Rescue Dog= Losing my mind!

Question
Need all kinds of help with our rescue dog?
We have rescued a Pointer mix, female, about a year old, from a high kill shelter in Ga. She is a sweetheart, but of course, there are many things that we didn't know about her. 1. She is not housebroken. 2. She pulls horribly on the leash.3.She eats her own feces.4.She might pee on the leash, but will come right back into the house & pee again.She actually pees more than our male dog.5.She's learning about our cats, but its hard to know if she just wants to play or kill.[Don't worry, she is well watched]6. She's very high energy.Our other dog is a Boston, 7 yrs old.
We will not quit on our girl, but some mornings I don't want to get up.

Any help would be appreciated.


Answer
Hello, Debbie!

For house training, I will recommend my training bell here http://www.gizmo2wizmo.com/  House training requires consistency and diligence on your part.  Read my blog post for more on this here http://blog.gizmo2wizmo.com/2008/09/13/house-train-your-dog-the-easy-way.aspx

For pulling on the leash, whenever you are walking and she pulls in one direction, you turn and go gently in the other direction.  This done consistently shows her that she doesn't get to go the direction she wants to when she pulls.  This may seem like a wrestling match at first, but should pay off after a few times.  The key is rewarding the good behavior, not the bad.

For the poop eating, here is some good information:  http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_PoopEating.php

For the peeing after coming in from a walk, try keeping her outside longer.  She probably didn't have time to finish.  You may need to stay out for 20 minutes to be sure the job is done, then give lots of praise when she does potty outside - let her know you approve.  Whenever you catch her peeing inside, clap or make some loud noise to distract her, and quickly take her outside to finish.  Be sure to clean up any area she has peed in the house with a 50/50 solution of water and vinegar to neutralize the odor, or she may go there again.

With regard to the relationship with cats, it is out of my area of expertise, so perhaps you can get some answers on that from someone else.

Good luck!  Remember positive reinforcement whenever your pup does good things, and just be consistent.  These things take time.