potty training

mossanimal · Post by **mossanimal** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 5:31 pm

Hi there.... I've had Clover (my 4 month old French Britt) for about 3 weeks now... and I'm still having trouble with potty training. She goes to the door really well and scratches... but if you don't see her, then she immediately goes to our rug and pees. We crate train... and she never goes in the crate. If we catch her, we correct by saying 'no!' and taking her straight outside. We take her out after every meal, after every drink at the bowl, and... well... very often.

Does anybody have any suggestions to break her on this?

Post by **ezzy333** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 5:41 pm

I don't think you can break a dog of going to the door to be let out. Sounds like you need to some how be more aware of what she is doing. It will get better as she ages but it sounds to me like she is doing great.

Ezzy

mossanimal · Post by **mossanimal** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:31 pm

Oh.... I don't want to break her from going to the door! Just to not go on the rug! I don't know.... Its just that for the last week she barely made a mistake and then the last two nights she has been having TONS of mistakes. 4 times tonight! And nothing has really changed... Other than the fact that she does not try to hold it. Like I said... she can hold it for hours in the crate.

I'm sure shes doing fine.... That post was made in frustration after the third mistake for the night.

As you can see... This is my first puppy.

Post by **ezzy333** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:35 pm

My post was not very tactful either. But you do need to put her in the crate when you aren't playing or watching her. As far as she knows she is doing what you want her to do. It's up to you to break the routine.

Ezzy

Karen · Post by **Karen** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:43 pm

Hang a bell on the back door and teach her to paw at it when she needs to go out. I'm told they pick up on this very quickly (I have a dog door so they all let themselves in and out).

WiskeyJaR · Post by **WiskeyJaR** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 7:10 pm

My folks use a hanging bell for their dog the paw at, seems to work well for them.

hosejockey2935 · Post by **hosejockey2935** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 8:20 pm

We had the same problem with our Brittany and he is now 10 months. He outgrew it, it just seemed it wasn't going to happen soon enough! We were able to put a baby gate by our living room so he'd lay down infront of that when he had to go out! It helps if you can't see around a corner or down a hallway!

mossanimal · Post by **mossanimal** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 8:42 pm

Well.... I will live through it. I was just sitting with her playing on her little dog bed and she squatted right in front of me and peed! I was so amazed I didn't even have time to correct her. Ughhhh.... Just two days ago I was telling everybody that she was potty trained already!

Anyway... thanks for all the input. I hung some bells from the door I use and I've started ringing them every time I take her out.

AT2 · Post by **AT2** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 9:38 pm

She is still a baby, it will get better.

Post by **ezzy333** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:26 pm

I'llbet since she is French she doesn't understand English. :roll:

Ezzy

spaniel_man · Post by **spaniel_man** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:01 am

The bell Idea is great, I would however recommend that instead of pawing at the bell teach the dog to hit it with its nose. It will keep the walls looking nicer for a bit longer.

mossanimal · Post by **mossanimal** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:41 am

Again... Thanks for the suggestions. She was born in Oklahoma... She does, however, have trouble understanding Wisconsin-Yooper.... eh?

High Voltage · Post by **High Voltage** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:26 pm

We bought a wireless doorbell that had 2 doorbells. We put one on the inside of the door and one on the outside. Our dogs never "got " using the one inside, they were already housebroke. They did learn to push their hip into the one on the outside to come in. I think they taught themselves. They would both be at the door wanting in and would start playing and one would bump into the dinger and we would let them in. Over time they put 2 and 2 together.

riograndegsp · Post by **riograndegsp** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:45 pm

Has she been fixed recently? The reason I ask is because our GSP was doing great and about a week after having her spayed she started doing the same thing, as I suspected it was a urinary tract infection. She doesn't need to have been spayed recently to have a UTI, however that was our experience. You might ask your vet and take in a urine sample.

mossanimal · Post by **mossanimal** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 4:23 am

Well... Perhaps we should because we are still having problems. If we don't take her out every half hour or so and keep a sharp eye on her, she we will go... We've had her for over a month and she is 4.5 months. It seems like she should be trained by now. But I have very little experience. I don't know... she is having 3-4 accidents a night.

She will not poop... only pee. She does know to go to the door... but it just seems like she can't hold it. Although she holds it just fine in the crate!

Post by **Kiki's Mom** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 5:41 am

It may be an age thing. I have a couple pups that are the same age as your Clover (both are Brits) that are being raised as house dogs. The one pup, born Aug 7 has finally "gotten it". He no longer has any accidents and will stand by the front door to be let out. The other pup, born Aug 20 is gonna DIE if he doesn't "get it" soon

( I'm just kidding, folks) But seriously, this one is such a knucklehead he will sit up in his crate and just PEE!!! He doesn't have a UTI or anything other then being too lazy or too preoccupied to ASK to go out.

I have been limiting the water intake in the evenings and this does help quite a bit. In fact, "Knucklehead" ( OK... his name is really Mayday) sleeps with my daughter at night and holds it all night long ( 11PM - 6 AM) The other pup has been holding it all night long for a couple of months now and he sleeps with us on our bed.

I think that 2 weeks of age difference between them is what is making me so frustrated. I expect Mayday to be at the same level of maturity and training as Ricky and he is just not there.....yet.

Limit the water intake in the evenings, put a bell on the door and I am pretty sure that Clover will eventually "get it". Just remember...you aren't alone and no Clover isn't retarded