I know, I know...Puppy problems

    • Gold Top Dog

    I know, I know...Puppy problems

    *sigh* I cannot efficiently potty train Joy. She is four months old, and is mostly potty trained. If I see her sniffing around, I'll throw on my shoes, but by the time I go to put on my jacket, she walks right in front of me and goes to the bathroom. Also, every time she goes into a new room (like going into my room the first time that day) she'll immediately pee in front of the door. I believe that the peeing in front of my door might be territorial, but how do I solve this? I've had people suggest a doggy diaper, but I want her to learn how to respond properly in this situation.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Pick her up when you see her sniffing.  Then go put on your shoes and jacket.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Do you really need to put on shoes and a jacket?

    Just slip some slippers on and go!

    Don't give her the chance to sniff around. Take her out frequently.
    • Gold Top Dog
    If you tether her to your waist (buddy leash), you can interrupt her and get her right outside.  A pup that isn't housetrained should be supervised directly and not have any freedom in the house.  When you can't watch her, crate her.  That way she can't get by you to pee in the house.
    Also, just a suggestion - this is what I do.  I have slippers with a hard sole and I keep them on if I am training a puppy.  I leave a jacket hanging next to the door, but I grab it and go, and put the darn thing on while I am saying "go pee" to the dog I have already whisked outside. [;)]
    Good little booklet for your library:
    "Way to Go - How to Housebreak a Dog of Any Age" by Patricia McConnell. www.dogsbestfriendtraining.com
    • Bronze
     Sounds like you have a couple of things to work on here and I know
    it's frustrating.
      First, is she the only dog and if not, what is her 'pecking' order in
    your pack?
      Has she been checked by the vet to make sure there are no medical
    issues?
      Has she always done this behavior or did it start recently or after
    you brought another dog or baby in your home?
      Has she ever been scolded for peeing on the floor?
      
      If she is the only dog and no humans have moved in after her arrival,
    she isn't 'marking' her territory. If she isn't the only dog but was
    there first and another dog was added or baby or roommate moved in, she
    is 'marking' her territory.
      If she is perfectly healthy AND was previously housebroken until
    recently AND she is the only dog AND she was never scolded for 'going' in
    the house, you must go right back to 'kindergarten' and re-teach her to
    go outside.
      If you or anyone else has ever scolded her for 'going' in the house
    (even ONCE. dogs don't forget this), she will exhibit this behavior.
      If you haven't used a product on your floors that eliminate the urine
    or feces odor, she will continue to do her 'business' inside. Dogs
    usually sniff out the same places they have gone and do their 'business'
    there.
      If your dog isn't on a regular feeding and water schedule and you
    forget to take her out when it's time, she will 'go' where and when she
    needs to.
      Remember this, a dog can hold it's bladder one hour plus one for
    every month they are old. Your dog is four months old. Your dog should be
    able to 'hold' it for five hours providing she was housebroken properly
    in the beginning. This means when you began the training, you had her
    on a feeding and water schedule, you took her out constantly to the same
    spot every time, you told her to "go potty" or "hurry up" then praised
    her lavishly when she did her 'business' then took her right back
    inside. No play time, no sniffing around. Right back in the house.
      Having a feeding schedule is critical for housebreaking. Keeping a
    watchful eye on your dog and taking her out BEFORE she has had an
    accident is very important. Praising her for 'going' is also very important.
      If you don't have a playpen (along with a crate) to put your dog in
    so you can watch her, you will have to tether her to you. This is a pain
    but you will always be able to watch her this way.
      I know it sounds like a lot of work but you must get a handle on this
    before you get to the point where you want to rehome your dog and that
    would be a shame because this is something that is easily fixed.
      Sit down with a cup of coffee, a soda or a stiff drink and think
    about what went wrong with your dog. Go through the steps and ask yourself
    if you did everything right to teach your dog to 'go' outside. Ask
    yourself if there was anything you could have done better, is there
    something you did that made the situation worse?
      You can wipe the slate clean (as if your dog was eight weeks old) and
    start over. Take her outside on a leash to a potty area, tell her to
    "go potty". Give her some time (but not too long) to 'go'. You should be
    able to read her body language by now and you know if she's going to
    'go' or not.
      If she doesn't do anything, don't say anything to her. Take her back
    inside. If you see her sniffing around in the house, take her right
    back outside and do the same thing all over again. If you catch her in the
    middle of peeing in the house, yell "NO"!, scoop her up (don't be mad
    at her), hold her in your arms and take her to her  potty spot then let
    her 'go'.
      If she goes, praise, praise, praise. Take her back inside.
      Success of this behavior depends on you. Be consistent, be patient,
    be fair.
      I hope this has helped you at least a little bit.
    • Bronze
    this was Sunny's little potty area when she was a baby. I actually made this before she arrived. It's pea gravel and easily hosed off. When she out grew this area, I used the gravel to fill in another area where I had placed pavers. Having a potty area for your dog is so important. I placed her in the area, told her to "go potty" and when she did her 'business', I praised her, scooped her up and took her right back in the house. She lived her young days in my living room surrounded by an Ex-pen, a plastic tarp for flooring and her plastic crate. I could keep an eye on her at all times knowing she was safe, the other dogs could look at her and smell her but not get to her and she was very content to live in there. Even when she grew tall and could easily jump over (she never did), she still wanted to be in the pen. I knew it was time to remove it and let her sleep in a much larger, wire crate in the living room. I strongly advise getting a plastic Ex-pen for puppies and/or smaller dogs. This will be one of the best investments you can make. Even when Sunny outgrew this pen, I took it apart and used two of the panels to block her entrance to the kitchen. (she was a counter surfer).
    • Gold Top Dog
    All right, thanks everyone!
    • Gold Top Dog
    I think you're waiting too long to take her out. She isn't housetrained yet, so she shouldn't be the one to decide when to go out... otherwise she would already be housetrained, right? Preempt her by taking her out on a schedule.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Well I always take her out about 15-20 minutes after she eats. She is crated in that time period, and if she doesn't go, it's right back in the crate. It's in between that she has to go to the bathroom I have a problem with.