I need some help with house breaking my dogs?

Question

Okay, so I have three dogs, a dachshund, shih tzu and pug. They have all been good about going to the back yard to go to the bathroom. But it seems like everytime the weather changes, like if it rains or gets cold, even for just one day, they use the bathroom inside. I dont understand! I cant seem to break them of this, because I dont ever catch them doing it. Its either in the middle of the night, or they'll wait till we leave. They'll do this for a couple days, then stop. And then be good about going in the back yard (which they have acces too 24/7 cause of the doggy door) We've started to lock them outside at night and while we're at work, but I'm afraid once it gets cold outside, we wont be able to lock them out, and we'll have a problem with the going inside they house? Please help!

Answer 1

Maybe you could try a pee pad or litter box method for times when the weather is bad.  Here are some tips, use what helps.

I use a crate* to potty train with, but only for potty training and then I break it down and store it.  I put blankets and a small food and water dish in the crate.  Dogs don't potty where they eat and sleep.  When they are first little, I only expect them to hold their potty for 4 hours, and then 6 hours, then 8 hours and so on.  So when they are first little, I set a timer or alarm clock to wake myself up at night to take them *out.  I only allow my puppy in the bedroom* or the living room, only one room at a time.  They have to graduate to more space.  If I allow them to have full run of the house, it will overwhelm them.  I take them out the same door each time.  I tie a dinner bell to the door handle.  Do not use a jingle bell as they could get their toe caught in it.  So when they are little, I ring the bell for them, and then open the door to go *outside to potty.  When they get bigger, I take their paw and whack the bell and open the door to go potty.  Eventually getting to the place where the puppy will ring the bell and let me know when they need to go potty.  Dogs want to please you, so it is your job to let them know what behaviors please you and what doesn't.  So when my puppy goes potty, I give her a treat*, and clap, and make a fuss and praise her.  So she learns that going potty outside makes me happy.  If she has an accident, make a disgust sound like “tsst”  and take her out right away.  I never yell* or spank* my puppies.  Take them out when they first wake up, after they eat or drink, before nap, finish romping, when their activities change, or when they are sniffing around. Some puppies go pee right away, but may not go p**p until 10 minutes later, so wait for the p**p.  I have a little play time here, because sometimes I think they are done, and they are not.  Puppies train at their own pace.  While I may have a puppy that hasn't had an accident in several weeks, I don't let my guard down.  I don't expect my puppies to be "fully potty trained" until one-year-old.  If they have a setback, shake it off, and start over.  I only have my puppies in the crate when I am not watching them.  When I am sleeping, cooking, ironing, doing chores, basically when I am not watching her.  All other times, she is out of the crate practicing being a "big girl."  This is the time I train her how to behave in the house.  So we are practicing "no barking", 'no biting", "no jumping", and "don't eat the furniture."  I also have to practice "playing inside" so she doesn't knock over things.  You must keep the puppy in sight when they are little because they don’t know the difference between newspaper and carpet, and you don’t want them sneaking off and getting into trouble.   Some puppies can sleep through the night around 3-months-old, but their bladder is grown around 6-months-old.



REVISIONS:



*I use a crate to train with.  It is the method I prefer, compared to other methods I have tried.  I noticed that if they are in the crate, while I am doing chores, they are o.k., because the crate allows them to see me and be re-assured.  The crate can also be a comfort when stored in the basement for dogs who live in areas where thunderstorms and tornados are an issue. .  However, use the method that works best for you.....a laundry basket, a cardboard box, a woof-woof house, x-pen, child gates, whatever works for you.



*Outside, pee pad, litter box, whichever method you are using.   When the puppy is first little, keep the pee pad, litter box near the food and water dish, so the puppy can eat and drink, and then go potty.  You can move it away as they get older.  The pee pad has a scent that smells and initiates potty.  Sometimes a pee pad makes a sound that scares some puppies, so you might want to use a litter box if that happens.  The pee pad allows a puppy to walk around, but a litter box keeps the puppy in one place.

*Bedrooms, I use the bedroom and living room for training, because it works for me.  Choose rooms that work for you, but watch for rooms that are damp, or drafty.  While my puppies sleep in the bedroom during training, once they are trained, I let them sleep where they want to.  They don't have to sleep in the bedroom forever.

*Treats.  While I use treats for training, you don't have to.  I like Charlee Bears for training (a little cracker for a little mouth,) I use them for training, but once they are trained, I cut back on them.



*Some puppies will go potty in the same spot each time.  Some puppies have to be told to go potty.  A command like "go out" for pee, or "go finish" for p**p, might work for you, keep saying “go finish” until the puppy poops.  This is a good thing to train if you travel with your dogs.  By using commands, the puppy won't get confused when you are visiting someone, on vacation with you, or when you get to a new home.  The command will tell them what you want them to do in an unfamiliar place.  You might also want to use a leash method, so the puppy doesn’t sneak off, or for strange places.

*Yelling.  It is not a good idea to "yell" or "spank" your puppy and then take them outside when they have an accident.  They may get confused and think that going outside is punishment.  While you want to correct them, if you are extreme, they may not want to go outside again.  Shake it off, and resume your schedule.  You have to keep it real.  Puppies train at their own pace,  but a puppy can only hold their potty for a few hours.  A guide would be 1 hour for each month of age, plus 1 hour, so a three-month-old puppy should only be expected to hold their potty for 4 hours at most.  

  

Source:  These tips, tricks, and ideas were contributed from many brilliant minds.  Thanks for your help!

Answer 2

I am giving you my standard cut and paste but want to add that you might want to go back to housebreaking 101 and also keep a close eye on weather reports and take greater greater care around those times.... (like less freedom)

housebreaking general

I have blog on housebreaking and a link to where you can look at books on housebreaking.  One of the best books which isn't on the link is MY SMART PUPPY by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson which you might find at library or Barnes and NOble... covers a lot more than housebreaking.

check out the blog and if any of the tips help you please post back your experiences.

http://golden-joy.blogspot.com/2008/07/h...

http://pampered-puppy.zlio.net/ books and cleanup aids

Answer 3

You should supervise them going to the bathroom before you go to bed and before you go to work.