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Originally Posted by 2dobies Never used a crate on any of my dogs. My wife wasnt working when we got Dar, so there was almost always someone home with her.
We have a huge dog bed/floor pillow that she lays on if she's not on the bed, on the couch, on the chair, etc. It's a sherpa-type top w/ cotton bottom, zippered and machine washable. Inner part is foam & cedar chips. She and Sasha both love it, and it's big enough for them both at the same time, if they feel like lying on the floor "like a dog"!
We used pads in the beginning for housebreaking, then switched to newspapers, because we were using up so many pads! Dobies pee a gallon at a time!! Also took her outside a lot--very often, in fact. As soon as she woke up, after she ate or drank, and numerous times during the day and evening 'just in case'. It took a while for me to recognise her teltale signs while she was a puppy.
I rewarded every pee or poo done outside, and when she had an accident in the house, I completely ignored her, and just cleaned it up without making a big deal of it. I didnt want her to start looking for attention, even negative attention, for peeing in the house.
By the time she was 6 months old, she was 100% reliable. I knew her 'schedule' and it worked out great. She knew that if she 'went' outside and not in the house, she would get rewarded for her actions.
Dar lets us know when she has to go outside now, by making a very distinctive "woof" that only means "gotta go!" If it's night time, or early morning and I am asleep, she wakes me up by actually saying "want out" (well, it sounds more like'waaaaaa owwwww', but I know that's what she's saying!
Dar hates to pee on pavement. Grass, dirt, snow, wood chips..ok. I've had to walk a pretty good distance for her while at a mall parking lot to find even a small square of grass! But if she has to go bad enough, she will go anywhere. She doesnt like people to watch her, either. If she can 'hide' behind a bush, a big rock, a tree, a sign...whatever, she's more at ease. That's my girl!!! |