Why can't I house break my dogs????

[Bug]

I'm sure there all a thousand threads covering housebreaking methods already but I already know what most of those methods are. Now my problem is my dogs aren't fully housebroken yet. I would say they are about 75%, but I would really like them to be 100%. The thing that gets me is I have had one of them for almost two years amd the other for about a year and they just can't sem to get it. I take them for walks all the time or I let them out in the backyard. I always praise them when they do go, not always with a treat, but always with a "good boy" and some lavish petting. They know that they are supposed to go outside and that going in the house is bad, but they still do it. It usually happens while I'm alseep, but I only sleep for about 4 hours a night. I go to bed around 4 or 5 am and I wake up at 10 at the very latest. And sure enough when I wake up one of them has gone pee or poo somewhere in my room. Most of the time its in my bathroom which is much better than the carpet, but I would rather it not happen inside at all.

I have always crate trained my dogs so they don't do worse damage while I'm not home and I though that would help them learn to hold it better, but I guess not. I can't seem to figure out why during the few hours I sleep they go pee or poo, especially when I take them for a good long walk right before I go to bed. Could this be because I walk them too much? Or maybe is it because they really dont have to hold it that long because Im usually always there to make sure they can go? Any info would help because Im getting real tired of having to deal with this especialy when I put in a lot of effort. THANKS!

 

[2pups622]

i dont know my boys go out every 2 seconds but when they have to hold it they do over night even if they vant get out during the day when they have to go they go right to the door and beat it up and make weird sounds till i let them out

 

[Gempress]

First of all, great job on not giving up on your dogs!

A dog is either housebroken or it isn't. There's no such thing as "75% housebroken." I think that's the main problem. You're relaxing the housebreaking process without your dogs being trained yet.

Think of every accident as a tiny setback in housebreaking. If they're having accidents every night, that's a lot of setbacks. You need to end those accidents ASAP. Start crating them at night, just as you do when you're not home. Whenever you're not able to watch them, you need to crate them. And you must stick with it until your dogs are completely accident-free! If you relax the training too soon, then your dogs will never be housebroken.

 

[PFC1]

Start crating them at night, just as you do when you're not home. Whenever you're not able to watch them, you need to crate them.

FWIW, I agree.

 

[Bug]

Thanks for the replies! I have thought about putting them in the crate while I'm alseep, but that means collectively, they will be in the crate for 10-15 hours a day. I just don't feel good about doing that. I think what might be causing these set backs is that I really don't do anything to them when they do go in my bathroom. This is because 1. I'm not awake or around when it happens 2. Even though I WANT them to go outside, I would rather them go in my bathroom on my tile floor than on the carpet and I'm afarid if I scold them for going in there they will just pick another spot in my room to go. Should I try a doggy litter box?

 

[lapdog]

I'd give them a good exercise session and crate them when you're asleep. Do it for a couple of months at least and then start letting them stay out and see if they go. if they do, then crate again. There's no other way to stop them when you're asleep. Its night, they should be sleeping, anyway.

Or else you can crate them at 4am when you go to bed, get up at 8 and let them out and then go back to bed if you don't mind your sleep being broken.

 

[swanville]

Instead of putting them in a cage....can you try some exercise before bed time so they will be tired and sleep through the night and also have a chance to empty their bladders one last time...I think you are right about 10-15 hours a day in a crate being too much...what kind of life is that for a dog??? Nothing personal, but I hate crate training...locking a dog up....a lot of people do it because it's "easier" I guess...I have never done it to my dogs...never saw the need and my girls are great..would hold their pee for 2 days if they had to before they would go in the house....don't chew, get in the trash, or any of the other trouble some dogs seem to get into it. Did you ever think maybe they go in the house to pay back for being locked in a crate? I know dogs aren't supposed to have emotions like "revenge", but you have to wonder sometimes. And, please don't take this personally...I know thousands of people, experts, trainers, vets, etc, recommend and swear by crate training a dog...and I am just a woman who lives in the woods in Maine who has always had a dog in her life and has never used a crate to teach them anything and my dogs have always been pretty well-behaved and adjusted....sorry...I'm ranting a bit...should have made the crate training a seperate thread....Try the exercise before bed time and hopefully it will help.

 

[smkie]

part if it has to be the scent that is in the floor..you are telling them not to..the floor is telling them go here. You have got to take care of that before you can expect anything to improve. I have always leashed a dog to me if it were an older dog from the get go until i felt they were more trustable and then i didn't take one eye off of them until they were a hundred percent and that meant blocking off doorways so there was no sneaking off to the other room as well.

 

[misticaleclipse]

Firstly I need to ask why are they crated so much during the day already? Are you at work then or something?

I'm afarid if I scold them for going in there they will just pick another spot in my room to go.

I'm not sure if you meant it this way, but please never scold a dog for going in the house when you where not actually there at that exact second and witnessed it. The dog only understands that you are mad, he does not understand its because hes not supposed to go in the house. (You can read this information in host house training books. Many books on housetraining also recomend no scolding at all, just take the dog outside when you are there to get them to go and then clean up the mess afterwards)

part if it has to be the scent that is in the floor..you are telling them not to..the floor is telling them go here.

Great advice, are you using a special cleaner to get rid of dog smells? If not they will smell it and go back to the same spot. Mosty cleaners want you to clean up the mess, spray and for best results let it dry naturally instead of wipping it up.

I love crating, but they are crated a lot during the day! When I was first training my dog (we are working on it to!) during the hours when I would be gone I gated off a puppy proof room and use the puppy training pads. There is a lot of mixed opinions about this though because it can confuse some dogs with going outside and delay the house training process.

Maybe litter box training would be better, but keep in mind many dogs once litter boxed trained will not go outside. For example if you are visiting friends or traveling out of town you may need to bring the litter box.

 

[bubbatd]

I can't help.... I've never crated a dog nor have had any potty issues beyond puppy hood. ( have had with stress in older dogs when moving ) I believe this must be small breeds ???

 

[Julie]

What kind of dogs do you have? Not that it really matters, just curious.

Do your dogs have accidents during the day while you are gone?

Maybe you could change this behavior by changing the environment.

Instead of crating while gone during the day, Try a change.......let them out in the house, shut your bedroom door so they have no access.

Crate them at night only during the times you are sleeping. This might change their behavior if they have not previously had accidents other than in your room.

Might help, might not???? But I wouldn't want to crate during day and at night too. But, if something doesn't work, I would do that as a last resort. I couldn't stand an unhousebroken dog for too long. It would be a temporary tool until they remembered how to hold it through the night.

This was mentioned, but it is very important to clean all areas with something that removes the smell, not covers it. Such as Natures Miracle.

And lots of "potty time outside" too.

Best Wishes.

 

[Bug]

One of my dogs is a min pin and the other is a boston terrier/ beagle mix. I kinda have mixed feelings when it comes to crating them while Im sleep. I dont really work long days, just a regular 8 hour shift, so they aren't in there for too long. I just don't like them in there to begin with so I would feel worse if they were in there when I was availible to watch after them. But, I'm at the point where I need to try something new becasue my methods thus far have not been very successful.

I do agree that even thought I tell them no, the carpet tells them yes. But like I said they usually go when I'm sleep so sometimes i don't even know where they went. Now my room smells like a f'ckin toilet. I'm gettting my carpets cleaned this week, so hopefully that will help out.

I don't know, I'll just have to keep trying to be consistent.

 

[yoko]

try the crating them at night, it's not a forever thing. i crated yoshi at night when i first got her. after a week or so i let her stay out and she still accidents did it for another week or so and after that she was fine. only took about two weeks. after that i never used the crate when i was home and she was pretty reliable when i was gone too