Gorden Setter

Question
I adopted a neutered Gorden Setter mix in Dec. from a shelter. (He was 1yr. last week). I have experience with dogs since a kid. I've never had a male before and have never had housebreaking issues. He counter surfs, wets on the floor (Yesterday my adult daughter was sitting on the floor and he stepped over her and peed. We have tried kind love, tough love and I'm at wits end. I came home after working 6 hours and he ate all the left over Easter candy, tore stuff off the counters and peed 3 times, plus unpotted my Norfolk pine. I always believed you could housebreak any dog but am beginning to wonder. Any help would be appreciated. My husband doesn't want to kennel him and when we did he tore the kennel apart and peed in it. Can all dogs be trained?

Answer
Part of the problem could be how long he was in the shelter and if he was house broken before going to the shelter. The problem with the shelter is he was in a cage/pen with a cement floor.  He slept there, he toileted there.  He doesn't differentiate between surfaces and doesn't know which are appropriate.  Instead of kenneling him, try just blocking him in the kitchen or bathroom (that's basically just to contain the pee to one area).  Then, go back to the basics of toilet training.  Take him out first thing in the morning, after eating or drinking, after waking from a nap, after exercising and last thing at night.  If he can't be tethered to you (not just in the same room, but on leash and attached to you), then he is blocked off to one room.  When he goes out and toilets, LOTS of praise and treats (and favorite toy if he has one and one he gets JUST for going out and pottying).  Since he's lifting his leg, you can basically tip him over whenever he lifts and he will learn to squat (harder to pee on things when he's squating).

As far as the counter surfing, again, tethering in the beginning.  If you have a light, long leash, let him head towards the counter our food and then correct him.  You can also set up traps for him.  Take an old style mouse trap, set it, put it on the counter with a piece of food near it and a piece of paper on top of it.  When he jumps up to get the mouse trap with trigger, it should scare him and will serve as a correction.  The benefit of doing it this way is that you're not the bad guy... the mean ole counter scared him.  If he goes in the garbage, there's another trap for him.  Take strip of tape and push some tacks through it.  Place it pointy side up in a garbage can.  Place a filled balloon carefully on top of the tacks and then something good in the garbage as well.  Cover lightly with paper.  When the dog goes diving, he pushes on the balloon, it hits the tacks, pops and the dog gets corrected for doing something bad.  Again, you're not the bad guy, the mean ole garbage can is and after a couple of times, he'll learn to stay away.  

Teaching a "leave it" command and a "release" command will also help.  Put something desirable on the floor with your dog leashed.  Let him approach, but if he tries to grab it, correct him and say, "leave it".  Repeat until you just need to say leave it and the dog does.  The release command means that he's allowed to have it.  If you want to give your dog a special treat or something, release means he's allowed to take it.

Good luck and remember with dog training, slow is fast.