Once we'd got Noodles home, we took him straight downstairs into our basement which was to be his home for the first week or so, while he adjusted to his new surroundings. He marked just about every single leaf in our garden on that first day and tried to mark everything indoors. We said "ah-ah" every time we caught him just about to lift his leg and he picked up very quickly that it was unacceptable. However, we seemed to do such a good job that he wouldn't go out in the garden either! We were walking him 4 times a day and he saved it all up for then.
We tried lots of different techniques to encourage him to use the garden, including a pee post, which proved useless and Noodles gave it a wide berth. I can't say I blame him as it smells terrible!
I even persuaded J2 to urinate out in the garden (under cover of darkness) to see if that would encourage Noodles. I hope none of our neighbours were watching. Noodles just seemed rather bewildered by it all.
Then one day he started sniffing around a full bin bag in our garden which was waiting for rubbish collection day. And hey presto, he emptied his bladder over it. I wouldn't usually encourage him to wee up bin bags or rubbish as some poor person has to pick them up but on this occasion I was delighted and he was showered with treats and praise. Slowly he began to realise that urinating in the garden was OK and he didn't need to save it all up for his walks.
One thing I've realised is that he doesn't seem to have much of a window before deciding he needs to go and actually doing it. He runs downstairs to the basement and hopes that one of us will be there to let him out. Sometimes we're not quick enough and are greeted with a puddle on the floor but I believe that's our fault, not his.
Housetraining is still ongoing but I think we're getting there.
Your tale struck home. We have a fenced patio and I thought it would be a useful spot for the dogs to go in between walks. No such luck. They can be outside there for quite a long time and not go. But as soon as we put their leashes on for a regular walk -- out it comes. Similar unintended lesson as for Noodles. Ours is "if we're not wearing our leashes, it's kind of verboten."
ReplyDeleteGotta' love 'em. (Especially the man to man lesson...)
Joan
Sweet Noodles
ReplyDeleteI think you'we a vewy vewy good boy and twying to undewstand the bizawwe wooles of hoomans...pawsonally I think you awe doing extwemely well.
I have no gawden so I have to save evewything fow my outside walkies, but we tewwiewists awe a clevew lot and soon adjust to whatevew ouw hoomans need.
So gweat to see you
smoochie kisses
ASTA
Mitch loves to lift his leg on trash bags before the trash man collects them on garbage day. It whigs our mom out too!
ReplyDeleteLove ya lots
Maggie and Mitch
Great job, Noodles! You will be completely house trained before you know it!
ReplyDeleteAire-hugs,
Penny & Patches
Interesting. When Pippa first found us we took him to our huge workroom/store place before we tried to integrate him with Paddy and Prince. Poco a poco.
ReplyDeleteAnd cos he had been on the street, we figured he might not wait, but he did. So we took him out for walks, and he always waited so patiently. Dogs are strange, maybe better bladder control when young like people.
Now he is in charge, just jumps around and it is time to go out :D You know he will get used to a new routine eventually :)
K&P
Really Noodles we don't know what the big deal with humans is... When they first got us we made them take us out four hundred times a day and then when we came back in we would BOTH per inside Arch says sometimes he would still like to do that...well once in a while he does...hee hee) Love your pals A+A
ReplyDeleteSo nice to meet you. We have an Airedale, BabyrRocketDog (3yrs old), and a Welshie, Hootie (2 years). There aren't many Welsh Terriers on blogs, so we were glad to hear about Noodles from Eric. Now we'll try to keep up with his adventures.
ReplyDeleteps-My dogblog is; http://hootieandbabyrocketdog.blogspot.com
We love Noodles. It's so reassuring to know him ... and to know a family that is coming to understand him. What you've described about his housebreaking is similar to both of us, Jake and Fergi ... even today. Neither of us are very good about "asking" to go out ... though we can "hold it" MUCH longer and usually wait until Moma takes us out. UNLESS we are upset. Especially Fergi. She can squeak out pee or poo if Moma leaves ... even if just to go outside for five or ten minutes. Sigh. But. It's getting better.
ReplyDeleteThere's more ... but we'll stop here.
xx
Jake and Fergi