Housebreaking

[BrutusMummy]

Brutus is now 5 months old and is not totally housebroken.  We don't know what to do we are sooo frustrated!  The good news is he won't go in the house.  If he's in the actual house part then he asks to go outside.  But....he goes all the time in our attached garage!  This is causing our foyer to reek.  It's not the most appealing greeting for our guests!  We have tried removing the scent using Nature's Miracle. Putting him in a crate (he just howls forever which the neighbors don't appreciate), and taking him out to pee late at night and early in the morning.  (The garage is where he sleeps). Nothing has worked! Any suggestions?  I contacted a trainer today and he said for $80 he's tell me what to do.  I thought I'd check with people on the board first. Help!

[Yaz]

I know how frustrating it is with the housebreaking - I've owned some dogs that were a challenge to housebreak. The best thing to do I've found, is to use the crate. It only takes one instance of eliminating in the wrong area to make a habit, so the crate is crucial for breaking a bad habit. For example, Guinness, my six month old Saint Bernard, enjoys lounging on our front porch. He's completely housebroken in the house, but a few weeks ago he had an accident on the steps of the front porch. I wasn't there when he had the accident, so there was no understanding in his mind that it wasn't acceptable. That accident cost him his freedom of being on the porch on his own, because the odds were great that he would pee again on the steps.  A couple of days later when I was walking him off the porch to go do his business, he stopped and started peeing in the EXACT same spot of steps he had had his accident.  In his puppy mind, he'd peed there before so it was okay to do it again. Because I was right there I could give him an instant correction and the habit has now been broken.
So, the best thing to do would be to crate Brutus when he's in the garage, taking him out to do his business, but putting him right back in the crate. I would do this for a week and then, test him being left out of the crate, with you in the garage so you can give him an instant correction if he does pee.  As for his whining in the crate? The best method I've found to stop the whining is to do the following:

1) Get a pot with a lid.

2) Put Brutus in his crate and walk away so he can't see you.

3) The minute he starts whining, from your hiding spot start smashing and clanging the pot and lid together yelling "NO!"

4) Brutus will probably be startled and stop whining for a second, but the second he restarts, clang the pot and lid, yelling "NO!".

5) It usually doesn't take too long for the pup to make the connection between his whining and the ruckus going on. Because he can't see you, it makes it a very powerful way to correct the whining.

Best of luck!

[Carolyn]

If thats what the trainer told you, I'd find another trainer. He's still a baby. I would try to put something over the spot he's peeing, if it's the same spot, and catch him in the act. I usually use a soda bottle with pebbles for noise (to startle). Obedience training is VERY important, he's probably going thru one of those phases they go thru. Its tough but have patience & be persistant.
Carolyn

[GYPSY JAZMINE]

If thats what the trainer told you, I'd find another trainer. He's still a baby. I would try to put something over the spot he's peeing, if it's the same spot, and catch him in the act. I usually use a soda bottle with pebbles for noise (to startle). Obedience training is VERY important, he's probably going thru one of those phases they go thru. Its tough but have patience & be persistant.
Carolyn

I totally agree!!!...$80.00 to tell you how to housebreak your puppy...REDICU LOUS!!!...I didn't completely trust Samson until he was 8 months old...I was told that until the pup was that old you couldn't count on them being housebroke because of little puppy bladders...I have to get Pippin to the vet so I don't have time to go into answering your post right now but if you go to the search bar here at B.P.'s & type in housebreaking or potty training there will be a wealth of info. (for free ) as this subject has come up many many times here...I'll check back on your thread later...Hang in there & good luck!!!

[dufus]

Well, i did have the trainer (at $100 per hour) telling me that there was no way that day-z would be house-trained unless she slept in a crate, or a crate by my bed, or a plastic crate instead of a wire crate etc, etc.

Fact is, one day by doing nothing different she was house-trained.

She sleeps in her own room, and thought it was OK to do it in there.  I bought a steam-cleaner and some natures miracle and washed everything every day, etc, etc.  If she slept in a crate she just did what she had to do and ended up covered and needing a bath etc.

I do agree that the option of telling them no at the appropriate time, and making a really big deal over it helps.  Be it a rattle, a pan with a lid etc.  But i have a feeling that when they have to go, their little brains sometimes forget.

[lins_saving_grace]

I've heard the lid rattles and the tin cans full of coins are great ideas.  I need to get one so i can shake it at 4 am when Grace wakes up and barks...then i won't hear "GRACE" "GRACE" "GRACE" coming from the pit of my husband's gut for an hour. 
I have some spray that when an accident happens I spray the spot.  "no chew" or training spray of some kind helps since they sniff the spot before they whiz on it.  They always look for the best smelling spot that is problably the only clean spot left. 

[Lyn]

I never crated Bubba.. mainly because my hubby doesn't like crates. He thinks they are cruel  .. I think they are a lifesaver. lol Expecially when noone is home or when your pup can't be watched. Since we do not use a crate (finding a big enough crate can be a pain in itself) I have to get Bubba a sitter when we leave. Usually my mother. 

Since Brutus is sleeping in the garage, you could pen off a portion of it. Although it would need to be a small area or he will just continue to pee there. Maybe one of those x-pens or whatever they are called. A friend of mine that is good with building things sectioned a part of his garage off with wood for his pup. He started with a small area and then made it larger as his pup grew and was more able to hold it.

Bubba is 6 months old now and still don't trust him completely. He had an accident in the recroom about 3 weeks ago. But luckily I caught him in the act. His accidents are more sporadic now. It's like he just gets lazy every once in awhile.

[lins_saving_grace]

Crates are a lifesaver.  I won't not crate now.  Especially with BIG dogs.  you'd come home and have a couch missing.

[luvmenewfs]

Am I understanding right when you say you have Brutus in the garage area?  This is where he potties?

He doesn't potty in the house?


If so, then for less than 80 dollars, i can tell you he is potty trained.  He doesn't potty in the house.  In the garage he thinks it's his pen.  And dogs will pottie in their pen, although not their kennel or crate.

So he's potty trained!

Create a new "pen" for him.
 

luvmenewfs

[GYPSY JAZMINE]

Am I understanding right when you say you have Brutus in the garage area?  This is where he potties?

He doesn't potty in the house?


If so, then for less than 80 dollars, i can tell you he is potty trained.  He doesn't potty in the house.  In the garage he thinks it's his pen.  And dogs will pottie in their pen, although not their kennel or crate.

So he's potty trained!

Create a new "pen" for him.
 

luvmenewfs

I was thinking that too luv...Whatever you did to keep your puppy from going in the house, do it in the garage too.

[BrutusMummy]

I am happy to say that Brutus has decided he likes his crate now!  We decided to try and get him used to his crate a little at a time and now he only whines for about 2 minutes and then settles down.  He's had one accident in the garage when my husband left the garage door open and he wandered in.  Hopefully this is the start of Brutus's full housebreaking! Yeah!

[Tippy]

Glad to hear he is adjusting to his crate.

I was putting Katie in hers around 11pm - and getting up at 4am to walk her.  We don't feed her within two hours of bedtime and we walk her twice - once a half hour before bed - and then right at bedtime.  But we let her have a drink of water.  Not a huge one, however.  The first thing I do at 4am - is take her out to do her business.  We haven't had a crate accident for over a month now. 

But if you do have an accident - be sure to Clorox the crate out that day - so there is no urine smell left to tempt Brutus.   

We were taught to take the pups out as soon as they awoke from a nap - as soon as they finished a meal, as soon as they finished a snack, or at 20 minute intervals of play (if they are inside). 

Katie gets praise and tickles for every outside "potty". 

Good luck.  You will get there - it's just a matter of consistency.  And lots of love.