My dog eats yard mushrooms and won't potty. How do I train him?

Unfortunately, puppies Trump's age commonly act like this. Most of them will outgrow the behavior by three years of age. Right now he needs supervision and proper training. Keep him on a leash and do not leave him outside unattended. You may also leave some toys outside that are more appealing such as a peanut butter stuffed Kong. The main thing is to prevent him from having access to the places he is not supposed to go. Also make sure to praise him when he does use the bathroom in the proper area. Remember to be patient and to get him on a routine.

How naughty of Sadie! You did the right thing by taking the mushroom away from her. Unfortunately, mushrooms can be very tricky to identify accurately. Many species of mushrooms can lead to neurologic changes or liver damage when ingested by dogs. I recommend taking Sadie to your vet or an emergency clinic right away so that vomiting can be induced (assuming that she ate the mushroom within the past 2 hours) and supportive medications can be started. It is likely that Sadie may need to have blood testing performed today and repeated in 1-2 days to assure that her liver values remain stable. Even though she may have only eating a very small amount of the mushroom, problems could still arise and it is better to be safe than sorry. I hope this helps and that all goes well for Sadie!

Put him on a leash and take him outside to his designated spot. Do not walk around. Just stand there and repeat "go outside" or a similar phrase. As soon as he starts to go, repeat "go outside" and praise "good dog!" as he goes. When he is finished, or if it appears that he is not going to go, bring him inside but do not remove the leash, e3ven if he has done his business. Attach it to your belt loop and keep him with you. Don’t let him out of your sight! When you see him start to circle or sniff, take him right outdoors again and repeat the process. If he does mess in the house, do not scold him unless you actually catch him in the act. In that case, say "NO!" and take him right outside. Tell him to "go outside" and praise as he finishes. Keep him in a crate at night, or for short periods when you are not at home. For further assistance, click on the prompt to start a consult, where we can discuss this at length.

This generally doesn't take long, take him out to the same place when you expect he needs to go (after sleeping /playing /eating etc) or any time you notice him going to his indoor spot. Praise him for going in the right place and then give him treats/play ball etc as a reward. Do not punish indoor accidents and if he is used to training pads or newspaper move these outside the door if possible

Soil and feces can carry viruses for a long period of time, so trying to find an area Blakely can go where other dogs don't frequent is best until he has had at least 2-3 sets of shots (or the OK from your vet). If you don't have a spot like that, but have a patio area, you could try making your own "potty" area with a piece of sod or a litter box filled with dirt to get him used to going outside and on that substrate without as much confusion when you do transition to outside. Making sure you're taking him out often enough (every 1-2 hours for a 2 month old puppy, or after waking, eating, drinking, or playing) can also help reduce accidents since his bladder can't hold it very long at this point.

Mushroom identification can be tricky even for experienced mushroom hunters. Your best bet would be to contact your local Extension Office and submit a sample for identification. Most species are non toxic, causing nothing worse than some stomach upset, but some species can be deadly. It would be safest to keep your pets away from them until you can positively identify them.

Take him for a walk only in the areas you want. If it is painful for him he will go when needed and not hold it in. If it helps, sometimes you can collect his BM from where he went and place it in the garden and have him sniff that to start associating the two things together.