terrier chihuahua mix Help!?

Question

We have a terrier chihuahua mix. He is a Male. About 4 years ago we took him in as he was a stray that was found in our yard. There is a kennel a block over but charge to drop off unwanted dogs and cats so people dump them on our block.  Well we are having issues recently. He isn't wanting to go potty or poop outside and will do it in the house. He is also not listening,and taking the dinner off plates. He used to be really good. He would never go after food left on a table. We have a big backyard which he knows to do his business back there. When my wife lets him out he will go to the bathroom in our front yard. If I let him out,he will go in the backyard. Its like he does what he wants with her but knows better when i'm around. Its really starting to upset us because he has never done this stuff til recently. We feed him dry dog food which sits out from 6 am til 5pm and then gets put away. He is outside all day on nice weather and frequently on colder days. We let him out at the end of day around 11pm.  Sometimes he will go to the bathroom and then sometimes he will just sit there staring at our window.  Even if he goes to the bathroom we will find poop and pee in the living room. We are forced to leave him on a leash at night where he doesn't use the bathroom in the house...I was told he can't be trained. I know he can. He knows when i'm mad because he will listen. Our neighbor gave us a training collar which seemed to work on a tone setting. He was great. You tell him to lay down or sit and he would. I take it off and give it back and its like he doesn't care. Does anyone have any advice. He isn't sick as he has been seen by a vet. His diet is good. We don't know why he is acting so badly. We need to train or find another home as we can't have this stuff going on a daily basis.

CleaningJunkie · Accepted Answer

Based on personal experience, you should give your dog food morning and night (if you want three times a day) and leave his bowl of food for 20-30 minutes. If he doesn't eat it, then he will realize that the bowl of food will leave so next time (it might take a few times), he will eat his food immediately when it's eating time. This will help in creating a schedule for him to digest. Then, it will take more effort to create a potty schedule but your dog will get there! Just need patience, consistency, and discipline by the doggy parents (which is the most challenging). Never leave food for him all day and make sure it's the amount of daily calories recommended for his ideal weight and activity level.

In terms of him trying to eat off the plate, that might mean that someone has been feeding him from the plate or he doesn't like his dog food so make sure nobody feeds him while humans are eating at the table and if that's not it, then test out different brands of food. To create a boundary for my dog, I make him stay in the living room or upstairs while we eat and now he knows not to near the table while we eat. Also, my dog doesn't like kibbles so we have to mix it with wet-canned food because I don't like the texture of his poopie when he eats wet food only. I LOVE dogfoodadvisor.com to check out the healthiest foods.

Lastly, sounds like he might be bored. May be creating an exercising routine with the family or getting him some toys to stimulate him while he is alone might help.

From what I've heard, every dog can be trained, it's a matter of our own consistency and discipline. Dogs are the best companion but it's a lifetime commitment to keep up with their training, otherwise, they get "testy" and will test their boundaries and if you let them, then they will start getting spoiled. Good luck with your doggy!!

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terrier chihuahua mix Help!?

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