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we have a new dog rescued from the pound. he's about a year old and seems very happy and spends much time outdoors and playing with our other dogs. but he can be out all day, then pee on the wood floor when he comes in. what can i do to keep him from doing this?
Bettie,
In my opinion, housebreaking problems with dogs are one of the easiest problems you can solve! Of course, there are as many different ways to solve them as there are people on this board.
When I housetrained Jake, he only ended up pottying on the floor ONCE! And it only took a few days.
I hooked his leash to myself and he came literally EVERYWHERE with me. If I couldn't have him with me, he was in his crate. He came with me to the bathroom and everything. There wasn't one second when he wasn't either in my sight or in his crate.
Do you know about crates and how they work?
If I saw him getting ready to go pottie I'd say "outside"! and run outside with him quickly, and then praise him lavishly when he went outdoors.
It took a full commitment, but only for a few days - and that was well worth not having housebreaking problems.
You might find that your dog will have short relapses. For example, the snow was very deep when I houstrained Jake. When the snow melted he got confused and I had to spend a day re-training him. Also, when we got a new dog she went pottie on the floor and set a bad example for Jake. So we had to do the housetraining thing again for a day.
Crates are your best friend when it comes to training dogs - well worth the effort, believe me. And contrary to popular belief, they are in no way cruel.
You'll probably get lots more advice! Pick the way that works best for you.
There has not been a shelter dog I have ever adopted that has not had to be rehousebroken. The problem is that even a week in the shelter undoes all the housebreaking that they have learned because they are usually required to "go" in their living quarters.
Just remember to give great praise when they "go" where you want them to - they will learn very quickly that your house is not one big pen.
Oh yeah - invest in at least a gallon of Simple Solution. Keep working on it - this too shall pass. ;)
Does he go potty outside at all when he's outside?
When I first got Buddy, I kept him on a leash (inside my fenced in yard) just because I didn't want him to jump the fence. I would take him outside and stand with him for an hour and he's pee, but he would never poop. We would come inside (after standing in the snow for an hour) and poop on the floor RIGHTAWAY:mad:
Then the first day I let him run free in the yard, he poop!!!! It was because I had him tied up (on a leash) that he wouldn't poop. It's been about 10 months that I've had him, and he still will not poop when he's on a leash. And he's never pottied in the house since!:D
That's why I ask if your pups tied up or running loose when he's outside.
BTW - Welcome!!!:D
thank you for your advice. i'm going to try the crate and see how that works...so good to know it might not take that long to train him. he's an awesome little dog!
Keep us posted, OK? And if you have a hard time introducing him to his crate, just come back and talk about it!