Concerning house training a "supposed to be" house trained dog and severe seperation anxiety, please advise.?

no diapers ... walking, walking, walking and walking until the job is done ... and while your son's heart i am sure was in the right place, he basically just reinforced the neurotic behaviour for over an hour today ... get the dog a crate, put a blanket over it to muffle any sound ... and adjust your thinking as to how much the dog needs to be outdoors ... even a small dog can take a bit to tire out and that is exactly what the dog needs is to be tired out ... invest in a kong and fill with peanut butter or my friend uses organic baby food and freezes and that will give the dog something to do in the crate ... and start introducing the crate slowly ... like 5 minutes at first and make the dog walk in by herself and praise, never put her in, and never use it as punishment ... make it small enough that she can stand up and turn around comfortably and put in a soft blanket and something you have worn ... keep a radio or tv on nearby ... and ignore, ignore, ignore the behaviour you do not want ... so no petting or coddling cuz the dog seems upset, that is just reinforcing the behaviour you do not want ... and it is useless to take a dog out and not stay out until the deeds are done ... take the dog out and walk her until she has both peeped and pooped, give lots of praise and forget the diapers ... and you need to toughen up ... so they said the dog was housebroken, the dog is not, and that is the reality that you need to deal with ... people who get puppies, some of them clean up for months not mere days, so just accept your reality and get on with housebreaking this dog like it is a puppy ...

Why aren't you asking the dogs previous Foster parent this? They know the dog best, I'm sure they'd be happy to help you.

The dog needs to be TRAINED. Instead of asking the same question on Yahoo multiple times, you could have just Googled it yourself.

Don't use diapers—TRAIN HER. ANY time you adopt a dog, regardless of where you got it, assume the dog is NOT 100% trained. You have to start from scratch any time you bring a dog to a new home. Your home is different from the Foster home the dog was previously in, so the dog doesn't know the drill yet.

You've only had the dog a week, give it time. Set a schedule, let the dog out several times during the day. CRATE WHEN YOU CANNOT SUPERVISE.

Regarding the howling, give the dog something to do when you aren't there. Leave the TV on, cover the crate. Exercise the dog before leaving. Keep her tied to you while in the house so you catch her in the act if she tries to defecate or urinate in the house; That way you can correct her RIGHT THEN and immediately take her outside to do her business instead.

* Crate training tips: http://www.pbrc.net/training_crate.html

* Barking tips: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1551&a...

I would assume the foster home had other dogs in which she probably followed out and followed back in. Therefore the problem never presented itself.

There are lots of ways of working with a 4yr old dog with poor housebreaking habits. Since you are renting and you dont need the liability of damage to someone elses property, doggy diapers would perhaps be an ok crutch to use during the training process. But I would not rely on them and it should be your goal to "keep her dry". I would attempt crate training, keep her on a leash attached to you, scheduled FREQUENT potty breaks and feedings, and utilize baby gates to keep her off of carpeting.

The supposed anxiety issues concerns me. I would go a bit deeper into this. Are you certain she is simply not a spoiled or insecure dog? Separation anxiety oftentimes manifest itself in more than simply vocalization and detest to be separated. Oftentimes the dog is neurotic and destroys things in very short order of being alone. I'm talking shredding couches, chewing on doors and window sills and the list goes on. Usually this is characterized by lots of damage done in a brief period of time and almost immediately after you leave. I would start by correcting the whining and howling rather than labeling her, totally readjusting your life, and baby her because of it.

Wow! That are you sure she wasn't joking? Cause if she wasn't she's an idiot! The dog has no idea what the heck you are doing! Your dog isn't stupid, the trainer is! Crate training works wonders, especially if no one is home for a while to supervise her. Don't use training pads, this will just encourage her to go indoors. I suggest getting her on a feeding and poop schedule. Feed her the same time every day and she should have to go out in about 30-45 minutes after finishing her meal. Remember puppy can't hold their bladder for very long so if no one is there to take her out then she may not have any other choice but to relive herself inside. This is where the crate comes in handy because she won't want to poop or pee in her crate. Puppies need to go out after sleeping, playing and eating. Make sure when you take her out you try to go out to the same spot. When she poops and pees in the right spot/outside praise and treat her! She will quickly realize that outside is for potty! If she has an accident indoor and you don't catch her in the act, don't yell at the poop, don't yell at the puppy, don't rub her nose in it! Just calmly clean up the mess and act like nothing happened. Make sure you get the mess completely up so she isn't tempted to go back to the same spot. If she has an accident indoor and you are right there, correct her by making a loud sound; "No!" works well. Immediately pick her up and take her outside to finish. After she finished treat and praise! Remember to be patient, she's a puppy and accidents will happen. Best of luck to you!