Rupert the rescue...... Help needed!

Hi Everyone,

Meet Rupert.








He's a 10 month (we think) rescue pup. We are unsure of his history but he was picked up by the dog warden very skinny with long claws and soft pads, as though he hadn't been outside much, if at all.

We brought him home three days ago, and have spent every day with him so he understands that we are his new family and we aren't going to leave him. Through this time we've encountered some minor problems!

As we are unsure of his past we thought it best to go back to basics with his training, on his first day with us he wee'd and poo'd in the house a number of times (which we expected!) so since then we have taken him out every 20 minutes or so for him to relieve himself outside, and when he has we have given him lots of praise.

We know he's a clever dog and a fast learner as he has learned sit, paw and not to jump since being with us; he didn't know any of this in the kennels. He also hasn't poo'd again inside since the first day, however the same can't be said about the weeing! I know its a slow process and will take time but we have taken him out for 40+ minute walks where he hasn't done anything, then the second he gets back into the house he wee's in the kitchen! We're not sure what else we can do, and we both have to go back to work next week so wont be able to follow on with his training so intensely.

I just have a few questions and i hope you can help!

1. Is this just a phase that will pass because his surroundings are still relatively new or is this something we should be concerned about? If it is something we just need to keep training with, is there anything else we should be doing along side the praise when he "goes" outside? We know that he can hold his bladder as he goes overnight (although he sleeps in his crate) without weeing, and can go 2/3 hours after having a drink without needing to go sometimes.

2. When he does wee in the house, how can we give him some negative re-reinforcement to show him that its not acceptable? We don't want to send him to his crate as that really needs to be his safe space because he sleeps in there and will be spending some time in there when we're at work so it can't be seen as a punishment.

All advice is welcome!

First off, welcome to the Forum from Flo & me and a huge thank you for taking Rupert in

Sounds like you are on the right track with the toilet training. Negative reinforcement won't help things. Dogs rarely remember what it is they've done to earn the telling off so it just causes confusion in their mind (they don't think like humans at all, even small humans).

Positive reinforcement is the way to go as you have found with the big jobs. Dogs tend to go where they have been before so rather than make a fuss or utter cusses simply ignore the fact he's done it and clean it up with a good deodorising cleaner. That should stop him going where he's used to going and yes, I've known dogs that haven't done anything on a walk but the min they get home out it comes.

As soon as you get the slightest idea he's about to wee inside open the back door and usher him out. If he doesn't go just wait.... and wait... and maybe wait again, after all you've nothing better to do, right

Once he's been, praise praise praise just as you have been. In his mind he'll work out that if he's out back in the cold it's because he should go wee and.... and he'll get a treat too. It may take some persistence but as you've already realised, they are quick learners especially if it's cold and raining outside, my girl can be done so quick you often wonder if she's been at all

As well as Ian's advice above, just one other thought comes to mind. If he's consistently weeing in the house after a walk, it might be that he's more comfortable leaving his scent in familiar territory for the moment. Have you tried coming home from a walk and leaving him in the garden (with or without you there) for 5 minutes to see if that helps?

And the other key, that Ian mentions, is a urine deodoriser. Just ordinary household cleaners don't break down the enzymes so the scent remains for him, and according to his nose that is where he should be doing his wees.

It is very early days. Keep patient (avoid frustration, it's your worst enemy) and you'll get there.

Well done on the rescue, by the way. Rupert's gorgeous!

Thanks both for the advise.
We have been staying in the courtyard for around five minutes before and after every walk and he's happy to 'go' there. The other pattern that we have noticed is that he is weeing whenever anyone leaves his sight... today i went upstairs (its a laminate spiral staircase so we don't let him go up as it's too slippery for me at times!) and he wee'd at the point he couldn't see me anymore, my partner went to the bathroom when i was out yesterday and he did it again then outside the bathroom door, and today my parents came to visit, we went on a 3 hour walk where he happily did plenty outside but then when my parents left he immediately wee'd in the house again... do you think this could be some sort of anxiety he has as he's been passed pillar to post? If so, how can we assure him that we will be there... or is it something that he just has to realise over time?
Thanks!

It could be related to separation but keep an eye and see if he also does it when everyone is settled too. I would imagine that after a while things will settle any way, its still early days for him.

Keep cleaning without fuss, and whilst it's a little annoying, it will get better.

That does sound like separation anxiety. See how it goes over the next week or two, hopefully he'll feel more secure soon. If it persists, it might be worth doing some separation training. I can fish some old posts out for you that might help.

Thanks both, the house training is getting better and we're down to one or two accidents a day now! (as i typed this we had another two accidents in the house! )

However, the past few days he's started to challenge myself and my partner for dominance. Out of no where he seems to lock onto our eyes and snarl and bark. When he's done this we have been walking away and going into another room for 30 -50 seconds as per the ASPCA website recommendations. It has only happened on a couple of very quick occasions so we're hoping it's just him pushing his boundaries now he's comfortable with us and will stop soon, however it makes it difficult for us as he's starting to seem like a completely different dog than the one we saw and bonded with in the kennels. He's not aggressive any other time than these random episodes and even when playing with his toys he wont go for our hands when we take them off him (we're trying to teach "leave" at the moment). Is there any guidance on how long it will take for this to stop on average? I can't seem to find much online.

We don't want to give up on him as he deserves his fair shot in life, but I've owned an aggressive dog before who we had to give up and it's all getting a little too familiar...

At 10 months it's unlikely to be real aggression but even so you don't want this sort of behaviour. Pay no attention to it, no reaction just completely ignore it and over time he will realise that this doesn't get the attention he wants.

hiya hes trying to push his luck see whos boss id ignore him also . always reward good behaviour ive found soothing words and treats are helpful particularly in the early stages make a fuss though not overly . id give him at least a year given theres no underlying issues .

Hi Lauren and Jack, just a quick thought.

Firstly well done for giving him a home, thats very kind of you.

Dogs that were house trained with negative reinforcement tend to hide away and empty in the house. Just keep giving praise and treats when he goes outside and soon enough he'll want to please you every time he needs to go.

Also, what you describe as him challenging you sounds like fear of physical punishment. He might have been hit in the past. Don't confront him on it just ignore him and work on desensitising him through play and maybe hand feeding.

Hello Lauren and Jack,

I am new here myself and we have just rescued an adult female and we are on day 4 with her at home!

We encountered exactly the same problems as you in regards to weeing. Day 1 we had 6/7 wees and over the course of 4 days they have gradually reduced. I think being in a new environment definitely doesn't help their ability to know what to do straight away! its all very exciting and new. Also our girl had lived in rescue kennels for months on end and we realised she wouldn't understand the concept of asking to go outside. The way we have done it is to put her outside as soon as she wees on the carpet (immediately) and then every time she goes outside we stand there with her and praise praise praise every time she goes on the grass. When she saw me cleaning up her mess, I gave her a look and I swear she knew that she shouldn't have done it! I am by no means a dog expert, I joined here to learn from all the experience on here but your situation sounded so similar to ours!! Good luck!!!

I will add that through talking to various friends about this weeing behaviour, they mentioned about buying the puppy pads to keep by the back door - We haven't done this personally, but just something I was given advice on!? Hope the weeing inside stops soon x

sorry to hijack the thread @ november rain, your girl looks stunning!

@CMR she does seem to get a few positive comments on her looks, I just remember her being so depressed in the kennels and now she seems much much happier and bouncier but I sense her carrying around the past. Much as we all do I suppose.
Thank you for passing on your lovely comment. I will tell her x

the thing with rescue dogs is that it can take anything up to a year for them to fully accept that the treatment they've had in the past isn't what they can expect now.

many rescue dogs settle extremely quickly, others will improve a little at a time. with reward for good behaviour and ignoring the bad behaviour (as far as possible) your boy will start to become more relaxed and self confident. self confidence is a good thing - it isn't dominance or anything like that - it shows that he is comfortable in his surroundings, and with his new owners.

give it a couple of months with kindness, patience and boundaries & you'll see a different dog!