HELP! I have my second GSD now, he is just now 12 weeks old. I have had him for 3 weeks .During this time, he has had a few accidents in the house.maybe about 4 or 5 poops and 2 or 3 pees total.I try to watch him every second, but it never fails, I turn my head for 1 second and he's had an accident!

THe problem I have is that if he goes poop in the house and I don't see him do it, he eats it!!!! I left my kitchen for a few minutes the other day and came back to a bad odor and a smudge was all I could find!! Once I turned my back on him in the family room and he pooped, I saw him and went to him, he finished before I reached him and he turned around and tried to snatch up the stool!!!! GROSS GROSS GROSS!!! Today I found a smelly family room when i walked out for about 3or4 minutes and thought he would be ok since we had just come back inside.No sign of the poop though!!! It was gone.

He never ever does this outside.He usually goes right away and seems to know what he is supposed to do outside. HE doesn't seem to know that going inside is a bad thing, and if I don't see him go I don't correct him.

He also seems to be a little timid. He tries to run away from my car parked in the driveway, even though he has been in it many times. He cried for an entire car ride w/ my husband! He cries if I pick him up by the front legs and rub him and fuss over him.He barks sometimes at things,people. What can this mean,anything? or am I just spoiled by my 1st, a fearless ,dominant, smart bitch.....I appreciate any help out there!!

Even my dog, fastidious pooch that he is, chomped on a few doggy delights when he was in his first year. I was horrified. But it never seemed to make him sick and he only did it a few times.

First I would ask:
1. Is he crated?
2. Is he doing this when he first wakes up? (breaking housebreaking)

Normally puppies go after they eat, after a play session and after they wake up. If he is still having problems equating "If I have to go, I let them know" you should confine him to a crate or to an area where clean up is easy. Put up baby-gates to restrict access to carpeted areas of the house. Clean all areas where he has gone with an odour neutralizer. Watch him like a hawk to see if he is trying to alert to the fact that he has to go outside. The general rule of thumb is that dogs can be crated 1 hr. for each month of age +1. But he is very young still so probably 2 hrs at a time during the day max. When he's not in his crate socialize socialize socialize. Multiple positive exposures to new things bring confidence.

As for the poop eating, there are products you can sprinkle on his food that is apparently supposed to make it taste bad. Perhaps you just need to scoop as fast as he poops.

Depending on what your plans are for this pup, I would be more concerned with it's sensitivity to touch and its fear issues. I'm assuming there's no kids in the house. If there is, you may want to consider exchanging this pup for another. The poop problem you can fix but a hypersensitive dog you may not.

Sometimes this indicates a nutritional definciency. Sometimes there is no real explanation. Make sure you are feeding the pup enough food(don't overfeed) and a high quality one.

i've noticed that sometimes pups will do this because they know they'll get in trouble for goin in the house and they'll try to get rid of the evidence before you catch them. also, young pups dont have good control of there blatter and bowels yet. if you're giving him freedom, and are goin to leave the room, look for signs real good before you leave to see if he might need to go.

Hi Jeannette,

Everyone has hit good points with their posts, We need more information!

1: What are your plans for this Pup (hence we can better answer your question on the pups fear issues)

As far as the "doggie treats" welcome to the club! My pup did the same thing for the first 5 months of his life, I had to watch him outside and pick up right away, and I think Rottie hit the nail on the head with his reply and I agree 100% with

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i've noticed that sometimes pups will do this because they know they'll get in trouble for goin in the house and they'll try to get rid of the evidence before you catch them.

Did you catch him in the act and correct for this? If you have, you can bet this is the case. My pup did the same thing.

Do as Caniche advises, crate crate crate. This is the most valuable tool there is for housebreaking, along with car rides. I would start by treating him up in the crate, in the car "not running" then move onto "running" the car, then moving the car.. you get the idea... little steps at a time.

I would get him used to the crate in the house first before I did car training.

This is also a must do as pointed out by our esteemed Caniche.

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When he's not in his crate socialize socialize socialize. Multiple positive exposures to new things bring confidence.

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Sometimes this indicates a nutritional definciency. Sometimes there is no real explanation. Make sure you are feeding the pup enough food(don't overfeed) and a high quality one.

This can also be true, might I suggest a Raw Diet the highest quality you can get! Your pup is at the perfect age to start this type of diet!

So let us know!

WOW! thanks everyone!

O.K., here are some answers to the questions:
1.Yes,(in my bedroom,blocked to proper proportions) he is crated at night from approx.11pm to 6am. Then he has breakfast in the kitchen with my 2 yr.old female and plays for a while.then its outside again.the kitchen is baby gated off.No escape possible.he eliminates immediately in the am and after eating. The few accidents have been mostly in the mid day when I am most likely to be distracted. most times he is in the kitchen(me too). I try to let him out a little..... he plays outside as much as possible too..... I do put him down for a 2 hr or so nap during the day too, like when i'm cleaning!

2.I will probably try competitive obedience with him. That is what I'm going to try with my other dog Bella, there really isn't any other alternative around where I live.

3.I have 4!!! children ages 16,7,5,and 4 months.Plus:1 other dog inside the house,1 outside,2 cats, a hamster, a husband and an 88 yr old grandma!!

THe puppy is very friendly with the kids, he licks and wags when they pet him.He doesn't really bite them,even in play. Although he doesn't seem frightened by the constant roaring chaos in the house when they're not in school, sometimes I think he is trying to maintain a safe distance because if he has the opportunity he will go in the hallway to sleep during dinner or in the next room if I leave the gate open. I must say though that I don't really blame him. I wish sometimes that I could too!!

4.I have been taking him just about everywhere I can think of since I've had him for the past 3 weeks. That includes to the hair salon, the bank,the pet food store,the camera shop, and letting him sleep next to my seat on the floor in my astro van when I go food shopping.

I have had people over to visit on many occasions and even had a kids b-day party! I am trying to socialize him as much as I can.

If he seems frightened I coax him into doing what I want anyway and then praising the heck out of him to build his confidence.

I hope that it is working and that it will make a difference.

5. I currently am reading the book "give your dog a bone" because I am considering a raw food diet.

he is sooo different from my other GSD, I know I shouldn't compare,but I guess it's natural to do so anyway!

By the way, he was from an accidental breeding. His parents are actually both from the same mother.They had different fathers. IS this bad?There were only 3 in the litter and I heard from the breeder that 1 sister of his has a bad heart murmur and was recommended to be operated on or else euthanized. My pups testicles have not dropped yet either. Could these things be from too close of a breeding?

His bloodlines are 100% West German and both of his parents are black and very red in color(beautiful dogs, both of them!!)

These questions have been on my mind since we obtained him, I appreciate the feedback from everyone.Looking forward to the replies,Jeannette

WOW!!! What a busy house. Are you insane???? 4 children, 3 dogs, etc. etc. etc. You must be Wonder Woman?? It sounds like you're doing everything right (EVERYTHING being the operative word here).

Perhaps your household is just too busy for this pups temperment. I've only got one dog and haven't had one to compare him to. I'm retreating from this topic and leaving the replies to those with more experience (and braver souls)!!!

LOL!!!!!I guess I'm good at multi-tasking!

I am curious about the breeding issue though, it has been on my mind since I got him.

I think he'll be ok as long as I take the proper steps to safeguard his developement as he matures. I'm a worrier though. A new pup is like a new child to me, they have to be nurtured as they grow!

Jannette,

It sounds to me that you are doing everything right, I will agree with Caniche on this one.

Now I'm not a breeder but I do beileve that your dog is what they call "Line" bred. This is where they breed two sibilings on one side of the pedigree to hold temperment and or certian traits in a line. It is not a "Bad" thing so don't worry about it. Unless that side has serious temperment faults.....then of course line breeding would be stupid.

I would however keep an eye on the testicles issue, this problem can lead to serious problems later on in life. I would refer you to this link Neutering
My vet told me the same thing.

One last note... you seem to have high drive, can you share what your secret is? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Good luck with your puppy!