brusier

Question
we have a dog named brusier he is a mix
rot lab and chow
he is almost 2 dob in june
we keep him out sided during the day on a runner
but he barks at any noise he hears
most of the time its people going by
others when the kids are getting off the bus
i dont know how to stop him
i would also like to let him stay in the
house more but he keeps going to the bathroom
everywhere without telling us when he needs to go
hope u can help

Answer
Hi, Laura,

There could be several reasons for Brusier's barking while he's outside.  He could be bored.  Dogs are pack animals and feel happiest and safest when around their people.  If he feels isolated all day long, he could be barking to try to get your attention.  Since he's attached to a run, if another dog came onto the property, he wouldn't be able to get away.  The barking at noises could be fear barking.

You say you keep him outside during the day - where does he stay at night?

Teaching him to be a house dog is not impossible, but it takes time and patience.  You might want to consider crate training.  A crate is a good housebreaking tool, and it gives the dog a safe place to be inside the home.

Or you may want to use a doggie gate and partition him off in the kitchen.  He would need to become housebroken to the house gradually, allowing him access to the rest of the house room at a time and only when he's supervised so that you can correct his housebreaking mistake at the exact moment it happens and woosh him outside.  However, a dog should never be corrected AFTER the mistake has happened; punishment can only damage the relationship with our dog by making them fearful or aggressive.

You have a couple of issues with the barking and housebreaking that cannot be adequately addressed simply through email.  I am including some websites that will give you helpful information, and if you tell me where you live, I can give you some suggestions of trainers in your area.

http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/barking.pdf
http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/crate-train.pdf
http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/retrain-dog.pdf