Dog Won’t Go In Dog House

Lynn writes: any ideas/suggestions as to how to get Joey to go into his doghouse? He seems to be afraid to go in, either because it’s echoey or maybe he’s afraid to get trapped inside??It’s one of those igloo type doghouses. I tried putting blankets/pillows inside but Joey,being a puppy(earlier) would take out the blanket and play with it….I tried putting treats inside and he would just stretch himself enough to reach the treat without actually going all the way in.. So cute and pretty funny but I want him to go inside for especially if it rains/snows..
Thanks

Answer: There are several things you can try.  Start with washing it out thoroughly with bleach to make sure it is free of anything that might smell bad to him.  Next, if he has a favorite spot to lie down, set it in that place so he can see the direction he normally likes to see.  You can also try other locations if this does not work.  It may just be a matter of getting him use to it so you could put treats in the back of it several times a day so he has to go all the way in and will get more comfortable being in there.   You could attach his favorite blanket so he can’t remove it, you could get him in it and spend some time petting him and giving treats.  In a lot of cases training a dog is a matter of getting enough experience with something in a calm easy going atmosphere to make a dog comfortable.   This would all be easier of course if done as a puppy.

Dog’s natural instinct to not soil the den

Marian asked: what if your dog pees in the crate and lays in it is there any hope?

Here is an excerpt that may be helpful.  The idea is to keep the crate clean so they get use to having it clean again and work on a schedule to they get into a habit of only going at certain times.

Dogs Whose Natural Instinct Not To Soil The “Den” Has Been Broken By Over Confinement:

To redevelop the dog’s natural instinct use the same pen setup for very young puppies. The crate needs to be nice and cozy, not too big and always kept clean. Follow the schedule as closely as you can, but WITHOUT crate confinement.

This will make it easier to anticipate when your dog needs to relieve itself and you can be there to reinforce the desired results with praise. The process may take several months of your dog being given the option of not soiling its bed to correct this problem, so be patient.

More tips at http://www.artofdogtraining.com/pottytrain.htm

Dog barks at husband

A reader recently stated about her dog: “He still fears the ceiling fan and barks at my husband. I hoping one day to write you that we have a nice content dog who runs to my husband when he walks in the door not away from him”

Here are a few suggestions for hubby

spend more time with the dog, go for walks etc.

HAND feed the dog its breakfast and all of its meals.

AND don’t let the dog get away with this behavour! does it have a crate? if not i wouldn’t let it sleep with u, start to crate train..