Could use the advice of other dog owners.

cassanova · #1 06-28-2010, 09:22 PM

I'm having a difficult time house breaking my dog. She's being crate trained. She'll whelp and whine when she's in the crate when she has to go, I've even caught her standing by the door when she needs to go out, though not very often.

The problem is that she'll go outside then go again inside shortly after letting her back in the house. I'm at odds now as to what to do because if she doesn't stop going inside the house then she's going to have to go. (Not my choice on that one) I also feel bad for having to keep her penned up in a cage all day including when I'm home.

Any advice on how to curb the issue would be very much appreciated.

blendermassacre · #2 06-28-2010, 09:32 PM

have you tried to force her outside for longer than she wants?

also, why do you have to keep her penned up when you're home?

cassanova · #3 06-28-2010, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blendermassacre

have you tried to force her outside for longer than she wants?

also, why do you have to keep her penned up when you're home?

Yeah, I keep her outside for a good while. I keep her penned up when I'm home because she'll piss or crap on my floors.

**Staccato** · #4 06-28-2010, 10:14 PM

How old is your critter? It takes awhile for the younger pup's bladders to handle a 'load' for hours on end. That's why housebreaking training w/ taking out every hour or two is suggested for the young ones-at least when you are not at work.

Eight or nine hours is long enough for an adult to be crated. It sure helps if someone can give them a break and let them out and/or walk them in the middle of your work day.

**TheFantod** · #5 06-28-2010, 10:16 PM

First thing, get her on a normal schedule. Go outside with her, don't just "turn her loose." When she pees or poops outside, heaps lots of praise on her. Get her to understand the word "go potty." When she potties and you praise her, she'll start getting the idea.

How old is she? The rule of thumb is a dog can "hold it" for about 1 hour per age in months. (3 months old means she can hold it 3 hours). Keep that in mind.

If you haven't already, go to Petsmart or your local pet place and pick up some "Nature's Miracle." It's got an enzyme in it that destroys all traces of pee & poop. Give all the areas she's soiled a good cleaning. Otherwise she'll keep going in the same place.

Whatever you do, don't scold her when/if she pees or poops in the house. It will just confuse her. But if you catch her in the act, pick her up and carry her outside. She should quickly get he idea that outside is the place to do her business.

Most of all, be patient. A dog has to be taught, and it won't happen overnight. Just be consistent, use positive reinforcement, and praise her when she potties. She wants to please you, she just doesn't know how yet.

electracoyote · #6 06-28-2010, 10:16 PM

Are you using positive reinforcement (reward) when she goes outside?

You need to get some little liver treats or something like that. The moment she does her business outside, you need to give her a treat and praise her with petting and kind words.

She goes inside, you move her out the door as quick as possible.

It won't take her long to catch on. Go outside, treats and pets. Go inside, nothing but a quick shuffle to the door and a trip outside.

She should start saving it for outside, and then it will become a habit.

popinfresh · #7 06-28-2010, 10:21 PM

Positive reinforcement when she goes outside! Keep a close eye when you come back inside and the moment it looks like she is going to go or needs to go again, bring her to the door with positive reinforcement and then take her outside.

blendermassacre · #8 06-28-2010, 10:22 PM

as others have alluded to (read: said) it may be the length of time between potty breaks that's the issue. also, right after eating is a good time to go. Our dogs always seem to have to poop right after they eat. Keep up the positive reinforcement and you'll succeed.

KillerQuebec · #9 06-28-2010, 10:24 PM

My dog pooped in the house once. I got very angry and rubbed his nose in the steamy pile and he has never pooped or pee'd in the house ever in 12 years since. I don't like to traumatize my animals, but I can't stand living in a house that smells of animal waste. That's the only time I was ever mean to him,but it seemed to work for both of us. He is a camel now. And I have always had a doggy door so he can go whenever he wants too.

electracoyote · #10 06-28-2010, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blendermassacre

as others have alluded to (read: said) it may be the length of time between potty breaks that's the issue.

Dogs do not defile their den in the wild, and they sometimes for safety reasons, warmth, darkness, etc. have to remain in the natural den for many hours at a time.

I think the problem is the dog hasn't come to identify the house as its den. It doesn't distinguish between inside and outside. The dog needs some encouragement.

Anyway, I can leave my dogs (all three) alone in the house for many hours and no problems when I return. They've been socialized to know you just gotta save it for the lawn.

electracoyote · #11 06-28-2010, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KillerQuebec

My dog pooped in the house once. I got very angry and rubbed his nose in the steamy pile and he has never pooped or pee'd in the house ever in 12 years since. I don't like to traumatize my animals, but I can't stand living in a house that smells of animal waste. That's the only time I was ever mean to him,but it seemed to work for both of us. He is a camel now. And I have always had a doggy door so he can go whenever he wants too.

This works with some dogs, but will confuse and traumatize others. Not recommended.

blendermassacre · #12 06-28-2010, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by electracoyote

Dogs do not defile their den in the wild, and they sometimes for safety reasons, warmth, darkness, etc. have to remain in the natural den for many hours at a time.

I think the problem is the dog hasn't come to identify the house as its den. It's just marking like it's outside. The dog needs some encouragement.

Anyway, I can leave my dogs (all three) alone in the house for many hours and no problems when I return. They've been socialized to know you just gotta save it for the lawn.

I was saying that if it's a puppy, this may be the case, not in general for adult dogs. We're in 100% agreement.

electracoyote · #13 06-28-2010, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blendermassacre

I was saying that if it's a puppy, this may be the case, not in general for adult dogs. We're in 100% agreement.

Ahh, gotcha. Right you are.

KillerQuebec · #14 06-28-2010, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by electracoyote

This works with some dogs, but will confuse and traumatize others. Not recommended.

I agree. And I don't want it to sound like I did a Hanibal Lecture on him and threw him down a well and make it put the lotion on it's skin. The whole exercise lasted 5 to 10 seconds.

And I don't even punish him when he nips at me when I put meds in his ear. Cause I know he's just being a dog. Actually spent a ton on a trainer to help him with anxiety when he goes to the vet.

Jim Campbell · #15 06-28-2010, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cassanova

I'm having a difficult time house breaking my dog. She's being crate trained. She'll whelp and whine when she's in the crate when she has to go, I've even caught her standing by the door when she needs to go out, though not very often.

The problem is that she'll go outside then go again inside shortly after letting her back in the house. I'm at odds now as to what to do because if she doesn't stop going inside the house then she's going to have to go. (Not my choice on that one) I also feel bad for having to keep her penned up in a cage all day including when I'm home.

Any advice on how to curb the issue would be very much appreciated.

take the dog out to do her thing,and learn to recognize the signs that let you know she wants to poop/pee.....when you go back inside watch for those signs and immediately pick her up and take her outside the moment you see them...then praise every time she makes it outside...it takes a while,but it appears that there is a habit to break and that will take longer.....how often and how long are the walks.....if the dog is bored or wants attention,peeing will get some.....

cassanova · #16 06-28-2010, 10:52 PM

She was 5.5 weeks old back on May 20th when I posted a thread about names for German Shepherds. we got her so she's about 11.5 to 12.5 weeks old now.

I have been using the praise method when she goes outside. I have also scolded her a time or two when she went inside. Didn't obviously work so I don't do it anymore. She also gets taken out pretty frequently, every few hours. I usually do not take her out in the middle of the night though. We have a big yard that's a prime habitat for snakes and what not that go on the prowl at night. For the life of me, I can't figure out why she'd be going in the house within a few minutes of being outside.

Some other things I've also tried thus far which kind of work are:

Taking her outside before feeding her, then again about 20 minutes after feeding her. When I'd feed her in the morning she'd pee on the floor before eating.

Pulling her water dish during the times I do allow her out of the crate. She does get to have a drink before being crated back up though. Then pulling it again at night.

beelzelboss · #17 06-28-2010, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KillerQuebec

My dog pooped in the house once. I got very angry and rubbed his nose in the steamy pile and he has never pooped or pee'd in the house ever in 12 years since. I don't like to traumatize my animals, but I can't stand living in a house that smells of animal waste. That's the only time I was ever mean to him,but it seemed to work for both of us. He is a camel now. And I have always had a doggy door so he can go whenever he wants too.

Thats what we did with our dog. Took her a while, but she caught on quickly. Whenever we left her home for a long time when we were out and she did it, we would just pick her up rub her nose in it a little, but not make as big of a deal as we use to. It was a little mean, but my mom was always giving off that "I'm going to kill you vibe" when cosmo would go in the house...
And another thing, it doesn't have to be "going potty" ours is "doing business"

Just some thoughts.

blendermassacre · #18 06-28-2010, 10:58 PM

I think, maybe, a routiene is your best bet. When I get up in the morning (between 8-9), I go let the dogs outside to pee. While they're out, I feed them, make them go back outside. Get ready, let them go outisde. Go to school for 4 hours, come back, let them outside. A couple hours later, I'm about to go to work, so I le

keep it as consistant as you possibly can, especially at first.

also, where did she come from? hopefully a reputable source?

Jim Campbell · #19 06-28-2010, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cassanova

She was 5.5 weeks old back on May 20th when I posted a thread about names for German Shepherds. we got her so she's about 11.5 to 12.5 weeks old now.

I have been using the praise method when she goes outside. I have also scolded her a time or two when she went inside. Didn't obviously work so I don't do it anymore. She also gets taken out pretty frequently, every few hours. I do not take her out in the middle of the night though. We have a big yard that's a prime habitat for snakes and what not that go on the prowl at night. For the life of me, I can't figure out why she'd be going in the house within a few minutes of being outside.

Some other things I've also tried thus far which kind of work are:

Taking her outside before feeding her, then again about 20 minutes after feeding her. When I'd feed her in the morning she'd pee on the floor before eating.

Pulling her water dish during the times I do allow her out of the crate. She does get to have a drink before being crated back up though. Then pulling it again at night.

you can only correct behavior when you catch them in the act.....if she starts to pee,thats when you pick her up and take her out,even if she pees as you are carrying her out.....she should get the idea....i'm not a big fan of crates,except for travel,and it could be that the crate is confusing her into thinking that the inside of the house is outside

electracoyote · #20 06-28-2010, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KillerQuebec

I agree. And I don't want it to sound like I did a Hanibal Lecture on him and threw him down a well and make it put the lotion on it's skin. The whole exercise lasted 5 to 10 seconds.

You're fortunate in that you have one of those very smart, very sensitive dogs and it only took the one time.

I have two Great Danes. When they form a bad habit, it's far worse than most dogs because of their sheer enormity. So I had to learn how to train these dogs and get them to avoid inappropriate behaviors very quickly.

When my Dane pups started biting, even in play, I would grab their tongues and hold on, or open my hand inside their mouths so they felt my finger nails in the soft tissue, followed with the command "NO BITING." They learned really quick that biting is wrong. You can't let a dog think it's okay to bite, even in play, especially a large breed, because they can do serious damage. It also socializes them to think they are the Alpha and can intimidate you at will.

So, yeah, every once in a while, a negative consequence in the form of a little discomfort is not a bad thing, especially if you're asserting your dominance and teaching them you are the Alpha.