Help?

I am a 1st time dog owner. had Roxy a few months now and think i over compensated cos her 1st owner was a c**t to her. she has became a lap dog and barks everytime i dont let her up with me. drives me mad. i love her to bits but i am goin potty.. oh and other thing is im findin it hard to house train too

Hi & welcome to the forum!

Have you done any training with her, and if so, what have you done both with general training and toilet training?

she responds to basic commands like sit and stay but other than that shes not trained very well. toiletwise i was doing the paper training which shes got but the transition to outside is impossible. i take her out a good run everyday to nearby field but i dont think she realises outside is for toilet if that makes sense

You'll need to go right back to basics, I'm afraid. Take her outside every hour & sooner or later she'll do her business & you can give her loads of really cheerful praise. Use a 'trigger' word like 'toilet' or 'wee' etc & every time she does something tell her she's a "good girl to wee" or whatever word you use. She'll eventually associate the word with the action & she'll wee on command!

With the behaviour, you're going to have to be very firm, but kind. Set your boundaries and stick to them. Don't allow something one day & not the next or you'll confuse her.

If she barks at you to get her own way, ignore her, turn your back or push her off your lap if she jumps up uninvited. Try having some treats with you. If she jumps up, push her off and then throw a treat on the floor & tell her to 'seek' or 'find'. If she comes back & barks or jumps up again, repeat. It'll get really tedious, but it'll work in the end!

Do you have any training classes in your area? If you do, it'll help both of you to build a good relationship and you'll get to see that you're not the only one that gets problems!

i have looked but none of the training places have got back to me yet. i will definitely try that suggestion with the toilet thanks and same for the other. she is a great dog and great with my daughter (9) and nephews (4 and 6 months). i used to say i would never get a staffy cos of the status symbol they been around my area. i only took her in to save her from an asshole she was with before but im so glad i did. i hate to admit i was rather ignorant before cos of the handful of people that ruin it for the rest

loupy82 wrote: i hate to admit i was rather ignorant before cos of the handful of people that ruin it for the rest

I know what you mean Round my way every other dog is a stafford and out of those I would say that 75% are with louts who just want to look 'big' with a fighting dog. Such a shame.

Caryll wrote:You'll need to go right back to basics, I'm afraid. Take her outside every hour & sooner or later she'll do her business & you can give her loads of really cheerful praise. Use a 'trigger' word like 'toilet' or 'wee' etc & every time she does something tell her she's a "good girl to wee" or whatever word you use. She'll eventually associate the word with the action & she'll wee on command!

With the behaviour, you're going to have to be very firm, but kind. Set your boundaries and stick to them. Don't allow something one day & not the next or you'll confuse her.

If she barks at you to get her own way, ignore her, turn your back or push her off your lap if she jumps up uninvited. Try having some treats with you. If she jumps up, push her off and then throw a treat on the floor & tell her to 'seek' or 'find'. If she comes back & barks or jumps up again, repeat. It'll get really tedious, but it'll work in the end!

Do you have any training classes in your area? If you do, it'll help both of you to build a good relationship and you'll get to see that you're not the only one that gets problems!

I totally agree with everything that Caryll has suggested above.

Just stick to it, coz consistency is the key.

Good luck

Agree with the above! Fantastic advice as alway

dont be afraid to be firm! with her .. some people tip toe around there dogs because of how much they love them "ohhh i cant shout at them, its mean they will hate me" .. its the only way you will get respect from them making sure you are known as the pack leader they will love you more and will enjoy pleasing you etc.

with Winston I try to reward the good behaviour.. and ignore the bad...they soon get the message...

Caryll wrote:You'll need to go right back to basics, I'm afraid. Take her outside every hour & sooner or later she'll do her business & you can give her loads of really cheerful praise. Use a 'trigger' word like 'toilet' or 'wee' etc & every time she does something tell her she's a "good girl to wee" or whatever word you use. She'll eventually associate the word with the action & she'll wee on command!

With the behaviour, you're going to have to be very firm, but kind. Set your boundaries and stick to them. Don't allow something one day & not the next or you'll confuse her.

If she barks at you to get her own way, ignore her, turn your back or push her off your lap if she jumps up uninvited. Try having some treats with you. If she jumps up, push her off and then throw a treat on the floor & tell her to 'seek' or 'find'. If she comes back & barks or jumps up again, repeat. It'll get really tedious, but it'll work in the end!

Do you have any training classes in your area? If you do, it'll help both of you to build a good relationship and you'll get to see that you're not the only one that gets problems!

omg ur good im comin to u with all me probs lol so glad ur on ere

rosie2011 wrote:

omg ur good im comin to u with all me probs lol so glad ur on ere

Aaaagggghhhh!

(Running away as fast as I can...............................)

She will learn ,she just had a bad start to life but now you dont have to over compensate just love a guidence and follow the above advice

I had a similar problem with my JRT, before I got Poppy he was such a spoilt little rascal! He wouldn't share anything with Poppy, used to nick all her food treats, and Poppy was so kind, she wouldn't even growl at him, bless her! I used to take all the food treats he nicked from Poppy, and give it back to her, then put him in his bed in silence, without saying anything. He soon got the message that I was not impressed with his behaviour. You have to be firm and you cannot give in! Your dog will know how to over-rule you, and this cannot happen otherwise she'll never listen to you. I had a few really hard weeks with Poppy when she didn't wanna listen to me at all! I'd tell her to go to her bed but no, she'd go and sit on my sofa! Cheeky sod! But after 2 weeks of me repeating myself, and firmness she now knows that she's not gonna win with me, I'M THE BOSS. Not my dogs, I love them to pieces, and when they give me their puppy eyes, it breaks my hearts but I never show it, I can't. Like Caryll said, take her to the basic commands, she needs to understand that you're the boss, not her. Good luck!