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I have a two year (turns two this month) old english mastiff named Bam Bam. He is a great, great dog. Very sweet and very socialized. He loves everybody. He has normal mastiff issues like slobbering and massive shedding but that is to be expected. He has two main problems that need to be corrected however...any suggestions are welcome.

Number 1 is he constantly pees inside the house. He outgrew his crate so fast I never really got a chance to crate train him properly. I pulled up all the carpet in my house and replced with tile. I take him out often and every night before we go to bed. He knows what "go potty" means. He sleeps downstairs while we sleep upstairs. He pees on the floor, in the same place almost every night. Tile makes it easier to clean but we cannot get him to stop. Help!

Number 2 is he is very scared of any loud noises. If I drop anything at all near him..keys, remote on the tile floor, he jumps like crazy and scurries to run away. Needless to say, he is petrified of any cage related item and I think even if I bought a ENORMOUS cage, he would be scared to death to go near it...so it is virtually impossible to try and retrain him in the crate.

We are sending Bam Bam to a pretty highly recommended dog trainer for two weeks. Hopefully this will help.

Do you guys have any other suggestions for either of the two problems?

Thanks a bunch in advance.

Sounds like you have a wonderful dog, but he certainly needs soem refinement in his training. That can be done with a bit of time and patience.

About him peeing on the floor- you have to clean up the spot that he consistently goes on with an enzyme cleaner that removes the odor completely. Nature's Miracle is a good brand that you can find at almost any pet store. If you do not remove the smell competely- even from tile- he will continue to think it is acceptable to use that spot as a bathroom. You also have to go outside with Bam Bam when he goes pee so you can praise and treat lavishly for going ot the bathroom in the correct place.

As for being scared of any loud noises, that too can be worked on with training. You use desensitization techniques. A book called, "The Cautious Canine" can really help you out with this method.

We are sending Bam Bam to a pretty highly recommended dog trainer for two weeks. Hopefully this will help.
-I'd be incredibly reluctant to send my dog away for training. Training is the development of a communication system between dog and handler. Yes, it can and does work on a lot of dogs, but I find I have much better results taking a class myself and just putting in the practice time. Most errors in training involve timing with the human and/or not modifying a training technique to work with the dog's personality and not just the dog alone. It is very important to have someone train you how to train your dog and not just train your dog only. Also, those "send away" traning places tend to be incredibly expensive. Classes typically are at most $10 an hour and you have access to talk with others to trouble shoot any issues you are having.

I think both of your problems with Bam Bam can be fixed with just a bit of patience and time. Good luck and keep us posted.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

>>Sounds like you have a wonderful dog, but he certainly needs soem refinement in his training. That can be done with a bit of time and patience.
>>
>>About him peeing on the floor- you have to clean up the spot that he consistently goes on with an enzyme cleaner that removes the odor completely. Nature's Miracle is a good brand that you can find at almost any pet store. If you do not remove the smell competely- even from tile- he will continue to think it is acceptable to use that spot as a bathroom. You also have to go outside with Bam Bam when he goes pee so you can praise and treat lavishly for going ot the bathroom in the correct place.
>>
>>As for being scared of any loud noises, that too can be worked on with training. You use desensitization techniques. A book called, "The Cautious Canine" can really help you out with this method.
>>
>>We are sending Bam Bam to a pretty highly recommended dog trainer for two weeks. Hopefully this will help.
>>-I'd be incredibly reluctant to send my dog away for training. Training is the development of a communication system between dog and handler. Yes, it can and does work on a lot of dogs, but I find I have much better results taking a class myself and just putting in the practice time. Most errors in training involve timing with the human and/or not modifying a training technique to work with the dog's personality and not just the dog alone. It is very important to have someone train you how to train your dog and not just train your dog only. Also, those "send away" traning places tend to be incredibly expensive. Classes typically are at most $10 an hour and you have access to talk with others to trouble shoot any issues you are having.
>>
>>I think both of your problems with Bam Bam can be fixed with just a bit of patience and time. Good luck and keep us posted.
>>-----
>>Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles
>>
>>>>>>>>>>

I agree with all of these suggestions!
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47