Should housebreaking take this long?

New Topic

Should housebreaking take this long?

Posted : 6/27/2006 10:21:42 PM

Dweezil always does fine for a couple of weeks at a time ... and then has an accident for some reason or another. Today was a really rainy day, as has been the last three days ... today she only pooped once in the morning ... and then didn't the rest of the day. Tonight, she started crying and scratching at the baby gate so we went upstairs and she was distracted by my mother coming out of her room, so she ran up to her ... ran around the house really hyper ... so I began to think, oh, maybe she just heard my mom ... and wanted to get upstairs ... But then, she ran into the hallway, randomly, and began to poop.

I realize that this was mostly my fault -- and that there have been reasons (she hates going out in the rain, so will not walk around until she needs to poop) -- but I've had her for approximately 4 months now ... should it really take this long for her to be completely trained?

*exhausted*

angelamarie

Posted : 6/28/2006 8:28:44 AM

How old is Dweezil and what type of dog is she?

She's not housetrained yet, so you need to limit her access to the house, keep her gated in a small area of the kitchen if you aren't crate training her. Take her out often and give high praise when she does something out there. When she does something in the house, do not scold, just say "EH" to get her attention and then calmly carry her to the yard and tell her she's a good girl. Any place she has had an accident in the house needs to be cleaned thoroughly with an enzymatic cleanser, like Nature's Miracle or Petastic, and then spray the area with NO GO.

Is your dog a bichon? I just wondered, because of your login name here. If it is a bichon, they are known for being difficult to houestrain and so require extra time and patience.

bichinpanda

Posted : 6/28/2006 4:57:10 PM

She's a Cairn/Cocker mix, and 8 months old -- she'd had noooo prior training when I got her (it was basically a rescue, the woman hated having her and left her outside 24/7 in west virginia in the middle of the winter). I think I was mostly upset last night when I wrote the post -- It wasn't her fault that she went inside, really, so I felt bad and didn't want to scold her too badly. She had definitely been trying to let me know she wanted to go out, but I read her "doggie language" incorrectly. Oh well. Live and learn.