Pushing boundaries???

[Snooze]

Jake is 10/11 mos., we rescued him about 3mos.ago. We've done OB training with a trainer at home and we are starting a group class on Nov. 1st. Jake is a pretty laid back guy and hasn't given us much trouble with behavior issues. He was pooping in the house for awhile, but it turned out that he has a gastro issue. Anyway....this morning we got up at 5am our reg time, he and I both had breakfast and while I was finishing mine, Jake went into the living room and urinated on the carpet. I threw a loud (but harmless) fit, let him know how mad I was, and took him out in the yard. I left for work, but 3 hrs later my husband called and said - guess where I found Jake - sleeping on the couch! He made him get off and left the room, when he came back 15 mins later Jake was sleeping, once again on the couch. We have a crate, which he usually sleeps in when we're in and out of the house, we leave the crate open b/c he has proven himself to be trustworthy and usually he goes in there and chills anyway. It just seems so bizarre that first he urinates and then gets on the furniture, one right after the other! Is this just young Jake testing his boundaries?

[alexav]

Did you say "Trustworthy"?
I think you need to go back to crating whenever he cannot be actively supervised. IMO he is pretty young to be given that much freedom and he is taking advantage of it. Smart boy!

[Patty1231]

Well, one thing to consider is that he's been with you for 3 months now and is coming out of that 'honeymoon' stage. He wants to see what he can and cannot get away with. Be firm, fair, and consistent and I don't see why you should have any problems with him.

Rocco's three and still tries to push my buttons occasionally......and I've had him since he was 8 weeks old!

[debbiej]

I'm no expert, but it seems to me he needs a little more housebreaking and he can choose comfy beds. If he is absolutely never allowed on the furniture, and is getting up there, maybe he is testing, but I would think it is more an issue of picking a good place to sleep, especially if he gets right off when told. If you are not there to supervise maybe crating would be good for a while.

[Snooze]

Originally Posted by debbiej

I'm no expert, but it seems to me he needs a little more housebreaking and he can choose comfy beds. If he is absolutely never allowed on the furniture, and is getting up there, maybe he is testing, but I would think it is more an issue of picking a good place to sleep, especially if he gets right off when told. If you are not there to supervise maybe crating would be good for a while.

He did get right off and he has tons of comfy beds of his own
On the housebreaking though - he certainly seems(ed) to be housebroken after about 3 wks. This was so odd, I was right by the door we go out for walks through and he didn't even try to let me know that he had to go out, which he has done in the past. He just walked in the next room and went!
What can I do to further housetrain him??

[alexav]

Originally Posted by Snooze

What can I do to further housetrain him??

Go back a few steps. There's nothing wrong with that whether it's house training or obedience training. He sounds like he just needs some habit reinforcement.

[rottnelmo]

I also agree that you need to take back some of the "priveledges" that he has been given. Doesnt quite sound like he has earned them, but just had them handed to him. Elmo was in his crate until he was almost 2. Seeing as Ollie is only a pup, I cant say how long he will be in his crate.

Also...just because you dont allow them on the furniture when you are around, doesnt mean they will follow those rules when you are gone. My ex had a rott that was not allowed on the furniture but he would nap on the couch everday while they were at work...one day they came home and Tiger was still on the couch. He just squeezed his eyes shut tighter...guess he figured that if he couldnt see them, they couldnt see him!

So if you truly dont want him on the furniture while you are away...block off that room or crate him.