please help, hubby is threatening to rehome Charlie

[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!