Please help...

I dont know what we are doing wrong with housebreaking our dog...

If he has to go he'll just go...no matter where he is...he honestly shows no signs of having to go...he'll just squat and pee. He will literally be walking across the kitchen, midstride, just squat and pee.

He can poop after his dinner...go to bed in his crate...DH can let him out before he goes to bed..then again 1st thing in the morning...then I can take him out before I take the kids to school..and I can come home to him having pooped in the crate!!!! (meanwhile he hasnt had anything to eat or drink since the night before!!!)

If this makes sense he knows to go outside..but he doesnt know NOT to go in the house...

We are no where closer then we were months ago..no matter how on top of him we are....

Just tonight I took him out...fed him dinner....left the kitchen while he was eating to use the bathroom...came back 5 minutes later and he had already pooped..

I cant take it any more...

Message edited 3/13/2009 9:55:53 PM.

Re: Please help...

I'm having the same problem with my dog!! What I find is helping alittle is put food out for a certain amount of time. My dh times it and then if she doesn't eat it in the time period given, he takes it away. About 20 minutes after, we take her out and usually she will go. Timed feedings help you time when she will need to go to the bathroom.

Re: Please help...

Heather 2 things to check in the absence of barraging you with ?s about your doggie
1) Is he otherwise healthy? I don't know how old he is or if he's fully vaccinated but if he picked up giardia or a UTI he could have a physical problem requiring antibiotics in order to help?
2) Its keeeeey to remove the poop/urine scent thoroughly from the floor & crate where he's gone; only an enzyme cleaner will get rid of that - Nature's Miracle is the BEST

YOu don't say how old your puppy is, but if he's under 12 weeks it's generally too early to have full bladder control. If he's over that then it's a different issue!

Also do you go outside with him on potty breaks? We did that with our pup, we leashed her and brought her to the same spot every time, and there was NO playing or goofing around, this is a BUSINESS trip. AFTER she "made" we praised her like CRAZY (YAY SOPHIE, SOphie went potty, sophie is GREAT, my neighbors must've thought we were insane) and gave her a little treat, something *wonderfully delicioius* that she never got any other time, I think we used a small thumbnail size bit of cheese.

If you catch him IN THE ACT of going on the floor it's ok to let out a firm "NO" and bring him outside directly. Correcting him "after the fact" will have no effect, they can't connect the "mess" with the "act" and some dogs get a little neurotic after being yelled at for something they don't understand

Set him up for success (i.e. no access to other rooms in the house, water bowl removed after 9pm, etc); consistency and PREVENTION are the way to go....

If you record his "feeding/watering/accidents" in a log for a week there may be patterns that emerge or there might be other suggestions that can help??

Re: Please help...

Posted by colette

Heather 2 things to check in the absence of barraging you with ?s about your doggie
1) Is he otherwise healthy? I don't know how old he is or if he's fully vaccinated but if he picked up giardia or a UTI he could have a physical problem requiring antibiotics in order to help?
2) Its keeeeey to remove the poop/urine scent thoroughly from the floor & crate where he's gone; only an enzyme cleaner will get rid of that - Nature's Miracle is the BEST

YOu don't say how old your puppy is, but if he's under 12 weeks it's generally too early to have full bladder control. If he's over that then it's a different issue!

Also do you go outside with him on potty breaks? We did that with our pup, we leashed her and brought her to the same spot every time, and there was NO playing or goofing around, this is a BUSINESS trip. AFTER she "made" we praised her like CRAZY (YAY SOPHIE, SOphie went potty, sophie is GREAT, my neighbors must've thought we were insane) and gave her a little treat, something *wonderfully delicioius* that she never got any other time, I think we used a small thumbnail size bit of cheese.

If you catch him IN THE ACT of going on the floor it's ok to let out a firm "NO" and bring him outside directly. Correcting him "after the fact" will have no effect, they can't connect the "mess" with the "act" and some dogs get a little neurotic after being yelled at for something they don't understand

Set him up for success (i.e. no access to other rooms in the house, water bowl removed after 9pm, etc); consistency and PREVENTION are the way to go....

If you record his "feeding/watering/accidents" in a log for a week there may be patterns that emerge or there might be other suggestions that can help??

Re: Please help...

OK then! Welll I don't know about the testicles (I've only had girl dogs my whole life!) but I don't *think* that's the problem (you can call your vet if you think it's related to the problem though). But at 6 months, yeah he should be past the 'accidents' by now , so maybe these other tips will help a little... regarding the crate, usually when a dog 'goes' in his crate it's either because he's in there for too long of a stretch OR the crate's too big (he should have just enough room to stand up and turn around in there), if the crate has too much room you can try to 'section off' part of it until his training is 100%.
You seem to be able to get him outside frequently which is great, but do you know if he's actually 'going' when he's out there? He may be getting distracted... And exercise stimulates all the plumbing so if he's romping around out there he might find he needs to go once he's inside and you're gone in the morning?
I think a week of really RIGOROUS observation will turn up some answers; if you can catch him in the act use that as an opportunity for "no!" and scoot him outside.
It's frustrating but hang in there, this can be corrected!
You didn't mention his food, but what breed/weight is he? What brand are you feeding him? I'm just wondering if he might be getting too much food, or if there's something about the food that's not agreeing with him... Another suggestion is to feed him 2xa day (morning & night) in smaller amounts, vs. 1 larger meal in the evening. That's recommended for all dogs but most of us don't follow it, logistics being what they are. But if you can manage to try that it may in fact help...
That's all I got, I'm sure some of the pros on here will be more helpful!

Re: Please help...

Posted by colette

OK then! Welll I don't know about the testicles (I've only had girl dogs my whole life!) but I don't *think* that's the problem (you can call your vet if you think it's related to the problem though). But at 6 months, yeah he should be past the 'accidents' by now , so maybe these other tips will help a little... regarding the crate, usually when a dog 'goes' in his crate it's either because he's in there for too long of a stretch OR the crate's too big (he should have just enough room to stand up and turn around in there), if the crate has too much room you can try to 'section off' part of it until his training is 100%.
You seem to be able to get him outside frequently which is great, but do you know if he's actually 'going' when he's out there? He may be getting distracted... And exercise stimulates all the plumbing so if he's romping around out there he might find he needs to go once he's inside and you're gone in the morning?
I think a week of really RIGOROUS observation will turn up some answers; if you can catch him in the act use that as an opportunity for "no!" and scoot him outside.
It's frustrating but hang in there, this can be corrected!
You didn't mention his food, but what breed/weight is he? What brand are you feeding him? I'm just wondering if he might be getting too much food, or if there's something about the food that's not agreeing with him... Another suggestion is to feed him 2xa day (morning & night) in smaller amounts, vs. 1 larger meal in the evening. That's recommended for all dogs but most of us don't follow it, logistics being what they are. But if you can manage to try that it may in fact help...
That's all I got, I'm sure some of the pros on here will be more helpful!

Re: Please help...

Heather, I hate to say this but I known 2 friends w/ male boxers & both had bathroom issues (even as adult dogs)...they'd get excited & wet or when company would come. I'm hoping its not a breed thing & it probably isn't.

To help you though, if you catch him, shake a can w/ pennies inside (makes a real annoying noise they hate) or you can also try clapping your hands to startle him.

Is he still limited to a specific area of your house?

Re: Please help...

We were feeding our six month old 3-4 times a day, smaller meals ...

She still gets food 3X a day at a year but the midday meal is just a cup. She gets two cups AM/PM.

I'd say look at the feeding schedule along with logging his bathroom behavior.




ETA: I'd personally also skip the canned food.

Also, does he go when you take him out before taking the kids to school? And then ALSO goes in the crate while you are gone? If he' not going before you leave, don't leave until he has (get him out earlier so you can wait him out) ... Maddie goes "potty" on command (DH had trained his dog to do this) and I can get her to go when I first get up and again after I've fed her before I leave for work. It's worth giving a try to work on!

Message edited 3/15/2009 2:45:16 PM.

Re: Please help...

I think that maybe the undescended testicles can have something to do with it. I tried to do a google search but there was so much to read about the condition. I'm just thinking that it's something that is anatomically different and the shifting of things could make it harder for him to "hold' it. Also, still having testicles makes dogs a bit more likely to pee indoors.

Sometimes the housebreaking just takes a long time. I have never considered Oscar to be 100% with housetraining, yet I suddenly realized that he did not have any accidents all winter, even when he was refusing to stay outside for long. He is 5 now and this is a very good stretch for him to go without an accident (but don't worry, he still vomits for me sometimes ).

I can ask some of my dachshund people about the undescended testicles or anything else you want. Most of them are dog people who have experience with lots of breeds--it's just that I know them as dachshund people. Many of them know as much as some vets know.

Re: Please help...

Posted by colette

Heather 2 things to check in the absence of barraging you with ?s about your doggie
1) Is he otherwise healthy? I don't know how old he is or if he's fully vaccinated but if he picked up giardia or a UTI he could have a physical problem requiring antibiotics in order to help?
2) Its keeeeey to remove the poop/urine scent thoroughly from the floor & crate where he's gone; only an enzyme cleaner will get rid of that - Nature's Miracle is the BEST

YOu don't say how old your puppy is, but if he's under 12 weeks it's generally too early to have full bladder control. If he's over that then it's a different issue!

Also do you go outside with him on potty breaks? We did that with our pup, we leashed her and brought her to the same spot every time, and there was NO playing or goofing around, this is a BUSINESS trip. AFTER she "made" we praised her like CRAZY (YAY SOPHIE, SOphie went potty, sophie is GREAT, my neighbors must've thought we were insane) and gave her a little treat, something *wonderfully delicioius* that she never got any other time, I think we used a small thumbnail size bit of cheese.

If you catch him IN THE ACT of going on the floor it's ok to let out a firm "NO" and bring him outside directly. Correcting him "after the fact" will have no effect, they can't connect the "mess" with the "act" and some dogs get a little neurotic after being yelled at for something they don't understand

Set him up for success (i.e. no access to other rooms in the house, water bowl removed after 9pm, etc); consistency and PREVENTION are the way to go....

If you record his "feeding/watering/accidents" in a log for a week there may be patterns that emerge or there might be other suggestions that can help??