Question: We have two dogs, and my husband and I both work. One year ago, we adopted a third dog, because our friend could no longer afford the dog. She is a small poodle and is very affectionate.
Unfortunately, we did not know she is not housetrained. She will go on the tile floor or on the leather couch. We walk her or let her out in our back yard in the morning before work, in the afternoon when the children are home after school, and many times after 4 p.m. When we are not home, she is in a pet cage, which she likes. She is 3 years old. Is it to late to train her? We love her, but the situation has to be corrected. What should we do? – Sandra
Answer: Smaller dogs often have a greater likelihood of housetraining problems. It is unclear why this happens, possibly because many dogs are trained on pee pads. Those can confuse them and lead to accidents when they are introduced to a home where they are expected to urinate and defecate outside.
Some dogs aren’t well socialized and are reluctant to eliminate outside due to fear. Either way, it is not too late to re-housetrain your dog. You can find information at this link.
If your dog is fearful when she is outside, you will have to seek help from a behavior professional. You can find a board-certified veterinary behaviorist at www.dacvb.org.
Dr. Radosta
Lisa Radosta DVM, Diplomate ACVB
Florida Veterinary Behavior Service
PO Box 210636
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33421-0636
561-795-9398
www.flvetbehavior.com
Read more articles by Dr. Radosta | Ask her a question
Source: http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/pawshere/2013/02/19/smaller-dogs-often-more-difficult-to-housetrain/
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