# Housetraining a dog



## Bunnylova4eva (Jul 2, 2012)

I have a friend who has a 10 month old Bishon/Yorkie mix. The dog is not spayed yet, and they haven't as they'd like to possibly breed her eventually.

Apparently she's been a nightmare to potty train, but for a while has only been going inside once every few weeks. Any clues as to how to curve the behavior? They are seriously looking into getting rid of her as they can't stand this. I advised them to spay her, mainly thinking she's marking. 

They take her on lots of walks, she goes out very frequently. Their other dog (a male) is neutered and has done great and didn't take long to potty train. I guess they said she doens't even mind sitting in her own pee, she'll just go and sit in it of her own accord. 

ANY help? Possibly? I really would like to help them so I they can keep their dog. They're pretty upset about this too.


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## fuzz16 (Jul 2, 2012)

Sounds behavioral not that shes not housetrained.


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## Bunnylova4eva (Jul 2, 2012)

Yeah I'm really not sure. They said she'll show no warning-just sitting on the couch getting pet and randomly pees.


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## agnesthelion (Jul 2, 2012)

How is she sitting in it? Is she in a kennel all the time?

Is she on a feeding schedule? Are they rewarding her when going outside? Have they had her since she was a baby?

If she's in a kennel most of the time or "punished" there because of pottying in the house it can be hard for her to learn to respect her den. Which in turn hinders potty training.

Puppies will usually pee or poo shortly after they eat and drink. Getting on a feeding schedule will help that.

Do not punish puppy or rub their nose in it or spank or hit. That makes puppy hide their pottying or be scared to let it be known that they have to.

If all above is being done, take puppy out every hour (or more) if needed to the SAME spot in the yard. Reward when she goes and restrict play outside until she knows that outside is meant for pottying.

Lastly (sorry can't help myself here) dogs are SOOO overbred in this country. Too many put to sleep and too many people think breeding puppies is a money/successful thing to get in to. Dogs should only be bred to better the breed. Tell your friends to research some things on that and reconsider. Getting her spayed is the best all around.

Good luck!


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## degrassi (Jul 2, 2012)

Has she been checked for a bladder infection?


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## BabyRue (Jul 2, 2012)

Maggie is a Bischon/Maltese. She was a night mare to potty train. I got her at 8 weeks old and she will be 3 the end of this month and its only the last 6 - 8 months that she has been accident free in the house.

We got her on a schedule. I would take her outside every 3 hours and wouldn't let her come in until she pee'd or poop'd. She is kennel trained(I have a large kennel that is actually for dogs between 60 - 80 pounds). When I am out she is in her kennel. When she made a mess in the house and I caught her I sent her to her kennel. If I didn't catch her in the act I would clean it up and take her and the "mess" outside. When she would go outside she got a reward and praise. Even now though at almost 3 years old she still will not tell me when she has to go out. So I just make sure I take her out every 4 hours or so. She will actually start to shake when she has to poop so that is our "sign" she needs to go.

My friend is a dog trainer and she said that the best way to teach them is to put a bell on the door that they can reach and every time you take the dog outside you touch their nose to the bell and they will learn to touch the bell to let you know they need to go out. This didn't work with Maggie but I know a lot of people it has worked for. I also have a puppy pad that I have by the door so if she needs to go in the middle of the night she will go on the pad. It rarely happens but I like to have it there as a just in case because my medication tends to make me dead to the world when I am sleeping. 

Anyway its been said that Bischons are one of the hardest breeds to potty train but once you get it its there.


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## caustin4 (Jul 3, 2012)

:yeahthat: Yorkies are also a nightmare to potty train. Really any small dog is tough. It's about being consistent and taking them outside, sometimes every hour or two and praise praise praise when they go outside. If they are really serious about this they can put the dog on a leash in the house and tie it to their belt. That way they will be able to catch the dog in the act and will learn to take the dog out more often. The dog will learn to ask them to go out this way as well. Training the owner is just as much a part of it as training the dog.


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## Bunnylova4eva (Jul 3, 2012)

She sits in it when she's in the kennel/crate-I don't know how often that is. But she has a big crate and when she goes in it, its not like she tries to even keep herself out of it but will instead just lay in it it.
I think I'll give them a link over here to the forum so they can see some of the ideas people have here if any of it can help.

I am not sure about the feeding schedule, I guess I can ask them about that too. A while agp I told them about giving treats as a reward so I do think they do that as well as taking her out very frequently (about every 1-2 hours)

I don't know if they have checked for a bladder infection-that was another thing I did mention to them, although she's done this her whole life (never been housebroken) so I guess maybe she could have always had an infection but I think this might be more behavioral.

Yes, they've had her since she was 2 months old. I do know that yorkies and other small dogs are really hard to train, but it is possible. I volunteer at a shelter and both yorkies I've seen come through recently had horrible pottytraining issues.

Oh and they said there's really no rhyme or reason to where/when she goes. Like yesterday for instance, they trimmed her hair and then took her out for a walk. Then when they got back and were sitting on the couch petting her she just randomly peed. And she had just peed outside on the walk. 

It does sound like she tries to hide it-they put her in her kennel and she get's punished when she goes in the house. They said she seems to know she was bad after she does it, even if they haven't found this mess yet.


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## BunMommaD (Jul 3, 2012)

We have a 7 yr old Lhasa/poo and OH MY GOD! It took her 3YEARS!!!! To be completely potty trained!!!! It was awful, and so hard... The small breeds just have a hard time of it... Finally we actually left her with a friend of the family who was retired and had a bunch if other dogs, while we went in vacation... And when we came back, somehow miraculously with constant reinforcement she had gotten it! She does still have accidents occasionally but it's not often...

I will say tho that if she is in a crate alot, to the point she needs to go and sit in it... That actually trains them to NOT be potty trained because they begin to loose the instinct to keep their "home" space clean... And that's when you find dogs peeing and sitting in it...not normal! Most dogs will pee and then get as far away from it as possible!

Feeding schedule and letting out schedule are a big factor too! Puppy's like children thrive on routine... They will learn that they go out at this time or that time... Not because their watch says so, but because by their internal clock they just know! And they are more apt to wait if they know they will go out soon... If they don't then to them it seems they will just wait forever, so they just go inside...

And this is just MY opinion! But a puppy having accident isn't bad! It's happening because the human isn't following the cues properly... Puppy's give cues and signals as too when they need out, it's our job to learn them and act on them immediately, so that the dog trusts that we will listen to them... If a dig is ignored when it needs out it eventually stops trying to tell anyone but it doesn't trust it will be let out! And when an accident does occur the dog should be taken outside immediately!!! We had trouble training our Sydney, but it wasn't her fault! Or her breed! (altho I'm sure her small breed played a role) I work way to many hours to have a puppy and really wasnt home enough to train her... She went in her crate alot, and I paid for it with it taking so long! Also when we got our 2nd sig Charlie, it only took about 3 months to train him... I was home more, and when we wasn't being crated he was attached to me in the house until I trusted him! It helped with our bonding but also helped me to learn his cues... And respond immediately! He now trusts that even if it takes us a while we WILL take him out! He has been known, when I was sick a few months back to hold it all day while my husband was at work! M hubby let him out, he got into bed with me and slept with me all day long til my hubby got back home!


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## Bunnylova4eva (Jul 3, 2012)

Well no, they don't leave the dog in the crate endlessly, I think just went they have to run out to the store or something similar. They don't just leave her there to leave her there.


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## Nelsons_Mom (Jul 3, 2012)

It seems to me that she sits in her pre in an effort to hide it.

And please please please discourage your friend from breeding her. SHE'S NOT A REAL BREED! There are enough homeless mutts in the world that we don't need to be making more, especially when they are thinking about rehoming her instead of working with her. Getting her fixed will help tremendously.

Also remind them that since she is small, her bladder is very small! A small dog that is 100% house trained will need to go out every three to four hours. That means a puppy should be going out every one or two.

And most of the time you can't count on what a dog pees on a walk. Most of the time they are marking, so they won't empty their bladder and should be let out into their yard shortly after getting home if not immediately.


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## candykittten (Jul 3, 2012)

The dog might be a submissive urinator. It's a natural thing dogs do when encountered by an alpha.


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## Oxy Rabbit (Jul 3, 2012)

The first thing I ever learned is that when crate training the crate CANNOT be too large, otherwise it the dog thinks it is outside.(meaning outside the "den").

Also how they train it. The dog must know that once it goes out to do it's "business" then it goes back to the crate for a litle while and then it comes out for play time. You cannot rely on a pup (or poorly trained dog) to "hold it".

You must praise the dog when they do right and use a "growly" voice saying naughty dog when doing wrong. And contrary to popular belief dogs do remember when they have done wrong, if you don't correct them when you discover it they figure it's okay and I can get away with it. A mother dog corrects the pups when they "mess" their den.

A common mistake is to allow the dog when a pup above your eye level, that means they are dominating and trying to become the "Alpha". If they are the "Alpha" then why should they obey you? Dogs are pack animals, They must be taught they are in thelowest rung of the pack.


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## Paddy Ohara (Jul 3, 2012)

I think there is a lot of great advice already posted but I am going to give my opinion and what works for me too.

The crate should not be used as a punishment at anytime if they want to crate train the dog. I would make sure to stop using it that way as soon as possible. The dog will have no where safe if they are being punished in what is suppose to be their space. This can really cause behavioral problems.

One thing that I would suggest is to separate outside potty times from walks and from outside playtime. There needs to be a distinction between all 3 for the animal to learn what the human expects of them. I made this suggestion to my neighbor who has a bichon and it worked right away for them. I also did this when I was trying my dog. It is more work on the human but I didn't have potty training accidents with my dog doing this. Here is an example of what I did...When I come home open the crate and take the dog outside and give praise for going outside and maybe even a treat, then I brought the dog back inside gave more praise and maybe another treat, then a few minutes or longer time periodtake the dog outside for a walk or playtime. Since it is a puppy this may have to be done several times per day until they get the hang of it. Consistency is very important and will help avoid confusion. 


I know this sounds like a lot of work and time but I believe our pets are worth the work and time. Wecan always better managetime to give them what they need since they are dependant upon us for everything. My sweet little dog would agree he was worth the work we have been together 14.5 years. Pets are commitments.


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## Nelsons_Mom (Jul 3, 2012)

Oxy Rabbit wrote:


> You must praise the dog when they do right and use a "growly" voice saying naughty dog when doing wrong. And contrary to popular belief dogs do remember when they have done wrong, if you don't correct them when you discover it they figure it's okay and I can get away with it. A mother dog corrects the pups when they "mess" their den.
> 
> A common mistake is to allow the dog when a pup above your eye level, that means they are dominating and trying to become the "Alpha". If they are the "Alpha" then why should they obey you? Dogs are pack animals, They must be taught they are in thelowest rung of the pack.



Most of the evidence today supports that you can only correct the dog when you catch them in the act when they are first being trained. While dogs can know they've done wrong by acting guilty, it is only when they have been promptly corrected before. Otherwise it could be walking in the kitchen means you get growled at. Or, you found a mess, called the dog to you, and then scolded them. It ruins the trust that when approaching you good things happen and, when done repeatedly, can start to destroy recall training.

Also, the last bit about being raised above your head makes the dog alpha has no support other than misguided media. 

In the wild, wolves and feral dogs OFFER SUBMISSION FREELY. Forcing dogs into submissive positions is BULLYING and HARMFUL to the dog's self-esteem. Whoever is alpha is whoever is in control of the resources. As humans are the ones who feed (but not before asking the dog to sit and wait for it) and water the dog, they are automatically the alpha. You don't need to prove it to the dog. They know.


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## Bunnylova4eva (Jul 4, 2012)

Lots of good thoughts-thank you for any and all input you have!

One thought I had was marking for dominance-I know this dog is smalled than their other dog, but they said she totally thinks she "top dog". Their other dog is even quite a bit bigger actaully, but she still pushed herself around as alpha.


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## Nelsons_Mom (Jul 4, 2012)

Size has nothing to do with it! Though humans are most respected in the house. There is a ranking within the dogs. My parents 25lb mutt has total control of the other two (both roughly 70lbs).

Spaying should see a decrease in the marking.


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## MyBabyHasPaws (Jul 5, 2012)

I havent read the other replies so forgive me if I duplicate information here.

She needs to be crate trained. When you are crate training a puppy it is very important to take size in to account. A huge crate isnt good for a small dog, a lot of people assume it is because it gives them more "room". Negative. The crate needs to be enough for the pup to get up and turn around, no more, no less. If it is bigger then that allows the pup space to pee and poop. If it is small as I described the puppy will not pee/poop.

Also, how old is the pup? Young puppies cant hold their pee! Their bladder is very very small. A young dog should be taken out every 20 minutes or so. You must reward and praise when pup pees/poops where you want it too. Never HIT a dog for peeing or pooping inside the house, just redirect.

I might not be that knowledgable about buns, lol. But i have a buttload of experience with dogs. My forte i would say LOL


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## MyBabyHasPaws (Jul 5, 2012)

One more thing. 

Spaying might or might not help with this. I personally think it wont help at all. The dog needs to be properly trained. You cant expect it to do something it has no idea it should be doing!


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## MyBabyHasPaws (Jul 5, 2012)

*Nelsons_Mom wrote: *


> Oxy Rabbit wrote:
> 
> 
> > You must praise the dog when they do right and use a "growly" voice saying naughty dog when doing wrong. And contrary to popular belief dogs do remember when they have done wrong, if you don't correct them when you discover it they figure it's okay and I can get away with it. A mother dog corrects the pups when they "mess" their den.
> ...



I would sayI agree. You do not punish a dog for something that you didnt catch him/her doing. You cant come home 3 hours after the dog left you a special yellow puddle in the kitchen, scream at the dog and honestly expect it to know why you're yelling. Not cool.



As for Alpha and pack status. I would say that it depends on the breed of the dog that you have. For example. Bully breeds, these are some tough dogs, and not establishing Alpha status can be very dangerous and very uncomfortable for the dog. These dogs are stubborn and very strong willed. It takes time and dedication.

A WONDERFUL method of training to gain pack status without actually touching the dog or screaming or any of that is NILIF method. Nothing In Life Is Free. If you follow this method (no matter what breed dog, or what age) I can almost gurantee you a wonderful happy dog.


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## MyBabyHasPaws (Jul 5, 2012)

*Bunnylova4eva wrote: *


> She sits in it when she's in the kennel/crate-I don't know how often that is. But she has a big crate and when she goes in it, its not like she tries to even keep herself out of it but will instead just lay in it it.
> I think I'll give them a link over here to the forum so they can see some of the ideas people have here if any of it can help.
> 
> I am not sure about the feeding schedule, I guess I can ask them about that too. A while agp I told them about giving treats as a reward so I do think they do that as well as taking her out very frequently (about every 1-2 hours)
> ...



A dogs crate shouldnt be used as punishment...

It is their safe haven, their spot, their den. It should be a happy place for the dog to retreat too. Especially if she gets crated during the day while they are away.


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## Bunnylova4eva (Jul 7, 2012)

~Thanks for all this tips everyone-I forwarded on the information in here to my friend, and they said its a great help-they were very thankful for all the advice you have to offer.  Any other things posted I'll pass on as well~


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