I've learned (from reading here) and my own experience, that if they're not house broken and you have to turn your back, they need to be in a crate, until they learn not to pee in the house. If this just means taking her out, letting her pee, and putting her back to bed, then thats what it means. She'll pick up pretty quickly with that, ontop of consistent super good girl praise when she does go outside.

Always say the same thing when you take her out "Do you need to go out" "Outside" whatever you want. Some people here also instruct go pee and go poo.

We kind of did a variation of this. If we noticed her about to go, or in the middle of going (this isn't always pleasant!) we'd grab her and beeline for outside "Saying outside, Coda, outside" and then we'd give her treats for finishing outside. If she did it in the house before we would catch her, she'd get a "No" and get put in the crate.

Also, I think the first time a dog lets you know they need out on their own, is just as important for praise as doing their business outside is. Atleast for my dog. She's that way with anything, tricks, commands etc. If she doesn't get a rediculous amount og praise the first few times she does it all on her own, she's not really interested in doing it at all. And after that she becomes really consistent.

Everything Munkos said. Crate training and lots of praise, plus a treat (often, not every time) when they come back indoors after successfully going outside.

Once we get outside, we say in a cheerful voice "Hurry up!" until they go, then lots of praise. Hurry Up is less embarrassing when we're out in public or at the Motel 6, say. But one of our dogs was already trained when we got him to "Go potty!" which isn't too bad.

Yup,agree with having a crate. Exspecially at night.Then first thing in the morning take the pup outside and she should go right away.

This is a cut and paste that I have sent out before, and addresses most issues you are dealing with.

I know what you are going through. It is not a pleasant situation.

Good luck!

I do think it is very important for you to pick a system and stick with that, rather than switch. Switching will only confuse you and your pup.
Here is a step by step method that worked for me. It also has worked for others. I did do a cut and paste thing, but modified it to your issue.

1. First you need to realize that you are starting to miss or push the edge for prime potty training time for your pup. Also, as I found out, not all dogs are the same in this category. Having said that, you need to start treating pup like it is 2 months old. Dig into pups background and try to find out if it was traumatized. If it came from a pound or rescue league, there is a possibility that it was. Not good for any dog, especially one that is a pup and simply does not know much in potty habits etc.

2. Crate training is essential when trying to house train your pup. If this is an issue, put an old sheet or blanket over the crate. When pup starts to whine or do something you donÂt approve of, LIGHTLY (you donÂt want to scare pup into next year)tap on the crate and firmly say STOP. This command will also help you when your dog is getting into mischief. ItÂs direct and to the point, it stops the pup and it will associate the command with the crate noise. When pup starts to go indoors, you must get itÂs attention so it will stop. If that means using a loud voice, then so be it. NEVER HIT THE DOG OR RUB ITÂS NOSE IN IT. THIS WILL ONLY DAMAGE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR DOG, PLUS, IT DOESNÂT KNOW WHY YOU ARE DOING THIS. Sorry I yelled, but this seems to be a common thing some people do, and it's useless.

MOST dogs wonÂt go in their crate. If pup does, for a few days, do not put any blankets on the floor. This should cure that problem. Because you are treating your pup like it is 2 month old, you need to supervise it every second it is not crated. Using a leash when it is out is also very important. You can easily grab the pup and take it out when you need to. Crating unless you can watch pup every second will allow you complete control. If you can't catch pup in the act when itÂs doing something wrong, scolding is useless. Pup simply won't know why you are mad.

When crating while you are away, try playing soothing music. All dogs love this, especially pups. It keeps them calm.

3. When pup is crated, the instant it comes out, take it outside. Get pup used to the words "go pee and go poop". Praise pup like it is the best dog in the world when it does something. Then give it a treat (boiled chicken liver is best, dogs crave it). Soon, pup will associate doing itÂs thing with a yummy treat. You also need to go very heavy on the praise and treats when pup does anything you approve of (that means, peeing and pooping on regular walks, drinking water, sitting, just laying around, anything that will reinforce positive behavior).
You also need to start taking pup out about once every 15-20 minutes (gradually increased after a few weeks)after the initial trip directly out of the crate. If it doesn't do anything, that's fine, if it does, do the praise and treat thing.

4. Pups drink huge amounts of water. In theory yours should be able to hold it for (one hour for each month). In reality, if pup has been playing, it will gulp down lots of water, and just won't be able to hold it for that long. After pup drinks, keep an eye on it. Take it out in about 5-10 minutes and offer it relief. Soon pup will go to the door when it need to go out.

Consistency is the key to all of this. You need to plan on excessive praise and treats when you are house training so pup will associate yummy treats with doing itÂs thing.

5. Daily walks twice a day (about 20-30 minutes each in the same area) are essential for dogs. Walking gets things moving, dogs love it and it gives them something to look forward to. Try and feed pup close to the walks. Never free feed unless your vet says to. Pups have a high metabolism. Soon after it eats or drinks, it will need to go out.

My pup was 4 months when I got her and didn't know anything. After two months of not being able to get the problem under control, my vet dug into her background. Because she was dropped beside a road with her litter mates, then taken to a pound, then moved to another pound (long story), she was traumatized and completely missed out on any type of house training. I was forced to do what I described and got it under control after about 4 months.

Lastly. Your pup won't be considered house trained unless it has no accidents for at least 6 months! Also, as I learned, there is a HUGE difference in a dog that is 4-6 months old and one that is 9-10 months old. They grow inside and out. Once they reach 9-10 months, their bladders are larger and able to hold it longer.
Good luck! Keep us posted!

SG

Thank you all very much. I really appreciate the help.

I just hope she doesn't think I'm mean by putting her in the crate now...

She's still a puppy, and will learn to love her crate very shortly. It represents a den and safety for her.

Hi Susan, I have a 4 month pup that I got just 2 weeks ago, so I'm in the training period also. I didn't like the idea of having him in the crate most of the time either, but it's working out and yes they do get to love their 'little den' one thing here though when you take him out of the crate, DO NOT let his little feet touch the ground till he's outside! My pup now sleeps all night with no wet bedding 'towels' in his crate in the morning. At night I lay a piece of my clothing that I have been wearing all day in front of his crate, I think this gives him some 'mommy' comfort I also give him a 3-4 pieces of his dried food, he eats these then settles right down; during the day he usually like to be able to see me while he's settling down. After we've had at least 15-20 minutes outside we have a little play and cuddle time in the house then he's back in the crate, especially when I can't watch him. We've made quite a bit of progress, although he's still not letting me know when he wants outside, tomorrow I hope :) so I'm still constantly 'on guard' when he's not crated. I usually take him outside 10-15 minutes after he eats and this seem to work out well and also take him out several times throughout the day.
When I first brought him home it took a while for him to get use to the idea of going 'potty' outside also, this he now knows for sure. Hope my experiences with my pup can help you some with yours, I know I'm not so stressed now that my pup and I have some type of a 'system' worked out :) Good luck, Wendy

Wendy, did your puppy like the crate right at the beginning, or did he come to like it after a while? Mine is in the crate right now, and she's not used to it, so she's whining a bit.

My little one hated her crate at first. It took all I had to stick with it, cause she'd whine, and whine, and turn circles and huff and puff, and whine some more. Slowly but surely though, she learned to like it. Now she'll go in on her own when she has a treat she knows she can't have on the carpet, or when she's told to go to bed, or she'll stash her toys in there from the other animals. It's her home, and she knows it.

Pups whine a lot. Lock them in a bathroom, they'll whine. Put them behind a babygate, they'll whine.

Also, SG's advice of tapping on the crate and saying 'stop' works. We used 'quiet' and not only did she learn to stop whining in her crate, but if she's barking/whining/growling and we say quiet, she knows to stop that too.

Susan, No he wasn't totally overjoyed with the set-up for the first few days. I found that tiring him out some helps. Taking him outside maybe a couple times in between crate times. In the house he will play alone with his toys, often I get in on this also. My pup don't whine in the crate but sometimes he will yap at first,(unless he's really tired) when he does do this I usually poke a few pieces of his dry food though the door, this gives him something to chew on for a bit, just don't talk to him, sometimes I give him one of his soft toys,(before I put him in) one that he can't pull apart, also leave the radio/tv on for a while. I've noticed sometimes he does this yapping when he hasn't had a more recent 'potty' time outside or he may need more exercise/play time, outside or in. When he wakes up I can usually leave him in there a while, as he is crate trained, (but not house trained yet) he always seem quite content just to sit in the crate and watch me in the kitchen - still no talking! When you get the pup out give him LOTS of praise for being a good dog! One just have to stick with it, after a while it seems like it all comes together-and the pup starts to understand the rules, It's like having a new baby over again! Sorry if I may have repeated myself from what I wrote previous post. Wendy

For easy crate training, I told my pup to "go home." Then, I tossed a piece of boiled chicken liver in the crate, and pup instantly went in. (association treat with being in crate).

Having a sheet or blanket over the crate also helps. Pups like the feeling of being enclosed. If there is to much room for your pup, put something in it that the pup can't destroy to cut down on the room for a while.

All of my three dogs are crate trained. They love being in the thing, although, pup has dibs on it now,,,,,in a few months, I hope to take it down.

Good luck!

SG

Oh, I really appreciate the help you all have given me. I can't thank you enought. I think I really need the moral support, as well as the practical advice.

Glad to hear you got some advice you can use!

I found dealing with puppy hood immensely rewarding. That said, pups and all of their incredible, curious energy are what I term "a force to be reckoned with."

Good luck!

SG

DO NOT let his little feet touch the ground till he's outside!

This is the #1 best advice, IMO! If you just open the door, a puppy will walk out and pee. Open the door, reach in, pick them up and carry them outside! They'll typically pee right away, and then you have the opportunity for over-the-top squealing praise. They learn quickly!

The easiest and least traumatic way to train a puppy to housebreak it - take your baby for a walk, when your pup starts to squat say the command you are chosing for this type of behavior "pee pee outside" "squat" or whatever you want. Repeat this command in a nice calm voice WHILE YOUR DOG IS IN THE ACT OPF GOING. Praise your pupp high squeeky voice good puppy, pp outside!! Act like your dog just brought you a bag with a million dollars in it. Same for making a poop, pick a command and while your dog is in the act of going poop, give the command. "park it" or whatever you choose - does not matter. Again praise your puppy for going like he just won you the lottery. This is the fastest and easiest way to train a dog to go outside. When your pup is small, if you have the time, take him or her out as frequently as once every couple of hours or so. If you see your pup going towards the door, ask it, want to go pp outside? When you leash up your pup to go for walkies, use the command lets go for walkies or whatever you choose. Ultimately, you will be able to ask your dog if it needs to go outside. I bellieve in teaching dogs to communicate this way. My dog will stare at me and I can go through his list...PP outside? Touchdown? (not a good command for a football crazed family) Park it? Walkies? Sometimes my dog does not have to go pp but just wants to go walkies to stretch his legs. I have expanded this to his food (he is a picky eater and it takes an act of God to get him to eat - He knows the difference between his treats, his cookies and his goodie, and his ears will go up when I hit the one he wants. Its great fun. Good luck with your pup. Let us know how it goes.

My lab was BAD with housebreaking. From 3-6 months she was fine, then all of a sudden whenever I left the room, even for a few minutes, there it was. I never crated her, and she slept in the bedroom with us. She would lick my hand at night if she couldn't hold it until morning. I was at my wits end when she started going purposefully in the house. I tried everything except for the crate (because I didn't want to). Then, one day, I couldn't take it ANYMORE. She knew what "do your business" meant. I needed to get in the shower, but knew she would go as soon as I left the room. I took her outside and of course she wouldn't go. So, I put her in the crate only while I was in the shower (and she really didn't like it). I got out, put some clothes on, opened the door and immediately took her outside. Lo and behold she "did her business" like a good girl and that was it. She never went in the house again. (And I never had to crate her again). I guess it took a drastic measure that she really didn't like to get the point across. Before that, we yelled, rubbed her nose in it, spanked her, you name it. It quickly became apparent that we were not going to put up with her doing it anymore, and if she did, she would be alone in her crate. SHe still does not "tell" me when she needs to go out (only in desperate situations she will run and sit by the door, but VERY rare). I have to ask her if she has to go "outside". If she does she will jump up, if not she just lays there and looks at me....

Mazer, I've taken her on lots of walks, some pretty long ones for her..but she just won't pee or poo on a walk. She waits until we get home.

But we are definitely seeing progress. She started with not knowing what I wanted of her when I took her outside, to knowing and taking her time about it. As of two days ago, she would go outside when I took her, like kyocius said, but go in the house if I didn't catch her. Just a few minutes ago, we had a breakthrough!! She stood near the entrance way waiting for me to notice her and I took her outside and squealed with delight at her. She was so happy. We're going to need a lot more repetition of this before I will fully relax.
I really want to thank everyone for the help you've all given me. I was going out of my mind.

Susan

we just got our three month old puppy 3 weeks ago. Initially we tried to crate train and Hudson was doing well, after the third day there was no whining. Then, for no appearant reason (except a desire to cuddle with puppy all the time) we started letting him sleep with us in bed and he pretty much holds it all night (about 11-6 or 7). He still makes messes in the house, but has the luxery of having both his parents home about 98% of the time so often he goes out before having an accident, however, when we don't catch him, he has no reserves with going right on the carpet. SO, how do you teach a dog to alert you when he needs to go out? Sometimes, he'll go sit by the door, but does the whining come naturally?
these posts are really helpful. thank you everyone!

Hi Meagan-8409,

Welcome to Garden Web!

I posted a successful potty training program on the thread that states "At my wits end". If you have any questions, please let me know.

Your first mistake is allowing pup to sleep with you. Doing this is fine, after dog has gotten through four critical steps.

*Not whining when he is in his crate.
*Not chewing bedding in the crate.
*Teething
*No accidents, anywhere, for at least 9 months. This step will tell you if pup is house trained, or not.

If dog is still dealing only one of these issues, it must be corrected. This is a critical foundation for earning your trust and his freedom. If he is still dealing with one of these steps, he is not ready to be left unsupervised.

Good luck!

SG

Mazer's descriptions is exactly how I taught my dog, only I use the phrase 'go tinkle' and 'do your business' and my dog knows the difference between the two commands. He's quite a clown and sometimes gets carried away showing off in the yard and all I have to do is say in a firm monotone....
go do your business".......and he will.

As for signals they need to go out, each dog is different and YOU have to learn what they are. My dog has several signs: touching me slightly with his nose, standing or sitting and staring at me while I watch TV, or he'll also rear up on the chair as though begging for something. Pacing is also another sign of 'I've got to go now'.

I've only heard him whine when it's an emergency and if it's the middle of the night he'll either touch me with his front paws (he sleeps in his bed next to mine) or actually jump in the bed..

SG,

So now that he's out of the crate and has gotten used to sleeping with us for the last two weeks or so, is it too late to try and crate train him again?

He does go in his crate when we leave the house ~2-31/2 hours/day 2-4 days a week. The last two times he has gone in there he's pooped which seems unusual to me. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

annz-

that is a good point, I may have to learn that sitting by the door is Hudson's way of telling me he needs out, I've just never had a pup before who didn't alert me vocally.

Thanks!

Hi Meagan-8409,

I agree that each dog is different, and humans need to keep this in mind when house training them.

Two years ago, I adopted a 4 month old female. I spent about 6 months house training her, for reasons that are both sad and frustrating. My point is, previous to this dog, I had three others and had no problems at all. Adopted dog is just put together differently than any other dog I have ever had. A very good companion that get's along with my other two dogs, but she is very much like a special needs child.

Getting back to the original issue, I have recommended my house training system to numerous people, and most have had success. One dog was trained in 3-4 days. That said, things may need to be tweaked to fit your dogs needs, but the basics will always be the same. That is: consistency and hard work. Without those two commitments, house training is impossible.

You are not to late to crate train your pup, it really should be a must for every pup in the house.

To correct this problem, you need to do a few things.

*Make the crating experience a positive one. Get pup used to the command "go home" or any other command you want to use when you want to crate him. When you give the command, toss a treat in the crate, then give tons of praise. It doesnt sound like he has an issue with the crate, but if he does, make a little trail leading up to and inside the crate with small bits of treat, then again, give tons of praise.

*When you are home and can keep an eye on pup, crate him for about 20 minutes. When he is being good, give tons of praise and small bits of treat. When he is bad, firmly say "STOP" when lightly tapping on the top of the crate (the stop command should be a word he recognizes when you want him to stop doing something naughty). Gradually increase time pup is in the crate by about 20 minutes. Repeat throughout the day. Pup at this stage of the game is confused. When you are home, he has tons of freedom, when you are gone, he all of a sudden does not. He has no way of knowing why his freedom is suddenly being taken away. Try leaving a radio with soft music on when you are away, or the t.v. This will appease the pup.

*Since soiling in the crate is an issue, leave floor bare. Usually, after pup does this a few times on bare floor, it will stop. Pup simply must not have any accidents in crate if he is going to have bedding.

You need to get pup used to going outside as soon as you let him out of the crate. This means, going directly from the crate door to outside, without stopping. Pup needs to associate being let out of the crate with going outside. In your case, this may take a while but it is an absolute must if you are going to house train pup.

*Every second supervision, with a leash on pup, is a must when he is not crated during house training. If you cannot do this, crate the dog, give praise when he is good and occasional treats.

*Praise and quality treats for good behavior is a must, you can never really over do it in the beginning. When pup is doing anything good, like laying around, chewing on bones, drinking water, praise him. This will instill confidence in him and let him know that he is able to please you.

Good luck!

SG

well good news, he's back in the kennel during the night. He took to it really well. and no messes in the house for three days.

Thanks for your advice!

Great! You are well on your way to house training your puppy!

SG

Well, we have been working on Gracie, and things are better. We have to keep the doors to the bathroom and bedrooms closed, because she will pee or poop in them, but otherwise she has access to the kitchen, dining room, living room and master while we are at work. She goes at lunch time when I come home, and right after work. If I ran late, though, she wouldn't wait. I just hope she keeps improving, even if the improvement is slow. But we're not nearly as stressed as we were when I started this thread. I thought she was never going to be trustworthy at all.

Put your furbaby in a sweater, and wrap her on a blanket and take her outside. Find a nice area without too much snow and let her sniff around and walk a bit (on a leash) - my friends Chihuahuas will always go outside when we take them away from their house, at the house, they resist going outside. Just make certain your pup is warm. You might even take her to a business park with lots of room - this is what we do in the winter. If you want your dog to pee outside, take it outside. PS - they are very resilient, we take our teacup Chi (3 pounds) out for 5 mile hikes on a regular basis - the only deterant is other dogs or the rocky terrain. Otherwise she does great

By not crating your dog are making a major mistake. Your dog is missing out on a very basic behavior step that simply must be met if you are going to be successful with this.

You see progress, I see none. Your dog is still having accidents.

No more from me!

SG