House Training a dog

kay · 01-28-2011

Hi I have a female Staffy who learnt to wee (and occassionally poo) inside from my female maltese x (I don't have her anymore sadly she went about 6 months ago). My Staffy is 20 months old and no matter how many times we put her out, we can suddenly find she has done a wee inside.
I have tried scolding her, tried rewarding her outside, put her outside every 30 mins, and no matter what we do, if she wants to go to the toilet she just goes. Thankfully we have slate floor so its not a problem from that point, but its just so frustrating and I really don't know what to do about this anymore and my husband is not letting our dogs sleep inside at night anymore just so we can reduce the amount she wees inside. She does not go in the same spot she goes in about 10 different places so she doesn't really even have a favourite spot!!! Also she might not wee inside for 5 nights, then will wee inside the next 1 night, or 3 nights there is no consistent pattern.
I have owned 5 other dogs over my life and with the exception of the little dog who used to wee inside on occasion, this is the first dog I can't seem to retrain to go outside. By the way when I rewarded her outside with a treat, she would come inside and wee as soon as she had a chance, so I watched her really closely and realised that she did just a tiny wee so she could get the snack - so I had to stop this. Can anyone help with their previous experiences PLEASE?? thanks Kay ps apologies about my references to wee and poo!!

CorkyMax · 01-29-2011

This is a problem that is mentioned a lot in this forum! If you will go to the top of the page(s) in this forum---See the blue strip that goes across with all the white words in it---go more to the right and find word-Search- click it and put words peeing in house and a bunch of threads will come up about this problem--Hopefully you will find something there that helps. You can also put-- dogs peeing in house--in the search box (after you are done with the 1st search). I don't know if it will give you more/dif. threads or not. One thing I will say, although hopefully there will be info on this in the search you do---You have to make sure there is no urine/ammonia smell in the places she has gone in the house or she will continue to 'mark' these areas---Sounds like it will be hard to find it all with all the areas she has prob. 'hit' but!! Do not use any cleaner with ammonia in it--Urine has ammonia in it and to the dog's very, very sensitive nose--This is urine!

lange · 01-29-2011

Agree with C/M above.

I'm wondering tho how & when you scold her and how & when you reward. Does she pee in front of you or does she do it out of your presence? More detail please.

jameserickson80 · 01-31-2011

It takes a lot of patience in training a dog. When my chee-chee is still a puppy, he tends to pee everywhere inside the house. But when he became an adult, there was a favorite spot where he always pee.

HomeworkCrazy · 02-02-2011

Buy a small carrier (NOT TOO SMALL!) and put in a room where nobody walks through or sees much. When the dog pees or poops in the house, place the dog in the carrier after scolding it; leave the dog in the carrier for about a hour. Then take the dog outside to go potty. Repeat this step until the dog possibly gets the idea.
Also, if you free-feed your dog, the puppy might drink/eat too much, and does not understand the options of food at all times, and will suddenly eat/drink too much at one certain time. If the "carrier trick" doesn't help, try NOT to free-feed her for a week, and see what happens. Attempt to give her some water and food in the morning when everyone wakes up, then again at noon, then perhaps a small amount of water before bed.
PLEASE TELL ME IF THIS HELPS!!!

Slowly Helping,
HOMEWORKCRAZY :X

Yogi · 02-02-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by HomeworkCrazy

Buy a small carrier (NOT TOO SMALL!) and put in a room where nobody walks through or sees much. When the dog pees or poops in the house, place the dog in the carrier after scolding it; leave the dog in the carrier for about a hour. Then take the dog outside to go potty. Repeat this step until the dog possibly gets the idea.
Also, if you free-feed your dog, the puppy might drink/eat too much, and does not understand the options of food at all times, and will suddenly eat/drink too much at one certain time. If the "carrier trick" doesn't help, try NOT to free-feed her for a week, and see what happens. Attempt to give her some water and food in the morning when everyone wakes up, then again at noon, then perhaps a small amount of water before bed.
PLEASE TELL ME IF THIS HELPS!!!

Slowly Helping,
HOMEWORKCRAZY :X

A crate should never be used as a tool for discipline. The OP should concentrate soley on a routine that is consistent ie: feeding and letting the dog out the same time every day. No free feeding but actual feeding times followed by time outside to take care of business. If anything, feed the dog at feeding time in the crate. Get it use to the crate as a safe place where you can put it when you feel it is best for the dog not when it has done bad.

kelmom · 02-02-2011

Is your Staffy crate-trained?

I am by no means a dog training expert but this is what I found worked for our beagle:

1) Put her on a feeding schedule. Unlimited access to food and water means that the dog will have more accidents in the house (at least in my experience).

2) If she isn't crate-trained -- get a crate (one that is not too big or too small). Start putting her in the crate for a short period of time each day. As soon as she comes out of the crate, take her outside for a potty break. Be consistent with it so that she associates coming out of her crate with potty time.

3) After she eats and drinks -- take her outside for a potty break. They say dogs need to go outside about 45 minutes after eating. However, I found that with Toby (our beagle), he needs to go outside 5 minutes after eating and immediately after drinking. Every dog is different but every dog has a pattern. Dogs are a lot like children in that way. They respond well to schedules.

I literally had to follow our puppy around the house when he was out of his kennel (he only goes in the kennel to sleep. Hopefully, we can get rid of the crate once I feel confident that he is house trained). Anyway, by following him around, I was able to head most accidents off at the pass. However, I found that when I let him get out of my site or turned my back for a period of time... he would have an accident. I don't have to do that now because I put him on a schedule.

It takes a lot of consistency and patience but eventually you will get there!

I hope these tips and sharing my experience has helped a bit.

Taming Rover · 02-02-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yogi

A crate should never be used as a tool for discipline. The OP should concentrate soley on a routine that is consistent ie: feeding and letting the dog out the same time every day. No free feeding but actual feeding times followed by time outside to take care of business. If anything, feed the dog at feeding time in the crate. Get it use to the crate as a safe place where you can put it when you feel it is best for the dog not when it has done bad.

Fully agree! Never use a crate for discipline, and also you shouldn't have to scold her for doing something that is natural, the objective here is just to show her WHERE is appropriate to eliminate not that the act of elimination itself is a bad thing. Therefore, Proper crate training and a very regimented routine is your best bet for this. there is lots of information out there and on this forum about how to crate train properly and also many tips for house training in general.

Another question that comes up is where did you get the dog from? was it a reputable breeder, shelter , pet store? Is it possible she could have come from a mill? I don't mean to offend with that question but in general it's instinctual for a dog to not eliminate in the place where he eats/sleeps/spends most of his time so when we work with these natural instincts, house training can be much easier than it's chalked up to be. However when a pup comes from a mill these instincts are not really as present since they are kept in cages and forced to pee and poo in there. This may or may not be the case with your dog but either way, your best bet is to set up a routine, and have patience. Scolding her is not favorable in this situation as it looses trust and more than likely just confuses her.

Also, as kel said, when she is not in the crate you may have to follow her around and make sure she is in your sight at all times (or someone's sight) for a little while so that you can catch her in the act. If you catch her when she first starts to go or even better if you can see the subtle cues in her body language of when she is about to go, then you can make some sort of sound that means "I don't like what you are doing or about to do) like "ahh ahh" or something of that nature, and then immediately bring her outside. and give a treat when she does go. Eventually you will set the right pattern.

Good luck with it!

cigwyllt · 02-02-2011

Quote:

place the dog in the carrier after scolding it;

Please do not do this. It is a sure fire way to confuse your dog and make sure she is unhappy in the crate.

A strict routine including meals and exercise at set times, together with regular trips to the area where you want her to toilet (on a leash works well and discourages play) and constant supervision will work wonders.

Toilet training is the most tedious part of dog ownership. When Manny was a pup I didn't see a whole tv programme from start to finish and I had to take my cup of tea outside if I didn't want to drink it cold! It might help if you make a conscious decision to set aside a couple of days to really work on the toilet training. Don't put her outside on her own, stay with her, reward her and celebrate like a mad thing when she goes in the appropriate place.

But please do not punish her by shutting her in a crate and abandoning her for an hour at a time.

lange · 02-02-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by cigwyllt

Toilet training is the most tedious part of dog ownership. When Manny was a pup I didn't see a whole tv programme from start to finish and I had to take my cup of tea outside if I didn't want to drink it cold!

Ditto here. I just went through it this last summer. When Kuma wasn't crated my attention was on her. You learn their cues & you 'correct' not scold in the middle of an accident. She was house trained under 2 weeks.

cigwyllt · 02-02-2011

Would you agree that sometimes we leave far too much to the dog? I am sure my success in training Manny came from the fact that I watched him like a hawk, he was by my side all the time I was awake and it meant that I learned his body language and learned to know when he needed to go. We had maybe 5 accidents in a fortnight but it was really hard work!

lange · 02-02-2011

I do. I think often times we expect them to think like we do, to understand us more than we understand them. Dogs are smart but they're not psychic.

"like a hawk"..."schedule".."tune in".. There are no better mottos in potty training. I'm with you, you give 100% of yourself for 2-4 weeks & you'll never have to worry about it again unless they get sick which for most of us is a free pass anyway.

helenaldin · 02-15-2011

Your dog may confuse going outside with playing and not equate it to potty time.

Consistency is key when potty training any dog.

HomeworkCrazy · 02-16-2011

A kennel can be used as a punishment as long as you aren't planning on putting the dog in there for any other reason. Our outside kennel is used as our dogs' time-out/punishment area, and we have had several dogs in our lifetime. It didn't hurt them at all, they never became terrified of it, nothing. Our smaller dogs, same way, with a smaller, inside carrier. There is nothing wrong with using a kennel as a punishment, as long as that is all it is going to be used for. If you are planning on putting your dog in there for other purposes, that is a different story. Especially if you board your dog a lot.

SLOWLY GETTING IMPATIENT,
HOMEWORKCRAZY :X

Yogi · 02-17-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by HomeworkCrazy

A kennel can be used as a punishment as long as you aren't planning on putting the dog in there for any other reason. Our outside kennel is used as our dogs' time-out/punishment area, and we have had several dogs in our lifetime. It didn't hurt them at all, they never became terrified of it, nothing. Our smaller dogs, same way, with a smaller, inside carrier. There is nothing wrong with using a kennel as a punishment, as long as that is all it is going to be used for. If you are planning on putting your dog in there for other purposes, that is a different story. Especially if you board your dog a lot.

SLOWLY GETTING IMPATIENT,
HOMEWORKCRAZY :X

Sorry, I disagree. In over 50 years or raising dogs I have seen far too many that have been confused by the concept that using a crate (not kennel) for discipline and trying to reinforce it as a good place so that one may leave a dog in a crate for periods of time and the dog feel comfortable in it does nothing but cause conflict with the dog as is more often than not the dog gets mixed signals.
If you have been successful, than it is not you but the willingness of the dog. Unfortunately, most dogs will not understand this and therefore end up far more confused.

HomeworkCrazy · 02-19-2011

You can think whatever you want to think, Yogi, but it has worked well for us. It was just a suggestion. My friends' dogs have been trained the same way, too. And we all have different breeds of dogs with opposite personalities, so whatever you think is your opinion, it has worked for us, and I suggest this person try it, too.

BEING SUGGESTIVELY ANNOYING,
HOMEWORKCRAZY :X

Yogi · 02-19-2011

I did not say you should not have or did not have an opinion different than mine or several others here that noted the same thing I did. For some reason though you elected to only reply to my opinion when others said the same thing.
I only pointed out that in most cases this does not work. Now when the time comes you have had as many dogs as I have and have worked with as many that are owned by others for as long as I have, than you will understand what I meant by most do not do well with this conflicting routine. I did not state it did not work only that one really should not use a crate as a means of discipline when one is trying to teach the dog that a crate is a safe place and a good place. I appreciate your opinion and you are more than entitled to it, but to elect to reply this way to one of several posts that stated the same thing as I did, makes no sense. In the future you may want to avoid quoting and just simply reply as we all have opinions with regards to techniques and training that we have used successfully and in some cases, many years.

reeskujo · 02-20-2011

First let me start by saying that a few of us here myself included are professional trainers. Those who are not,like Yogi should be as he's been raising dogs forever and a day and as a trainer I can tell you he know what he's talking about!

Noone says you can't have a different opinion or do something with your dogs that others don't agree with. With this said,you're idea of crate training is flat out wrong! It should never,ever be used as punishment but as their safe haven. You can disagree all you like and maybe it worked for your dogs but as a trainer I can tell you that it's absolutely the wrong method!

Does punishing a puppy for having an accident really make sense to you? Would you punish a child who has just started potty training? As Taming Rover said,this is something that is natural to them. Let me also add that any puppy in the potty training process should not be free fed!..It makes potty training much more difficult. They should be on a feeding,potty and play schedule!

Last but not least as a moderator I will tell you that you are boarding on rudeness with your responses to people when you disagree with them. That is not only unecassary but not tolerated on this forum. Feel free to disagree but please be nicer about it. You may also want to do some research on crate training!

abraham · 02-26-2011

If you want to trained her as you want then you required lot of work with her. Importantly required your time as you can give her.