LoveToKnow Dogs:Custom Potty Training
Questions

I haven't tried any of those grass pad training products with my own dogs, but I'm familiar with them and believe the principle behind them should help with potty training.

The real question here is how well is a grass pad likely to work for your pet? Does your dog go outside for you when you're home? If so, there's a good chance the smell of the grass mat indoors will encourage your pet to soil there instead of other areas in your house.

Now, keep in mind that most of these products use synthetic grass, and it lacks the scent that dogs are drawn to. So, I recommend going with one of the products that offers a real grass sod to begin training with. Once your dog has been trained to use the mat, you can switch out to the synthetic grass mat. Just do a quick Internet search for "grass house training mats for dogs", and you'll find the kind of product I'm talking about. To me, this would be the most likely way to achieve success using such a product.

If you do decide to go with a grass potty pad, please let us know how well it works. It would be nice to be able to pass the info along, especially if the mats work well. So many small dog owners find it difficult to fully house train their pets.

Thanks for your question, and good luck. :) - posted by:Kelly

Moving to a new home can really disrupt a dog's daily routine. A new environment with new smells and perhaps a bit of a new schedule can all cause stress that results in temporary backsliding on house manners. Your dog probably also feels a need to mark out a little territory of his own. Neutering may help with that, but it isn't a sure cure.

Right now, the best thing you can do is approach the situation as though you are training a new puppy. Get up early to take your dog outside to his new potty area, and praise him well when he goes. Don't give him any attention if he fails to relieve himself. This will reinforce the original training you gave him, and it teaches him that the rules are still the same in his new home.

You'll also need to soak the areas your dog soiled with an enzymatic cleaner to completely remove the urine crystals that regular cleaning can't remove. This removes trace scents that would entice your dog soil those spots again.

Thanks for sharing your situation, and I hope these suggestions prove helpful. Good luck. :) - posted by:Kelly

I sounds as though your dog soils in the house because he's anxious when you're away from him. This is somewhat typical of Aussies; they can become overly attached to their people and develop some behavior problems unless they are well socialized and taught that it's alright to spend some time on their own.

I have a couple of recommendations for you to try. First, purchase a crate for your dog to use. You can help her become accustomed to it by feeding her in it with the door open. Let her get used to it without shutting her inside. Hopefully she learns that this is a safe haven she can use anytime. Second, once she's used to the crate, you can close the door behind her for short periods while you're still in the room. As she becomes more comfortable with that, you can close the door behind her and leave the room for a couple of minutes, and then come back and let her out. Just act calmly and don't give her special attention when you let her back out. Just go about business as usual around the house. The idea is that if you act like crating her is no big deal, she won't feel there's anything to fear. You can gradually increase her time in the crate, and hopefully you'll be able to crate her overnight and when you can't be home with her.

Although training your dog to use a crate can be helpful in potty training situations, it isn't the only answer and it doesn't have to be a permanent solution. Go back to square one with a potty training refresher course to help your dog understand what you expect from her. Hopefully she will eventually become trustworthy enough to dispense with using the crate.

Right now, in combination with using the crate when you can't be with your dog, you'll need to remove the trace scents left behind from her soiling. Urine contains crystals that aren't removed by normal cleaning. You need to purchase an enzymatic cleaner from a pet supply store and thoroughly soak those soiled areas so the enzymes can eat the crystals and remove the odors. This also works for stool soiled areas. If you can remove those trace scents, it will help your dog feel less compelled to soil in those areas again.

Thanks for sharing your situation, and I hope these suggestions help your situation. Good luck. :) - posted by:Kelly

I'm so sorry to hear about the difficulty you're having. This won't be an easy situation to fix, but I believe it can be done.

The first thing I'm going to recommend is that you don't give your Yorkie full run of the house. Perhaps you can use a baby gate to confine her to your kitchen where the accidents will be easier to clean up. As for the rest of the house, you'll want to soak any soiled areas with an enzymatic cleaner. This type of cleaner contains enzymes that actually "eat" the trace bacteria and urine crystals that continue to generate a smell after regular cleaning. It's this trace smell that can lure a dog to return to the area to soil again. This will be an important step in bringing the current problem under control. You can find enzymatic cleaning solutions at most pet supply stores.

Getting back to your puppy, you will want to put down a puppy housetraining pad to encourage her to go in just one location. This will help narrow her "range" a little more. You will also need to begin taking her outside on a more frequent schedule like you did when you first began training her. Sometimes dogs backslide and we have to begin again from square one. I have two suggestions for encouraging your pet to empty out while outside. First, there is a product called a Pee Post, although you may find one under a different name. The post is infused with pheromones that encourage your dog to use the location as a potty stop. Just stick the post in the ground in the area you want her to use, and take her there directly for every potty break. Additionally, you can also take a stool accident from within the home and leave it near the post so you dog gets the idea that she should poop there as well.

Once your dog is consistently using the potty area you have created for her, you may want to stop using the puppy pads in the kitchen. By then, your dog should be old enough to comprehend what you're asking of her and going outside regularly. Eventually you should be able to widen her territory in the home without experiencing accidents.

Yes, this will all be a challenge, but Yorkies are known for maturing slowly, and it does take longer to house train them in many cases. However, it will be well worth the effort. Thanks for sharing your situation, and I do hope these suggestions help. - posted by:Kelly

I'm sure your boyfriend had the best of intentions, but this situation really illustrates why puppies should never be given as surprise gifts. Yes, nearly everyone loves puppies, but not everyone has the time to care for one, and what was meant to be a joy quickly becomes a burden. I applaud you for trying to make this situation work.

First, you've done quite well already teaching your puppy to use the puppy pad for urinating. What I suggest now is that you transfer some of the stools to the pad so your puppy begins to connect the idea of pooping there too. It may seem repulsive, but it's better if you can keep a little stool on a pad to reinforce the issue.

Next, you're going to need to purchase an enzymatic cleaner to break down trace scents left around the house from previous accidents. Removing these scents (which you may not be able to smell yourself) keeps your puppy from being drawn back to these areas to soil again.

I also recommend that you reduce your puppy's territory in the apartment. She doesn't necessarily need full run of the apartment, and reducing her territory to an area near the door you want her to use will help make the connection between the need to potty and going outside. Keep the pad near this area too.

When it's time to go outside, go to the door, pick a one word command such as "Outside", and make it a happy occasion with lots of encouragements when she comes to you. Take your dog out the door immediately to go potty, and praise for success. I don't know the arrangements of your apartment complex, but if you can, leave a small pile of stool in the area your dog exercises so she can also connect pooping with the outdoors.

It's going to take some work, but it will be well worth the time you invest. Best wishes that it all works out, and best wishes to your boyfriend for his service to our country. - posted by:Kelly

I'm sorry to hear about the recent developments. A loss of bladder control can happen for many reasons. You'll need your vet's help to sort out what's going on with your dog, but let me offer a little information about various causes.

• Spaying can sometimes lead to eventual weakening of the muscles that control the bladder. It can take a few years for the problem to surface.
• Age can also lead to a weakening of those muscles, although six years old would be a bit premature for this.
• Having litters can also weaken the muscles around the bladder.
• A urinary tract infection or kidney disease can also lead to urine leakage.

The best thing you can do is make an appointment with your vet. The vet will likely want to do a urinalysis first since a UTI is the most likely source of the problem. There is also medication that can help stop leakage if your dog needs it.

Thanks for sharing your situation, and I hope this info helps in some way. Best wishes for your dog's health. - posted by:Kelly

It's important that both you and your husband agree that the time is right for you to bring a new puppy into your home. Otherwise, you may find that you are carrying out the major portion of the housebreaking on your own.

I live in Ohio too, and we tend to have some wet and miserably cold winters, don't we? Personally, I'd prefer to potty train a dog in the spring so I wouldn't feel rushed to come back inside before she had enough time to really empty out. You might also want to consider how the type of pup you plan on getting will react to the cold. For example, a Chihuahua pup is too delicate to stay out in the cold and wet for very long, but a Huskie pup would likely enjoy the brisk weather long enough to get her business done.

As you can see, there's no firm answer on what is best. All you can do is base your decision on what will be best for the type of pup you're considering, and make sure that training time fits into both your schedules so your new pet has every chance for success.

Thanks for your question. :) - posted by:Kelly

Jack Russells are known for being difficult to house train, and they usually take longer to train than most breeds. However, by 18-months-old, your new pet should be doing much better than she is if she had received consistent training before you adopted her.

That said, it's not too late to start from scratch, treating her as if she is a new puppy. You'll need to take her out frequently, use a single word command like "potty", reward her successes and refrain from offering attention when she doesn't go outside. Inside the house, you'll need to limit her territory during training. Your bedroom should definitely be off limits. Right now, your pet is marking her territory in your den. I also suggest you soak the soiled areas with an enzymatic cleaner to destroy the urine crystals that normal cleaning doesn't remove. This will eliminate residual odor that will draw your dog back to soil again.

I'm also going to recommend the two of you enroll in obedience class together. This will give you the leadership role in the relationship and teach your dog to follow your commands. This should help with the potty training issue as well. Jack Russells can be very rambunctious, so it's good to have a bit of control over them.

Thanks for sharing your situation, and I hope these suggestions help you move your new pet in the right direction. Good luck! - posted by:Kelly

I'm sure I would love your JRT. I have three girls of my own, and although they are incorrigible, they are so charming that I wind up forgiving them for every transgression.

To me, it sounds like your dog has the basics of house training down, he just can't hold it that long when you're gone and goes ahead and soils. You can go back to square one with potty training him, but I can't guarantee he won't revert to his old behavior in your absence.

I've had the same problem with my girls having accidents when we're away from home, and I've found that crating them was the right solution for my family. We give them the opportunity to exercise before we leave, and take them out immediately when we get back. Fortunately, I'm able to work from home, so someone is here most of the time. Our trips out are usually only a few hours long, so the dogs don't have difficulty holding it that long. You might want to seriously consider this option in your own home. I'd recommend a travel style crate rather than an open wire type because I feel they are safer for your dog's limbs.

Thanks for your question, and good luck with your little rascal. :) - posted by:Kelly

I have two suggestions that I hope will help your situation.

• First, I want you to take your dog's inside stool accidents outside to a single location you want your dog to use. This should create a potty stop that will hopefully help your dog understand that she's meant to do both jobs outside. You can clean up the old poop when you move a fresh pile outside, but you want to keep one pile in the chosen location until your dog starts pooping outside on her own.

• As for inside the house, you need to scoop up the accidents and clean the floor immediately to reinforce that this is not the area to use. I recommend soaking the areas your dog has gone with an enzymatic cleaner to remove all lingering traces of scent.

This won't be an overnight fix, but I do believe these suggestions will help you get your dog fully on track. Thanks for your question, and good luck! - posted by:Kelly

I think your pup is going through some confusion right now, which is to be expected when changing homes at this tender age during potty training. The key here is to be very consistent so your dog is truly able to pick up on your routine. I feel that if you can do this, he will indeed adjust, but it's going to take more time.

The morning routine you have planned sounds like a very good one. I am only going to suggest one thing. Have you considered the possibility of purchasing a baby gate and enclosing your dog in the kitchen during the day while you're gone, instead of in the crate? You can lay a potty pad on the floor for him to use. This reinforces at least one appropriate place to potty, and keeps him from being cooped up in the crate.

You can still work on potty training outside as well when you're home, but never scold him if he uses the pad instead. If you're going to use the pad at all, it must always be acceptible in order to avoid confusion.

In about another month we should be seeing better weather. I suggest that you take your dog outside to play; make it a fun experience to get him used to it. Once he associates going out with good things, pick up on the potty training commands. Be sure to praise him immediately when he pottys outside so he gets the positive reinforcement that he needs to succeed.

Thanks for your question, and hang in there. I do think you'll be able to get this pup trained. - posted by:Kelly

I think it would alright to keep her gated and train her to use a piddle pad in the kitchen. Once you feel confident that she will really use the pad, you can try leaving her loose for an hour or two while you go shopping. If this goes well, you can lengthen the time period you're away until she can make it through the entire day without having an accident in the rest of the house.

As for managing her water intake, I personally don't recommend it. Your dog needs plenty of fresh water throughout the day in order to stay healthy. Once you have her fully trained, water won't be an issue.

Thanks for your question, and best of luck. - posted by:Kelly

Bichons can be a joy, but they can also be quite difficult to house train. At six months, your dog is still very much a puppy, and she should do better with some maturity. My advice in these situations is as follows.

• First, I would go back to the beginning and start potty training all over again. You need to take her out early in the morning as soon as the two of you get up, and repeat the process every hour. For this reason, it's good to start the project when you can be home for the first couple of days.
• Decide on a one word command to use when you want her to go. I've always used the word "potty". Take your dog outside, and repeat the command occasionally. Allow her at leat ten to fifteen minutes to really empty out.
• As for the soiled spots in the house, urine crystals can become trapped in the carpet and between floor boards. They emit a smell everytime they become damp, and this can encourage your dog to soil again. Standard cleaning doesn't affect the urine crystals, so the best way to neutralize them is to thoroughly soak the soiled spots with an enzymatic cleaner. The enzymes eat the smelly bacteria in the crystals and the odor disappears.

You have a challenge before you, but if you are diligent, I think you can help your Bichon overcome her bad habit and become fully house trained. Good luck with your efforts. :) - posted by:Kelly

I tend to agree with you that this is not a situation born of anxiety unless you have seen actual fearful behavior from your dogs about going out in the rain.

One of the dog's probably couldn't hold it any longer one day and had an accident. Smelling it, the other dog probably decided to follow suit. The problem is that the urine crystals can survive long after the initial cleaning, and tend to draw the dogs back to soil again.

I recommend that you neutralize the spots by soaking them with an enzymatic cleaner according to the package directions. You'll also need to treat these dogs like new puppies for a while and retrain them as though it was the first time. Confine them when you can't be home, and take them out frequently come rain or shine. This should hopefully get them back on track.

Thanks for your question, and I hope the retraining goes quickly. - posted by:Kelly

While it's always better to stick with one method or the other to lessen confusion during training, I do understand why you might want to do both. Here's what I suggest.

Put the emphasis on outside training, using your back door (If you have one). Place the potty pad as close as possible to this area so that if your dog must go in the house while you're gone, he'll still be in an area that reminds him he should go outside. I'm hopeful that this will keep your pup from getting the idea that it's okay to go just anywhere in the house.

Thanks for your question, and good luck with the training. - posted by:Kelly

You have a very confused puppy. She was raised in less than ideal circumstances at the breeder's house. She started out well living by your rules, but then you changed game plans and began confining her to the crate at night. So now she thinks she's supposed to live the way she began life at the breeder's house.

I recommend that you set a firm schedule for potty training and try to stick to it as closely as possible. Move your puppy's last meal of the day up a couple of hours to give her time to empty out on potty breaks before bedtime. Also make sure she gets at least 20 minutes to exercise and potty in the yard last thing before bedtime every night.

As for overnight, I recommend you stop crating her. Instead, use a puppy gate to keep her in your kitchen or bathroom overnight, and set down newspapers or wee wee pads for her to use. This is a better alternative to soiling her crate.

Eventually she is going to develop the capacity to hold it longer over night, but for now she is just a nine week old puppy. I think if you follow this advice and remain consistent, things will begin to go in the right direction again. I know those sleepless nights are tough, but we all deal with them when we bring home a young puppy. Hang in there because it really will get better.

Thanks for your question, and good luck. - posted by:Kelly

Small dogs do typically need to go outside more frequently than larger dogs, and puppies need to go outside for potty breaks far more often than adults. I do think that your dog will outgrow the need to go outside overnight, but in the meantime, here are a few suggestions to help make your nights easier.

• Feed the last meal of the day a couple hours earlier than usual. This gives your dog time to digest the meal, and he should be ready to potty before bedtime.
• Take your puppy out for a 20 minute potty break right before bedtime. This will give him a chance to really empty out before he beds down for the night.

Hang in there, puppyhood doesn't last forever. I hope you find these suggestions helpful. - posted by:Kelly

Obviously the situation is out of control. One of the things you're going to have to do is rent a black light to find all the urine spots and clean them thoroughly with an enzymatic cleaner. This should remove all traces of your dog's scent if you do it properly.

Now, let me ask if your dog has been neutered. If he's not, neutering may cut down on his urge to mark his territory. It would have been better to take care of this when he was a puppy before he formed the house soiling habit, but it may still help with your situation.

Somehow, your dog missed out on potty training during puppyhood, so you're going to have to begin from scratch, and you'll need to let him out more than three times a day because that won't be enough. I recommend you read our article about Potty Training Your Dog to help you get started.

Housebreaking a dog takes patience and diligence, but if you are consistant, I believe you can get the job done.

Good luck! - posted by:Kelly

Nearly ten hours is really too long to expect a dog to go without exercising. You can probably train her to use a pee pad or one of those grass trays, but at two years old you really have your work cut out for you.

If you decide to give it a try, you will still need to confine your dog to a single room while you're away during the initial training period.

To begin, take her to the pad when it's time to exercise, and give her a one word command to go, whichever one you normally use outside. If she does go, praise her for being so good. If she doesn't, ignore her. There's no reward for non compliance.

If she does go, don't immediately throw the pad away. It now contains her scent, and this should make it easier to convince her to go there the next time. If she has a stool, leave a small portion of it there as a reminder.

This type of training will take a little while, but I think you can be successful with it if you stick to it.

Good luck! - posted by:Kelly

This is just a thought, but have you observed your dogs when they are outside together? There is a possibility that your Dachshund needs a bit more space and privacy than your Lab is willing to give her. I would sugggest that you start house training with your doxie from scratch, but take her out separately from your Lab. Hopefully she will feel relaxed enough to do her business outside where it belongs.

You're also going to need to scrub the scene of her accidents with a good enzymatic cleaner to eliminate the smell. This will give her less enticement to soil those spots again.

Thanks for your question, and I hope you find this suggestion helpful. Good luck! - posted by:Kelly

As dogs grow older, their digestive tracts slow down. It can take them longer to get things moving, if you know what I mean.

Ten minutes is not very long to allow your dog time to evacuate his bowels. I would suggest allowing him to exercise 20-30 minutes. This should give him ample time to do his business outside where it belongs.

Give this a try and see if it helps the situation. If it doesn't, come back and we'll brainstorm some more. - posted by:Kelly

I suggest purchasing a package of puppy training pads. When you leave your dog home alone, put a pad on the bathroom door, and confine your dog to this area while you're gone. Hopefully your dog will respond to the phermones in the pad and do her business there. If need be, you can transfer one of her stools to the pad in order to give her a bigger hint.

If you're successful, you will eventually be able to put down a pad for her to use without having to confine her.

I hope you find this suggestion helpful. - posted by:Kelly

Are you absolutely sure your JTR is the only dog having house accidents? Typically when one dog begins urinating in the home, other family dogs will join in, so you need to be sure that only one dog is doing the deed. Otherwise, you will need to retrain them both.

That said, anytime your dog displays a sudden behavior change is a good time to check in with your vet. Small puddles here and there might be a sign that your dog has a kidney stone partially blocking his urinary tract. This will require a veterinary examination to either confirm or rule out. A urinary tract infection could also be the cause behind this type of behavior change.

That said, the behavior may indeed be related to the fact that you're not walking your dog as much as you used to. In this case, you need to get back on a regular schedule to offer him the greatest chance for good behavior. You'll also need to scrub all the urine spots with a good enzymatic cleaner to remove all traces of the urine scent. This will remove further incentive to soil the area.

Thanks for your question, and I hope these suggestions help you get your dog back on track. - posted by:Kelly