Puppy potty training problems are one of the biggest complaints we get from new puppy owners. And if you have an older dog, know that these same tips will apply for your dog, too!
The good news is, with a good plan and the support of a professional, potty training doesn't have to be as difficult as it might seem. In fact, most pups can be fully potty trained in just a few weeks.
Here are a few common ways that puppy potty training goes wrong, and how to get things back on track:
There's something medical that's influencing your dog's behavior.
Medical reasons for potty training problems are too often overlooked.
If your pup is only having pee accidents, is peeing with extreme frequency, and/or you see a drastic change in your dog's bathroom habits, your first visit should be to your veterinarian to check for any underlying medical issues.
You need to adjust your confinement strategy.
Confining your dog is a necessary component to successful potty training. If your pup is having accidents in their confinement area (such as a crate or a playpen) it's too large.
You can make that confinement area a safe and positive place by:
- Never using it for punishment
- Feeding your dog's meals in there and hiding special treats in the area
- Not leaving him/her in there for excessive periods. (General rule of thumb is age in months + 1 hour)
During the potty training process, in times you can't actively supervise your dog and they are not "empty," your dog must be confined! This is critical.
You're missing accidents.
This is the reason both confinement and active supervision are so important to the puppy potty training process.
Every time you miss an accident, you've just extended the length of time it's going to take to potty train your dog.
In order for your dog to fluently learn any behavior (in this case, eliminating outside) they must have a clear understanding of what you want and what you don't.
If your dog has an accident and doesn't get any feedback, they're never going to understand what's expected of them.
Your dog isn't making the connection.
So how can you use feedback to complete your puppy potty training process?
If your dog has an accident in front of you, immediately interrupt with an "ah-ah!" and get him outside as quickly as possible. Do not yell at your dog, rub his nose in the accident, or punish him. You are simply interrupting and getting him outside, then praising heavily if he finishes outside.
If your dog has an accident and you miss it, simply clean it up, as there's no learning that will happen at this point.
Go with your dog outside every time during this process. You need to praise and reward heavily for pottying outdoors, and you need to know whether or not your dog is "empty"!
You need to teach your dog a way to alert you that he needs to go.
If your dog understands that they need to potty outside but is having accidents near the door, it's likely they just haven't learned a clear way to signal to you that they need to go.
In this case, it's helpful to add in a bell or other audible alert that your pup can use to let you know she's got to go. A professional can help you effectively teach a bell alert.
If you have a dog that absolutely won't potty outside, no matter what you try, check out this blog for some additional help.
My puppy continues to pee in living room even though he is in his area. The kitchen it's all set up
Try making the space smaller, using an x-pen or tethering a leash to your body. His area may just be too big!
My miniature schnauzer is now 4 months and wees outside but when she comes back inside she wees back inside and sometimes poos-
Very helpful, thank you!
I’m having a issue we go outside and wait and tell her to go pee/poop and they won’t. Then have an accident when we get in the house
You can try a few things. 1 – try a confinement area (supervised) outside, like a large playpen. Sometimes giving them a more confined space to potty in will help speed up the process, then BIG praise and reward if they go outside. Also, if your doesn't potty outside, put them immediately into an indoor confinement area for 15-20 minutes, then take them back outside to potty. They shouldn't have free reign if they need to potty, but didn't go outside. Hope this helps!
My 4month old Scotty male pup wS doing great with ringing bell to go to our grass patch on our balcony of our condo. Just in the past 4 days he is peeing by door right after rings bell and by his food dish . I watch him frequently especially after eating, sleeping, and during play. This happens more so after 5:00 pm??? I have a play pen and have started placing him in it yesterday for some of the time.
If he is peeing by the door, it's likely that he's trying to make it outside, but can't hold it. You may want to focus on the bell training again, but also really watch your pup for cues he needs to go. If you continue seeing lots of small pee accidents, it's always worth it to rule out a UTI with your vet.
Hi!
We are training an 8-week old puppy to pee on pads inside until fully vaccinated…. we have a crate that she sleeps in our room, a pen with her pee pad and a play area outside of the pen. We watch her like a hawk. She is great at night in the crate and we wake up every 2 hours to bring her to pads and she goes within minutes. During the day she cries when we put her on the pad (or plops on it) and then pees outside of it during play. Any advice on how to reverse this would be SO helpful! Thank you
If at all possible, I recommend sticking with your preferred potty method right from the start (for example, if you plan to have her potty outside eventually, start that right now.) The pads can be really difficult to transition away from later on. Do you have access to an outdoor space not accessed by a ton of other dogs?
10 week old puppy is crate training, and was doing well going outside when we take him out, and occasionally in his pen litterbox (filled with horse pellets as that's what the breeder used). Lately, though, he goes outside the litter box, in his crate, AND lays down to sleep and play in the litter box. It's not very big, but he prefers it to the crate for naps when he isn't crated. We use reward treats and lots of praise for successes, but confused by this turn of events.
I would recommend eliminating the litter box altogether, making the crate smaller (enough room to stand up and turn around comfortably, but not much more) and go back to basics on your potty training! Remember that you've got to catch those accidents in the act and get him outside ASAP 🙂
We have a nine week old puppy and during the day while working from home we have kept him confined to my office or on a leash with my husband at table. We take him out frequently and praise him when he goes. Int he last 48 hours he comes in and with in a few minutes starts to per again. What are we doing wrong?? He sleep through the night no issue in his cage and no accidents
You may want to go to the vet first to check for a UTI – if you are seeing lots of small pee accidents, that could be the cause! Also, be sure you are only praising/rewarding your puppy after he has completely finishing pottying. Otherwise, he might not finish completely.
How are things going – my pup is doing the same (clean in crate at night etc) – we did check for a uti – all clear.
Our Dobermann is good about his crate, but readily pees in the (indoor) pen, still. We try to have perfect supervision when he's in the pen, but he is still peeing in the pen when we are imperfect about supervision. We've "caught him in the act" 1 time, despite weeks of effort. (He's 3 months old.) How do we teach him that he needs to tell us he has to go, or build his understanding that the pen (and eventually the house) is his indoor space, like the crate. We snuggle in there, play, train, feed in the pen. Any tips helpful.
Try making the pen smaller, and you can also fill it with some toys and other items to prevent extra free space. If accidents happen in the pen, it's too big! As he starts to do better, you can begin making it larger again.
I have a 1,5 year old mixed breed that I adopted 3 weeks ago. We live in an apartment and when it’s raining and we can’t take her outside, she holds her pee and refuses to do it indoors. She even hooded it one time for 20 hours that we had to give up and took her to pee outside in the rain. We’ve put pads on the floor in a quiet space but she chooses to use them as a bed. What can I do to make her comfortable peeing inside?
My recommendation would be to still take her to potty outside, even if it's raining! Most dogs that are potty trained are very uncomfortable eliminating indoors.
Have 20 week old havenese puppy. She pees outside 3-4 times and then will pee in the house soon after. She doesn't have any other accidents but seems to need to pee frequently. She holds it in her crate and at night.
It may be worth a trip to your vet to check for a UTI or any other medical issues. Lots of small pee accidents like that can be an indicator!
I have a 6 month old puppy, he has been crate trained and can hold his toilet through the night. However, when he is left alone in his crate he sometimes pees in it after just an hour of toileting, and if he is left in the kitchen for a couple of minutes, he will poop on the floor. He runs in his crate after pooping as he knows it is wrong. How do I stop him peeing in his crate and pooping on the floor when no one is around. He has no access to any other room in the house until he is trained. This crate training has been going on for over 2 months and his peeing in the crate and pooping on the floor is not getting any better. Some people have said separation anxiety but he doesn't poop in his crate, some have said a dominance issue, some have said he is defiant, until I know the cause, I don't know how to help him stop toileting unnecessarily.
This does sound anxiety-related. I would strongly suggest enlisting the help of a certified professional – we can help virtually or provide a referral for you.
I'm at wit's end. 10-week old Havapoo just doesn't get it. I have peepads because I can barely get some clothes on to take her out before she goes. She doesn't seem to understand that poop goes there, too. Now she just piddles everywhere, even after I've just taken her outside.
She absolutely hates being confined, screaming and yowling in crate or pen. Forget about leashing her indoors. I can't take her for longer walks yet because she's only had one set of shots, but she can run in the garden.
I'm starting to suspect she does this on purpose, or we've got a battle of wills going on. Is it possible that I'm not giving enough leadership?
Hi Beth! The good news is, this is likely just a case of a pup that hasn't quite gotten the gist of potty training just yet. You're going to want to find a confinement area that that she can tolerate – you can try giving her meals in there as well as a kong stuffed with peanut butter to help make a positive association with it. You'll want to remove the pee pads, as they send mixed messages about it being appropriate to potty indoors. If you need extra help, feel free to set up a virtual session with us!
We have an 8 week old lab. He is not catching on to potty training at all. If we crate train, do we keep him in there at all times, even when we are home?
The crate is a management strategy – use it when you can't supervise your pup as well as overnight, but it shouldn't be used all day long. A good rule of thumb is age in months + one hour for maximum time in the crate at one time (overnight they can go longer.) If you need some extra management, tethering your pup to you with a leash is another great option! Keep in mind, at 8 weeks your pup is a baby and has so much learning to do. He'll get there!
Our 9 week old puppy does great in the morning. Are following a strict feeding schedule.We wake up once in the middle of the night around 1-2am and take her out. She does her job in 2-5min. Same for at 7am. But she seem to have trouble after noon. We take her out every 2 hrs, she sometimes refuses to pee and does her job once we come in (on her way to the crate). I feel like she is holding it until she she comes in. We are trying to pick her up and put her in the crate. Sometimes she pees a little outside, and then 10 min later pees again inside. Cannot seem to figure out the problem. We watch her like a hawk. As soon as she starts sniffing we take her out. The accidents are the most between noon and 7pm. Any suggestions?
I actually wrote a blog on this exact topic! It should help you immensely For some reason the link isn't working for me – once I get it fixed, I'll update! Here's the link, but it may be tomorrow before it works: https://peachonaleash.com/housetraining-a-dog-that-refuses-to-potty-outside/
hi I have a 6month old maltipoo, I crate her at night time and she makes it fully through the night without going potty. But I am gone at work from 4:30am-5pm during the week & my daughter comes home from school at 2 and takes her potty. The breeder that we got her from put potty pads in the crate when she was little, and now has a problem going in her crate. She got used to laying in her poop and pee I think. When we try to put her in a play pen, with potty pad, she climbs out. please any advice that you have!!
That is a lot of time in confinement for a pup! She genuinely might not be able to handle this much time being confined, especially without being able to potty. I would recommend a small, baby-gated room with pads, or a sturdier play pen with tall sides. If feasible for you, it may be beneficial to hire a dog walker to get her some additional time out of confinement during your work week!
We are struggling with potty training our four month old beagle. The good news is she sleeps all night in her crate without having an accident, usually eight hours. We’re following all the potty training guidelines, keeping her in a confined area in the house where we can always be watching her, taking her outside whenever removing her from her crate or before putting her in it, when she walks away from playtime, before and after she eats, and any other time she shows signs of needing to go. She will scratch at the door to let us know she needs to get out and will often run to her potty area and go. We praise her and give her treats when she goes in the correct area. My problem is that after all of this, she will pee on the family room rug right in front of me! Often times this will happen only five or 10 minutes after she’s peed outside. I’m not sure what we’re doing wrong. Help!
You may want to have your vet check for a UTI, just in case! Especially if you are only seeing pee accidents, right after she has already peed. If that comes back clear, you will want to really focus on watching her right after she comes back inside so you can interrupt those accidents and get her back outside.
We have been bringing our 10 weeks old puppy to the potty training mat or outside once he wakes up, 15 min after eating and drinking and 2 hourly after he has gone to sleep at night. However, he doesn’t per or poo at any of these tries. We then have to keep putting him back in his crate. We are not sure why he isn’t going. Please help.
Hi Casey! See if this blog is helpful for you: https://peachonaleash.com/housetraining-a-dog-that-refuses-to-potty-outside/
Hello! I have a 10 week old Shih Tzu. I just got him today and I’ve been trying to teach him to use the puppy pad as I live in an apartment. He had an accident this morning and I just said “ah ah” and took him to the pee pad where he didn’t pee. I would just like some tips on how I can get him to use a pee pee pad regularly in the apartment. I make sure to keep the pee pee pad in the same spot all the time. Any tips?
Hey Phillip! Is your goal to permanently have him use a pee pad, or just while he's still young? We recommend only using pee pads if that's your long-term plan – otherwise it can be difficult to wean off of them. With that said, in the scenario you're describing, he was likely "empty" by the time he got to the pad. Try to catch him SUPER quickly so he needs to finish wherever you place him. I would also recommend putting the pad area inside of a playpen, so that there is a clear structure to where he should go. (Keep the playpen door open.) You can even put some treats in the pad area to encourage your pup to explore around there. Another great way to start is by putting your pup in the pen, door closed, first thing in the morning so you have an almost guaranteed pee inside of the pad area.
Hi.
Having trouble with a 16 week old golden retriever. He was doing wonders and sitting at the door when he needed to go and holding from 8-12:30, now he’s started to go anywhere he wants inside (only wee). He doesn’t have issues when we’re home because we’re on top of him for going outside and lots of praise when he does but when we’re at work he is going on the floor even if we leave his pee pad out which he sometimes uses and not others, vet has cleared him. He’s also stopped indicating he wants to go out by sitting at the door. I’m at my wits end I have no idea what I’m doing wrong.
I would suggest stopping use of the pee pad, as it is taking away the need for him to "hold it." I would recommend a crate or small playpen while you're at work, with no pee pad inside. If you have any accidents in the pen, you'll need to make the space smaller. Good luck!
Thanks! That’s what I thought I’d need to do but felt bad about having him in a crate (silly I know). I’ll try the pen.
Hello! I have a 4 and a half month old beagle who refuses to potty outside. We got her 2 weeks ago from someone who kept her outside in a small pen with only a concrete pad. She has yet to poop outside but has peed a handful of times outdoors. She flips out in a kennel and will soil it. One time she pottied literally 3 minutes after I put her in the kennel. We supervise her indoors, take her out regularly, and have praised her heavily the times she does go outside. Since she hates the kennel we've let her sleep in our bed, and she always makes it all night without going. We've started confining her to the garage while we work because at least in there she doesn't *have* to sit in her own filth. But she has the bladder and bowel control to hold it for a long time. We've had her outdoors a full 10 hours one day waiting for her to potty, and when we finally gave up she went as soon as we got inside. We've interrupted potty accidents and taken her immediately out, but she refuses to go. I don't know what to do!
We happen to have a blog on exactly this topic! https://peachonaleash.com/housetraining-a-dog-that-refuses-to-potty-outside/
We have a 3 month old Vizsla puppy and she is just not getting the peeing outside thing. She poops outside great. She will just pee a little and then once inside finish her pee. I try to be on her all the time when home, but in an instant she will just pee. She even will pee in her crate, it’s like she doesn’t care. I have made the space in her crate just big enough for her to stand and turn around. She will just pee in her bed. We do put her in the crate at night, but will only last 3 hours at the most. Any help would be appreciated.
Definitely get to your vet and have them run a urine sample! This could very likely be a medical issue, not behavioral.
We have a 4 month old Malshi puppy who we are having difficulty with potty training. We bring him out every twenty min outed (at least try to) when home, try to remember treats when he does go outside (although it seems everyone gives a treat for only poop) and when he is alone, we used to keep him in a pen but he climbs out of it and now we lock him in the basement which is a large area. He is having accidents once a day, mostly just pee. He doesn’t tell anyone he has to go, we are trying he’ll training but he isn’t grasping that. He will walk to the door and not make a sound, we have found him sitting there, and we take him out or he walks away and pees. He will pee right in front of us. Also, he won’t go outside without someone. He will actually look at us and our feet and wait for us to start walking out the door before he does, and if we take him out by our deck, he won’t go down the steps until we do- he watches for it. He does not like to be alone at all so.
You might want to consider a virtual session with us – it could really help you troubleshoot this! How long is he being left alone? It's likely that the basement area is too large for him to be unsupervised in. The bell won't help until he truly understands that outside his the only option, so really focus on catching those accidents as they happen, and creating a confinement space he can't escape from, but also isn't so big that he'll have accidents in there!
My cockapoo is 6 months old now. We lost the battle with the crate but that’s ok cause he doesn’t damage anything in the house. He’s a good pup but I tried the potty pads and it backfired. I keep taking him outside and he either won’t go and then goes inside or goes and goes inside as well. He won’t tell us when he has to go and just goes anywhere he is in the house. We introduced the bell and he seems to only ring it all day cause he wants to go outside and play. I’m at the point of finding him a new home cause I just can’t keep up anymore but my family won’t hear about it. What do I do?😓
I'm sorry you're dealing with this! Definitely take the pads away, and/or put them outside for a few days to help him transition. Check this method out too: https://peachonaleash.com/housetraining-a-dog-that-refuses-to-potty-outside/
I'd also suggest a vet check for a UTI if you haven't already.
We have a 5 month old lab. She is grasping all areas of her training wonderfully other than potty training. She seems to understand to poop outside and only has very occasionally poop accidents inside, but pee accidents can vary from 1-4 times a day. She is crated all day with my husband at work where he lets her out every few hours and she seems to do well there. Doesn’t have any accidents in her crate . But once she comes home in the evening it’s like the floodgates open. She will drink a ton of water, play a lot, and have to pee every 20-30 min until bed. Will even have accidents despite just being let outside 5 min ago. We really try to keep tight supervision during this time but she can be quick and shows very little to no signs of needing to go out. I’ve tried the bell but she doesn’t seem to grasp it well. She does have to do stairs to go out, which I wonder if this physical barrier throws off her understanding. She was cleared by the vet (they thought it was just vaginitis since she was having frequent small accidents but that seems to have improved to less frequent normal puddles now). She only makes it though the night successfully 50% of the time where we do keep her out as she doesn’t ruin anything and sleeps well. I guess my question is do we need to crate her even more? Do we need to add crating over night and even in the evenings? It just feels like so much since she is crated all day. Again, she just chugs water during this evening time too which I doubt is helping. Do we pull her water at some point? We love her and she is otherwise and outstanding dog. Is this just a matter of patience? Did her vaginitis issues create behavioral problems? What can we do to speed up the process?
I would definitely suggest one more recheck for a possible UTI – often dogs with a UTI can hold it while confined, but struggle when they have more ability to move. I wouldn't crate her more, though. Continue to watch for signs she is about to have an accident so you can interrupt and get her outside quickly. But with that frequent of accidents, I would be concerned about a possible medical cause for sure!
We brought home a 6 1/2 month old pug that has always lived in a cage 6 weeks ago. I know that it may take longer due to being in a cage for the first part of her life. I feel she is very smart but I don't think she is getting the connection. I use the same words and ring the bells on the door every time we go outside. Do you know anything about dogs living in cages and if it just takes more time? I feel like there is nothing wrong with her socially and she is not skittish at all.
Dogs that grew up relieving themselves in a crate can definitely take a longer time to potty train. The bells won't be particularly helpful until AFTER she is potty trained – it's really just a method of alerting. Be sure you're catching accidents as they happen and getting her outside, and give lots of positive feedback when she does go outside.
We have a 5 month old mini-aussie. She seems to have managed to get that peeing has to happen outside, but she constantly seems to have poop accidents inside. We work from home all day so she is constantly supervised and we take her out everytime she requests (even it is just to get some fresh air). Can't figure out how to solve the pooping inside problem….
You might want to add in a food reward after pottying outside! (Reward as soon as he finishes.) Be sure that you're catching the pooping right when it starts, interrupting, and getting him outside immediately. Reward if he finishes outside!
4 month old puppy continuing to have accidents inside, even regressing to where we can’t make it one day without going inside. He is capable of holding 5 hours while I’m at work and sleeps through the night without wanting a potty break (crate training). But still pees in inconsistent spots in the apartment and on the way to outside despite taking him out every hour. He has no signals, will be walking and then just stop and start peeing midstride. Has even sat down and peed while sitting. Loud noises dont stop him, he knows what to do yet continues to have accidents even if we have had 4 successful trips in a row. Any advice?
I would suggest a UTI test at your vet to eliminate any possibility of this being a medical issue! What you're describing is very typical of a UTI case.
I have a 12 week old miniature poodle boy and I’ve had trouble toilet training before. I take him out every hour but he’s peeing and pooping inside and outside. I praise him when he goes outside and if I catch him I put him out, but he’s having so many ‘accidents’ it’s causing me a lot of stress. He doesn’t have a crate, but he’s confined in a small bedroom where I try to watch him. I’m really struggling and I could use some advice. Should he be confined to an even smaller space? He goes outside and literally 10 minutes later he pees.
It sounds like you definitely need to create a much smaller confinement area. At his age, a room is going to be too big. I'd recommend setting up a playpen with a crate inside of it. That way, if you can't supervise him, you have a place for him to go where he shouldn't have accidents. You can also get him checked for UTI, just in case!
Hi, my miniature schnauzer is 6 months old now. Previously he has been able to go back to his playpen and step onto his pee tray and pee very well. But lately, he just pee outside the pee tray (without stepping onto the pee tray). I have tried few ways and even go back to confine him in his playpen. But he just pee outside the pee tray and step onto the pee tray and freeze there waiting for our help. What should I do?
Is it an option for him to potty outside vs. using the tray? Some pups struggle to use pee pads or trays as they get older!
I have a 4 month old black lab puppy, I have a fenced yard that I want to be where she goes. I am unable to go outside with her every time she needs to go and she does not like to be outside alone, so she will just sit at the door until she is let in and also she cannot be praised when she does go to the bathroom. Sometimes she will go outside, sometimes she will spend a lot of time outside with me but not using the bathroom and then 5 minutes later go inside. Not sure what confinement strategy to use, she has a crate and she goes in and out of it during the day, there are toys and treats I keep in there for her, but she absolutely freaks out when the door is closed. It's quite difficult to actively supervise her throughout the day while I am working and I rarely can catch her so it feels like she isn't actually learning.
I would really try to plan 2-3 weeks where you can consistently go outside with her – it helps immensely for her to get the feedback, and for you to know whether or not she's relieved herself. Most dogs get more independent about going outside as they get a bit older.
Hi. I have an 8 month old mini bernedoodle. She is crate trained and can sleep in her crate for 10 hours with no problems. She has never had any accidents in her crate day or night. In the morning, I let her out around 6:30 am and she can usually make it to 11 or noon before needing to go out again, usually having a couple of hours of crate time somewhere in there. The problem comes in after noon. Starting from there she needs to go pee more frequently. Sometime after 3 hours, but usually closer to 2, and sometimes less. She does tell us she needs to go out, a few days ago, I decided to redirect her from the door since I thought she should be able to hold it longer than 2 hours. She went back to the door a couple more times within about 10 minutes and eventually peed. It was completely my fault since she was giving me signs, but I just can’t help but feel something is wrong with her. She was checked for a uti a while ago when a brought these concerns up with my vet. The vet said no uti, but that a dog her age should definitely be able to hold it 4 hours no matter how much she’s drank, played, etc. She said I may have to see a specialist to rule out more complicated medical conditions she may have, or it might be behavioral. Do you have any insight? Is having to go out every couple of hours in the afternoon normal or not? The specialist is 6 hours away, so we really don’t want to have to go that route unless I have to, but I just feel like at 8 months we should be farther along than this. I’m not sure why she can hold it longer in the mornings or while crated. Any advice on whether she may grow out of this would be helpful! Thank you!
We find that families consistently struggle more in the latter half of the day, as it tends to be less routine-oriented than the morning. Is she drinking an excessive amount of water? This doesn't scream UTI to me, as 2 hours is still a significant time for her to hold it. I would really start micromanaging the latter half of the day, even if it requires a bit more crate time for a few weeks.
My 5 month old puppy won’t pee outside. She’ll go poop but just sniffs, walks around, stands there, and once we go back in (say I’m washing my hands or something) she will pee in the house. We live in an apartment complex, and there are some grass areas that I am trying to designate. But any advice on how I can make her go pee outside?
You can try bringing a potty pad with you outside initially, and always start training first thing in the morning when you know she has to go. Find a quiet spot, wait her out, then reward with food immediately after she goes!
My 2 year old dog will only go to the bathroom inside if we are asleep or not home. It’s getting very hard to try and train her when every time she’s having an accident we are not there to correct behavior and now it’s just extending the time of going to the bathroom in our home. She has been doing this for a full year and we have been trying absolutely everything. I’m at a loss . I’m unsure what to try next. What can I do to correct her behavior if I’m not seeing the bad behavior happen until after the fact? Please help.
Are you utilizing a confinement area like a crate or X-pen when you can't supervise? If not, that will likely do the trick! It should be small enough that there's not a large open space for using the bathroom.
I have a 16 week golden retriever, she hasn’t had a poop accident in weeks but will have pee accidents at least once a day. She also has a problem with submissive urination when my husband tries to take her outside or tries to play with her. Is this messing up her potty training? If she is awake or not in a crate, I take her out every hour. She also sleeps all night with out accidents.
I absolutely check for a UTI – one of our biggest red flags is that the dog is only having pee accidents. The submissive urination will likely improve with age if there's no UTI.
Just brought home a 9 week old shihpoo and it’s been a struggle. We’ve had success with our previous cockapoo using crate training with house breaking so thought would try it. We can only do pee pad training at this time. But oddly the new puppy pees and poops in his crate even when we’ve adjusted to get it to his size so he doesn’t have extra room to do his business. We’ve been taking him every hour to his pee pad area (lots of praises and treats if on pee pad) but peeing in the crate and playpen is more consistent. During one of our potty breaks, he must’ve been tired and I saw him lay on his own pee on the pee pad and was content to fall asleep. I’m questioning his “den” instincts. None of the potty training guides I’ve read has worked because he seems to lack this den behaviour. It’s only been two nights but we’re out of ideas on how to move forward. Please help!
It's super tough to have a dog that isn't bothered by laying in their own pee and poop! For these dogs, we've found it helpful to create a setup with a crate within a playpen, and then a designated potty area. You can periodically place treats on the potty area to help make it a desirable place to go.
We have had our 5 month old golden doodle for a little over a month now. We used to have accidents about once a day as she learned life outside a puppy mill, but now have frequent accidents inside-poop and pee. We have done the bells on the door from day one each and every time we go out but she will not alert us she needs to go at any point. She will sleep in crate at night for 9 hours with no accidents. Suggestions?
Go back to basics utilizing the steps in this blog – if she isn't alerting, she likely doesn't know that outdoors is the only option for pottying. Reward each time she goes outside, do not allow free access to the house, and interrupt all accidents and get her outside. Hang in there!
I adopted a 3 y/o golden retriever from the shelter. I have had her for 2 months without many potty training issues until lately. She didn’t poop or pee in the house at all until I had her for 1 month. She peed twice in the house about a week apart. And now she has pooped in the house twice within the last 3 days. I take her outside regularly and have consistently praised her for using the bathroom outside from the beginning and never stopped. She has eaten her poop while being outside twice recently and been scolded for doing so. Now I think I have scared her from using the restroom when I am outside with her. So it seems as though I cannot get her to go to the bathroom outside when I take her out, and in turn she is pooping in the house instead of going regularly outside. I have tried to put her outside in the yard by her self to relieve herself which she does pretty well, but I am worried about her then pooping and eating it so I try to watch through the windows from the inside. I have been leaving her lately at home for longer stretches by herself indoors and I am wondering is she is having anxiety issues because I have left her, but the pooping in the house is happening while I am home and not away. So I’m just so confused. My problem is two fold but I don’t know what to do and what I can possibly do to rectify the situation.
I would suggest utilizing food for pottying outside – this can help redirect her from eating her poop, as well as reward her for eliminating in the correct place. You may also need to utilize a crate or playpen as a management spot for her so she cannot have accidents that you don't see happen.
We have a 7 month mix breed lab whom we have been trying so hard to train but with mixed luck.
We take him out at regular intervals – 5.30am, 7.45/8am before school, 1pm when they get home from school (summer hours) 4pm before dinner and 6.30pm after dinner and the dogs eat, and a final one around 10pm before bed.
Unfortunately he rarely makes it through the night dry unless I manage to wake before him. He also sometimes doesn't manage to hold it even for 3 hours (thats why the so frequent potty brakes)
There are no signs that he's going to pee, he will just walk around the dining room table and pee all the way around it, no matter how much we shout and try to stop him. At night he will pee behind the kitchen table – always the same place. I've used industrial cleaners and he still goes there – he never sniffs around, just pees.
We're at out wits end. A professional trainer here told us we have to work on us first! PLEASE help!
I would strongly suggest ruling out medical possibilities – this sounds very much like a UTI! Your schedule sounds perfect.
I have a 15 week old corgi and at this point her schedule when going potty is not on par. I take her out after naps, and when she's awake, I take her out every hour. But sometimes it's getting hard to figure out what to do and I watch her like a hawk. Sometimes she'll pee outside and then like 30 mins later she'll pee inside.. but then sometimes she won't go pee for a few hours and hold it? I don't know, it's just frustrating as I live in an apartment on the 5th floor and it's a trek getting her down and out. Her last walk is at 10-1030 at night. She sleeps through the night with no accidents in her crate so that's a plus.
You can start planning specific times for potty breaks, and utilize a crate or playpen as needed for times you on't want to be actively supervising her. Make sure you interrupt all accidents and get her outside right away – I know it's super inconvenient but it's definitely the best way to help her figure it out. I would also advise a urine test at the vet to rule out medical possibilities!
We have a fox terrier, 6 months old, we just can’t get her to stop peeing and pooping in the house. We crate her at night, take her out every 1-2 hours, watch her, leash her to us, the second she gets a chance she will go to a corner to potty. It is exhausting, I am always on alert. We thought that after 4 months she might begin to make a decision to use the dog door, which she uses freely to go outside to romp around. Will she ever get it?
PS. Vet says she is fine.
That does sound exhausting! A few things to think about: 1) make sure you are catching those accidents, interrupting but not scaring her, and getting her right outside. This is the most critical step. 2) Utilize confinement; if she doesn't pee or poop when let outside, put her in a crate or pen for a few minutes and then try again.
We have a male 11 week old shaltie that has been with us 2 weeks, in an appartmet. Only few days after coming with us he got diarrhea, before we manage to even get any progress in potty training. We also have to stay inside with him for almost a week still on doctor's and breeder's orders and the ordeal together with our mistakes (moving the pads locations, getting an artificial grass instead of a pad since nothing was working) has him going anywhere inside, there is no room he hasn't had an accident. His peeing is also very irregular, with the only given time being a few seconds after any sleep or nap. An important and really bad detail is that we were aksed by the breeder to NOT crate train him, so all this is happening without confinement possibilities. We even tried a pen for half a day and he was so stressed by the after-the-fact confinement attempt that his peing on the floor got worse. Now we are trying the artificial grass patch with redirecting (verbal and lifting) with little success but just started today. Constant supervision all day and all night since there is no confinement and hope for establishing a routine but it is unsustaible time wise for us and stessing him because of the following and redirecting. We are kind of lost.
This is a tough one! I would recommend very gradual acclimation to a confinement area, and then focus specifically on outdoor potty training (avoid the pads, etc.) You can find some good ideas for the separation issues via Julie Naismith's "Be Right Back!" book.
hi there! i have a 6mth pup that only has accidents in the mornings when we take her out right in the morning. she does not pee in her pen but once let out, she pees right outside the cage on the floor or runs around avoiding the harness and ends up peeing in the process. is there a way to get her to hold till we are out the door? or to hold still enough for the harness?
If possible, leash her in the crate and pick her up and carry her outside. You can also try moving the crate so it's right by the door!