seriously at my wits end-

[Roxy's mama]

I am having an extremly difficult time housebreaking Bandit, he is now 14 weeks and 4 days old and I don't think I can say much progress has been made. We have tried every bit of advice we can get, including bell training ( Roxy is bell trained) treats after going outside, tons of praise etc. I am now taking him out every 15 to 20 minutes, I am outside with him so much it is taking a toll on our other dog and my family and that little stinker will squat in front of us 2 minutes after being outside. Bandit does not let us know if he wants to go outside, he won't bark, sit by the door, ring the bells, whine or anything. I am so frustrated!

I know he is a smart dog, since he was 9 weeks old he's been trained to sit and stay with his food sitting in front of him until I say "kiss" and he will give me a kiss then I pat him on the back and say "okay" then he eats, so I know he is smart, I am starting to think he just doesn't care or something but I also know that he KNOWS it's wrong to potty in the house...... he goes and hides when I find his messes and clean them up, I even put his accidents outside with him when he does it. No, I don't yell or punish him for his accidents, I tell him "potty outside" I sat outside with him for 41 minutes one day until he did his duties, praised him to high heaven, took him in and 5 minutes later he squated right in front of DH! That's when DH said "I don't think he even cares, he doesn't get it" I now take him out every 15 or 20 and if he doesnt potty within 5 minutes or so I bring him back in and put him in his crate for 10 minutes and repeat.

He also still potty's in his crate, I have divided it, he only has enough room to turn around and he has still pottied in there although I can say it has gotten a bit better with the divider in.

I am afraid that DH is gonna say enough is enough, I don't want Bandit to be an outside dog, I don't know what else to do, I've never had such a problem with this, I mean, he doesn't even let on or lets us know he wants to go outside for anything, not even to just go out and play. The design of our house is not ideal for housetraing but he knows where the doors are, he knows what one we go out for potty time. Uggghhh, any advice?

Thank you, sorry this ended up so long,

mj

 

[Biff]

Sorry, I don't have any advice other that, don't give up! It sounds as if you are doing all the right things, but some take longer than others to get the hang of toilet training.

14 weeks is still very young, really. There is plenty of time for him to "get it" yet!

Good luck, and keep your chin up!

 

[Roscoesmommy]

My Roscoe is now 9 months old and just recently, within the last month or so, has become pretty reliable with the potty training. I had never had a dog who took this much time and effort to potty train. Just keep doing what you are doing and praising each time he goes potty outside. He will eventually get it. I do know how frustrating it can be. Another suggestion would be to maybe monitor his drinking habits. I had to limit Roscoe's water intake because he would drink a whole bowl at once if I let him. Now, we only give him little bits at a time and then we know when he should have to pee. It may sound mean to not let him have access to water at all times, but that's not the case. He goes to the dish when he's thirsty and then we give him water, just not a whole bowl full, and it makes us more aware of when he drinks so we know when and how much he should have to pee. I do have to say that he is not totally accident free and still goes out quite a bit to pee, but we are in the routine of it now. My carpet looks terrible now, but I thought I better wait til this was all over before I had it cleaned professionally.

 

[simmons]

Oh my gosh, 14 weeks is still a baby, no one can expect them to be completely house/potty trained that young. You also have to remember that all dogs are different and may learn quicker or slower than others. Stay patient and calm, they can sense the discomfort or "maddness" in the house.

I can only hope that your DH does not decide to make Bandit an outside dog. Question, does your DH help you with Bandit? It sounds like you need a little help from your family with Bandit.

What do you do when you catch Bandit going potty inside the house? I used to "uh uh" and hurry with them outside. Then praise and give treats when they finished thier business outsdie.

Maybe get a very special treat just for when Bandit does go potty outside. It may take some more time, but never give up and always stay persistent and patient. It will get better

Good Luck and keep us updated

 

[Newtonian]

I agree with the other posts; my experience with my 10-month-old Newton has been that he's only become EXTREMELY reliable with the potty training within the last month or so. We just kept REALLY reinforcing the outdoor pottying AND used negative stimulus (in the form of making a loud noise and taking him IMMEDIATELY outdoors) if we caught him in the act. We had to be REALLY vigilant with his signals to go outdoors....they were pretty subtle to say the least (sometimes just wandering in a circle in the general vicinity of the door). We also kept LOTS of old towels handy for cleanup!!! If he continues to have a lot of trouble, particularly with the kennel accidents, you might call your veterinarian and see if he or she thinks an exam and urinalysis would be warranted....just to make sure there's no underlying medical cause. Good luck!

 

[Roxy's mama]

did the water limiting

But it takes it's toll on Roxy our other dog, I do take the water away around 8 p.m. and put it back out for Roxy after Bandit is crated for the night.

I don't expect Bandit to be completly house trained, I know that they are not until a year or so, but what gets me is that he doesnt try to let us know when/if he needs out, Roxy did at that age and so did my other dogs that I had, he's just in his own little happy world making mommy guess and clean!

Dh helps when he is home, the kids are always tattaling on Bandit, if only I had a penny for everytime I've heard "MOM! Bandit is......." in the last 8 weeks!!

Thank you for your input, I'm pretty sure I'm doing the right things since I got most of my info on here, I've checked out books from the library, even had the kids watch a puppy training video, I'm on the phone with the vet often, our vet is great he will get on the phone and talk about whatever until you are satisfied with whatever the subject is, I'm just overly frustrated right now and thought I'd check to make sure I am not forgetting another way/angle.

If there is something I'm missing PLEASE let me know!!

mj

 

[Edgarsfan]

Long (sorry)

I read a book on house training and used this method, If using a crate, place the pup in the crate and take him outside for 10 or and tell him to go potty or whatever word you choose. If he goes potty, praise him and give him treats and let him play in a small supervised space for twenty or thirty minutes or so (then take him outside to potty) Do not leave him alone unless he is tethered to you. This way you can catch him in the act if necessary. If he does not go take him inside and place him in the crate for 20 or 30 minutes. Take him back outside and start again. I do not know if this will work for you but I used this with Edgar with bell training over a weekend. He had it down pretty quick. Good luck.

 

[Gingers Mom]

Infection maybe??

Some dogs are just easier to train than others. Ginger was a beast when she was a puppy. She took forever to train. Her daughter Missy was the easiest puppy I ever trained.

Have you had the vet check him to see if he has an infection?
When you take him out to pee, if he doesn't do anything quickly, bring him back in under your watchful eye. He has to learn that outside is for business not playtime. Playtime has it's time too but business comes first.

Remember he's still a baby and sometimes it takes them a little longer, but when the light goes off, watch out.

 

[SherylM]

14 weeks is very young to expect your pup to be house broken. He's still a baby. The best advice someone gave me was crating. If you can't watch him, crate him, even if its when you go the the bathroom, crate him. Every time you take him out of the crate, take him directly outside. Every time he wakes up, finishes eating, drinking or playing, take him out. Tethering him to you is a good idea too. Boxers are not outside dogs. Please be patient and your patience will be rewarded tenfold.

 

[tianthai]

I think 14 week old puppy does not know and understand house training. If you search on this page you will surely find a lot of my questions when my pup Oscar was young.
I don't want to make you unhappy but the fact is that my dog was completely house trained (meaning he can hold) only at about a year old. My dog did everything your pup is doing now, pee, poo in his crate, 10 accidents a day and etc. But he will get there if you have enough patience and never give up on him.
At this age he does not understand so it is up to you to take him out to do his business (mind you when mine was your puppy's age I took him out about 18 times a day!). He does not know how to tell you either. By the time he feels it, it is there, he cannot hold, that's all.
Good luck!