Refusing to be house trained!
Discussion
Little Hamilton our 13 week old French Bulldog is just refusing to get the house training under his belt. For a start we've never owned a dog that pees as much as he does. You leave the room for about an hour and there will be three puddles!
This morning, while we were around, he did two poos in the kitchen...and the back door to the garden was wide open. He knows when I'm angry and run away when I point out the error of his ways. He's had his face pushed towards it, told NO and then put in the garden...but no, it doesn't work. That's not to say he only does it in the house and he does plenty in the garden too.
He shares the home with Wilson the EBT who never unloads in the house and I'd have thought would have taught the small boy the rules, but no. So what tricks can I play to sort this lad out?
This morning, while we were around, he did two poos in the kitchen...and the back door to the garden was wide open. He knows when I'm angry and run away when I point out the error of his ways. He's had his face pushed towards it, told NO and then put in the garden...but no, it doesn't work. That's not to say he only does it in the house and he does plenty in the garden too.
He shares the home with Wilson the EBT who never unloads in the house and I'd have thought would have taught the small boy the rules, but no. So what tricks can I play to sort this lad out?
Take him outside regularly, praise/treat when he gets it 'right'. Ignore completely any accidents inside as he will learn that he gets no interaction from you when he goes inside, but will get massive (and make it OTT) praise/reward when he goes outside correctly.
He's still v young and needs guidance from you as to the correct place to go toilet. Pushing his nose towards it won't work as its a punishment rather than praise.
He's still v young and needs guidance from you as to the correct place to go toilet. Pushing his nose towards it won't work as its a punishment rather than praise.
We're at 17 weeks and still not there yet. He can sit, give paw, lie down and roll over and his recall is really good but this is the one thing that we haven't quite cracked
To be fair he does tend to signal (circling and sniffing) and goes to the door but sometimes not with enough notice to actually get there to open it
I would echo the above though. We just clean up indoor accidents without reacting and then praise when he goes outside
To be fair he does tend to signal (circling and sniffing) and goes to the door but sometimes not with enough notice to actually get there to open it
I would echo the above though. We just clean up indoor accidents without reacting and then praise when he goes outside
Well where to start this this one other than to say stop what you are doing. You seem to expect a dog simply to know, why on earth would it know to go outside? And comparing an adult dog to a pup? Also you have a small breed dog so will have a tiny bladder that wont take long to fill, and no dog is toilet trained at 3 months.
Telling a dog off so young will lead to fear, this is just likely to make him run off and do it out of sight, not make him go outside. You also run the risk of longer term fear.
You need to ignore when he goes inside, clean it up with a bio cleaner.
Make a huge fuss when he goes outside, make it
the absolutely the best thing in the world each and every single time.
Ultimately if you have having accidents then they are on you. You have given the pup too much freedom and not watching him close enough. If he isnt crate trained then you need to watch him like a hawk, when he wakes up take him straight out to pee. If he does reward him and then 15 mins play time. If he doenst back to bed whilst watching for signals. An hour later try again.
Telling a dog off so young will lead to fear, this is just likely to make him run off and do it out of sight, not make him go outside. You also run the risk of longer term fear.
You need to ignore when he goes inside, clean it up with a bio cleaner.
Make a huge fuss when he goes outside, make it
the absolutely the best thing in the world each and every single time.
Ultimately if you have having accidents then they are on you. You have given the pup too much freedom and not watching him close enough. If he isnt crate trained then you need to watch him like a hawk, when he wakes up take him straight out to pee. If he does reward him and then 15 mins play time. If he doenst back to bed whilst watching for signals. An hour later try again.
Ok, I'll increase the positives and stay away from the negatives more. He does get a lot of outside time and has been praised many times for peeing and popping outside. He just doesn't recognise the difference yet in outside and inside. He's still messing his crate overnight having been put outside before bedtime. I know he's still young and perhaps he'll have sussed it in a few more weeks. We've had 3 dogs previously that were sorted very quickly, so this just seems unusual for us.
As for 'leaving a pup on its own for an hour''. Really? People do have lives outside of their dogs! He's fine on his own or with Wilson.
As for 'leaving a pup on its own for an hour''. Really? People do have lives outside of their dogs! He's fine on his own or with Wilson.
bernhund said:
Ok, I'll increase the positives and stay away from the negatives more.
No, stop them altogether. Makaveli is right.bernhund said:
He does get a lot of outside time and has been praised many times for peeing and popping outside. He just doesn't recognise the difference yet in outside and inside.
You said originally that the doors to the garden are open, this could exacerbate the problem as he could be sneaking off a doing it outside without you knowing. If he has free rein of the house and gardens, he will struggle to differentiate between what's allowed inside and out. Keep him inside and watch him like a hawk. If he's doing it too frequently, then unfortunately you're not being vigilant enough (any potential medical reasons non withstanding of course).Too often people shut their dogs outside for prolonged periods due to behavioural issues. This doesn't solve the problem, it just temporarily removes it. I'm not saying this is what you're doing, it's just a pet hate of mine.
Anyway, good luck! Out of all ours, our current greyhound (ex racer) is the only one we've had to go right back to basics to get him clean.
king either.lovechild said:
You said originally that the doors to the garden are open, this could exacerbate the problem as he could be sneaking off a doing it outside without you knowing. If he has free rein of the house and gardens, he will struggle to differentiate between what's allowed inside and out.
You could be onto something here. We've always given our dogs freedom to come and go to the garden as they please. It's never been a problem with our English Bull Terriers, so thought this little fella would be the same but it doesn't seem to be the case. He's definitely doing plenty in the garden and he's been praised for doing so. I'll crack out the treats everytime I see him now though and maybe he'll start to understand.
Patience, we had a really tough time training Inara where she should and should not pee, it's tough not to get negative with them at times but you just have to keep your cool like you would a child.
There is plenty of advice on the subject, when they have had a nap or a sleep they will almost always need to pee when so young, best thing to do here is take them out as soon as they wake up, pop them on the grass and just wait, once they pee, make a big deal of it, refrain from using "good boy" when they do otherwise what you are training them is to pee when you say good boy! We always used "go wee" whenever they pee'd in a good tone, lots of fuss, occasional treat, eventually it will just click with them! It also has the added bonus we now have two dogs that will more or less pee on command, really handy when you need to throw them in the car at short notice to go to someone's house or whatever, you can chuck them out, tell them to pee, they pee and that's that you are ready to go and you know the dogs are then good for a couple of hours etc!
Every dog is different and every dog learns it at a different pace, Noodle cracked it in a week, Inara took 3 months of constant supervision and training but she got there in the end. You do learn to spot the signs they are about to pee, learn them then if they are indoors and you spot them, clap or make a noise to distract them from what they are about to do and take them outside, wait for the pee, rinse and repeat. He'll get there
There is plenty of advice on the subject, when they have had a nap or a sleep they will almost always need to pee when so young, best thing to do here is take them out as soon as they wake up, pop them on the grass and just wait, once they pee, make a big deal of it, refrain from using "good boy" when they do otherwise what you are training them is to pee when you say good boy! We always used "go wee" whenever they pee'd in a good tone, lots of fuss, occasional treat, eventually it will just click with them! It also has the added bonus we now have two dogs that will more or less pee on command, really handy when you need to throw them in the car at short notice to go to someone's house or whatever, you can chuck them out, tell them to pee, they pee and that's that you are ready to go and you know the dogs are then good for a couple of hours etc!
Every dog is different and every dog learns it at a different pace, Noodle cracked it in a week, Inara took 3 months of constant supervision and training but she got there in the end. You do learn to spot the signs they are about to pee, learn them then if they are indoors and you spot them, clap or make a noise to distract them from what they are about to do and take them outside, wait for the pee, rinse and repeat. He'll get there
Puppies always amaze me. The amount they crap is far greater than the amount that goes in the other end 
Pups hate being ignored so if it has an accident in the house clean it up and just ignore the dog for a bit but when it does it outside lots and lots of fuss. Takes patience as with any dog training
At only 13 weeks old it's spent at least 50% of it life so far in a whelping box.
Pups hate being ignored so if it has an accident in the house clean it up and just ignore the dog for a bit but when it does it outside lots and lots of fuss. Takes patience as with any dog training
At only 13 weeks old it's spent at least 50% of it life so far in a whelping box.
We’re training our 11 week old border atm. Firstly puppy pads are a god send. We started with three and have moved to just one in his crate. We also notice when he’s doing his ‘wee walk’ and get him straight in the garden. When he does his business outside we act like he’s just won the lottery! Patience is key. I agree with the other posts who’ve said that punishment isn’t the way to go.
I honestly can't believe people still try the pushing their pups nose towards it etc... It is so so so outdated.
Read a modern training book, ask your vet when he goes for his jabs, and you will see this.
He is only 13 weeks old as well, still so young with a tiny tiny bladder and not able to control functions properly yet. However if you think he is weeing too much get a sample tested by the vet to make sure no medical reason.
Anyway rant over, asking on here is definitely a positive step and you have had some excellent replies, patience, reward the good, ignore the bad, anger and aggression will cause a fear response and may make toileting even harder. Take out after sleep, food, play and at any time there has been a bit of time he hasn't gone. It won't happen overnight, could be several weeks but you will probably see an improvement over that time.
A hour is a long time when trying to toilet train. Free access to garden will make it harder for some to know the difference. Every dog is different so don't compare to the others.
Puppy pads as mentioned sometimes help sometimes don't, again depends on the pup and how you use them.
Read a modern training book, ask your vet when he goes for his jabs, and you will see this.
He is only 13 weeks old as well, still so young with a tiny tiny bladder and not able to control functions properly yet. However if you think he is weeing too much get a sample tested by the vet to make sure no medical reason.
Anyway rant over, asking on here is definitely a positive step and you have had some excellent replies, patience, reward the good, ignore the bad, anger and aggression will cause a fear response and may make toileting even harder. Take out after sleep, food, play and at any time there has been a bit of time he hasn't gone. It won't happen overnight, could be several weeks but you will probably see an improvement over that time.
A hour is a long time when trying to toilet train. Free access to garden will make it harder for some to know the difference. Every dog is different so don't compare to the others.
Puppy pads as mentioned sometimes help sometimes don't, again depends on the pup and how you use them.
Edited by bexVN on Friday 5th October 14:22
Our Working Cocker is about 17 weeks and we are now seeing a marked improvement.
She has never been punished for doing it inside and always praised for going outside. From day one we spent most of our time with her and got to read the signals, poo's are easier to spot than wee's though, took her outside and praised her.
We also know when she is likely to need to go, after play, lying down, 20 mins after a big drink, first thing etc. and take her outside until she has been then praise and go back inside.
I really struggled with the concept to begin with as she could hold it in for hours overnight but would have lots of small wee's whenever she needed them during the day. There didn't seem to be a connection to doing it outside and praise.
The only accidents we get now are wee's when we aren't paying attention to her signals, especially if we are on the phone. She doesn't yet bark to go out so if we don't pick up on the signals she doesn't give us a long time to let her out. She has learnt to hold poo's in and she hasn't done one inside for weeks.
I'm sure it will come soon, lots of positive enforcement and patience.
She has never been punished for doing it inside and always praised for going outside. From day one we spent most of our time with her and got to read the signals, poo's are easier to spot than wee's though, took her outside and praised her.
We also know when she is likely to need to go, after play, lying down, 20 mins after a big drink, first thing etc. and take her outside until she has been then praise and go back inside.
I really struggled with the concept to begin with as she could hold it in for hours overnight but would have lots of small wee's whenever she needed them during the day. There didn't seem to be a connection to doing it outside and praise.
The only accidents we get now are wee's when we aren't paying attention to her signals, especially if we are on the phone. She doesn't yet bark to go out so if we don't pick up on the signals she doesn't give us a long time to let her out. She has learnt to hold poo's in and she hasn't done one inside for weeks.
I'm sure it will come soon, lots of positive enforcement and patience.
Both Barry and Daphne took months to get properly housetrained, it was so bloody frustrating for us but they go there in the end, the major issue with Daphne is she won't bark or jump up at the door when she wants to go out so you would be watching TV of an evening and wouldn't notice that she had snuck out to the front door, you'd pop to the kitchen or to go upstairs and you'd notice a little wet patch on the carpet by the front door.
bexVN said:
I honestly can't believe people still try the pushing their pups nose towards it etc... It is so so so outdated.
Read a modern training book, ask your vet when he goes for his jabs, and you will see this.
He is only 13 weeks old as well, still so young with a tiny tiny bladder and not able to control functions properly yet. However if you think he is weeing too much get a sample tested by the vet to make sure no medical reason.
Anyway rant over, asking on here is definitely a positive step and you have had some excellent replies, patience, reward the good, ignore the bad, anger and aggression will cause a fear response and may make toileting even harder. Take out after sleep, food, play and at any time there has been a bit of time he hasn't gone. It won't happen overnight, could be several weeks but you will probably see an improvement over that time.
A hour is a long time when trying to toilet train. Free access to garden will make it harder for some to know the difference. Every dog is different so don't compare to the others.
Puppy pads as mentioned sometimes help sometimes don't, again depends on the pup and how you use them.
I do recognise that it's people who need the training most of the time! I haven't exactly been a tyrant with him but somehow the 'showing him his puddle, telling him no and then putting him outside' just seems so natural to me and probably many other people...even if it is wrong. When he does it outside and I give him praise I even struggle to NOT say 'good boy!' It's weird and kind of goes against your instincts. Three Bull Terriers over the years, who aren't know for their massive brains and all got this sorted remarkably quickly. In fact I do wonder whether Hamilton (the new kid) living with Wilson is part of the problem as Wilson needs his freedom at the same time that Hamilton needs holding back. It's difficult to concentrate on the little lad without ignoring Wilson. I guess in a few months time the problem will be just a distant memory.....hopefully.Read a modern training book, ask your vet when he goes for his jabs, and you will see this.
He is only 13 weeks old as well, still so young with a tiny tiny bladder and not able to control functions properly yet. However if you think he is weeing too much get a sample tested by the vet to make sure no medical reason.
Anyway rant over, asking on here is definitely a positive step and you have had some excellent replies, patience, reward the good, ignore the bad, anger and aggression will cause a fear response and may make toileting even harder. Take out after sleep, food, play and at any time there has been a bit of time he hasn't gone. It won't happen overnight, could be several weeks but you will probably see an improvement over that time.
A hour is a long time when trying to toilet train. Free access to garden will make it harder for some to know the difference. Every dog is different so don't compare to the others.
Puppy pads as mentioned sometimes help sometimes don't, again depends on the pup and how you use them.
Edited by bexVN on Friday 5th October 14:22
It will be. My problem with mine was play biting. He was horrific for it and seemed to go on for ages but in reality it was a couple of months.
The only time to make comment is when they are in the act.
As he is squatting a firm no and take him outside, fingers crossed he will then we outside where lots of praise can take place (verbal, not treats)
The telling off after the event is pointless and confusing for a pup. They won't have a clue why their owner is cross with them. Their memory doesn't work like that.
The only time to make comment is when they are in the act.
As he is squatting a firm no and take him outside, fingers crossed he will then we outside where lots of praise can take place (verbal, not treats)
The telling off after the event is pointless and confusing for a pup. They won't have a clue why their owner is cross with them. Their memory doesn't work like that.
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