Help! Why won't my puppy get housebroken?

ellabear

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#1
My puppy is now 6 months old, and is still not housebroken! As a small puppy (2 months) she was doing great; using pads if she couldn't hold it, and going outside every time we took her (which was very often).
Now she has regressed to the point where she is having a poop and a pee accident in the house every day, and ignoring the pads.

She was really never crate trained, although she sleeps in her crate every night, and when we are not home, she is confined to the kitchen. During the day, I am usually home, and she stays at my feet all day. Her accidents are happening late in the day, and we take her out regularly. We have tried to bell train her as well, but she never will go ring the bell when she wants to go out; she never lets us know at all that she has to go out. How can we teach her to let us know? She is really really smart; catches on to tricks and such very quickly; going potty outside is a different story

Any advice is greatly appreciated!
 

Doberluv

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#2
I think using the pads has confused her. Pads are inside. So, although you take her outside, she thinks it's ok to go inside too. I'd lose the pads and start from square one. Constant supervision while inside to prevent accidents, which...perpetuate the problem. Take her out often and praise.

You can dab a tiny bit of peanut butter on the bell and when she licks it and rings the bell, open the door. Only put enough peanut butter that when licked one or two licks, she's done and you go open the door. See if that will help.

Use a crate when you can't watch her, even if it's for 5 minutes that you can't watch her. 6 months is about the average age for dogs to be housebroken, but it is by no means the max. Some take longer. My Dobe was 3 or 4 months older than your pup.
 
W

Whitedobelover

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#3
hmmm that is a good idea i was wondering about that bell thing so they would know LOL ill try that myself... mine are almost there... they still seem to wanna go pee in here and occasionally poop but they are still only 4 months old :D thanks doberluv ive learned something too
 

Doberluv

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#4
Good luck Whitedobelover. I didn't do the bell thing, but that's just what I've heard or read. So, I can't say first hand. LOL. My two boys whine when they want to go out and my girl doesn't do anything but stand there by the door. lol...So, I have to just make sure to let them all out often enough. But they're older, my youngest is two, so don't have to go too terribly much.
 
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#5
I am having some severe problems with housebraking my dog. she is an 11 month old English Springer Spaniel and I am desperate. I am asking everyone.... I am having the same problems as stated above, but she is so much older! I am so frustrated. She pees outside no problem, but getting her to poop is a struggle. Also, she never ever lets us know when she has to go, she just goes to the same spot in the same room. It coulld be an hour after we get back inside, and she will go. She is fine in her crate, but not in the rest of the house! We have tried to steam clean the carpets to get the smell out. We have tried the bell on the door. We have tried giving her food at certain times of the day, and taking her outside every 2 hours. We always praise her outside, and give her small dog treats. HELP! I am desperate. I'm at the point where if she hits 1 year and is still not housebroken, I want to get rid of her - which is hard, because my finace is so attached to her, as am I, but I cannot live in this filth. PLEASE HELP!
 
R

RedyreRottweilers

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#6
The first step is to try to PREVENT the accidents inside the house.

CRATE TRAIN or supervise the dog. Close doors and use baby gates to prevent the dog from sneaking off to their preferred elimination spots in the house.

Observe ALL outdoor elimination. FOOD REWARD all outdoor elimination. NAME the elimination functions as they are happening so that the dog can begin to understand what "go pee pee" or "go poop" means. If you go WITH the dog, and say these words EACH time the elimination is happening, and then food reward, your dog will learn to go on command just as he can learn to sit or lie down on command.

To the Original Poster, not crate training your puppy was a mistake. DO NOT leave this puppy to make his mistakes in your home when you are not there.

In over 30 years with dogs, I have never attempted to teach a dog to let me know when it needs to go out, however, they have all learned to do so without fail.

I let my dogs out on schedule. I KNOW when they have to go.

If you are finding spots after the fact, these are every SINGLE one YOUR FAULT, not the puppy's fault.

It is YOUR JOB as her owner, keeper, and caretaker, to have her where she is supposed to be when it's time for her to eliminate.

Don't blame the puppy. Do some research, read some pertinent articles on HOW to housetrain your puppy, and get busy. :D

I am going to bump up my article on housetraining. Feel free to print it out for your future reference.
 
R

RedyreRottweilers

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#7
House Training
Copyright 2004 R L Pless, all rights reserved.
Free for use by anyone as long as author credit remains intact.


House training your dog is simple if you follow a few basic rules.


1) The puppy must have NO time unsupervised in your home. NONE.
If you are not directly watching the puppy, it should be in the crate, or outside in a safe area. You MUST watch the puppy at ALL times when loose in the house. Use baby gates, crates, or tie the leash to your belt.
2) The puppy should sleep inside the crate by your bedside. This way you can hear if the puppy should happen to need to go out during the night.
3) You must go WITH the puppy outside for ALL trips for elimination. You must have treats with you. When the puppy is urinating, say "GO PEE PEE" in a nice praise tone of voice the entire time. When she is finished, pop the treat into her mouth at once, and praise praise praise. This should be something she gets at no other time, like tiny pieces of string cheese or boiled chicken. Same for defecation. Say "GO POOP" while she is going, and food reward and praise afterwards. You must observe and reward ALL outdoor potty time.
4) Keep a schedule. Feed at the same time, and walk outside at the same times. Your pup needs at least 4 trips outdoors each day, and 5 is probably better. Pup needs to go out at wake up time, lunch time, 4-5 PM, after dinner or any other meals, and before bed.
5) Use a key word each time you go out. I say "Let's go out!!" in a happy tone of voice each time I'm opening the door to go out with the dog.
6) If you catch the puppy IN THE ACT of eliminating in your house, CLAP YOUR HANDS, say AH AH, OUTSIDE!! And immediately rush her outside. If she finishes there, do your usual food reward and praise.


The keys to getting your dog reliably housetrained are:


SUPERVISION: NO loose time in the house if you are not watching


REWARDS: ALL outdoor elimination MUST be observed and rewarded. If you only do this ONE thing, your puppy will get housetrained.


PATIENCE: Anger and punishment have no place in dog training. Elimination is a natural and pleasurable experience for your dog. You can teach her to not soil your house, but punishment will NOT help. It will only teach the dog to hide when she needs to eliminate.

If you have RELIGIOUSLY followed these instruction for 4 weeks and you are still finding spots after the fact in your home, it's time to take stronger action. Take a good sized newspaper, roll it up tightly, and band it on both ends. Keep it handy.

The very NEXT time you find a spot that puppy has left, yank out that paper, and hit YOURSELF over the head several times as you repeat: I FORGOT TO WATCH MY PUPPY.

Works every time.

;)
 

Dizzy

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#8
As for the bell, I have HEARD that once a dog has figured out how to use it, they can use it any time, all the time, which can become an annoyance!!

I would recommend feeding at set times. Leave the food for 20/30mins and then take up. Even if it is unfinished. This will set a routine for bowel movements (hopefully!).

Armyants - Go back to the drawing board. Treat your dog as if she is an 8 week old puppy. Take her out every 30mins and praise her when she is out. If she has an accident inside, and you actually see her do it, then a firm No then outside and praise. Otherwise ignore accidents.

On a side note, if your dog is messing everyday, then you need 100% attention. She is a dog, and is not doing it to annoy you, she has not been taught. So in a round about way, it comes down to you for the mess. I don't mean that as an attack, but hopefully it will help teach her.

Feed her on a schedule and write down every wee and poo for a couple of weeks, or a week or so. Find out WHEN she needs to go and make sure you can then tell the signs.

My pup is 5 months, and she ONLY has an accident if I am not there to physically let her out, so at 11 months your pup should be well and truely housetrained. Springers are intelligent dogs, she should have picked it up by now.

How long did you try the other methods for? You need to STICK to it like glue for as long as you can. It may take awhile, but patience is the key!

So... again, back to like she was a tiny 8 week old puppy. If she has an accident, you have to feel it was your responsibilty for not letting her out often enough..

I hope that helps a little bit...! :D
 

Fran27

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#9
You probably just have never let them outside often enough. You shouldn't let your dog out every 2 hours if he is not housetrained, but every hour max... The key is to reinforce that peeing and pooping outside is good, so you need as many opportunities as possible to teach them. Plus everytime they pee or poop inside, it reinforces the bad behavior... RedyreRottweiler's advice is excellent (as usual :D).

Ellabear, I agree that pads are just confusing dogs between inside and outside, so it might take a bit to get her out of that behavior.

Armyants, as I said, letting the dog out every two hours is just not enough. If you've only let her go out so often as a puppy, it's normal that she's not housetrained yet. As of the poop an hour after going out... you should know she will poop after meals, so let her out 30 minutes after a meal, then again 30 minutes later if she didn't go the first time, then again until she does... But if you want to give her up because you made a mistake, what are you going to do if she starts hving more severe behavior problems?
 
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#10
you know what? i dare you people to take this atrocious excuse for a dog. I had a Springer mix before her, and my other dog was fantastic. housebroken at 5 months, she was wonderful.
I tried keeping my purebred Springer on a leash right next to me, just like everyone has suggested (before i even came here) and what does she do? Chews through the leash and runs. I can't handle her anymore... the problem is, my boyfriend and i broke up for 3 months. I left the dog with him, and he let her get away with everything, essentially ruining the dog. he didn't train her, so when i came back, i'm having to untrain and retrain her, all those bad habits he let her get away with. She is a monster, and this is why I'm wanting to give her up. It is not MY fault, it is his fault. So now thank you for the advice, that dog will now be in her crate 22 hours a day. She has my fiance to thank for that.
 

bubbatd

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#11
Army....this is sad for you. But. I do agree, she should have been completely housebroken by her age.
 

Julie

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#12
armyants1027 said:
you know what? i dare you people to take this atrocious excuse for a dog. I had a Springer mix before her, and my other dog was fantastic. housebroken at 5 months, she was wonderful.
I tried keeping my purebred Springer on a leash right next to me, just like everyone has suggested (before i even came here) and what does she do? Chews through the leash and runs. I can't handle her anymore... the problem is, my boyfriend and i broke up for 3 months. I left the dog with him, and he let her get away with everything, essentially ruining the dog. he didn't train her, so when i came back, i'm having to untrain and retrain her, all those bad habits he let her get away with. She is a monster, and this is why I'm wanting to give her up. It is not MY fault, it is his fault. So now thank you for the advice, that dog will now be in her crate 22 hours a day. She has my fiance to thank for that.
You are a really selfish person. I can't even believe what I just read. I hope I am reading it wrong or something.
 
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#13
thanks... untraining and retraining is just so much harder than simple training that should have been done right. i should have taken the dog with me.

question for you all... the guy that lived in the apartment before us had a dog that apparently destroyed the place, according to the landlord. i guess he said that the dog went to the bathroom everywhere in the apartment... the carpets are now brand new, but could my dog be smelling his dog, maybe in the padding underneath the carpet if it wasn't changed? could that be some kind of a problem?
 

coripc33

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The point is, it's not the DOG's fault. Why would you take it out on her? She only does what she was taught. I cannot believe you would punish the dog by keeping her in the crate because the boyfriend didn't take care of her training. I hope that you were upset when you posted that, and I hope you will reconsider. Rehoming her might be a good idea if you can't deal with her, and you seem to be angry with her for some reason even though IT'S NOT HER FAULT, but please don't break her spirit by crating her for 22 hours a day.

I hope you make a good decision that will be in everyone's best interest, including your dog - who has no voice and did not ask to be adopted, then neglected, and then punished. She is not a monster, she is just a dog who was allowed to ignore good manners. She is just being a dog. Please keep this in mind.
 
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#16
coripc33 said:
The point is, it's not the DOG's fault. Why would you take it out on her? She only does what she was taught. I cannot believe you would punish the dog by keeping her in the crate because the boyfriend didn't take care of her training. I hope that you were upset when you posted that, and I hope you will reconsider. Rehoming her might be a good idea if you can't deal with her, and you seem to be angry with her for some reason even though IT'S NOT HER FAULT, but please don't break her spirit by crating her for 22 hours a day.

I hope you make a good decision that will be in everyone's best interest, including your dog - who has no voice and did not ask to be adopted, then neglected, and then punished. She is not a monster, she is just a dog who was allowed to ignore good manners. She is just being a dog. Please keep this in mind.
do you have another suggestion? when i let her free, she pees and poops all over the house. when i keep her on a leash next to me, she chews through it. when i keep her in a single room of the house, she chews through everything and destroys everything. do you have any other suggestions for me?
 

Babyblue5290

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#17
armyants1027 said:
do you have another suggestion? when i let her free, she pees and poops all over the house. when i keep her on a leash next to me, she chews through it. when i keep her in a single room of the house, she chews through everything and destroys everything. do you have any other suggestions for me?
for the chewing, get more toys, bitter apple spray and spray it on the things she chews, give her more excersize, more training (mental stimulation), just do MORE things to keep her occupied.
 
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#18
Babyblue5290 said:
for the chewing, get more toys, bitter apple spray and spray it on the things she chews, give her more excersize, more training (mental stimulation), just do MORE things to keep her occupied.
she has so many toys - seems like more than i had growing up! lol, not quite, but they're everywhere. stuffed toys, ropes, rawhides and bones, and she just likes to chew on things she's not supposed to. thanks for the advice... i'm going to call the vet now.
 

shepluvr

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#19
housebreaking

If you feel that way about her then maybe she is better off with someone who will take the time to train her properly and love her the way she needs. Keeping her crated for "22 hours a day" is just plain cruel. :( Do her a favor and find a rescue group or loving individual who will treat her correctly.
 

Julie

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#20
armyants1027 said:
nice to meet you too.
Hey when you read something in this setting you can only take in what is in a post. Maybe you are just frustrated or something.

I am sure all of us would enjoy helping you through these problems......lots of good advice here. But you really have to try it without fail for days and days before you will really know if it is working or not.

But when someone gives advice and then gets a post back to forget it.....I am just going to crate the dog for 22 hours a day........It gets me if not others ticked off. I mean we are dog lovers on here. And don't like to see dogs neglected or abused.

Where is the boyfriend at anyway? I guess you live together?

So maybe we can all start over if you don't neglect the dog we can start helping you. If you don't want to try, then the best bet is to rehome the dog, not to crate him for 22 hours a day.;)
 

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