Dog too dumb to be housetrained?

[Signal-11]

Is it possible?

I mean, this dog is DUMB. Opie dumb. I'm getting the sense that she has absolutely no idea on how to pick up cues from human beings. As far as I can tell, she has no idea when she's being scolded or when someone's angry at her. Maybe a little, because I think her reaction is to roll over onto her back and kind of rolling back and forth while she wags her tail like crazy, which is silly cute, but still annoying after ******** right where I step when I get out of bed.

Anyone ever had a dog that was just too dumb for any housetraining to take?

 

[anjinha]

I had a dog that was an absolute wuss and when the weather was bad she refused to go outside and chose to pee on the kitchen floor instead.

 

[Magic Marker]

Crate training works wonders. Also being extremely consistent with the training is key on your part.

 

[yojitani]

Ask Cesar Milan. Seriously.

edit: I feel like I should qualify that a little. Your dog is not human, it's a dog. Treat it like one and have expectations in line with it's status as a dog. I'd suggest reading about how to train dogs.

 

[GoCubsGo]

If I couldn't train a man to put the towel back on the towel holder after washing his hands I can believe dogs can be too dumb to be trained.

 

[Little HZ]

Here's what worked with my dog. NO anger. NO punishment. Nothing but lots and lots and lots of positive reinforcement every time she peed/pooped outside. Seriously, she thinks she is a genius because she goes outside, but she now REALLY gets it, and she goes outside. In the short term it will take lots of persistence and patience on your part, but I'm pretty sure it will work. But I mean it about the lots and lots and lots of positive reinforcement--I'm talking over the top praise. Your dog needs to not be afraid to do something that she HAS to do!

 

[Signal-11]

Ask Cesar Milan. Seriously.

edit: I feel like I should qualify that a little. Your dog is not human, it's a dog. Treat it like one and have expectations in line with it's status as a dog. I'd suggest reading about how to train dogs.

There's two dogs in this house. Boy Dog will comes up to me and scratch my leg, then goes to the door when he needs to go outside. Actually, I think Boy Dog tries to help out Girl Dog. He certainly picks up on cues and commands and I think actually realizes when the dumb one doesn't get it. When they're both in the back yard and I tell them to come inside, Boy Dog runs inside, then when he realizes Girl Dog isn't following, he'll run back outside and herd herd her in.

I expect dogs to behave like dogs. I expect dogs to pick up certain human cues, which is what they're evolutionarily adapted to do.

If I couldn't train a man to put the towel back on the towel holder after washing his hands I can believe dogs can be too dumb to be trained.

I'll bet you're one of those people who think the default position of the toilet seat should be down?

 

[tjsdaname]

I have had 3 dogs that were to dumb to keep... lol but I kept them anyways

but the dog I have now is so smart. it's 2 months and 2 weeks old and already knows how to sit, stay, come, shake, and sometimes he will rollover on command lol

 

[GoCubsGo]

I'll bet you're one of those people who think the default position of the toilet seat should be down?

By "those people" you mean couth? Yes, I am. If that was a metaphor for me possibly hating men, then no. I loves me some boys but love them more when they pee in toilets and put the seat and lid down.

 

[Disc Golfer]

Wow welcome to the 20th century.

 

[abijnk]

So not to be completely rude, but it is more than likely you and not the dog. Each and every dog is different. Just like people don't learn in exactly the same way at exactly the same rates you can't expect dogs to either. If what worked for one dog isn't working for the other it doesn't mean the dog is stupid, it means you need to try something else.

 

[Rt&Dzine]

I've never had a dog that couldn't be trained. Other people do but I don't know if it's the dog or the human who's the problem. My guess is the human. Some dogs are definitely more difficult than others.

My opinion is that scolding doesn't work unless you catch them in the act. This is what worked for us: Keep going out with the dog and as soon as it pees or craps give it praise and a tiny treat. Combine this with the crate if needed. Some dogs need to learn how to signal. We got our current dog when she was a year old and found out she wasn't housebroken. I didn't think she'd ever learn but once she did, she's never gone inside again. But her signal that she needs to go out is still very subtle to this day.

Don't forget that it's a dog and not a human. I think that's one of the biggest mistakes people make.

 

[pilotError]

How old is the dog?

Some dogs require more training than others. Figure out her bathroom schedule and teach her. When you get up, put her on a leash and walk her to a specific area in the yard.

If she poops on the floor, pick it up and take it outside to that specific spot in the yard. Let her smell it, dogs are good at that! LOL

She'll get the idea. If she's a puppy (under 1.5 years), she's still learning.

I just went through the same thing. I had a Golden Retriever who was unbelievably smart. Crate trained her and she was housebroken at 7 months. She passed away and we bought this little rat dog (cavashon), who is very cute, but extremely stupid. It took a while, and she still poops inside every once in a while, but we've gotten her over the "good weather only" and pee'ing inside.

Yelling does nothing, praise and reinforcement are the key. When she goes outside, treat her like your kid just hit the game-winning home-run and give her a dog biscuit. I don't know about your dogs, but mine will do freakin back flips for a dog biscuit! LOL

You also have to look for cues. My retriever used to scratch at the door, this dog just appears out of nowhere and stares until you take her out. Wait too long and you have some cleanup to do! It's frustrating, because the dog will bark and scratch to get in, just not to go out.

 

[iBlue]

Have you tried keeping her in a crate at night (most dogs won't go in their crate) and then first thing in the morning walk her outside? Don't say a single word, don't even make eye contact. Puppy bladders are pitiful and even the slightest hint of excitement can mean piddle all over the place. Most dogs, even dumb ones, get the idea if you keep the patterns really regular.

 

[Roric]

If I couldn't train a man to put the towel back on the towel holder after washing his hands I can believe dogs can be too dumb to be trained.

Being the only guy in the house with 6 females, you would be amazed at the number of times I need to go get another towel because the one from the towel bar is missing. Again.

I loves me some boys but love them more when they pee in toilets and put the seat and lid down.

After fishing a baby shampoo bottle out of the toilet drain (as in taking whole thing off and flipping over), I know that open toilets + children = trouble. Seat and cover is closed even before flushing now.

 

[Signal-11]

By "those people" you mean couth? Yes, I am. If that was a metaphor for me possibly hating men, then no. I loves me some boys but love them more when they pee in toilets and put the seat and lid down.

How do you feel about bathtubs?

Wow welcome to the 20th century.

Yeah, okay, let me roll back the clock 10 years and I'll meet you there.

So not to be completely rude, but it is more than likely you and not the dog.

Easy assumption, but they're not my dogs.

My opinion is that scolding doesn't work unless you catch them in the act.

I'm with you here. I've been scolding the owners about scolding the dog minutes to hours after the fact - the dog has no idea why it's being yelled at, even if were a smarty and not a dummy.

What do you people think about an electrical harness so when the dog pees, it makes a circuit and she gets a mild electrical shock? Like those electric fence collars, only on the other end of the dog?

 

[Disc Golfer]

Yeah, okay, let me roll back the clock 10 years and I'll meet you there.

Okey doke but you'll have to roll back a few more than that to catch up to the toilet complainer.

 

[Mousse]

If I couldn't train a man to put the towel back on the towel holder after washing his hands I can believe dogs can be too dumb to be trained.

I'm amazed you trained him to dry his hands on a towel. My wife can't even train me to do that. "Dry my hands with a towel? Then what are pants for?"

I'll bet you're one of those people who think the default position of the toilet seat should be down?

I'm pretty sure EVERY woman thinks the only position a toilets seat should ever be is down. My wife would give me hell if I ever left the toilet seat up. Drying hands on my pants is annoying, but leaving the toilet seat up will land me couch time. Not the good kind either.

 

[chrmjenkins]

On the subject of toilet seats, leaving it as you used it makes the most sense in a household where the number of males equals or exceeds the number of females, as there is no unnecessary altering of seat position, and seat up would likely be the most common configuration.

That being said, I prefer to leave it seat down myself to keep the dogs out, plus that places an equal amount of responsibility on my spouse. Also, I'm not averse to going with the seat down Regardless of whether the seat is down, you'll likely get splash out. If I wipe down the seat, I'm saving extra cleaning that would need to go on the rim. And to the people who say it's gross even if the pee is wiped up, it's the hole you deploy food babies from, it's not that clean in the first place, regardless of being a rainbow projection device on females.

As for actual dog training, the only thing that would prevent you is a severe physical or mental disability. All dogs should be capable.

 

[prostuff1]

I'll bet you're one of those people who think the default position of the toilet seat should be down?

I am a guy and quite frankly the only default position for the toilet seat is down. I live with one other guy that HAD a tendency to leave it up and it annoyed the hell out of me. I reminded him about it a couple of times and told him to put it down. He was sporadic at best so I finally put some Vaseline on the seat and the next time he sat down got it all over him. It does not hurt anything but it gets the point across. He asked me about it later, I confessed to it, and he now puts the toilet seat down.

 

[chrmjenkins]

I am a guy and quite frankly the only default position for the toilet seat is down. I live with one other guy that HAD a tendency to leave it up and it annoyed the hell out of me. I reminded him about it a couple of times and told him to put it down. He was sporadic at best so I finally put some Vaseline on the seat and the next time he sat down got it all over him. It does not hurt anything but it gets the point across. He asked me about it later, I confessed to it, and he now puts the toilet seat down.

Um, no dude... it was that weird squirrel from the backyard.

... I knew it. I'm calling the exterminator.

 

[yg17]

That being said, I prefer to leave it seat down myself to keep the dogs out, plus that places an equal amount of responsibility on my spouse. Also, I'm not averse to going with the seat down Regardless of whether the seat is down, you'll likely get splash out. If I wipe down the seat, I'm saving extra cleaning that would need to go on the rim. And to the people who say it's gross even if the pee is wiped up, it's the hole you deploy food babies from, it's not that clean in the first place, regardless of being a rainbow projection device on females.

Actually, I think Mythbusters did a test and a toilet seat had less bacteria on it than a toothbrush.

I live alone, so my toilet seat is up, until I have to drop a deuce, then it goes down. Next time I have to take a leak, it goes back up and stays there until the next crap.

 

[Queso]

I've never got into this idea that men should put the seat down if there's a woman about. It's not like women instantly die if their hands come into contact with the seat.

But here's a good bargaining option. Men will put the seat down if women stop using far too much toilet paper

 

[chrmjenkins]

I've never got into this idea that men should put the seat down if there's a woman about. It's not like women instantly die if their hands come into contact with the seat.

But here's a good bargaining option. Men will put the seat down if women stop using far too much toilet paper

Simple, just install a motor that automatically raises the toilet seat after a certain amount of TP has been used.

 

[Signal-11]

Wait, if the toilet cover is down, how do the dogs drink?