I don’t know what to do about this dog, I feel like I’m losing my mind

You’re probably not going to enjoy having a high needs dog in the house when the baby comes.

As far as the peeing goes has she been checked for a uti? Our GSD puppy pissed everywhere but outside we’d take him out, nothing go in and pee! Went to vet and it was a uti …. Problem solved never peed in the house again! I’d be more nervous about bringing a new baby into the house with her. And no you’re not terrible, it’s hard on you and you’re pregnant to top it off!

Unpopular opinion incoming: this is not the dog for you especially with a newborn coming in a few months. She would have a better life with an owner who can devote more time and money into training.  

You’re not a bad person. You’re just a person who is totally unprepared to take on a puppy. It’s a lot easier to rehome her now than when she’s an adult dog.

I will be honest. You can't handle this dog and it's best to return it. It is NOT the right time to get a dog, period. I would never think of adopting a rescue dog if I was 4 months pregnant simply because I have dogs and I know how much work they are. You are not a bad person but you are pregnant it is extremely important to be in a safe and stress free environment so the baby can develop properly. The dog needs to be returned so she can be with a family that can better take care of this dog's needs. Simply put the baby's needs come first and a dog like this is a hazard to your child while you are pregnant and beyond the pregnancy. I urge you to take the dog back so they can find an appropriate forever home. People might blast me in the comments for my opinion but until they go through a pregnancy they will never understand how difficult it is to raise a baby and take care of a dog with issues.

Normally I'm the first person to say to give her more of a chance, and I'm not saying not to... however...

The peeing everywhere issue, if it's not a UTI or a physical issue, then it's a behavioural issue. I totally get that your husband and his brother get to have fun with her and are therefore super attached to her, but unfortunately that leaves you in the position of the fun police, so to speak, and that's not fair to you.

If you weren't expecting, I would probably push you a bit, but given that you're going to have a baby in your home, and the fact that she bit your husband and jumped hard on you, worries me. I wouldn't necessarily think she's aggressive or a safety concern, if it was just you three (teen/2 adults), but I think she very likely still has strong puppy tendencies, hasn't been taught proper manners due to her time in shelter, and doesn't know any better. Which would be something you could deal with, if you didn't have a baby on the way.

I wish I had a proper answer for you, but I think the starting point is confirming whether or not she has a UTI or an issue related to her spay, which could be the answer to her peeing everywhere, and could be behavioural problems due to her being in discomfort.

If that gets ruled out, then my suggestion would be to have a trainer actually come into your home, to see her behaviour and your concerns, and hopefully address it from there.

If those are all exhausted, and you are still struggling with her and concerned for your own and your baby's wellbeing, then unfortunately, you may have to find a way for her to be out of your home. At least for the duration of your pregnancy and some time that you determine safe, once baby is here.

I feel for you, and for your pup, but at the end of the day, your wellbeing and anxiety is more important, as is the health of your baby, which is likely affected by both of those.

I wonder if you have anyone who would be willing to take her in for some time, maybe a close friend of family member? Though I imagine you've probably looked at that option.

This sounds A LOT like what happened when we got our rescue pup a year ago. It was like having a 90lb toddler in his terrible twos lol. This definitely sounds like she has anxiety which was the case for us.

Our dog has bad anxiety. He was abused and abandoned which resulted in him being terrified of EVERYTHING. When we first brought him home he refused to leave the couch for days because he was so anxious. It literally took him a month to come up the stairs. He also peed everywhere.. all the time, despite going out for multiple potty breaks. When we left him home alone even for an hour, he would destroy everything. It’s been almost a year and he’s settled in so well, he’s like a brand new dog.

Have you crate trained her? It sounds like she’s anxious and crate training is great for anxiety because it creates a safe space where she can go that is hers and only hers. We got our pup an industrial strength crate because he broke out of the wire one 😅. Try making her crate comfortable for her as well with some fuzzy blankets, toys, and maybe a bed (as long as she won’t rip it up lol). We found that adding a crate cover made a HUGE difference for our dog too since dogs are den animals, it gives them comfort. Some other things that helped us was taking him out for walks frequently to give him exercise and explore new places so he can gain confidence, we got a doggy cam for when we’re away from home so we can check on him for a better piece of mind.

I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I know exactly how frustrating it is, but it does take time for puppies to settle in. I would also recommend calling your vet and bringing her in for a check up as well. It could be something as simple as anxiety as it was for me, or it could be that somethings wrong and she’s trying to tell you guys.

Is she submissive peeing? When you go to maneuver her she pees. This was what my pup did when she was still a puppy. She did grow out of it….shes super anxious and highly excitable.

The reactive dog training worked for us….

I think you know the answer to your question, and I think it is fine to give up the dog. It seems too much for you to handle, especially with a baby on the way. At the end of the day, it is ultimately your choice and you should not feel bad about making a choice that’s best for you and your family. Like I mentioned, you know the answer to your question, and I guess it’s ok to seek confirmation on here, but do what’s best for you.

You and your baby are more important. The stress alone is NOT GOOD for the baby. Anything happening in your blood (stress hormones) is carrying over into the baby's blood and affecting your baby in utero. Stress during pregnancy can cause decreased resiliency to stress irl; aka kids with anxiety, frequent meltdowns, emotional deregulation, depression, etc.

THEN once you have a newborn around and you're functioning on NO SLEEP. You will want this dog even less. You will grow to hate and resent it and the two men you live with.

Lose the dog. Try again later when your baby is older.

(I am a mother who had an 8 year old Pit Mix when I had my first child. She was a good girl to begin with but had zero experience with children and I wasn't about to fuck around and find out... So I had the added stress of constantly watching her body language and staying ahead of her and never allowing her and my child alone in a room together (for YEARS) all while battling the culture shock of having a baby and trying not to show my stress to the dog. I don't recommend it. P.S. she was always good to the kids through the end of her life and eventually, I didn't feel the need to always watch over them together. So, it is possible, but we already had ger under control. She was an older dog with lower energy than a 10m/o. She was eager to please us and didn't show any of the anxiety issues your dog is showing. )

I gently suggest that you return her before she accidentally causes serious harm to you or your baby. Sounds like she's not the dog for you and your family, especially with a baby on the way. Hopefully, she can find a good home that is suitable for her needs - probably no young children or elderly people.

Literally rehome the dog. It's dangerous.

First off, you’re clearly caring people and it is a horrible spot you’re in right now. You admitted she’s taken chunks of flesh from yous - if you keep this dog it would be child endangerment when that baby arrives. I hate to sound harsh but to be frank - a harsh comment is better than joining the leagues of regretful parents whose children have suffered life changing injuries and death because of this sort of thing.

Puppies mouth - but biting hard enough to cause a need for stitches is not normal behaviour for any normal dog breed.

The shelter should be ashamed of themselves for taking advantage of the naivety of first time pet owners - I’m sorry you’re in this position.

I wouldn't be keeping a dog that bites especially when you have a baby on the way.

She needs to be re-homed with someone who isn’t pregnant and about to have the responsibility of a newborn baby. Nobody else here is being real and honest with you. This dog needs a lot of time and work, and I understand that you care for her a lot but right now your priority should be taking care of yourself and getting ready for the stress and hard work of bringing a new vulnerable tiny human into your home. You will not have time for this dog when your baby comes. You will barely have time for sleep and for yourself. Also she should have been rehomed when she caused you to go to the hospital, that isn’t okay and the well being of you and your child supersedes the dog.

Another thing to consider is a pit-bull from a shelter around a newborn is quite risky. You don’t know what her temperament around little babies is like or if she won’t find the baby crying distressing causing her to attack. These dogs don’t typically do well in homes with children despite the misinformation people spread about them being “Nanny dogs”.

Dude. It's a pit mix doing pit mix things. Get rid of the dog. Get an "easier" breed that's family friendly, like a retriever or small breed. There will always he more dogs to get attached to. You're literally PREGNANT. As someone who had a rescue while pregnant, return the dog. It's not worth the stress and possible injury to your baby. If hubby and brother wanna bitch, let them. You and that baby's safety are #1

A tip for the future. Never adopt a pit or mix from a shelter. Shelters love to sugarcoat their behavior or even straight up hide it from adopters. I hope you can figure something out about what y'all wanna do

Getting a rescue pit bull when you are pregnant. Ah.

Pitbulls have no business breeding with labs. Prob why she’s all fucked up. Deserved

Get rid of it immediately. Imagine how that thing will act towards your baby. Your baby will become a pee pad or worse, a chew toy.

There's a pretty good chance this dog kills your kid once it's born.

I am addressing the many comments about crate training. As someone who has a dog with severe separation anxiety and was told by shelter to not crate train her, the confinement and crate environment exacerbated my dogs separation anxiety to the point where she was causing injury to her. So- crate training is not the answer for ALL dogs. If you need to give time out, you can leave the dog in a safe space like a room (dog proof it, remote accessible items) if you need to. However, OP - your dog sounds like is dealing with anxiety related displacement behaviours. My dog was put on clomicalm medication to help with general anxiety but, there are also other meds that can help . Definitely connect with the vet but, I would be cautious to crate train especially if the shelter has advised not to.

Our girl who we also got at 10 months had accidents inside due to an irritated bladder, when I wasn’t offering her 24/7 access to water. Once I fixed that, the accidents stopped.

Check for pain with vet. But honestly if shes biting and drawing blood at 1 year. Its only gonna get worse. She clearly has some issues from backyard breeding.

I would see a vet behaviourist and then when youve exhausted all options under the sun, you may need to BE.

I don't mean to be negative. But it's something to consider as the dog has hurt you and put you in danger and you have a baby on the way and another child.

Some dogs are just born with unpredictable temperments that sre resistant to whatever we try and do to reverse or change it.

There is no way there is golden in there, poor thing must have come from the farthest part of the backyard, I’m not surprised she has this many issues, genetics and early weeks play a big part in the dogs personality.

Personally I would not keep a dog who would bite me (I’m guessing bite lounge or resource guarding and not puppy bites), less with a baby coming soon

You need to crate train her...seriously it will save you and your baby...crate train her.

Is it excitement/submissive peeing?

If UTI or other uro-genital issues have been ruled out by the vet, the peeing might be because she is timid and it’s displacement behaviour. A lot of timid dogs need slow introductions and something like moving her from couch could be triggering. I would be more worried about the biting that she did on the husband and the baby being on the way - if this is fear based biting and general timidness/fear, I would suggest to work along with a vet and a dog behaviourist. Medications such as anti anxiety can help and it takes 4-6 weeks to see improvement in anxiety related behaviours. Many many dogs are on meds for anxiety so it’s worth a try.

Is she very excited before she pees? One of my uncle's dogs used to pee as soon as I touched her cuz she missed me so much after not seeing me for a couple years and she would be too excited. Eventually I had her sit and I wouldn't touch her till she calmed down, and she stopped peeing when I touched her.

I have a high anxiety dog that goes into her crate on her own when she’s feeling stressed or scared. She’s never been crate trained, she just feels safe in there. I have a blanket over it so she feels hidden.

We adopted a terrier from a rescue that took in 25 dogs from hoarding situation. Ours was the runt. He was about a year and a half when we got him. Submissive peeing in everything, never been on a leash, only bonded with me and got aggressive with anyone else. This all lasted for an entire year. We’ve now had him just over 2 years and he walks like a champ. Rarely pees unless something really startles him, and he’s accepted my husband as his spare human. However, I’m the only one that can leash him or approach him. No idea if that will ever change.

Guess my point is, hang in there. It felt like it took forever to get through all the little challenges, and even on hard days I have to really recognize all the progress we’ve made. It will get easier I promise.

I felt the same about my dog when I adopted her. We started doing bikejor every day and most of her behavioral issues went away. She was just too tired to misbehave, and took well to clicker training!

That said... 1yr old high energy dog with a baby on the way...? Not sure about that decision. It's ok to surrender if that's what you need to do. Consider adopting an older dog, or just waiting until the kid is older and in preschool during the day.

I know everyone is different but I adopted my second dog and they told me she was difficult. She had already been returned once. We'd go on LONG walks and she never pee or poop. As soon as we got home, she'd hide somewhere and pee and poop. She had severe separation anxiety and destroyed everything when I was gone. I mean EVERYTHING. I lost all my living room furniture several times (family or friends would donate replacements and she'd ruin those in a few days to weeks). I had to replace the carpet when I moved out of that apartment. The next apartment, I had to replace a door she chewed through.

I've had her 6 years and she's doing SO much better. I'm also doing better. She taught me that she is a living breathing animal and who knows what she went through before I got her. All that other stuff is just material possessions. She taught me priorities. (Now, she never bit or hurt me so I get that that is TOTALLY different.) Every day I think about what hell she put me through. But I absolutely adore her now. My boyfriends lives with us now and he's her favorite. He loves her too! Everyone seems to love her more than my boy dog who was way easier!!

Practically though, besides getting checked for UTI as others have suggested. maybe, leave a leash on your pup all the time (if you're home) so the transition to going out isn't as drastic.

She might need to be potty trained from scratch. After resolving any possible UTI issues: One way (maybe google exact instructions -- its been a while since I did this) is to go outside, let her drink diluted chicken broth (low or no sodium) -- anything she'll drink a lot of quickly. The idea is she'll drink a lot and have to pee while you're still outside. When she does, PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE her. Go inside. Dontngive her water for however long then instructions say or based on your schedule. Maybe 30-60 min. Go back outside and repeat with the chicken broth flavored water. She pees, PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE. Play outside so she doesn't think peeing means outside time is over, instead, she pees, she gets to play. Then go inside.

Repeat as needed.

As far as the jumping. This is pure training and giving her enough exercise. Is she being walked regularly? I love watching videos from Victoria Stilwell on how to train loose leash walking and how to train not jumping. It's not a quick fix but will take lots of time and CONSISTENCY from everyone in the household.

She is also only a one year old. That's like what a 7-10 year old in humans?? I could be wrong about the age conversion but she's a child. Please give her the grace that she's a child. It can take several months for a dog to decompress from leaving a shelter to adjusting to a new home and family. Until that happens, training may be slow going. But positive training can also help or build trust in you for her so please don't give up as long as it's safe to do so.

Feel free to DM me if you want to chat or get other specific suggestions, or I can look up videos from Victoria Stilwell that demonstrate how to do what you're looking to work on.

Also, it's obviously up to you and your vet, but if possible, please use anxiety medicine as a last resort. My girl dog is on anxiety medicine so I'm not knocking it. But it can have side effects and if you can resolve her issues with training, exercise, and patience, why risk the side effects? Again, she's a child. It may not be anxiety at all. Also, some anti-anxiety medicines can decrease a dog's inhibitions...so her biting might get worse. Please discuss that with vet before medicating.

Good luck.

PS I was not pregnant and as much as I love dogs and advocate for working with them come what may, I would never risk the safety of my unborn baby (or born baby) for the sake of a dog. I love dogs, but human children are more important. I get that. So take all my recommendations with the caveat that I was not pregnant and I did not have little children. Also, my dog was never a biter. She was just a Tasmanian devil! Lol

Find a rescue that can handle her behavioral issues, and ask them to take her.

Your dog is also in the middle of adolescence. The issue is they start to push buttons. If this dog has never had proper direction, combined with a teenage brain and high energy can equal a difficult dog.

The peeing may be submissive behavior. I've had several puppies in my time, the time on the couch is earned. Your place is one of several beds or a crate or whatever. Laying on the foot of the bed and couch is earned. Teaching an off is important.

However with a breed mix like this, they're so filled with energy they can't concentrate to learn. Labs can be calm but also crazy depending on the parents. Pits are actually working dogs and very high energy.

With a baby coming I echo rehoming or returning to the shelter. It sucks I've done it once because the adoptee was a danger to our little dog. You feel guilty but ultimately this is NOT a good fit for you but most importantly the dog. Sounds like they need a more active, structured, household.

I would suggest researching breeds and learn more about dog behavior.

If you cannot handle this Pitt as it is, it is only going to get worse and more dangerous. I'd return asap

I feel awful for the poor dog. I can't imagine the anxiety it must have. 10 months is the perfect age for learning. I am not a big fan of training puppies so have always adopted dogs around that 10 month to 1 year mark, the last one we adopted had zero manners, awful on a leash, jumped on people, and within 2 weeks he was a different dog. Consistency and kennel training, a boat load of exercise, 2 or 3 long walks a day of about 2 miles each walk, some enrichment time..treat puzzles, licky mat and talk buttons training has worked for us with every time. A new do is a huge amount of work. WIth you already not liking the dog it is going to be tough. Your husband and BIL need to do the right thing and find it a home where it will be loved and nurtured. Good luck and congrats on the new baby.

If any dog is biting chunks out of you sending you to get stiches, then the first thing you need to check is that it's not doing that out of pain or discomfort.

Play biting can get aggressive at that age but I'm thinking that's not what's happening. It may even be anxiety or fear induced by some sort of trigger, it's hard to say with a rescue as it truly takes months to learn their personality.

She’s beautiful and a lot of the issues can probably be solved with exercise, patience and time. She’s an anxious and high energy teen with an undeveloped brain, and dogs need to exercise for hours as well as learn how to rest.

HOWEVER. I would not trust this dog around children at all. Please take this into consideration moving forward.

Nah girl everything you feel right now about this doggie is Normal and relevant ! Embrace it and stop blaming yourself. I’ve also got an adopted pup ( he was marked aggressive from the beginning due to extreme abuse) and he bit me and my husband numerously, I swear I had same exact feelings that you do! I even almost contacted his rescue to bring him back.

You are searching for solutions, you are not actually giving up on her.

My pup became brand new dog in 1 year, and in 2 years he is my lovely son already and we are inseparable.

The good advice someone gave is crate training, also good to stop peeing around. When you leave house, accomodate her in one small space only or in her crate. There are kinda plastic fences that can be bought online to limit her area of roaming. Seems she wasn’t properly handled as a puppy when she was taught a toilet behavior. Also there are plastic home toilets in Amazon.

Advice number 2, start learning tricks and train her into stop words By Yourself. You can check YouTube or ask dogtrainers for guidance, depends on your budget.

Advice number 3, buy her toys: One squeaky (the plush animal where squeak is hidden inside and she has to “torture” it to discover the squeak), one for playing “pull” with her, one simple

Your dog has extreme anxiety and will need to work with a dog trainer for an extended period. I highly recommend a force-free trainer as she is so nervous.

Introducing a crate for her will be helpful. Some dogs need somewhere they can go when they feel uncertain or stressed. Crate training doesn't have to mean forcefully handling her inside - it can be throwing her bed and a few toys inside and letting her explore it on her own.

After this amount of time, she should be coming to trust both you and your husband. Training tricks or loose leash walking are good ways to build a stronger bond. A dog needs different kinds of exercise - physical, mental, and especially if they have hound in them, nose exercise.

My rescue (a lab) would go berserk if I touched a lead or harness to begin with, and not in a good way. He was terrified. It took weeks, but I got over that hump by taking the lead and just sitting on the stairs by the door until he made the decision to come to me, and then sit when asked. He was given a small treat when he allowed me to clip the lead on. If he changed his mind and flipped out again, I just went back to waiting.

Husband needs to make an effort to not loom over her if she has a tendency to find him threatening. For one thing, many dogs do not like the top of their heads being petted in any way. A great many rescues have an aversion to one gender or the other as well because of past experiences. Approach low and slow, and preferably let her come to him.

A backyard agility set could help further down the line with building her personal confidence, but she'll need to be able to follow direction to some degree for that. Similarly, tug of war and letting them win once in a while helps build confidence, but you need to be sure she is not at all inclined to bite or resource guard.

As for jumping... well, that requires that everyone in the house dissuade the behaviour, and if you're the one being jumped, someone else will preferably need to stop the behaviour. It needs to be consistent, so no encouraging her to jump and get excited after you get home from work.

Good luck.

It looks like you might be posting about bite inhibition. Check out r/Puppy101's wiki article on biting, teeth, and chewing - the information there may answer your question.

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I’d get a third party involved (trainer) who can help establish a new kind of structure which would mean better boundaries for all of you.

I don’t know if I could stomach having a dog with biting history around a child, but I know there’s many people who think this can be managed. A trainer would hopefully help you decide if you see this possibility too or if more drastic measures need to be considered …

Paid for training? What does this mean? Did you not attend with her? Typically, it is the owner who needs the training, not the dog. The advice not to crate was poor. As mentioned by others, the crate can become the ‘safe space’ for the dog. If the pup doesn’t have a UTI or an issue from the spay, likely she is peeing out of fear. You have no idea of her life prior to being surrendered and it seems you have had her for about 2 months? Doesn’t seem like much of a commitment. I can’t help wondering if you are trying to get rid of this dog before the baby is born?

Are they exercising her enough? I had a dog that needed 2-3 hours a day to behave well, otherwise he was irritable and difficult

My dog used to wet herself and just lie in it almost every day. She's a girl, so it could have caused bladder problems, I went to my vet about two years ago and they gave me a medicine called "Protein". She's only had maybe 3 accidents as of now!

Maybe you can ask about that medicine at the vet?

The peeing could be UTI

Crate train, get one tall enough for her to stand comfortably, long and wide enough for her to lay down but just enough, not too large to where she can have room to pee/poop and move away from it. This will likely stop her from defecating within her own space.

Using that logic, take her out every hour until she potties, take her to a spot she feels comfortable with, then keep taking her to that same spot once you’ve figured it out.

If she doesn’t potty within 10-15 mins of you taking her, she goes right back into her crate until the next hour, repeat until she goes then she gets free time outside her crate.

I’d suggest also creating a sectioned off play area that surrounds her crate and fill with an out of crate bed and maybe a blankie and toy. If she’s new to the home, don’t give her full reign until you feel she’s more confident.

You need a dog trainer and some understanding that this kind of aggression is likely fear. Not fear of you per say but fear of whatever happened prior to you.

Going to a rescue centre causes trauma.

As a result, ours is like glue.

Ours also peed constantly every hour. Turns out when they spade her she lost her muscle strength. 3000 pounds later and shes now 100%, with 2 tablets a day.

You need a trainer to teach you how to build trust. You need the vet re the peeing. See if theybwere spade, maybe even phantom pregnancy if spade during heat.

How much exercise and mental stimulation does she get? Your dog of these breeds needs lots of activity and training. You’ve tried everything? But you haven’t said what “everything” is. This makes it hard to give advice or point you in the right direction. Not all trainers are good, so it might be about finding the right one. Have you started crate training? You will need this with a baby. I read you are going to the vet regarding the urination- that’s great! Hopefully this will help.

Edited to add:

Look on amazon for this book. Its a really good start; Sally Bradbbury, Dog Training and Behaviour Solutions: The stress-free way to live in harmony with your dog

After you have spoken to the vet you could try speaking to the shelter your fur baby came from purely for advice. In the UK If they are a large shelter or group of shelters they should have people they go to for advice on rehabilitating the animals they take in.

Honestly, it sounds like you need to step up the training. Get a professional dog trainer in to help. You say you have but honestly, if you actually followed through with a training plan, your dog would be better behaved.

Also, the dog isn't jumping on your stomach on purpose.

You said you're going to the vet, so bring up all of your concerns as there may be an underlying health problem.

Worst case , napies when inside

I hope you figure out the problem, she looks like a wonderful girl

Omg my Dane used to pee on everything and I mean everything when he was younger. He has since grown out of that phase but anytime I would look at him he would run away and pee everywhere he ran to.

I think he was scared tbh. He was just so scared of everything this poor guy. It took him a long while to feel safe unfortunately. But he does now and he doesn't pee unless he's terrified. Maybe you can try dog diapers until the peeing issue has resolved?

I'm not sure if that's similar to your dog. I'm not sure what the history is. We're they abused? If they were it's going to take a lot of work to get them to feel safe and comfortable in your home.

The jumping part. How do you react afterward? Are they trying to get attention when they jump? Is it aggression? Excitement?

I feel like everyone downplays the amount of work it takes to train a puppy. It's A LOT of work and often you feel defeated and sometimes you cry and get frustrated. But it's also so cool to see them grow.

Girl I feel you so hard right now. My dog Banjo has been so so hard. I’ve cried over and over, training can be frustrating sometimes, and you just never know where they came from before you. Keep trudging forward, work with trainers AND veterinarians to help her, keep your head up, you CAN train this behavior out of her (except the peeing might be medical I don’t think that’s on purpose). It’s a long and hard road with rescue dogs. And puppies are hard anyway. You got this.

Many others commented about the peeing inside so I won’t comment on that as it could be so many things (anxiety, submission, incontinence from surgery, not fully potty trained, etc). But how much exercise does she get a day? That makes a HUGE difference in how much anxiety they carry around. Our anxious pup (Weimeraner pit mix) that just passed away had to get cardio exercise for an hour a day until she was 10 years old (she slowed down after that). The first 3 years as a puppy we biked for 2 miles to wear her out each day. Exercise can go a very long way to help anxious dogs. Since there are many attached people in the house, have them all commit to exercising her and see how much it helps. They also need brain activities pit are wicked smart. Lures, Puzzle toys (I really like starmark disks), scent games, yak chews, antlers, all of these things will help. When your dog is crazy high energy redirect to one of these activities. I have a Dalmation so I totally get where you’re coming from endless energy. She’s getting 1.5-2 hours of exercise a day plus mental stimulation and she’s still a little go getter.

She looks like such a sweetheart in the photos! I'm so sorry you are going through this. I don't want to provide advice as I am not a trained professional who can make an assessment but I will say I adopted my pit mix from the shelter and I was his third owner. He is my entire world and I can't imagine my life without him, however I do understand why at least one of his previous owners returned him to the shelter (the other one was an idiot and wanted a dog who hates water to "be the captain of their boat"). I adopted him around 1ish years old, maybe younger, and he was a mess for quite some time. He was mouthy, horrendous on a leash (not his fault, just needed some training) dog reactive, and VERY high energy. It took a good year of training, especially for his dog reactivity, and a lot of looooooong walks to get him to calm down. Now he is the sweetest pup (9 years old), however still dog reactive but it is manageable now.

Most shelter dogs are dealing with trauma from their past lives. The shelter is extremely stressful, being adopted more than once is hard, and adjusting to a new place and family is also challenging! The rule of thumb usually for adopted dogs is 3 months, 6 months, a year meaning; it takes 3 months for their initial adjustment, 6 months to really feel comfortable and their personality to show, and a year before they feel truly safe in a new home. Adopting a shelter dog is, in my humble opinion, a very selfless act. You are diving head first into a situation that is going to be challenging.

With that being said, it is ok to admit being over your head. You mentioned you are 4 months pregnant which is hard enough, then adding a dog with behavior issues on top of that is immensely stressful! You might want to be honest with yourself about the road going forward and think of what would be best for the dog. If you do decide this is not the path you want, I would strongly recommend finding a humane society or foster based rescue organization to surrender her to. Going back to the shelter is just going to make her more stressed and scared. Every dog has the potential to be great! Sometimes it just takes time to find their human match.

The pee could be a medical thing or just an inability to control it in certain exciting situations? Mine did that for too long when he was younger it drove us crazy. But he eventually grew out of it. It does sound a little fear based. A good trainer will probably work wonders. I’d invest in your baby and don’t give up!

First of all can I say that I appreciate owners like you SO MUCH!!! The fact that this dog is driving you up the walls and you still understand that you made a commitment and still love her is such a rare occurrence. Making the efforts to keep yourself and your dog comfortable instead of just tossing her aside as most would is amazing. It does sound like fear based peeing, but as others have mentioned it could also be a faulty spay. If it's fear based, you can condition it out of her, it just takes time and a lot of support from EVERYONE in the household, not just you! Don't hate yourself or feel guilty because you have drifted from the relationship of your dog and you. This happens! The fact you're willing to put in the effort is enough to know that things will go well in the future. It may sound stupid, but I recommend watching some YouTube in free time about counter conditioning dogs from abusive homes. When you move too quickly or raise your hands, does she cower or close her eyes?? That's a tell-tale sign that she may have been abused as well. I wish you all the luck in the world! Thank you for giving this dog a second chance.

Sounds like you need a REAL dog trainer

Have you tried belly bands while she's potty training? We adopted a dog who was intact and would mark EVERYTHING. We put belly bands on him until we could get him fixed and that helped a lot. He's come a long way and now rarely has an accident in the house and it's usually our fault for not being attentive and letting him out enough.

My last puppy (who is now 9) came to us right before I had my first major flare of a chronic illness that saw me mostly in bed for a year and retired within 9 months. I got out of bed one day and had the wherewithall to notice that there was shrapnel everywhere from puppy and her sister kitten. I asked, "Whose dumb idea was it to bring two baby animals into our home?" Well, the answer was me, of course.

Crate training went sideways the first night when hubby couldn't take the crying and wound up in tears within 10 minutes. 🙄 Turns out she was very fond of her crate and would head in there for a nap or quiet time. At night, she came to bed with us. Hallway was blocked off, doors closed and puppy pads were everywhere. I always had one within reach in every room that I could whip under her or move her to quickly. You won't be so anxious and have easier clean up. A torn up puppy pad is less hassle than mopping up pee all day. My Pepper house trained easily to which I credit a yard that had three different predicessors peeing on it for years. Not hard to figure out "this is where we pee" that way. The pads are a coping mechanism, not a "cure" and their purpose is to reduce everyone's stress while this gets figured out.

A crate will do your girl the world of good, as others have detailed. Your rescue shelter was useless telling you not to even try it.

I also agree with having a qualified positive reinforcement trainer come to your home and help you find strategies to help your pup get over her anxiety reactions. Fear biting is a thing and it sounds like that's what may have happened here.

Number one is to take a deep breath and give yourself a break. You adopted a puppy that you were misinformed about and are doing the best that you can. The vet should be a world of help, including suggesting trainers for pup's specific issue - anxiety. Feeling safe is number 1 and they can help you foster that.

You're doing okay. You are trying and learning and that's all anyone can ask. The solutions are out there - you just need to find out which ones are the magic combination for your beautiful baby.

A nose smooch for being a beautiful baby wouldn't go amiss, if she'll let you. 😁

Like others have said, I would rule out medical issues first but sounds like she has anxiety and gets nervous with certain actions from humans, probably steaming from whatever happened to her in the past. I know it isn’t easy sometimes (I am pregnant too and on the hard days I wish I didn’t have my dogs either, so I can totally empathize with you and how the situation is making you feel) but give her some more time, keep showing her kindness and look up training techniques and approaches towards shy/nervous dogs online. Sometimes even eye contact is enough to trigger the urination, dogs communicate through body language so I think it could be helpful to look up better ways to approach her without making her think she's in trouble. She will eventually understand that she doesn’t need to be fearful around people anymore. Adopting an animal requires a lot of patience, kindness and work because you don’t really know what kind of personality you’re bringing home. I have a chihuahua that came from an abusive home. When I first got her, if I sneezed she would hide under the bed, shaking. It took her some time to understand that loud noises didn't mean she was getting her ass whooped anymore. I wish you and your pup the best of luck!! 🐾

Are you guys walking her twice a day for > 30 min? Do you have play time as well set up? My dogs were very destructive until I set up a walk routine and play routine. I have two Jack Russell's and their energy level is on 10000% .

Dogs need a firm routine that is rarely deviated from. They need walks at same time daily, feeding needs to be on schedule as well . Once she understands that routine, you will be amazed at what a sweetheart she turns into.

That and complete vet exam to rule out the UTI. My two dogs were potty trained by nine weeks old.

They make doggie diapers for accidents like that! We utilize them for our littler pups (we have 4) two under 1. They’re amazing to say the least. As for training you may have to start her on crate training which sucks but it’s definitely a good tool. When we got our 10 month old he was 8 months at the time and would not potty outside, 4 days and 2 pees outside is all we got. I started crate training with in the crate at all times unless we were going outside(crate is near front door) hooked him up went outside took diaper off and stayed out there for 15 minutes. Back inside, if he peed outside he got an hour out of the crate if he didn’t he went to the crate for another hour we did this until he knew it was potty time. Crate training lasted about 2-3 weeks and it’s been our saving grace. Make sure she has a lot of toys and stuff to chew on, puppies teethe and we’re dealing with this now. Hard toys, bones, anything they can just chew. Now we did take him out of the crate for energy to be released and for water and food never up for more than 2 hours at a time unless overnight. Set a strict schedule they learn it fast, I have mine(all4) on a 5:30am 11am 2pm 5pm 7pm 9pm and 11pm schedule. Varying gaps due to activity but it helps so so so much!

When you tell her to hop off the lounge, how does she react? What's her body language like?

I would like you to look up Hormone replacement in spayed dogs. It might be something she needs.

We rescued a severely abused dog. To keep her out of things and from chewing the house apart and to help potty train her I got a 6ft dog leash. I attached one end to her and the other to my pants loops. If I got up she had to follow. If she went to chew something I'd get a tug and be able to stop it in her tracks. If she got up to potty I was alerted and would take her out. We also put a bell on the door to take her out. I trained her to ring the bell to go potty. Was our saving grace. Took a few months but did it.