# Naughty Puppy



## tess_774 (Jan 1, 2012)

Hi, my name is Tess
I have a 6 month old puppy and have LOTS of questions

He's very naughty and never does as he is told, he goes to the toilet where he likes no matter how many times I take him outside, I bought him a dog crate to put him over night as he cant be left to his own devices, he waas fine at first but is now waking me up howling in the night and refuses to go back in to sleep. 

Every slight noise he barks and barks.

Any advice or tips?

Thanks


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Hello and welcome!  Sounds like you need to start over with the training from the beginning.  There are some good stickies in the training forum on all sorts of problems from potty training to just about anything you need to know.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

What do you mean by "he doesn't do as he's told"? Have you trained him to understand what you are asking him to do? Pups aren't born understanding English or what we want. You have to train them so they understand what you're asking and have the skills to do it.

As for going to the toilet where he chooses: potty training is about two key aspects, supervision /prevention and scheduling. A puppy who isn't potty trained shouldn't be allowed to run around the house without supervision. When you're not watching, that's when he will find a spot to potty, without you intervening. So, whenever he is out and about the house you should always have your eyes on him. That way, you will see the signs that he has to go and can rush him out, PREVENTING the accident. The more you can PREVENT accidents, the quicker he will understand that you only want him to potty outside.

An easy way to keep your eyes on him is to use his leash to tether him to you or to a heavy, stationary piece of furniture.

The second part is scheduling. If he is fed on a schedule you know he will need to poop about 15-30 minutes after eating. And, peeing usually comes after waking up (even from a nap), after eating /drinking, and after playing /exercising.

Reward with praise and a high value treat when he does it right and prevent him from having accidents. And clean up with an enzymatic cleaner.

As for the barking, what is he barking at? Is it noises outside or inside? Is he trying to alert you to something or are things scaring him?


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## tess_774 (Jan 1, 2012)

Hi

Yes he understands English, he knows its wrong to go to the toilet in the house, it doesn't matter where he is he will simply go, I do not keep my puppy tied up. He is fed on a schedule. 

He gets treats when he's been good. 

He is not frightened when he is barking.


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## DustyCrockett (Sep 24, 2011)

You are grossly overestimating your puppy's cognitive abilities. He does not understand English. He does not know it's wrong to use the bathroom in the house.

Puppies are born believing that every flat surface is a toilet. From their mom they learn not to soil their bedding and living areas. But he has no idea that the whole house is his bedroom and living area.

Seriously, he goes potty inside the house because he believes your floor is his toilet. The only way he can learn otherwise is for you to physically deny him the floor for use as a toilet. That means you have to watch him 100% of the time, unless he's either outside, or in his crate.

Once he understands that the floor is not his toilet, he will stop using it as such.

He does not understand English, or any spoken language, and never will. You can train him to recognize individual words, but he'll never understand English. Never.


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## tess_774 (Jan 1, 2012)

He does understand english when he is doing something he shouldn't and I say no he stops.


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## juliemule (Dec 10, 2011)

My dogs speak German. Really. Lol sorry couldn't resist.

Tess, take your pup out much more often and keep your eyes on him all the time he is inside loose. The puppy is just being a puppy, he obviously does not understand no if he still craps on the floor when you say no.


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## tess_774 (Jan 1, 2012)

Lol I will do thanks 
He's a very clever little boy and I'm sure he understands, I think maybe I'm not firm enough with him


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## DustyCrockett (Sep 24, 2011)

So he's figured out that "no" means no. That's one sound -- not the same as understanding English. He understands that you are unhappy at that moment. He would know that even if you didn't say anything, just from your body language and facial expression. The fact is, he is just being a puppy, doing what puppies do.

If you want to live happily with your dog, you really do need to give up the belief that his brain is capable of understanding language. You also should give up the notion that he is being naughty.


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

If you been by being FIRMER with him that you will punish him, that is not going to work. All it will do is make him afraid of you and he will go off and do his business where you can't see him, it will not stop him from doing it. It will also make him afraid to go in front of you when you go outside which will mean more mistakes in the house. Unless you catch him in the act, just clean the mess up with an Enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle so the odor will not be there for him to think that is where he should go. Unless you catch him going, if you just take him back to the puddle or mess, he will know you are mad but will not conect it with the mess even though it may seem he does. He just knows you are mad at him.

Do you go outside with him when he has to go to the bathroom and treat him when he goes? That will make him realize you are happy when he goes outside and no treats when he goes inside.


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## tess_774 (Jan 1, 2012)

Hi, I don't punish him when he goes somewhere he shouldn't, I take him outside and praise him when he does go and give him a treat


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

What I meant when I said he wasn't born understanding English was that you have to train him, over and over what a certain "cue" or sound means. Lots of folks don't train enough and assume their dog should know by now what they mean
It takes a lot more than some people think. 

For instance, when teaching the "touch" command to one of my dogs, she had a really hard time knowing what I wanted. Another of my dogs picked that one up right away. But my girl had a hard time. Sometimes she got it right, maybe 60-70% of the time. But, only 60-70% means she doesn't have it mastered yet. 

So, we keep at it. 

As others have said, dogs don't understand English, they understand SOUNDS. So, you could totally make up a word and train your dog (successfully) that it means something.

As for "knowing " that something is wrong, that is a total misconception that a lot of people have. When your dog does something that you consider "wrong", the dog picks up on YOU being upset, and the exhibit "appeasement" behaviors. Appeasement behavioral are often mistaken for GUILT. They include slinking low to the ground, lowering their eyes, avoiding eye contact, hiding, etc. THIS DOES NOT MEAN the dog understands that it did something "wrong". It means the dog is reading your emotions and is trying to please you or show that he is submissive so you don't further punish.


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