Help me with my puppy!!!

[Gagirl69]

My Maggie is a daschund. She is 7 months old. Why is she soo stubborn getting potty trained. We are bedding down for the night so I take her outside. All she does is sniff, sniff, sniff. Then she comes running back up the steps to come inside. I kept telling her Go Pee Pee. (Thats her word) Well, I got aggravated with her so now she's in her crate. She sleeps with us, so I guess I will let her stay in there for a little while then take her out again.

Oh yeah, I know she has to go potty because she keeps sniffing inside and tries to go hide somewhere. When she goes outside, I dance around and tell what a good girl she is. She also gets a treat. I don't know what else to do. Any Suggstions?

 

[Piecey]

So.. she is going in the house? You never said anywhere in your thread.

Took us about 4 months with Rink when we finally got serious about it (he was 2 years old by then, he'd just been carted around too many times!)

 

[Gagirl69]

Yeah, she will go in the house if we don't watch her every move

 

[phragmipedium]

Give her some time. I hear smaller breeds are harder, but when it happened with my lab it was like overnight she got it. I think she was five-six months old. Don't stay out there forever; give her five minutes or so, encourage her like you're doing, and keep taking her out until she goes. Then praise her like crazy with your word - like "Good pee pee!" I don't know much about doxies, but if they are eager-to-please dogs, she should pick it up in time.

It helped us to keep our lab in her crate at night. She didn't want to go in her crate, so she'd whine when she needed to really go and then we'd let her out. We tried letting her stay out of the crate in the night when she was newly pottytrained, and if she didn't wake us with a whimper she'd go on the floor, so I think the crate was a really good tool.

Be patient and keep at it. She'll get it.

 

[Piecey]

Yeah, she will go in the house if we don't watch her every move

Rink finally got it whenever we took him to where he did it, showed him (made it obvious what we were saying) and took him to the door and made him scratch it. (Some people say to use bells, as to not ruin the door, but Rink is small and there has been no damage to the door)

If it's #2 we took it outside and showed him where it goes after doing the door thing.

Now he always goes and sits by the door and scratches when he's really gotta go and we aren't noticing.

(ETA- A couple times we soaked up the pee-pee with a paper towel and rubbed it outside too, while showing him!)

 

[AlexTina]

Do you rub her nose in it when she goes in the house? I know this sounds a bit mean but give it a try. We had the same problem and a good friend of mine said that this is exactly what it took with her dogs. They were constantly going in the house and even though they were disciplined and immediately put outside and told that's where to go they wouldn't do it. Finally one evening another friend was over and the dog pee'd in the house, they explained the situation and the friend took the dog and rubbed her nose in it (literally make contact with the pee) then took her out, it only took her getting her nose rubbed in the pee about 2 more times and she finally got it. We did the same thing with our dog and she pee'd in the house maybe 3 or 4 more times after that. I would rub her nose in it while telling her no no outside. Then I would take her out, when she pee'd outside I praised her, petted her, told her how wonderful she was, etc.. She finally got it!! We used to have to keep her in her crate whenever we would leave the house and at night. Now she can roam free. Good Luck!!

 

[quasar4legs]

[QUOTE Do you rub her nose in it when she goes in the house? I know this sounds a bit mean but give it a try.

Please do not rub your dogs nose in their own urine, this is not acceptable and may make the dog fearful. Our vet and dog training instructor are both adament that this is the wrong thing to do to any animal and not a suitable training method.
Lots of positive praise for the correct behaviour is the way to go and also make sure you are cleaning up properly after 'accidents' in the house. You can get special cleaners from the vet that will help take away the smell.

Good luck, puppies are so much fun.
Trish

 

[AlexTina]

[QUOTE Do you rub her nose in it when she goes in the house? I know this sounds a bit mean but give it a try.

Please do not rub your dogs nose in their own urine, this is not acceptable and may make the dog fearful. Our vet and dog training instructor are both adament that this is the wrong thing to do to any animal and not a suitable training method.
Lots of positive praise for the correct behaviour is the way to go and also make sure you are cleaning up properly after 'accidents' in the house. You can get special cleaners from the vet that will help take away the smell.

Good luck, puppies are so much fun.
Trish

Give it a try or dont' it's up to you. It worked for us. I'm not talking about forcing the dogs face into it harshly just take her to the pee, put her nose in it, and tell her outside. It didn't seem to scare my dog at all.

I am curious though why is it not suitable? I'm not being snarky I'm truly curious, could it harm them in some way?

Tina

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Yeah, she will go in the house if we don't watch her every move

That's key - watching her. It sounds like you're doing the right thing. I would keep her out until she goes, though. My current dog would take forever, too, but I just waited and praised when she finally went. Keep doing this until she gets the idea. Just bundle up! LOL

Do you rub her nose in it when she goes in the house?

I'm sure this was well intentioned, but do a quick search and you'll see from experts everywhere it's bad advice. I agree with quasar, please don't do this to your dog.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080816232524AAfB7lU (Puppy Mummy's advice is my favorite here. )

 

[hjd0411]

I found the best thing I would do with my puppies was take them outside:
1. When they wake up.
2. When they finish eating.
3. After inside playtime.
4. Before going to bed.
5. When really little, I would get up once through the night to take them out too. (Sometimes my shifts worked well and I was able to take them out when I got home after midnight, or before I started work at 0-dark-hundred!!!)
6. If none of the above had happened for a few hours, they went out then, too!

Perserverance is the key - and consistency, which is hard sometimes. Now I have 2 dogs who don't do anything at all in the house - and haven't since they were 2-3 months old. (Although Skye, who is 17, sometimes has an accident inside - I ignore that - she's an old lady who's allowed an indiscretion every now and then!! )

I'm sure that you will soon have a puppy who does what he needs to do where and when you want him to.

 

[quasar4legs]

[QUOT Give it a try or dont' it's up to you. It worked for us. I'm not talking about forcing the dogs face into it harshly just take her to the pee, put her nose in it, and tell her outside. It didn't seem to scare my dog at all.

I am curious though why is it not suitable? I'm not being snarky I'm truly curious, could it harm them in some way?

Tina

Hi Tina,
The premise is that if you put the dog's nose in urine that the dog may become confused and fearful of you and it can make toilet training harder. Let's face it it must be a fairly unpleasant experience for a small puppy who is trying to learn right from wrong and then they have their nosed put into their own waste.
Helping them to learn the right behaviour by structuring the environment so that they experience success seems to be what most dog trainers and vets advocate.
When I got my first dog as a child 30 odd years ago lots of people made the suggestion of 'the nose in urine' or a 'smack with a newspaper' but I believe even then the breeder was against these practices.

I guess it's a bit like the debate about smacking. children.........hard to get everyone to agree about that one as well.
Glad things worked out so well with your dog, they bring such joy to the family. We've had our dog, Quasar 6 years and she is everybodies favourite family member.

Cheers
Trish

 

[Katy Belle]

When we were ready to buy a puppy I wanted a Daschund. In my research I learned that they are difficult to potty train and many never train 100%. Of course it is possible, many owners have done it. If I were you I'd try to find a forum specifically for Daschund owners, even a Daschund rescue. They may have some specific information that will help you.

Good Luck!
Katy

 

[The Mystery Machine]

No free roam until potty trained. You do crate, outside, crate, outside.
Have to be strict.
The dog has to be on leash in the house. PITA however it can be done.

I have 2 dogs and 1 of them was "trained" to go on carpet. Took us 1 yr to train her but we did it.

Have to be consistent and the boss of the house.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Former obedience instructor here.

Please don't rub your dogs nose in its business. As someone said it can make your dog fearful and depnding on the breed, especially yours being a headstrong breed could make the situation worse, because the dog will rebel.

As a pp stated, you need to quit giving the dog free reign. He should be in the crate, or within your reach at all times. So if he stoops you are there to get him outside quick. The dog should not sleep with you until he is fully trained.

And the key is consistency.

 

[winkers]

I feel your pain. I have 2 dachshunds. My first took almost 2 years for her to 'get it". Now our almost 1 year old is still convinced she should poo where ever she wants.
Keep trying and eventually she will get it.

 

[Gagirl69]

OP here, I think I posted last night around 11:00. I let her stay in her crate last night for about 30 minutes then I took outside and she peed. She woke me up at 1:30, so I took her outside. She wouldn't do anything so I put her back in her crate and she stayed there the rest of the night. She normally sleeps with us. She does have a certain spot that she goes outside. I haven't rubbed her nose in it. The vet told me on her first visit not to do that so I never have. I think I may try leashing her to me, that way she can't try to go hide and potty. She knows what she's suppose to do,she's just stubborn. I've had many people tell me they are.
Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. She will get it sooner or later. Looks like it's going to be later....

 

[kacaju]

where did you get her from and how old was she. If she was a pet store pup and spent too much time in those wire cages they can be harder to housebreak (they are used to going whenever they have to).

 

[robinb]

I had the same problem with my Standard Poodle. She wasn't potty trained until she was almost 2 and she still has the occasional "accident". They are supposed to be smart dogs, but mine is as dumb as a rock. I finally got tired of cleaning up messes and committed to a long term attempt at potty training.

Here's what I did:
(1) My dog was either in her crate or tied up next to me. NO EXCEPTIONS.
(2) I took my dog out 3 times a day for a 10-20 minute walk. She went out in the morning, in the late afternoon and then at night before bed. If she pottied I did the "potty dance" and gave her lots of praise and treats.
(3) She slept in her crate at night. She cried and barked the first couple of nights but settled down after that.
(4) I looped a leash around the table leg next to my desk or around the leg of the couch in the living room. That way she was with me, but not allowed to roam.
(5) I did this for about 3 weeks. After 3 weeks I would release my dog from the leash/crate only AFTER she pooped and peed outside and then only for a few hours. She earned her limited freedom and after a couple of hours she was back under direct supervision.
(6) As a couple more weeks went by I extended the time when she was off-leash/un-crated until she was loose all the time.

If I don't keep up with regular walking (like if I just let her outside to poop/pee more than once a day) then she will hold it and sneak into the basement to potty. If she does that, she is back on the leash next to me for a week.

The biggest mistake that I made was taking my poodle out all the time as a puppy. She never learned to "hold it" until she was walked and would find a place in the house to eliminate when she had the urge.

 

[Gagirl69]

I actually got her from my daughters friend. Her doxie had pups so we bought one. I would never buy from a pet store.

 

[2BigKIdz]

As others have mentioned, no free roaming through the house. My breed is supposedly very easy to train, but I allowed him free reign through my 2 story house from the time we brought him home and was having a very difficult time with training. He would sneak off to an area we weren't in and do his business. Once I restricted his area to the area we were in he was trained in no time. I didn't use leashes but baby gates to keep him in the same room with me but able to move freely in the room. I guess I would have tried the leash method had this not worked.

Also, pet stores have something called a "pee post" that goes in the yard, is about $10, and is supposed to attract where you want them to do their business. I haven't tried it but am thinking about it as I am getting a new puppy Saturday.

We had a daschsund when I was about 5. His name was Puddles because he always peed in the house.