Help me get this dog housebroken!!!!

[TexasErin]

We adopted a Cairn terrier mix from the ASPCA mid-April. He (Sammy) is so cute- he has a white stripe down his chest and he looks like a little skunk, lol.

As far as we know, he's somewhere between 1-2 years old. He is neutered. We were told that the foster dad was working on getting him housetrained, but that Sammy still had some issues.

He has pooped probably a dozen times in my house and occasionally pees in the house. I go outside with him and stand around to praise him if he potties outside, but a lot of times, he won't do anything. If he knows you're irritated or in a hurry, he just starts shaking (I don't know if maybe he was previously abused, but we certainly don't yell at him and he still shakes if he senses that you're getting impatient and telling him to go potty).

For example, last night, DH and I went outside with him before bed, but Sammy didn't potty. DH and I just stood around talking and pretending to ignore him so he Sammy didn't feel pressured or anything. We debated letting him sleep in DS's room, but decided that maybe Sammy had went recently and just didn't need to go, so we let him sleep in DS's room. When I got up this morning, Sammy had peed and pooped in the bedroom. I tried to get Sammy to come out from under the bed and he wouldn't budge (This is typical Sammy behavior. He likes to lay under the bed and he's very stubborn and doesn't come when you call him, so I don't think that he didn't come because he thought he was in trouble. He just never does what you ask him to, lol). I retrieved him and carried him outside. He wouldn't leave the porch. I told him a couple of times to go potty....he didn't....so I'm sure he could hear in my tone that I was in a hurry; I did have to get to work. (I did not raise my voice at all, but I wasn't baby-talking him anymore.) He wouldn't go, so I put him in his crate.

Help!!!!! How do I pottytrain my little skunk (aka....Maxwell Sheffield- one of his many nicknames). Any tips? I've never had this much trouble training my dogs. I have a female Boxer and a female Great Pyrenees and they were both much easier!!!!

 

[minkydog]

It sounds like you're giving him way too much freedom. Until he is reliably housebroken you need to either keep him connected to you by a short leash or put him in a crate when you can't be directly eyeballing him. The crate is not used as a punishment--it's his safe place. Make sure the crate is only big enough for him to turn around in or he'll just squat there in the back of the crate and sleep in the front.

We got a little Bichon-poodle from the pound in March. He is sweet as can be but he's dumb as a box of rocks. I know that this breed can be hard to housebreak so from the beginning I have kept Tiki in sight at all times. The first 4 weeks I kept him on a leash and he went everywhere I went--to the fridge, to the bathroom, out the back door. I also have a baby gate across the stairs so he can't just take a walk up there and poop(which he has done on the few occasions when we haven't been diligent enough.) I have a crate by my bed that he sleeps in at night and one in the living room that he goes in whenever we are gone or can't pay close attention to him. I have to say that every single accident this dog has had has been our fault. We take him out about every 2-3 hours, more often if I see him sniffing around.

Hang in there with him. You just need to tighten up on things. He has to learn that the Alpha (that would be you!) will show him where to go and what to do. All great things come from the Alpha. Don't let him off leash until he has gone at least 2 weeks without an accident in the house.

 

[low-key]

Maybe if he sees one of you poop outside he will also do it

 

[Scrappy_Tink]

I think the first thing I'd do is start crating him. Don't let him run free in the house until you can trust him. However, being a bit older, he might not take to a crate easily.

Look up on the internet How to Crate Train your dog...that'd probably be easier than trying to explain it, though I'm sure you already have an idea of what I'm talking about. It's NOT cruel!!

Small terriers are notorious for being stubborn and hard to housebreak, so it's not going to be easy. I have a small Yorkie I adopted from friends that had to PCS to Germany. They SWORE she was potty trained....but, well let me put it this way, she potty trained ME. I'm trained to get up every couple of hours (not at night) and let her outside and she's fine...otherwise, she'll piddle in the house. When we go to bed though, she stays in bed all night and doesn't go anywhere.

Good luck!! It's really hard adopting a dog, not knowing it's history.

 

[Scrappy_Tink]

Crate Training an Older Dog
You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

Crating an older dog can be challenging at best, because older dogs have developed bad habits that are hard to break. They can be set in their own ways and often resistant to change. On the other hand if you have developed a good relationship with your dog, then she will be eager to please you and thus, do what you ask of her more readily. Whatever your reasons are to crate train your dog, and whatever her experience, you must exercise patience. Your older dog will not learn as quickly as a puppy, and she may forget more easily. Give her compassion, and love through out the process.
Crate training is the term applied to training your dog to go to one certain place, usually a kennel (or crate) to sleep, for travel, or just to get her out of the way when guests arrive. An older dog, that is no longer a puppy, may need to be crated when you are not at home if she is destructive. Some older dogs may urinate or defecate around the house if not crated; this might be an indication of a medical problem, so be sure to have your dog checked by a veterinarian to rule this out. Another reason to crate Fluffy would be to allow her "quiet time" away from the children. She may also be fearful of things, such as thunder, and the crate would give her a place to hide and feel safe. It is much more dignified for Roscoe the Rotweiler to sit in his crate, than to cower under the bed during a thunderstorm.

Crates range in size and type from small plastic totes to large wire cages. The size and type of crate is up to you. But, you should consider the size and breed of your dog when choosing one. For instance, if you have a Toy Poodle, you do not want a crate that is so large you can stand up in it. By the same token, you do not want a tiny crate for Roscoe the Rotweiler. Ideally, you dog should be able to walk in, turn around and lay down comfortably. This is a good rule of thumb for most dog breeds. There are some breeds, such as the Chow Chow (as well as some individual dogs), that may have a problem with feeling closed in. They may become very stressed when confined in a small area. In this case you will need to select a crate with a very high ceiling, or none at all. You may want to try a large wire cage for this type of dog, or consider using a spare bathroom or laundry room if your dog needs more space.

Eventually, when your dog is comfortable with her crate, she will come to think of it as her den. Thus, a crate that is too big will not allow her to feel secure, nor hold in her body heat; while one that is too small will make her feel cramped.Take her with you when you chose a crate, so that you will be sure to get the right size and she will feel included in the decision.

Now that you and Fluffy have selected a crate, the real work begins.

Fluffy may not want to go into the crate once you get it home. Do NOT force her!

Start by leaving the crate somewhere with the door open. She may go in out of curiosity, let her. She may go in and out as a game. Let her do that too. Let her get used to the crate being in her house. Let her know that it's not a big deal, but that it's not going away, either.

Begin to feed her in the crate after a day or two. First leave the door open so she can come and go as she pleases. With her food in there it will give her a sense of ownership. Soon she will think of it as her crate. Gradually, shut the door, first while she is eating, then open it to allow her to leave. Slowly increase the time she spends in her crate, a little at a time. Go away when the door is closed. Open it when you return. This will reinforce to her that she goes into her crate when you are gone, and that you will never forget about her.

Do NOT spank her and then put her in her crate. The crate can not represent a punishment. If she sees it that way then it will be of no use. She needs to feel safe and secure in her crate. That way when she goes in there she will want to stay. She may even come to think of the crate as her "room". She may even go to her crate without being asked. When she is asked she will enjoy the experience.

Always be sure to allow Fluffy to go outside after she has spent time in her crate. This reduces house-soiling accidents. Speaking of accidents, if she has one in her crate, do NOT clean it up immediately. Let her stay in there with it for an hour or more, the longer the better. This way she will realize soiling her crate is unacceptable, you won't always be there to clean it up, and she will NEVER do it again.

Be sure you keep children away from the crate while the dog is in there. This could frighten or agitate the dog and she may not feel safe in her crate with children beating on it or kicking it. Also, if children or other dogs are allowed to go into Fluffy's crate, she may not appreciate it. If she is an alpha dog (i.e. very possessive) someone may get hurt as she tries to defend her territory. If she doesn't feel possessive about the crate, then she may no longer want to use it, if someone else is. She would no longer see it as hers. The best thing to do is impress upon everyone in the house that the crate is Fluffy's and no one else's.

Along with Fluffy liking her crate, she needs to know that there are times when she must go in at your request.

Practice this by saying, "Kennel Up" and placing her in the crate. Then praise and/or reward her. Soon you can say "Kennel Up" and she will get into her crate by herself. The "Kennel Up" command is standard and used by groomers and veterinarians to get animals in cages. However, if you have children you may be more comfortable with "Go to your room". There is nothing more amazing than saying, "Go to your room" and seeing the children and the dog going off to their respective rooms. Just shut the doors and relax.

Whatever command you use, be consistent. Do NOT confuse the dog with multiple expressions for the same thing. Also, make sure everyone in the household knows the appropriate command, so Fluffy will have no doubt what is required of her.

To successfully crate train an older dog you want a crate that is comfortable and secure. You want to exercise patience and understanding, but be firm and do not give in. Also be kind; if Fluffy really wants out, let her out. Try again later. She'll get the picture eventually. These things take time. Lastly, you want to be consistent. Practice everyday, and multiple times a day. Some dogs are more stubborn than others are and the key is you. Between you and Fluffy, you should have a great crate training experience.

 

[CruiserMom]

It sounds like you're giving him way too much freedom. Until he is reliably housebroken you need to either keep him connected to you by a short leash or put him in a crate when you can't be directly eyeballing him. The crate is not used as a punishment--it's his safe place. Make sure the crate is only big enough for him to turn around in or he'll just squat there in the back of the crate and sleep in the front.

We got a little Bichon-poodle from the pound in March. He is sweet as can be but he's dumb as a box of rocks. I know that this breed can be hard to housebreak so from the beginning I have kept Tiki in sight at all times. The first 4 weeks I kept him on a leash and he went everywhere I went--to the fridge, to the bathroom, out the back door. I also have a baby gate across the stairs so he can't just take a walk up there and poop(which he has done on the few occasions when we haven't been diligent enough.) I have a crate by my bed that he sleeps in at night and one in the living room that he goes in whenever we are gone or can't pay close attention to him. I have to say that every single accident this dog has had has been our fault. We take him out about every 2-3 hours, more often if I see him sniffing around.

Hang in there with him. You just need to tighten up on things. He has to learn that the Alpha (that would be you!) will show him where to go and what to do. All great things come from the Alpha. Don't let him off leash until he has gone at least 2 weeks without an accident in the house.

This is the best explanation of how to housebreak a dog I have seen!

 

[abdmom]

Take him for walks twice a day. Males need to mark their territory - aka pee multiple times in different spots. Taking him to the yard for a few minutes won't do it.

 

[aaarcher86]

Crate training. Do it!

Maybe if he sees one of you poop outside he will also do it

That's what worked for us!

 

[low-key]

That's what worked for us!

 

[Cantw8]

Maybe if he sees one of you poop outside he will also do it

 

[clutter]

Do you give him treats? I'm not a dog treat person, so the dogs get one maybe every other week, if that often. So, when my younger male got stubborn, I took a milk-bone, broke it up into pieces and would give him a piece when he went outside. Didn't take long for him to stop peeing in the house. Once it became a habit, I didn't have to do it all the time, then I stopped.

 

[TexasErin]

Thanks everyone!

I will have DD keep him on a leash when he's not in his crate. I also like the suggestion of treats and have thought about that to try to coax him out from under beds easier. He is a very stubborn little boy- he's lucky that God made him so cute, lol, or else I might try to find him a new home (only kidding- our pets are part of our family and we would never get rid of any of them).

Thanks for the suggestions. Hopefully we can get him trained quickly.

 

[minkydog]

Thanks everyone!

I will have DD keep him on a leash when he's not in his crate. I also like the suggestion of treats and have thought about that to try to coax him out from under beds easier. He is a very stubborn little boy- he's lucky that God made him so cute, lol, or else I might try to find him a new home (only kidding- our pets are part of our family and we would never get rid of any of them).

Thanks for the suggestions. Hopefully we can get him trained quickly.

I use small bits of Pup-eroni. Every time I take Tiki out I have him perform "sit", give him the treat, and clip his leash on. When we come back in we do it again--"sit", treat, unclip. It doesn't take much. If I so much as look at the leash now, Tiki will be circling my feet, ready to sit at my command--and get that treat.(don't be too impressed. it's the only command he recognizes, LOL)

 

[Lilliputian]

We once had a dog (puppy) who was a little harder to train than others we'd had before. We crated him, and we made sure to do these things to help him out:

• We always said "outside" as we were walking out the door. After a few weeks, we could say, "Do you want to go outside?" to see if he got excited about going outside or not.
• We hung a bell on the back door that he could ring. We made sure to ring it every time we took him out. After a while, he started ringing it when he needed to go out.
• When he would go potty outside, we'd say, "Good go potty! Good job going potty!" After a while, we started saying, "Go potty" as soon as we walked out the door, and he knew what we meant for him to do. A house guest once told him to "go potty" while I was trying to take the dog outside. He got his shoes peed on.

Ours was a puppy, so I don't know how much those things would help an older dog, but they really helped him. It gave us some vocabulary to be able to communicate to him what we wanted him to do as well as giving him a way to tell us when he needed to go out.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Since he is a Cairn Terrier, I would train, train, train.... This is a dog that can learn quick and complex steps with words. This is a breed that needs to be on leash with you at all times to start with. It will establish leadership as well.

Put that dog "on leash" 24/7. When he is not "on leash" he is in the crate. Do not allow ANY free roam until he is 100% housebroken.

Walk this dog many times during the day. Use a 6ft leather leash and train him to heel right away.

In addition, I would look into getting some "dog puzzles" for him. They are ratters and need to dig. They need to be challenged, similar to a border collie.

I would most certainly "bell train" the dog for housebreaking.

Good luck with your new pup!

 

[mombrontrent]

Sorry if I am hijacking this thread but I have some questions as the new owner of a 9 week old Boston Spaniel (half cocker spaniel, half boston terrier). This is our first family dog and we are pretty much clueless.

We have no crate and no plans for one. Is it really necessary? The one day we had to leave her home for 5 hours we put her in the basement bathroom (it's fairly large) with a bowl of water, her dog bed, a couple toys and some newspaper on the floor. She didn't soil in the room at all but went immedietly when we got home and took her outside. She only had a couple in house accidents the first couple days. Other than that we take her outside frequently and for several walks and she's fine. In fact as soon a you put her on the grass she will pee most times.

I have seen a couple people mention keeping them on a leash at all times in the house. I am confused by this as well. We give our puppy free rein of the house but she mostly just follow us around anyways. She always wants to be by someones side or in their lap. We move her dog bed around the house and she will go to it and sleep there if no laps are available. I let her sleep in my DD's room at night and she will sleep there all night on her doggie bed with no accidents. Is this a problem?

We have taught her a couple commands which she picked up extremely quickly such a "sit" and "come". It only took one afternoon for her to master "sit" as once you get her to do it once and she gets her treat she will keep sitting and look around for more treats She knows her name and will come running to you when you call her. We don't want to overwhelm her by trying to teach her to much at once so how quickly and how much should we try to teach her? My kids want to teach her how to "shake" and my DH wants to teach her "lie down" but is it too much to soon? We have only had her less than a week.

 

[aaarcher86]

Sorry if I am hijacking this thread but I have some questions as the new owner of a 9 week old Boston Spaniel (half cocker spaniel, half boston terrier). This is our first family dog and we are pretty much clueless.

We have no crate and no plans for one. Is it really necessary? The one day we had to leave her home for 5 hours we put her in the basement bathroom (it's fairly large) with a bowl of water, her dog bed, a couple toys and some newspaper on the floor. She didn't soil in the room at all but went immedietly when we got home and took her outside. She only had a couple in house accidents the first couple days. Other than that we take her outside frequently and for several walks and she's fine. In fact as soon a you put her on the grass she will pee most times.

I have seen a couple people mention keeping them on a leash at all times in the house. I am confused by this as well. We give our puppy free rein of the house but she mostly just follow us around anyways. She always wants to be by someones side or in their lap. We move her dog bed around the house and she will go to it and sleep there if no laps are available. I let her sleep in my DD's room at night and she will sleep there all night on her doggie bed with no accidents. Is this a problem?

We have taught her a couple commands which she picked up extremely quickly such a "sit" and "come". It only took one afternoon for her to master "sit" as once you get her to do it once and she gets her treat she will keep sitting and look around for more treats She knows her name and will come running to you when you call her. We don't want to overwhelm her by trying to teach her to much at once so how quickly and how much should we try to teach her? My kids want to teach her how to "shake" and my DH wants to teach her "lie down" but is it too much to soon? We have only had her less than a week.

All of the suggestions are personal preferences. If what you're doing works for you it doesn't make it wrong.

Every dog is different. If not using a crate works for you guys and you're not having issues I'd stick with it. I'm personally a fan of crate training - it makes it easier to potty train in general and becomes a safe/quiet zone for the dogs.

She's still just a baby but its never too soon to start training! I'd just keep it fun and not force anything at this age. Sounds like your puppy is doing great