please help, hubby is threatening to rehome Charlie

[Vela]

A crate isn't going to fix the problem of him not seeing you as pack leader. You should really listen to waht K9Soul is saying and apply it. It will help you, Charlie, and your husband.

[ashleycat]

Nilf said to use a crate.

I would only use it when we're gone and at night.

[Queen of Poop]

Sounds like you need to teach your dog who the boss of the house is. You need to go for obedience training. Find a class close to you and get signed up as soon as possible. Your local pet store should probably have a bulletin board with all sorts of training options.

What I did with my unrully dog was attach the leash to her collar and to my waist when I was at home. That way she had to be with me all the time and I could keep an eye on what she was doing. It worked well for us and she quit chewing the walls, furniture, etc.

Good luck, don't give up on him just yet, train him, he needs structure, boundries, etc, just like a child.

[Aspen and Misty]

Charlie is still a new dog to the house hold. I know more then a month may seem like a long time, but think about the lifestyle change he is getting used to. It took Nova a little over 6 months to settle in and become her true self. It also took her that long to learn all the rules.

While a crate is a good idea, I do think Charlie see's himself as the leader of your house hold. He thinks he makes the rules, not you. That’s why he takes what he wants and does what he wants. It is important for you to gain back your Alpha role. My dog Nova is a very dominate dog so I go through the same things with her. She thinks that she rules everything and it really takes a strong hand to stay on top of her. Like in the system mentioned, she gets nothing for free, ever.

Why not start him on a routine? For instance - 10 minute potty brake in the morning (time it and take him in after 10 minutes). Another 10 minute brake around lunch time (time it and take him in after 10 minutes) then a 20 minute walk at night. This will get him to go potty faster while outside cause he will learn that he has to go potty right away as he only has short breaks. Also, only let him out three times day which will hopefully get him to hold it more and not ask to go out so much.

Ashley

[ashleycat]

What if he doesn't go in that 10 min, and ends up going on the floor?

Or just when I see him looking for a spot, to rush him to the door?

[Giselle]

What if he doesn't go in that 10 min, and ends up going on the floor?

Or just when I see him looking for a spot, to rush him to the door?

Quite frankly, I don't think Charlie is potty trained. Go back to the basics. When you see him frantically sniffing around for a spot, rush him to the yard. When he goes to the bathroom, click if you want, and treat/praise profusely. NEVER allow him to go on the floor. I agree with Aspen and Misty. I know that Greyhounds, in particular, love a concrete schedule, but I would suppose almost all dogs do. Today, sit down and make a schedule. Try to stick with it until good behavior starts to surface.

[Lori Jordan]

I don't know what to tell you about him marking in your home,I never had that problem with Bandit he was fixed at 6 months ,As to jumping on the counters i had that problem with mine i have had steaks go missing lol you name it,Now im at the stage of them staying off the couch and have tried it all.I'd suggest obeience it does help everyone had given really good tips on this topic.

[ashleycat]

so how do you know if he's potty trained? He's only had 3 accidents since he's been here. 2 by which was my fault.

[Aspen and Misty]

so how do you know if he's potty trained? He's only had 3 accidents since he's been here. 2 by which was my fault.

These are the two parts that made me assume he is not potty trained.

marking his territory INSIDE even tho he has been neutered more than a month ago. Why inside tho?

What if he doesn't go in that 10 min, and ends up going on the floor?

You know him better then we do. If you think he is potty trained, then he may be. We just suggested starting over as an option we thought would help. When Nova began to pee in the house because we got another female dog we re-potty trained her. She was already potty trained, but because we re-potty trained her it ended her bad behavior. (Yup, Nova is our "problem child")

In response to

What if he doesn't go in that 10 min, and ends up going on the floor?

Something else I thought of is you said you are home all day with him. Well you don't necessarily have to follow the schedule I set up, you need to make it fit your schedule. You can walk him as many times are you want. So maybe start off with 5 or 6, 10 minutes walks a day. Or you could start off with a 10 minute walk every 2 to 3 hours if you don't think he can hold it. Then slowly increase the time between walks and shorten the length of the walks (although I think a dog should have at least 10 minutes to potty, IMPO preferably 15)


Ashley

[Giselle]

so how do you know if he's potty trained? He's only had 3 accidents since he's been here. 2 by which was my fault.

There is no one concrete signal where one day your dog wakes up and goes, "Oh! Don't worry mom, I'm potty trained". You have to know your dog and it's all a matter of speculation. If your dog marks inside and goes on the floor frequently as was suggested above, chances are he is not *fully* potty trained. He could be getting the idea, but either you just aren't rushing him to the yard soon enough or you're misinterpreting his warning signs or he just doesn't think of your house as his kennel (thus, avoiding accidents). I knew Lucky was potty trained when he sat at the backyard door and barked for me to release him. That was pretty obvious Giselle, however, has different signals. She can't sit patiently waiting for me to open the door. Instead, she walks to the front door and sniffs it (even though her potty area is in the *backyard*). It's subtle, but that's her way of letting me know.

The easiest option, IMO, is to go back to Square 1.

[ashleycat]

I thought he was pt, he scrathes at the door to be let out. 2 of the accidents were my fault. Only 2 territorial accidents. He just got neutered march 15th.

Today I left him out there and shut the door. He went potty about 5 min later and then I opened the door. He came runnin in and jumping sooo happily. I praised him soooo happily and played fetch with a toy. Which is one of my daughters toys that he loves, so I guess it's his now. But he acted like he hit jackpot when I opened the door after he pooped lol.

The toy is a round soft ducky that laughs when shaken. He goes nuts after it.

[sabies]

I think obedience training would be a good idea. I never went to a trainer with Sadie - financially it wasn't possible and she was naturally submissive so it didn't seem necessary. Fortunately the only problems I've had with Sadie are things that make cute stories but I do believe from what I've read over the years that dogs, submissive or dominant, are happier with a solid social structure. I think it would have relieved some of Sadie's anxieties if I had been a better Alpha but I always gave in to what I thought she wanted - little things that seemed harmless but probably signalled to her that hey, there's no one in charge in this house!

I think the most important thing to get out of obedience training is how to be Alpha - and that's not a lesson for the dog. I know at least for me Alpha behavior does not come naturally. Good luck!