Aaaargh!!!

[EricaG]

I just stepped in poo...in bare feet...in my living room!!! I am not a happy girl.
Sascha is 4 and a half months now, and potty training is driving me nuts! I don't understand, because she will be accident free for like five or six days, and consistently ringing her bell, and then she'll have 3 or 4 accidents in one day, and never ring the bell once, and then she'll be fine for another week. I know she is still young, and probably won't get it for another month or two...the stepping in poo thing just put me right over the edge...so I guess I just needed to vent. It's a good thing she's cute!!

 

[Checkers]

Lol gutted. Maybe you need to go invest in some poo-proof socks! Its almost like you need to tie the bells around her neck so you can hear her when she walks out of the room. If she stops moving, the bell stops, then RUN to take her outside :P

 

[copper]

bell training

I promise that if you use bell training you will will be a happy girl in no time. Its so easy for boxers to learn. It took Copper a week. I've heard similar times as well for other boxers. It just takes out all the guess work. Good luck!

 

[TheBoxerCrew]

someone once told me not to expect miracles - Boxers sometimes take longer to "get it right" on a regular basis. Your girl is still young.....maybe restricting her "coverage area" and looking down will help?

 

[Brody@cali]

Brody does the same thing. He is good for one whole week and here comes one day were he will have accidents. There is only one spot he goes to and thats upstairs. I cant wait tell this potty training is over with.

 

[apollosdad]

perhaps you should invest in a crate, if you haven't already, in order to get more used to a potty training schedule which will most likely help her get on the right track and produce quicker and more consistent results.

 

[EricaG]

thanks for all of the tips. I was so mad when I wrote that post!! I just needed to vent to somebody! At least we've been accident free since then(knock on wood!). What actually happened(sorry to be a bit gross) was I looked over and saw her squatting, so I ran over and scooped her up to bring her outside, and didn't realize she'd already started going...ya...it was not fun!!! We do have a crate for her, and she's always in it when we can't be with her, and she actually even really likes it, which makes me very happy. We are also doing bell training, which works really well, about four out of every five days

Brody@cali - my friend gave me a great tip - if there is one spot where they consistently go to potty, move their food and water bowls to that spot. Then they will realize that that isnt a good potty spot. We had a problem for a while with Sascha ALWAYS going in this one spot under the kitchen table. We moved her food bowls there for a week, and she hasn't gone to the bathroom there since. Hope this helps, and if not, hope you dont step in it!!

 

[furrykidmom]

Has good days and bad days too

I can sympathize with your plight. Our boy is almost four months old. He has days when we think he has finally got it down pat and then the next day he will pee in the house several times. We can go for four or five days without an indoor accident and then we will have four in a day. We try to anticipate his needs but sometimes he will be indoors for only a half hour from the last time he was out and he will squat and pee.

Like you, we try to remember that he is just a baby but it is frustrating when you have several good days and then you backslide.

We spoke to our trainer about his accidents and he asked how we were responding to his indoor accidents. I told him when we catch him in the act we scoop him up and tell him "Go Outside" We do not yell, it is said in a matter of fact tone. Somedays there is frustration in my voice when it is the third or fourth time in a day but it is hard to control that frustration.

If we find it but have not caught him in the act we just clean it up calmly and ignore him.

Our trainer said that when we catch him in the act we should take him and put him in his crate for a few minutes and then take him outside. I told him that I thought that the crate was not to be used for punishment. He reminded me that when I was a child that I was sent to my room. He asked if I felt safe in my room. I wanted to argue that we were discussing a dog not a person but I thought that if he was in his crate and then I took him outside like the trainer said to do it might remind him to go outside. He does hold it when he is in the crate and he holds it thru the night. A few minutes in the crate may be a refresher. We are going to give it a try.

Right now I have him attached to a leash, attached to my arm so I know where he is at and what he is doing. I think that we are a large part of the problem and are expecting too much of him too soon. He does well and we give him more freedom and become more lax in our duties as parents. We just have to remember "Consistency, consistency, consistency." And it will all happen soon.

Patience is certainly a virtue, isn't it?

That is my two cents and then some. Good luck to all.

 

[copper]

why

Ok, I already mentioned bell training but, I'm really interested as to why people still struggle with house training the old way. I swear Copper was exactly the same...three or four days accident free then bam...back to square one. It took him a very shot time to learn what the bell ment. If you havent tried it please do...Copper never had another accident...yes it may get a little fustrating when they ring it to go out and play but, those times are not very often. Please give it a try!

 

[Nala'sMama]

Bell training??

I am a new boxer owner and have never heard of the bell training. Can someone please explaing it to me. My girl is house broke, but could I maybe use it for other training?
Thanks
Twylah - Mom to Nala Fawn girl 01-24-05 docked/natural