Q for Dog Lovers

L

lorax

Cathlete
Hi guys!

I am in the process of trying to adopt a dog from Dachshund Rescue. They are coming to do a home check tomorrow. I already have an 8 month old mini dachsie puppy. The little guy I want to adopt is between 3-5 yrs old, they're unsure of his exact age because when they found him he had trench mouth so all of his teeth had to be extracted. He's on the his way to a full recovery but is not housebroken because he's apparantly never had a loving home. Does anyone have any suggestions for housebreaking an older dog? Because he's had such a rough life till Rescue found him, I want to make sure I'm firm but gentle. Of course every dog has their own personality but I'd like to gather as many suggestions as possible so I can find what works best for this little sweety. The Dachshund Rescuse man is really dedicated and he's given me a lot of info and is driving 3 hours from his place in north FL to mine in central FL just to make sure we'll give the dog a good home before he allows us to adopt.

If anyone wants to open their hearts and homes to these sweet little dogs just check out the Dachshund Rescue web page - they have dogs in need in almost all 50 states. They're very people oriented dogs and love to be loved.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Lorrie
 
Hi Lorrie! That is wonderful that you're adopting! I would love to but I have 3 akitas that are 81/2, 8 and 71/2 and they are not the welcoming type!As for your transition of your newcomer!Treat him like a puppy! I would recommend bringing him straight to the yard or park where he will be doing his business, so that he knows that it is ok to go there! Praise him!Since he is an older dog he can hold his bladder longer(less walks)For the first week accompany him to his eliminating area Praise him, build up his confidence!Dogs are creatures of habit. The more quickly you turn a good behavior into a habit, the faster your training will go.Training requires patience, humor, understanding, compassion and time. He wants to please you by doing the right thing. Help him make the adjustment to his new home a successful one. Consistency is the key! A great dog stems from a great owner!Enjoy your new family member! Good luck!Your friend in fitness~~Francine
 
Hi Robin,

Try www.drwp.net. (stands for Dachshund Rescue Web Page). This site is run by Benny Archuleta of Jacksonville, FL and has links to rescue associations in all 50 states.

If you decide to adopt a dachsie you won't be sorry. They are absolute love bugs!

Let me know what you think once you check out the site.

Lorrie
 
I agree that you should treat him as a puppy. You may want to consider crate training him. Get a crate just large enough for him to turn around in. Being an adult, you can reward him for going into his crate with a biscuit. He won't do his business where he has to sleep. Once he makes the adjustment, it will be his own little haven whre he'll go when he wants to sleep (that means leave the door open ALL the time).

We had to move half way around the world with an adult dog & we crate trained her for travel in just a few weeks. So, it definitely can be done if you are patient & strong enough to withstand the cries.

"You have within you more resources of energy than have ever been tapped, more talent than has ever been exploited, more strength than has ever been tested, and more to give than you have ever given". John Gardner
 
Dear Lorrie,

Three years ago I rescued a male basset who has a very sweet disposition, but was never properly house-trained. We have endured many accidents, but we never "punish" him. We have had success by eliminating his opportunities to have accidents by making sure he goes out on a regular basis, esp early a.m., after meals, and before bedtime. We praise him to the skies for his successes. He is much better now than he was when we first got him, but he's not perfect. He suffers a lot from separation anxiety, so when we come home and find a puddle, we let it slide. Peer pressure seems to exist in the doggie world, so maybe as your pup learns the ropes, it will help your new adoptee.
A course of obedience classes that use only positive reinforcement may help to establish a good rapport with your new baby, and make him more responsive to housetraining. Good luck and congratulations. We have four bassets, so, from one weiner-dog lover to another, enjoy!
 
I have two rescue dachies. Great little dogs. I especially like the elderly ones, so I took a 12 year old and an 11 year old.

They love to eat!
 
I have two rescue dachies. Great little dogs. I especially like the elderly ones, so I took a 12 year old and an 11 year old.

They love to eat!
 
Some sound advice, thanks! I definitely think positive reinforcement will be the way to go considering all he's been through. My puppy was fairly easy to house train with time outs - he hates to be alone so after a stern "bad dog" I would put him in his crate for about 5 minutes.
Also a little bite of hot dog when he went outside helped. Of course my adoptee doesn't have any teeth so I'll have to be creative with treats but I think small hot dog bites will still work since the texture is pretty soft.

BTW, Hounddogs, the rescue web site had an adorable little dachsie/bassett mix, I think he was 1, named Ralphie. Maybe you need a 5th dog? :)

Lorrie
 
That's so awsome. The older ones are usually harder for Rescue to adopt out. Do yours sleep in your bed? My puppy does and I anticipate the new guy will too once he's housebroken. My husband says we have to upgrade from queen size to king. :)

Lorrie
 
Another thing you might want to do is to teach him a word to "go on command". My dogs all know what "go potty outside" means. It makes it a little esier when its raining outside and god forbid they might actually get wet when doing their business. To teach the command all you have to do is say the word(s) as they are going and give a reward or treat. Get silly, get goofy have fun when he does it right. It shouldn't take too long before he understands. If your puppy is housetrained, he may also learn clues from the puppy.

Another thing an instructor taught me was to set a timer every 20 minutes (for a puppy anyway) and take them outside every 20 minutes and slowly increase the time. Every time they go in the house, they are "rewarded" in a sense. There's no sense in reprimmanding them at that point either as they really don't know not to go in the house.

String cheese is a good soft treat also.

Good luck and enjoy your new one!

Colleen
 
LOL. We sleep with four dogs and two cats. Yes, it's a king size bed.

Ever had sex with small animals watching? Quite an experience.
 
Lorrie:

Our fifth dog is a 95 pound bloodhound cross. The bassets walk under him all the time. It's hysterical. I don't think our county lets you have more than five. Besides, it's musical enough around here and I'm not sure the neighbors would appreciate another voice in the chorus. I wish I could adopt them all!

--Ann
 
Dear K60:

One of my dogs is quite the voyeur and scratches furiously on the bedroom door when he's been excluded from the fun. We've finally learned to just let him in. I hope he's not having a laugh with the other dogs about us. Maybe it's payback for getting him fixed.

--Ann
 
The cats are what get me. They just stare. LOL

I am a state contact for 4 states for the French Bulldog Rescue Network. Happily for that breed, there are about 10 applications for every dog who comes into rescue. It's such a great breed

http://www.frenchbulldogrescue.org/index.htm

If you ever hear of a Frenchie in need, please contact us. We come get 'em immediately.
 
RE: Success!

I got my new adoptee last night - I already love him to pieces. Such a sweetie. He does drool a little due to the missing teeth but since his extraction surgery was just 2 wks ago we're confident he'll adjust to the lost of the chompers.

He was already dog door trained and just went out when he needed to when we were home (we leave our sliding glass door cracked open). The real test will be today, while we are at work. I put down some papers, confined him to a non-carpeted area and am keeping my fingers crossed.

Pets just make life so much better!

Lorrie
 
RE: Success!

One of my two has no teeth also. It's no big deal. He can eat everything (and does!).
 
RE: Success!

What a great thread...sorry I didn't see it sooner!

When I was growing up the lady next door was a dachschund breeder, so I really got to know the breed well...LOVE them!

Another lady further down bred boxers, so learned to love them early too.

My husband & I work for Great Dane Rescue & we are always overwhelmed with more Danes than homes and money is always a problem! (Probably true with all rescues.)

So, if anyone is interested, please email me at [email protected]. (Never hurts to advertise! LOL)

By the way your toothless little sweetie will probably stop drooling eventually. As for housetraining, most older dogs catch on quickly, even immediately for some of them.

More dog stories!! LOVE dogs!!!

Ruth
:)
 
RE: Success!

Forgot to mention, re the ~ahem~ sex issue...Danes do not like to be left out of ANYTHING! If left on the bed (of course it's a King!) they will try to crawl up between Mommy & Daddy! If banned to the floor, they will sit next to the bed as close to us as possible, rest their chin on the mattress, and sigh periodically.
And yes, the cats stare!
;-)
 
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