't really fathom this   
   peculiar human reaction to normal and required bodily activity.  The   
   result is usually a dog that decides the only answer is to not let the   
   human see this bodily action.   
      
   > I'm sure the answer is no, but this is very frustrating.   
      
   Puppies are a lot of work. If you lay a great foundation you will have a   
   great dog, but you must put in the effort to lay that foundation.  Thet   
   means making some sacrafices in convenience and scheduiling.  Short term   
   pain, long term gain.   
      
      
   --   
   Diane Blackman   
   http://dog-play.com/   
   http://dogplay.com/Shop/dogplayshop.htm   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)