Hello, my sheltie Sammy, who will turn two in October needs some training. She is not housebroken and she never pees in her room, which is our laundry room. She likes to do both… things in the guest bedroom.
What do you do right now when she pees innappropriately? E.g., pretend she just peed/poo'd on the floor (is it carpet or hardwood, btw?). What do you do? For some general advice, though:
Here's a good link on housetraining:
http://www.wonderpuppy.net/canwehelp/htdogs.htm
Based on what you say, two things pop into my mind as possibilities: 1) where did you get Sammy? If you got her from a pet store or she is a rescue dog, it is likely that she came from a mill. If so, such dogs are never given an appropriate place to relieve themselves and are as such taught to go "wherever." 2) You may not have reinforced her properly when teaching her toilet training, which is very easy to do if you're not "in the know," so don't feel bad! Have you done the following:
1. Only scolded her when you catch her "in the act" with a single firm "no"? (no yelling or screaming--this will just confuse and upset the dog.)
2. Take the dog out immediately when you catch them "in the act" and praise them lavishly (with a treat) if they finish their business outside?
3. Praise and treat lavishly when they've done the right thing and gone outside?
She also chews on a lot of things, like stuffed animals and DS games (both have been shredded before)
Here's some good links on chewing:
http://www.perfectpaws.com/chew.html
http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/behavior.html#chewing
http://www.doglogic.com/apdtfaqs.htm#Destructive
have you provided her with plenty of chew toys of her own? If she is still chewing on your things, here's what you can do.
1. First of all, teach your dog the command "drop it" and "leave it." (I use "drop it" and "leave it" as one command, but whatever works for you.) Once a dog has something in their mouth, don't take it out of their mouth. When wolves communicate in a pack, it is a *huge* no-no to grab something from another dog/wolf's mouth. Once it's there, it's theirs. Instead, proffer something more tempting than whatever they have--a cookie/biscuit, a piece of chicken/liver, whatever they really like. Say "drop it" as your proffer the treat. The dog will immediately drop whatever they have. Give them the treat and lavish them with praise.
For "leave it", hold a treat in your hand and let the dog smell it. Enclose the treat in a fist so that the dog can't get to it. When the dog
turns away their head, give them another treat that you hold in your other hand. (
not the one you're offering to them.) This may take awhile, but eventually the dog will get bored and will do it. Do this a few times and then, once they realize that turning away causes the reward, add in the command "leave it." The dog should now turn away their head whenever the command is given. Finally, start dropping treats on the ground and saying "leave it." If the dog leaves it, give them a treat (again, not the one you dropped) and praise lavishly. If they go for the treat, give a firm "AH-AH", "UH-OH" or "NUH-UH" (don't yell or get angry, again, this tends to confuse the dog) and cover the treat with your foot so they cannot get it. Eventually, the "leave it" response will basically be automatic; the dog will turn toward you when you say these words, because they are magical words which give them treats.
2. Now. You see your dog going for something which is inappropriate. If you can catch them before they actually start to chew, say "leave it, mine." and give them a treat and lavish praise. Then give them something of their own to chew on, like a toy or a rawhide. When I give it to them, I usually say "yours." I'm not sure if this actually does anything or not, but it hasn't hurt because he goes for his toys first now. If she keeps going for the inappropriate item, say "AH-AH" and keep him in your site. You may try removing the item if she keeps going after it, though hopefully a treat and a rawhide is enough to make her stop.
3. Sometimes you turn your back for a minute, and they've gotten something you want. In this case, use "drop it, mine." (or, if you're like me, you just use the leave it command again.) The dog should drop it. Treat, praise lavishly, and give them their toy, saying, "Yours."
Eventually, the treat should be unnecessary, and eventually, your dog should automatically go for their own items since they will begin to realize that they are yours. (dogs, being hierarchical animals--as much as i don't go in for "dominance training"--do have a sense of property.)
Training a dog to be quiet can be tricky. Here's a good link on the subject:
http://www.perfectpaws.com/bark.html
for some additional tips, I like to teach my dog to speak. (I know, crazy, right?!) If you have some control over a dog's barking habits, you can get them to bark when you want instead of when they want. Dogs like to bark, and for many dogs (especially shelties!) barking is it's own reward. If you give them a time when barking is okay, I think that makes them happy. Also, let the dog bark once or twice if something is at the door or something particularly exciting is going on; then tell them to stop. It's normal for dogs to want to let you know what's happening.
For teaching 'quiet,' give the command.
never, ever, ever yell at a dog to tell them to be quiet. They think that you're barking with them, and that actually encourages them. Say quiet in a normal voice and accompany with a hand signal (I put my forefinger to my lips like "shhh".) The dog isn't going to stop barking right away, but if they do--even for just for two or three seconds--say "good quiet!" very enthusiastically, give them a treat, and pet them a lot. It could take a long time. A long time. Unfortunately, you will just have to let your patience outlast the dog's.
Some people also have great luck with a shake can. When the dog barks, shake a can with coins in it. They find this noise very alarming and will usually stop. Wait a couple seconds and praise the dog ('Good quiet!') and treat them.
and whenever we say we are going to put her up or give her a bath she runs off. She also likes to bite a lot, not painful but slobbery. My whole family wants her to be trained, once she is we can take her to our relatives worry-free!
I'm not sure what you mean by "put her up"--you mean in the crate? In either case, a good way to do this is to treat. If you can have osmeone with you while you give a bath, have them hold a treat and treat her occasionally while in the tub. Make it something extra good, since bath time is not fun time for any dog (or hardly any dog, anyway.) Reward the end of a bath with a beloved activity, like a game of fetch, a walk around the neighborhood (unless it's cold, of course!), a game of tug, whatever she loves to do.
She does pretty well at bath time.