Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

phylny

(8,389 posts)
Sat May 2, 2015, 08:01 AM May 2015

Pee and poop in the house like it's just okay

My two shelter pups, Jack (been with us about 5 years) and Chloe (been with us 1 year), do not let us know when they have to go out. I have tried the command "speak" before they go out when I ask if they have to, and they'll bark then, but not on their own. When they go out, I give them the commands "go potty" and "business" for peeing and pooping. When they go successfully, they get verbal praise and a treat.

Despite this, whether I'm home or not home or if they for some reason don't go when they're out (especially poop), they'll go in the house. This is infuriating.

Is the step I'm missing to crate them - even if I'm home - and if I do this, when the hell will they get it? Our first dog, who we got from a puppy, did not have these issues. Should I try a bell at the door?

Help. I'm so tired of this. Thanks!

6 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Pee and poop in the house like it's just okay (Original Post) phylny May 2015 OP
I'm no expert, but... mac2766 May 2015 #1
I would never leave my dogs in a position phylny May 2015 #4
Are they small? roody May 2015 #2
I have a friend who taught them to ring a bell MiniMe May 2015 #3
Have you tried traing pads? TexasBushwhacker May 2015 #5
They need to be crated. TorchTheWitch May 2015 #6
 

mac2766

(658 posts)
1. I'm no expert, but...
Sat May 2, 2015, 11:52 AM
May 2015

I've really never had a problem training a dog to go outside to do their business. My technique is to allow them access to the outdoors whenever they want to go outdoors. I've found that dogs don't really want to be bad. They will get into the trash if you allow them to, it's in their nature. They will do their business in the house if you don't allow them access to a suitable place to do their business.

I've never caged a member of my family. I've never struck a member of my family with my hand, a belt, a newspaper, or anything else. I've only raised my voice at members of my family when they needed to pay a little closer attention to their surroundings... like... say... an on-coming bus was about to run them over. That kind of thing. Goes for human as well as dog members.

I've lived in apartments, in homes that I could install fencing, and in homes where I was unable to install fencing.. In the homes with fencing, I've always installed doggie doors. Every new dog that I've had has been presented with the doggie doors. It took them literally 1 time to learn that the door was theirs to use as they needed to. From the single lesson, they've all known that the outdoors was available to them any time they needed to go outside to do their business. My current home has a fenced back yard and doggie doors.

Living in apartments, or houses without fencing presents a different issue all-together. In those homes, I had to walk the dogs. The dogs sleep in the bed, so if they wake up and jump off of the bed in the middle of the night, I wake up, put my clothes on, and take them out for a walk... a good walk. I spend the necessary time that it takes to make sure they have done their business. In the morning, my dogs always need to excuse their fecal material, so, I take the time to ensure that they've done that. Throughout the day, I take them out for several walks. I'd say no less than 5-6 times per day. They will excuse themselves on 2 of the walks. The others are simply to urinate. The final walk is always just before bed, and it's usually a long walk for them.

I'm fortunate to have a fenced back yard, and to be able to allow my dogs access to the outside. I'm certain that not everyone has that luxury. It makes things very easy though if it's an option.

Where puppies are concerned. I've only had 2 which was early on in my marriage. We adopt all of our dogs now. Puppies are going to do their business in the house. There is absolutely no way to avoid that in the beginning. I've always used the paper training method. Any time a puppy tries to go, I pick them up and let them go on the paper. Very soon, they get the drift and understand that the paper is the place they are supposed to go. Once that step has been taken care of, I lay paper out on the floor. They use the paper when they go. I move the paper closer and closer to the door that they will be going out of, then move it outside of the door. It's amazing how well that works. Especially if the door is windowed in a way that allows the dog to see the paper. Once the paper is outside... voila... no more doing business in the house. Later on, once the dog gets the drift, no more need for paper - the door is the way out for them, and every single time the dog goes to the door, I put my shoes on and take them for a walk.

I'm certainly not saying that mine is the the only... or even remotely close to being the best way. I'm simply saying that this has always worked for me. With every dog that I've had. Six to be precise.

The only other scenario to consider would be to leave your dogs in the house with no way outside for extended periods of time. I'm not sure there is a way to avoid the dog doing business in the house in this scenario. I've heard people say that they can leave their dogs in the house for 12 hours at a time without them doing their business. That's a bit extreme I think. I would hate to have to wait 12 hours to pee if I really had to go. I don't expect my dogs to wait 12 hours to pee. That has always seemed a bit cruel to me, so I've never done it. If I need to be gone for long periods of time, I'll ask a neighbor to help me out, so I've always found a way to get along with my neighbors.

phylny

(8,389 posts)
4. I would never leave my dogs in a position
Sat May 2, 2015, 08:42 PM
May 2015

where they'd have to wait 12 hours. When I'm at work, I have a friend or pay someone to take them out, if I can't bring them with me.

Thanks for your other suggestions/information.

roody

(10,849 posts)
2. Are they small?
Sat May 2, 2015, 01:47 PM
May 2015

A crate is very very helpful. I have a 19 pound chihuahua mix, and he does the same thing. I have a big yard and 5 doors in the house. The daily walk makes a big difference and also staying outside with them until they poop or pee.

MiniMe

(21,718 posts)
3. I have a friend who taught them to ring a bell
Sat May 2, 2015, 08:25 PM
May 2015

They put a bell by the door, and had him touch it to make it ring, then opened the door right away. They used a sleigh bell and put it at his level. It worked great for them.

TexasBushwhacker

(20,215 posts)
5. Have you tried traing pads?
Mon May 11, 2015, 02:25 PM
May 2015

They are scented with something that tells the dog to POTTY HERE. They come in different sizes. We tried them with a stray puppy we took in and just gave her lots of praise when she used them. She was totally trained in 3 days.

TorchTheWitch

(11,065 posts)
6. They need to be crated.
Mon May 11, 2015, 04:50 PM
May 2015

A dog that does it's business in the house shouldn't be having the run of the house. A crate isn't a cage per se. It mimics a den where they feel safe and comfortable. Dogs don't go to the bathroom where they have to sit in it. If the crate is too big though they might use one corner to do their business in and curl up in the part that's not used as their bathroom. A crate the right size allows just enough room for the dog to stand up, sit, lay down and turn around comfortably but no more. Any dog not familiar with crating and allowed to have the run of the house is going to scream and cry to be let out of the crate. NEVER let them out until they are calm and quite or all you're doing is teaching them that if they make a loud fuss they'll be let out.

Every single time they come out of the crate take them immediately outside. A lot of dogs (my own included) hated me watching him to see if he did his business and WOULDN'T go if I was out there with him... my being out there watching what he was doing made him to nervous to go to the bathroom. I'd hide behind the back door to the yard and secretly watch him in the yard, and as soon as he peed or pooped the second he was finished I'd go out the door and praise him like he just won the nobel prize... made a party of it. I still do that when I happen to see him go to the bathroom... positive reinforcement is always a good thing. He'll get so proud of himself for doing his business in the yard that sometimes he'll do a victory lap around the yard.... "Yeah me! I pooped! And it was GREAT!" Doesn't take much to make a dog just leap out of their skin with joy.

Dogs use the scent of their urine to tell them where to go to the bathroom. So anywhere the dogs have gone in the house that area HAS to be cleaned with a neutralizer to get rid of the odor that THEY can detect is there. That's going to be one hell of a pain in the ass and expensive as well especially if you don't know where they've urinated.

To help encourage the dogs to go outside to go to the bathroom. Try to capture just a little bit of their pee on a paper towel in put it in the area you want them to use as their toilet. They'll be able to smell their urine on the paper towel and want to use that area to go to the bathroom. It's also a neat way to teach a dog to use a specific spot in the yard to do their business in so the whole yard you don't have to tip toe through looking out where you step... and it keeps THEM from trampling their "stuff" when running around the yard at play. It also makes clean up so much easier without having to search the whole yard to clean up. Poop should always be picked up as soon as possible anyway.

My next door neighbors' dogs crap ALL OVER the yard including the cement walkway so that they're almost always stepping in crap. They don't clean it up either until there's poop bombs EVERYWHERE, and not only does it absolutely reek this time of year in particular but it manufactures a TON of house flies and other creepies. Besides, if you don't pick up the poop in the dog's potty area they'll start using another place in the yard so as not to step all in mounds of turds when they do their little circling thing before going. It's so less gross if you pick it up every day or two anyway.

It's really pretty useless to use pads or papers in the house for the dog to go to the bathroom on since all that teaches them is that going in the house is ok. It's just too much of an abstract concept for the average dog to understand why it's ok to go in the house but only on certain papers or pads... it's STILL going in the house. You don't want your dog to every think that going to the bathroom in the house is ever appropriate.

Adult dogs can comfortably hold their business for an extraordinary long time... nothing like us humans needing to go all the time. My first Akita actually stopped WANTING to do our morning walks before I went to work in the morning when he was about 4 or 5 years old. For te rest of his life I only took him out for a really long walk when I got home from work. Sometimes I'd take him out for a bit before I went to bed just because I love that walk and bonding time with him, but he didn't always want to go walking then.

Dogs will normally want to do their business when they get up after sleeping all night, about 15 or 20 minutes after a meal, after strenuous exercise or when they drink a lot of water. Crating a dog is easy. Normally they figure out that the only place to go to the bathroom is outside - never in the house. If you just pay close attention to your dog they'll give you clues when the want to go out. They'll come to you wanting something, they'll get agitated or rammy... eventually you'll just get to know when they want to go out to go to the bathroom. That's also why you should ALWAYS let the dog out through the same door to go outside to go to the bathroom... they'll just go to that door and act all hopeful and keep looking at you to open the door and let them out.

My dog and the one before him always used the back door to go out to go to the bathroom, but since I hang the leash on a hook with my keys right next to the front door that's where they go to tell me they want to go out for a walk and exercise.

Routine is also important with most dogs. My first Akita was so into timing about everything he was practically anal retentive. My other two are a lot more flexible about eating, walking and go out to potty, but Yoshi who I have now and Boo before him know how to tell me the various things they want. And Yoshi is FOREVER pretending he hasn't had his lunch or dinner yet because he's a piggy.

This was really helpful to me in crate training my beasties:

http://leerburg.com/housebrk.htm

Best of luck to you!

Latest Discussions»Culture Forums»Pets»Pee and poop in the house...