Troublesome Training

Life with the fur babies is not always wonderful.  Sure, it is easy to dress them up and post thousands of photos on Facebook.  But, what happens when an issue emerges?

 

This is the current fate of Peppe (our Chinese Crested).  When we adopted him, he seemed like the perfect addition to our pack.  He is sweet, gentle and very loving.  My husband and I were able to dial the affection down just a bit so that he no longer trips us when we walk from room to room.

 

However, he has begun to "go potty" in his crate...every day...and every night.  The odd thing is that he is also using the restroom outside.  Very strange, indeed.

Matt has been wonderful enough to clean up Peppe's crate each time.  Then, we would be quick to give him a bath and slather him with coconut oil.  But, this is routine was wearing very thin on Matt's patience.  That is when he uttered these scary words:  "I just don't know about Peppe."

I was heartbroken!  I didn't want to give Peppe away.  He is a member of our family.  Yet, at the same time, I could understand my husband's frustration.  Why is he going inside where he sleeps?

Like any good mother, I scoured the Internet looking for answers.   I discovered that many rescue dogs have never been fully house trained or have only been partially so.  I then had "the talk" with my husband.

Did Matt truly love Peppe?  Was he willing to work with him to break this yucky habit? Or was this behavior the final straw?

Unfortunately, we have been spoiled by our other fur babies that were super easy to train.  But, just like children, each one is different and learns in different ways.

Matt came up with a unique idea.  We would go to the local dollar store and purchase five towels.  Then, if/when Peppe soils one, we simply remove the dirty towel, place it inside a special bin until it is washed and then place a new towel in his crate.

And you know what?  This is actually working (unlike when we tried using a blanket)!  Peppe is clean, happy and loving life.

Plus, this experience taught me something:  we are truly a family.  We take the ups with the downs and work together to find solutions to get through tough situations.