potty training

[sanshark]

Can someone please help me! I have a rottweiler/german shepherd boy that's 5.5 months old, he doesn't bark or make any kind of sound to let us know when he has to go potty.

He has a crate with a separator but it isn't working he still goes inside his crate. I'm loosing my patience know and if this problem can't be corrected he will have to go. I take him outside every hour he goes to the same area every time so I know he knows that he is to go outside.

Can someone give me some concrete help to save Shadow.

[finn's mom]

How much room does he have in his crate? He only needs enough to lay down, stand up, and, turn around. That's it. When is he going pee in his crate? How long is he being left in the crate when he's in there? Does he go at all when you take him outside? Do you ever catch him in the act of peeing? If you do, how do you react? Do you discipline him when you find pee in his crate that he's done (that you haven't seen him do?)? How do you react when he goes outside? Do you leave water in his crate with him 24/7? And, last question, have you taken him to the vet to be checked out for urinary infections?

That's a lot of questions, I know...but, the idea of you getting rid of your puppy because of a normal puppy problem really makes me nervous. You may actually want to post this in dog behavior and also in dog general. Do a lot of research. Go to the library, read online, go to Barnes and Noble, find all the tips and suggestions you can find.

If he's being left alone in his crate for long periods of time, and, that's when he's having accidents, is there any way that you can get someone to come and take him out so that he's not in there for as long?

As for catching him in the act of peeing inside, I wouldn't discipline him at all. Simply ignore it, and, take him outside. When he does go outside, go absolutely crazy for him. Give him treats, play with him, tell him in an excited voice how good he is. Make it the biggest thing ever! If you're disciplining him for something he did while you weren't there, that's not a great idea, either. Like if he pees overnight, it's pretty much pointless to yell at him or scold him, and, hopefully you're not rubbing his nose in it. That's disgusting and counterproductive. Simply take him out and praise him when he pees or poos out there.

And, you may want to not leave water in his crate with him 24/7. I didn't leave Finn's water in overnight at all. Not while he was being potty trained, anyway.

And, if your pup is still peeing inside a lot, take him to the vet. It may be something that is wrong healthwise.

Please, keep us posted. Ask tons of questions, this dog deserves every ounce of your time and patience! It'll be worth it in the long run!

[jesse_3]

diddo to everything Finns Mom said! I couldn't have worded it any better myself!

Good Luck!--Please, share pics of Shadow for all of the dog crazy people on Pet Talk

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Give him time - Tobey has just turned one and still has occasional accidents indoors. Like your baby, he isn't doing it to be disobedient........Shadow is still very young and is probably picking up on your anxiety too. Ship in a load of disinfectant and equal amounts of patience for you - you'll be glad you did

[blotzie]

I agree with what everyone said. I am going through the same thing right now. You just have to have patience. Instead of taking him out every hour why don't you try taking him out every half hour then slowly make the times you take him out longer

[dragondawg]

At 5.5 months puppy should be able to hold it overnight.

Make sure all inside surfaces are disinfected and most importantly deorderized. Else puppy will smell the urine, and continuously go in the same place- crate or some other favorite place in the house.

No water after 8 pm to avoid night accidents, until he proves to you that he can hold it. Assuming dog is inside in airconditioning during the summer.

If you catch puppy in the act- read the riot act to him. Yell and be vocal, crack a newspaper against your hand for sound. Keep scolding as you clean it up. Again don't forget the deordorization!

If you take puppy outside and it does a wee wee- tell it "good puppy wee wee, good wee wee". Act like the dog just won the lottery! With mine I now tell them "make a puppy wee wee- right there", and they actually do it-right there. So puppy will pick up on the words if used as a reinforcement.

My older female (2.25 yrs) lets me know by "panting". She knows if she puddles inside I'm going to yell at her- so she gets nervous, and stands in front of me panting. My male (almost 2 yrs) will run to the door back and forth, and if I haven't caught on will nudge me with his head on my lap. Actually the female sometimes mimics this behavior- they learn from each other. Finally if that fails he does the logical- sneaks off and does it on the bathroom floor. By then I'm at fault, and even if I point it out to him, he'll just stand and wag his tail.

Until you can trust him, don't let him out of your sight in the house. Keep going out each hr or as much as possible. In fact if puppy is due for a wee wee, don't bring him back in until he does. Dogs always seems to have a full tank for scent marking.

[Scooby4]

I have a question for Dragondawg if they see this or anyone else can answer this. My dog Scooby suffered a stroke about 2 years ago. His ENTIRE right side was paralyzed. He still has issues with walking and his front paw has no feeling. He is extremely sensitive to the touch like it tickles on his right side. NO cause was ever determined what caused this.
However, on the topic of "potty training". Scooby was adopted from the pound. He never needed any real "potty training". Since his stroke, I've noticed more "gas" and the inability to "hold" his number "2" for very long. I was able to keep him in the house while I was at work with no accidents.
Lately, this has changed. I did have 2 other dogs (4 altogether). I had to put one to sleep and give the other one away. The one I gave away kept peeing on the floor. (She was the only female) She was mainly an outdoor dogs so she wasn't "potty trained" when first adopted. That left many "marked" areas in my house. Now, Scooby has started to go to the bathroom in the house in these same areas. He has ALWAYS gone outside (unless it was raining)
What could be causing this? Is Scooby missing the female? They were good friends although him and Shaggy been together much longer. Is this an effect of his stroke? The other dog doesn't go in the house at all. I am at my wit's end on this. I make sure they go outside prior to me going to bed. They get taken out first thing in the morning. However, every morning there is a pile waiting for me. Am I going to have to retrain his "potty training"? If I do, how do I compensate for his loss of control? I've been forced to remove carpeting due to this issue. Please help!!!

[dragondawg]

dogs coming in. My prior dog I kept outdoors at night for the first 7 months of her life. As the first winter approached and I was due to make a trip with her, I decided to see how she would do inside. Wow did her eyes light up when I invited her upstairs that first night! No problems. Basically the whole house she thought of as her den. She was a very territorial puppy dog. My current female I got from a rescue at 3 months. The pen she was being kept in was filthy and I had no crate for her. I tried putting her outside in my pen and she made an immediate racket. Amazingly no accidents the first couple of weeks inside! Of course that first week I was up all hours of the night taking her out.

What you are describing with your dog can be broken up into two parts:

1. It's obviously picking up the scent as where to go, and that's the place it goes. If the carpets are up and you are back to hardwood, try something like Murphy's Soap to clean the hardwood. It seems good at getting rid of scents.

2. It sounds as though your dog does have less control, and just can't hold quanity. Try feeding it less at night and more in the morning. Of course if you are gone most of the day, then your dog will be leaving you a surprise during the day. Or if you have the means to do so, go from 2 meals to 3 meals. Total daily amount is the same. That would give puppy less to hold per meal.

[Scooby4]

I want to make sure that it wasn't misunderstood I got rid of the female dog due to the "Potty" issue. She did finally get mostly house broken towards the end of her stay with me. I had to give her up for adoption because I had lost my job and couldn't afford to keep her. She was found by my parents who couldn't keep her properly after they moved.
Scooby is an older dog. He's probably about 7 years old now. He's part Beagle/Jack Russell mix. He'd been completely healthy until 2 years ago when out of the blue he "stroked" out. I still don't believe it was a stroke. Recently heard of a condition with Jack Russell's that can effect the spinal cord. It involves a chip or a clot? that breaks off and gets into the cord. My vet never gave him xrays and had treated him as if he had a seizure. The vet noted that one of his "nerves" in his right leg is still reactive which was to indicate a chance of recovery. I don't think a stroke would allow this.
I am just getting very worried about this latest "sign". It's just not like him to do this at all. The back door has been open for him to go but yet has chosen to go inside. He's also hesitant about going outside and I must turn the back porch light on to get him out the door. He still doesn't go and stands by the door. I try to give him a few minutes but he doesn't seem to leave the porch.
I just thought of something Could he be mad at me? Recently, I had begun walking my 2 dogs again. I'd take them to the park and around the neighborhood on a daily basis. However, a month ago I broke my foot. I am not to be walking on my foot for awhile. I've got atleast another 2 weeks. Could this behavior be due to the lack of exercise he had been getting? This could be something. What do ya think?

[dragondawg]

An older dog especially is happiest then it's with its owner. It doesn't care whether that's via a walk or being in the same room. I went from a geriatric dog who especially in her final year was just content to be around me to... my two new monsters "play with us".

If your porch has steps, puppy may be having problems or a fear in trying to navigate them. As a result it just stands there.