NEED HELP!

why not try crating them when you arent home?

I work 8 hours a day and my husband is usually home with them while I am out.  He works at night.  As soon as they are out of our sight, someone has an accident.  Do you think crating them everytime I go out is a proper way of training? or should I confine to a small area so they can atleast move around?  Thanks for your suggestion.

ORIGINAL: JackandMegsMOM

Do you think crating them everytime I go out is a proper way of training? or should I confine to a small area so they can atleast move around?  Thanks for your suggestion.

i think either one of these is better than letting your dog have free reign of the house while they are still being potty trained.

our dogs are crated at night and when we arent home. we just make sure they get plenty of exercise and attention when we are home. []

I think maybe the section we gave them was too big.  How long do you keep them crated during the day.  Isnt 8 hours too long? I am not judging, just asking.

 

Crate them! That is what I do with mine...Bella is 7 mos and Charlie 1 1/2 yrs. Bella is still not 100% reliable so they are crated when we cannot watch them (at work, night time) and I often baby gate them in a small area to eat/drink and play if I cannot watch them like a hawk. No running around the living room without 100% supervision, and even then I shut the doors to the bedrooms so I dont find mysefl running around the house looking after them...much easier in the family room.
 
Seriously, if I have learned anything..one of the biggest mistakes you can make with potty training is letting them have free run. They then have the option of CHOOSING where their living space is and where their potty is...which means they will go potty wherever they please. They have to learn that the house is their space gradually, increasing time and space over a period of time versus from the get go. And supervision is key! If you have to tether them to you...its a pain but at least they will be under your watch at all times! I dont do this, but the crate and baby gate (10 bucks at Walmart) help tremendously...and one day Bella will be potty trained 100%....until then....  
 
Another reason for crating is to provide them with a "safe" den area. Dogs are den animals and enjoy having a place to retreat for sleeping, or to feel safe. Charlie LOVES his crate. I have taugh them both "in your bed" and they  go. They sleep there, go there sometimes just to lay down and chew on toys and definitely go there when they do not feel well. In addition, the cratees are great for traveling in the car safely without the dogs exploring the car! Mine are wire and they fold down flat for easy storage too.
 
Anyway, hope this helps! GOOD LUCK!

Also, in regards to how long? My babies unfortunately have to be crated for 8-9 hours while we work. They play/chew on toys, sleep etc and are completely fine! Sure, I hate that they have to be in there that long, but i make sure they get out to go potty 2-3 times int he a.m. before we leave, and get some play/exercise time, then after work they go for a long walk at the park and play all evening SUPERVISED or gated in the small area until bed. They sleep all night, no issues! Just make sure they get plenty of family and exercise time .  If they were super young..then NO you couldnt have them in all day, but at their age they should be ok.

we have crated up to 8 hours at a time. usually, i go home at lunch and they get a potty break and some playtime (not much though). so they are in about 4 hours at a time.

our dogs sleep the majority of the day anyway. even when we are home on weekends, unless we are specifically doing something with them, they will sleep a good portion of the day.

Dogs sleep a lot.

Eight hours is fine for an adult dog, as long as you give them plenty of exercise.

ORIGINAL: cyclefiend2000

ORIGINAL: JackandMegsMOM

Do you think crating them everytime I go out is a proper way of training? or should I confine to a small area so they can atleast move around?  Thanks for your suggestion.

i think either one of these is better than letting your dog have free reign of the house while they are still being potty trained.

our dogs are crated at night and when we arent home. we just make sure they get plenty of exercise and attention when we are home. []

 
I agree with cycle here.  worked like a charm for us

I second (or third or forth) the crate. We crate our 8 month old pup for roughly 4 hours at time - 8-12 and 1-5.

You said your husband works at night - is he sleeping when he is home cause if so, the dog's might as well be home alone with free range of the house. Your husband obviously isn't going to be able to watch them all time if he is sleeping and may not heer them signal (ring bells, bark, etc) that they need to go to the bathroom. If this is the case, have your husband crate them when he is sleeping or if he doens't mind letting them sleep in bed with thim - although this may create an issue as they will always want to sleep on the bed...

Even if your husband is awake when he is home, if he is doing something else and can't watch them, put them in the crate.

In either case, yes, you do have hope if you start from the beggining all though I don't think it's neccessary - You said they don't go in there crate so the simple answer is until they can be trusted, put them in the crate when you can't put 100% of your concentration on watching them.

Also, you may want to look into traing them to use bells - this is a great way to teach them a "new trick" that will make them WANT to ring those bells to let you know they need to go so they will get a treat...

Hi Everyone,
I am new to the forum, but I am having some of the same problems with housetraining.  We have a 7 year old sheltie who has been housetrained and 100% trustworthy at about 6 months and able to hold it or alert us to take her out.  Unless she is not well there are never any accidents.  We adopted a puppy at 4 months from the humane society in May and she is now 8 months old and we cannot get her housetrained.  She seems to think that she can pee outside and come inside to poop on the area rug. We had her tied to us all day today, since we were home and right after we took her out we let her off the leash to play a little and wouldn't you know it as soon as we turned our back for a minute she left us something on the rug again.[:'(]   She has us at our wits end.  She was doing good in the crate, but she started to wet in there again.  The vet checked her and says that her problem is not physical but behavioral.  Any help or suggestions that you can offer will be greatly appreciated.  Thanks

Hi, I am also new in this forum and we just bought a Silky Terrier puppy, 12 weeks this weekend.  How large should the space in the crate be? And I have another dog, that is housetrained, but if he is alone too long he;ll use the house. So I'll have to put him in the backyard until I come home, which is also 9 hours a day.
The 2 dogs get along great, could I put them together in the crate? Or would that cause a problem? We blocked of the biggest part of it for now for the puppy, meaning made the puppies space small so he wouldn't poop in it. Is that ok?
Thanks for all the help