I am no trainer but I’ve been successful with the all the dogs I have owned.
With an older rescue I resign myself to the fact that there will probably be unwanted results for the first couple of weeks.
With potty training I make sure I have a great cleaning tote set up. I don’t crate, I don’t hit, rub noses, or get physical at all. I find that dogs are shamed pretty easily, I use that.
I mostly use a leash every hour or so to take them out about every hour, even at night. If I notice one trying to go potty inside, I make a big noisy deal of it. I usually make a big emphasis on the first syllable of their name— BUUUUUUford!!! NO! bad! bad! bad! Then I promptly leash and take outside, even before cleaning.
When back inside I will get all my cleaning supplies and let them watch while I scrub, complain and whine— bad, bad bad! I make a big deal of it, they will usually hang head, twist ears back and forth— they KNOW. Mine have always HATED being shamed.
I have not dealt with many male dogs as I favor females because of the hiking males do. In my den the two sofas are near the patio door and my dogs love to lean on the sofa ends or lay against them, I let them but I keep a nice towel draped over the ends they favor. Maybe while you train you could use a terry plastic backed cloth over your cloth furniture?
With the table jumping it might just be how he was raised. Many people keep their hounds outside in small cages/kennels with wooden shelter boxes in them, the dogs always seem to get on top of the boxes. At least that is what I have observed. It will probably just take time and patience for that to stop.
My dogs learned what furniture they are allowed on but it took time and patience. They can’t get on my living room or den sofas but they can get on our bed and the loft sofas. I do cover my living room sofa if we are going to leave them alone, because they will sneak up to watch out the window. I can see the pillows knocked over and wrinkles in the cushions, so I know they broke the rules. hahaha!
He will learn, it will just take time, patience and consistency. Shame them, they HATE it!
Tote: My favorite spot cleaner is Blue Magic Carpet stain and spot lifter, it is usually found in the automotive section. The large bottles of hydrogen peroxide are handy, too. For scrubbing and cleaning the area I use Bissell pet stain and odor. 3-4 old towels, a good scrub brush that has the handle over it, a roll of paper towels and gloves.
My dogs almost NEVER go inside and if one does, she is sick. They just don’t do it, it is too embarrassing for them. Good luck and I hope it works out for you and Buford!
Crate training and short lease.
OK, if you want another laugh, picture this. I enrolled Max in agility training and he was a picture in motion when engaging in jumps. I got the idea that I wanted a picture of him leaping towrds me while airborne that I could use on my annual Christmas letter.
So we got out into the pasture,, and I set up a jump and positioned him on the other side. I got on the opposite side and crouched down with my camera and called Max. Of course he came barreling at me, cleared the jump, and slammed right into me, knocking me on my back. He looked so worried and chagrinned — he just stood there.
It wasn’t the first, or the last, time that something like this happened. He started chasing a cat around our yard when he came here on his introductory visit with his foster mom. We were all trying to catch him and he accidentally clipped my husband in the back of the knee, knocking him to the ground like he’d been hit by a linebacker. Max just screeched to a halt and looked at us as if to say, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”
The good news is that he calmed down quickly and became an excellent companion, office, traveling dog who was welcomed into homes all over the country.
The dog is used to (trained) to crawl over, under, on and around rubble, etc. to find what he’s been let LOOSE to find. What makes you think you can stop him from that?
The stubbornness is single-mindedness, hounds are just hardheaded. They're very food motivated, so reward treats are the way past it.
The climbing is a breed trait too. He's apparently never been a pet. It takes work to break it. I let mine put her front paws on my shoulders and scan the ceiling, for coons I guess, lol. We're safe from ceiling coons when Sue's on watch.
Name, eye contact, interaction, he's been one dog out of many and taught to obey basic commands useful for hunting. It'll take him some getting used to being addressed individually and to see your efforts as having meaning specifically for him. Once the lightbulb goes off in his head, that dog aha moment, is incredible to see, they're overwhelmed with emotion. Mine started crying and whining, and would run up to me for weeks afterward just to lay her head in my lap and look up into my eyes.
It takes patience, what you're wanting him to do is foreign to him. But, dogs want praise, they want to be “good.”. Work with him and stick with it. He'll come around.
YAY! I’m so glad you’ve decided to give Buford a chance to adapt to your pack. Much of what you’ve posted is very encouraging about his ability to do so. I see you’ve already received excellent advise that should be extremely helpful.
One thing I haven’t read in the replies is the issue of Buford’s recent neutering. If I recall correctly, he was only neutered about a week, or maybe two weeks ago. When an older dog is neutered, it takes 2-3 months for their testosterone levels to gradually drop. It’s entirely possible that you will continue to notice him becoming calmer and perhaps less inclined to mark as the weeks progress and he’s less influenced by testosterone.
Good luck, and I’ll enjoy reading your updates!
Great to hear your making progress! We took in a dog who had been found in the desert, here in El Paso. Her name is Mysty. She is a 50 lb Pit/ and possibly Dalmatian or Boarder Collie as she liked to heard our other dog around by nipping at her heels at times, and trying to heard the cats as well. We crated her and it became her little indoor den. She goes in it by herself and chills out. Less and less do we lock her in there when we are away. When we got her she was about 1 year old, and still had a lot of puppy left in her. She’s 3 now and a very loving, and sweet Dog! She was quite a handful at first though! Good luck with Buford!
I am not very good at dog training, BUT I take my yorkie to classes with instructors that are amazing.
They know how dogs think and can train their dogs to do - or not do - just about anything they want.
I’d suggest enrolling Buford in a class or getting personal training with a good instructor.
In comparing teaching my cat and dog tricks, my dog wants to please me and will do just about anything to do that. (The cat just wants treats). So I would think a good trainer would know how to stop him from demanding attention or getting on tables. My dog is ridiculously easy to train compared to my cat. And he gets dejected if I’m not pleased with him. The marking thing - I have no idea if that’s something that can be unlearned - but a diaper is an option if it is not.