[archiedoodle]

I don't know what it is with Archie. The rest of you seem to be doing much better at housebreaking that we are.

He's seven months and does great when we take him outside, but he still is unreliable about telling us he wants out. We have bells on the door and everything.

We are on a pretty regular schedule - out for a walk in the morning, into the crate for a few hours, outside again, close supervision for a while, another good long walk right before dinner. He always goes potty fine when we are out with him.

I am frustrated now, though because the last two days in a row he has peed in the living room, right in front of us, as we are bustling about making dinner etc. Right after a good walk outside! It's like having a 2-year old that is fine until you need to focus your attention somewhere else.

I know the answer to this is to supervise him more closely, but when will he get go the point where he is reliably going potty outside???

 

[Tinaweena]

I'd like to know if you are taking his muzzle and hitting the bells before you open the door each time?
Has he been to the vet to rule out a UTI or anything? (if he's going frequently)
Do you get stern (not angry) with him when you catch him going inside? and then take him immediately outdoors to finish?
When he goes outside are you still giving him a treat and tons of praise?
Sometimes they just take longer to totally catch on than others.

If you follow those steps it will click in one day.

 

[archiedoodle]

You know, Tina, to be honest I guess we don't get as excited when he goes outside as we used to. I will make a point to kick it up a notch. Same with the bells.

Have not been to the dr. re: UTI but might need to do that.

Thanks so much for your sage advice!

 

[2doodsmom]

Every so often one of my 7 mo. olds do the same thing. Once it was a UTI that cleared up right away with meds. But a couple of other times I think they just got excited and "forgot". You know how you can take a busload of kindergartners on a field trip? They're all potty trained, but you still have to remind them to "go" before they get on the bus. Just lately Grace has come running with her brother from outside, she gets to the door and then I' ve seen the "light" go on! And then she'll run back to the yard and pee before she comes in.

First, I think you need to rule out a UTI, then remember to treat your pup like a kindergartner getting on the bus. Especially if there are some distractions just before coming in the house - ask him if he needs to "go" right before you get back in the house.

Best of luck. It won't always be like this!

 

[Jac]

Good morning, I hope that you are having a little better day today! Gosh, puppies can try our patience at times. I am with you on that!

There are so many issues involved with potty training. Sometimes it isn't obvious to us because we are thinking like a human, not a dog...but one thing that I have heard (that makes sense to me) is that if you punish (or shout at, or whatever) a dog when you see him potty, he thinks you are angry because you SAW him...so he will hide and he will not potty when you are outside with him.

Now, I know that you say that your puppy is doing his business right in front of you, so that doesn't really apply, I just thought it might get you thinking about some of the reactions that may give signals to your puppy that you don't intend to give.

My dogs have never given me any signal that they need to go outside...well, they do now, because I know them well, but in the beginning, I had no idea that when they sat by my side, looking at me, trying to "communicate mentally" that they needed to go out!

I have a Goldendoodle that was hard to train and she is soooo smart, I couldn't figure it out...she always did her potty on dog beds, blankets, rugs, anything on the floor. She would do it on the way to the door to go out or when she came back in.

It took a long time to train her to go outside. We finally installed a doggie door and, although she still piddled on beds and rugs, she finally learned to go outside...now she is great. The thing that we did was to watch her and really praise her when she pottied...now she is grown and she still runs to me with such a look of pride on her face every time she potties outside!

She always gets a treat when she potties and comes inside. She goes right for the treat closet and sits down, wagging her tail and looking very happy. (Of course all of the other dogs get a treat when Rosie potties too! It's a celebration all around.)

So, I am saying to just hang in there. Your puppy's signals may not be what you expect, but I would bet that you are getting some. You will learn, eventually, what they are but it sounds like you could be in for a rough time for a while.

I really don't think the inside potty behavior is meant as disrespect or to give you any message...dogs don't know about revenge or spite...those are human terms. I agree that it could be related to some health issue and I think you should start by talking it over with your vet...then you may have to hire a trainer to help you figure it all out.

Good luck!

 

[DoodleTaxie]

I don't know what your schedule is but try to put Archie on a strict watering schedule and don't leave the water down for him 24/7. I think dogs are a lot like people and tend to drink when their bored, stressed, ect, resulting in accidents inside the house. If you schedule his drinking you should be better able to schedule his potty breaks. They will always need to go 15 min or so after drinking until they are fully trained. Always ask Archie "Do you want to go potty" "Want to go pee pee" (or what ever your cute word might be) and then praise him when you get to the door even if he did not tell you that he wanted to go outside or not. You will see him react in some way when you do this, a bark, cute look or something. Sometimes this will help you know or realize what kind of signal he is giving you or will start to give you sooner or later, and will let you know what to look for when he does want out and is trying to tell you this. I don't think you should use the term "want to go outside" but always use the word potty or pee pee because the word outside can be distracting and means fun and play. Always use the same door and if their is an area you want to train him to go to use the same path to that area also. I do not think there is a perfect plan but most importantly be patient and be persistent and you will be successful. Good Luck!