[Dailydrool] Dailydrool Digest, Vol 25, Issue 12

[Tammy Hinckley]

Hi Kristi!

I just read your post about getting Chloe in her crate...my Ginger, who
is now three, was a nightmare to potty train.  It took me a full year of
her testing me, pooping and peeing in her crate and rolling in it,
peeing and pooping everywhere, you name it.  I felt that she was doing
it out of spite - I would come home from work, and find her covered in
pee and poop completely.  But not every day, she would do it for a week
or so, then be really good and not have any accidents, just enough to
throw me off and make me think that the tide was turning.  She had been
returned to her breeder at 8 months because she was "impossible to potty
train."  I got her from the same breeder when she was 1.5 years old.  I
was beside myself, called the breeder for advice several times (this was
before I knew about the Daily Drool!) and my Mom sent me all these
books, including The Dog Whisperer.  Everyone thought she was testing me
to see if I would give her up too.  One day I exploded and yelled at
her, "I don't care if you p*ss and sh*t on the floor every day for the
rest of your life, you are my dog and I love you and you're not going
anywhere!!!!!"  Nothing worked.  

Then one day, like a miracle, she just stopped.  Now she's a dream.
Keep up the good work with Chloe, I know it's hard, but the end result
is so worth it. 

Here's a trick I used to get Ginger to go in her "house" voluntarily.  I
say, "HOUSE!"  and she runs in there and she gets a treat.  It took
awhile to get to that point, I had to pick her up when she wasn't
expecting it and say HOUSE!  and then give her the treat, eventually she
learned to associate it.  When she was finally trained, I could upgrade
her from a TINY crate to one that she can stretch out comfortably in
(she's barely 40 lbs. so she's really petite.)

GOOD LUCK!!!!!  You're doing great.  They will test you, but I promise
it's not forever and it will get better.

Tammy (Slave to Ginger and Barney, who is feeling fantastic after his
heartworm treatment!!!)