Hi there everyone.I have a few questions I was hoping could be answered here.Yesterday I purchased a yr old, unhousebroken, purebred Akita. Her temperment is really sweet and adorable, and is truly a sweet natured dog.I am trying to work on houesebreaking her, as she spent her so far short life chained in a barn with her other siblings.
She doesnt appear underfed or anything and apart from just not experiencing anything, (besides being chained in the barn), she seems to have not been mistreated.
I received pics of her before I bought her, and in them her tail was curled up.Since she has been here, her tail hasnt been curled once and she appears very skittish.So many things are new to her, jumping up in a car seat, bed, climbling - descending stairs, opening and closing of doors, relieving herself outside... She really doesnt know much. She spent the first night with me last night and I had a heck of a time getting her to jump down from my bed this morning.LOL.I dont think she wanted to leave.
I was just wondering, any tips, ideas or suggestions?
Thanks alot.
From where did you purchase her? A shelter, rescue, or breeder? There are many books on how to handle shy/timid dogs that would make good reading, and you can try searching on amazon.com
It can take some time to adjust to a new environment giver her some time.
As far as house training, the simplest method is to let her out every 2-3 hours so she can go. When she goes re-enforce this with praise and treats.
If she makes a mistake inside, do not punish her. Just clean it up with a good enzyme based cleaner. If it happens more than once, pay more attention to her and let her out more frequently. You may also take the urine stained rags and stash them near where you want her to go.
Soon you will begin to observe certain signs that she wants to go. With my dogs, its typically walk up to the back door and then wander around the living room. If I see that I have about 3 minutes to let them outside. As She begins to be more consistent, you can shape her behavior to a variety of different things to let you know when she has to go out. I have friends whose dogs ring a bell at the door when they need to go.
If you are real industrious you can even train your dog with this method to go on cue which can be real useful if you take her on long road trips.
Good luck
They do need adjustment time. My English Bulldog was rescued at around 8 months. She had never seen the inside of a house, she was confined to an makeshift kennel run, no roof, no doghouse, no bed or grass, just plain dirt and rocks to lie on. We had quite a job with her when we brought her home, the phone rang and she was terrified, if a sheet of paper fell of the desk, she ran for cover and would be incontinent, turn the radio or TV on and she'd run around like a "Bull in a china shop", it took about 3 months for her to get over her phobias, we used crate training for the potty problem, take her out first thing in the morn, right after she ate, and several times a day, if I ran errands, I crated her in a huge crate with a blanket, she never messed her crate and also I believe she felt more secure in there while she eventually got used to the normal house sounds.
I had rescued one Bullmastiff that was 2 at the time and had been badly abused and malnourished, while her health was improving and she was housebroken, she had accidents and one day she urinated on the light colored floor and it was reddish orange, she had a bladder infection and couldn't help herself. The former owner had bred her quite often, she had 3 litters by the time I got her and the vet said she had uterine problems, bladder problems, she was spayed and treated for the bladder and no more accidents. You might want to check her for bladder or other problems, your vet can take a urine and blood sample to be sure. Your dog sounds like she needs to get used to her new home, she needs a lot of positive reinforcement, basic obedience training is a good idea also to get her on the right track.
Good luck with her, rescues do make great pets and I find the rehabilitation process rewarding, when you see the progress, the improvement physically, mentally. It takes time and patience but I've found that the bond I've formed with mine and the companionship they give me are really worth it.