toilet training help- please I'm losing the will to live

[pregnantpause]

Hello,

I've had my puppy for 2 months nearly and I thought I was getting somewhere with her house training. I've never had a hound before, and found that my previous bull breeds were eager to please so training was easy. Its bit this tine.She does have occasional wee accidents but she hasn't been pooing in the house, except at night sometimes.
That is until yesterday I've no idea what's happened but she peed on the floor 5 times yesterday and when I was out she came upstairs and pooed on my bedroom carpet she's not allowed upstairs, she knows this, has never been upstairs and doesn't come up when we are here. She's done it again today. I don't know what to do, I thought I was doing well but apparently not. Today before I left I took her on a long walk, left her with a chew bone along with all of her toys, so no excuse. Can anyone tell me how to train her. I don't have room for a crate, but she has a corner where she sleeps/ rests/eats in peace. I'm very upset and the library doesn't offer anything besides 'll
Positive reinforcement and crate training. Google offers many miracle course that will tr train her in hours if I give them x pounds and I am at a loss.

[Confusedandfedup]

I'm no expert, but the puppy sounds too young to be left on their own for too long. Also the puppy doesn't 'know' they should not go upstairs. Put in a stair gate and then you won't have that problem.

[Karbea]

I create trained my puppy, so not sure how much help I'm going to be.
If I didn't use a crate, I would definitely keep mine confined to one small room. I think that if he was left to roam around the house he would, even in places he wasn't supposed to go. In fact if I was left in a house and knew I wasn't allowed in a room, and the door was open temptation would get me to, so why wouldn't it the pup?!? I'm pretty sure she probably got a bit stressed upstairs in your room, which might have been why she pooed.

How old is she? What time is dinner time? I think if she's 'allowed' to poo at nighttime she will, and she'll think I may as well in the day too. You'll need to get up during the night and let her out, until she no longer needs to do it.

My pup is 5.5 months old and he is clean 95% off the time, he has the odd accident, but normally this is my fault rather than his.

Before he got it, he had a really bad day and I ended up crying on the phone to my mum, saying I couldn't do it. I ended up going ballistic at him which I know is a no, no. Don't lose heart, it will happen.

[Karbea]

Create - crate.

[pregnantpause]

I was only gone half an hour both times, school runs, shes seven months, I got her quite late, as the breeder had someone drop out of taking her, and then contacted me as I was waiting for another litter by a mutual friend.

Well, she's not allowed to poo at night, but I don't catch her at it and the useless training book says not to shout or discipline after the fact as she won't understand it. I'm just despairing ATM, as I have trained dogs before, and it's been hollow laugh well, easier. I assume she knows not to go upstairs, when I'm here, she sits at the bottom and whines, or goes off to do her thing. I will get a stairgate now,

[pregnantpause]

Sorry missed dinner time, we've just switched her to twice a day from three, so it's 7.30 am (she poos then at half eight ish) and again at 5.30, (poos at 7ish) she poos in the day as well, in fact she poos loads!

[Vibbe]

Well, she's not allowed to poo at night

Sorry, but that's not going to work - you can't tell a dog (or any other living creature) that they can't poo when they need to.

If you don't want her to poo at night, you need to adjust her meal times so she poos at other times where you have time to take her out for a walk.
If she poos loads, maybe it would be worth having a look at when she gets food, chews and treats. If I feed my dog treats and chews many times a day, she will be pooing all the time.

It sounds like you need to start over with house training.

It works keeping a constant eye on the puppy and take it out whenever it's been eating, sleeping, drinking and playing. As well as when it's searching for somewhere to pee/poo.
When the puppy pees or poos outside, you praise it like there's no tomorrow. We gave our dog a treat as well - it worked for us.

When the puppy pees or poos inside the house, just clean it up. Don't shout at the dog and don't punish - there's simply no point in it.

And you need to be patient with the dog. The owners need to teach the dog what to do - you can't expect a dog to know what is expected.

Teach a dog what you want it to do rather than focusing on what you don't want it to do.

It is hard work having a dog - and house training takes a lot of time and energy.


For the whining when you go upstairs, you need to train being alone.

[pregnantpause]

Thanks. The whining isn't a problem, I used it as an example that she 'knows' not to go upstairs. I also know that she won't understand timescales and allowed. That was a response to a previous poster. I'm just a bit down today, and things haven't gone well today Just needed a moan I suppose. I know training is hard, and I know dogs are work. Thanks again.

[Karbea]

My pup is a poo making machine!

Yes there's no point telling her off. I know it's a pain but I think I'd go back to basics and wake up every hr and take her out, and when she poos give her the biggest cuddles and best treats ever. She's got to get out of the habit of pooing.

I spent a couple of days writing down the times he ate (inc treats) and when he pooed. I could then pretty much work out when he would, took him into the garden and just kept saying "poo, poos" like a crazy woman!

[lainiekazan]

I am probably the world's most incompetent first dog owner, but the one thing I've got right (famous last words) is house training.

As others have said, you watch the dog like a hawk. You follow it round. Your eyes are glued to it. And if it even hints at turning in a circle, you swiftly take it outside. And in addition outside once an hour for a wee. And you stand outside with it until it has performed. Then you go crazy with praise.

I must say it was murder at first. Like having a wild toddler with no nappy. But at dog training I could hold my head high and brag about dog's housetraining (little else to brag about mind you...)

[pregnantpause]

Lanie- thanks, oddly, the rest is brilliant for me. She recalls, she sits, she goes down and stops jumping when told. Usually she's better with the training, I had it down to once or twice a day, and only on the laminate. Thinking on it, as she's getting more confident, when she was alone it was probably sheer temptation to go up those stairs, nervousness/stress once she got there, then my being down about it led to me not paying attention. I will stair gate. And wake earlier.

[lainiekazan]

Like you, at first I was impressed that dog didn't go upstairs and meekly stayed at the bottom. Ha bloody ha. As soon as he had a bit of confidence it was his one aim in life to get up the stairs to see what delights were up there. I had to purchase a reinforced extra-large special dog gate to thwart him.

[Karbea]

I gave up - he now comes upstairs!
My pup was excellent at training stuff, taught himself fetch, the housetraining was the last thing he worked out.

[mistlethrush]

We recently got ours at 2ish and she wasn't housetrained - in fact she thought that you did that sort of thing inside when you'd just come in from your walk...

You might want to check what food she's on now she's a bit bigger as it might be that she's on one that she needs to eat a large quantity of to keep her going and growing, but a higher-energy, lower bulk one might be better for her - I would also go back to 3 meals a day and see if that helps.

[Lilcamper]

I was going to say look at the quality of food too. The lower quality ones mean a lot of fillers that aren't digested and will exit the other end!

[pregnantpause]

That is a thought. dh has bought new food recently, and, whilst at the time we Did argue about it ( I sent specific instructions, after he gave her the last of the food and failed to let me know in time to go to the shops myself) but as she seems to like it, I have continued with it. Knowing him, he didn't look for the one I described and plumped for the cheapest. I was going to wait until it had finished to switch back, but it could be a factor

[spiderlight]

Tiny little thing that made a VAST difference to us when we were struggling to housetrain our rescued springer - we hung a budgie bell on a ribbon next to the back door and clicker-trained her to ring it with her nose, then opened the door every time she rang it, and within literally about a day she had 'clicked' (no pun intended) and was ringing the bell to ask to go out. That was the turning point for us - her having a clear way to let us know she needed to go.

[pregnantpause]

Tiny? If I can teach her to ring a bell to go out all my dreams would come true slight exaggeration it's worth trying certainly. She's a basset hound so naturally stubborn and harder to train than some, but I'll start again with a stair gate, a bell, a clicker, and more iams. Wish me luck

[mistlethrush]

I know a lurcher that was taught to rattle the keys in the back door to ask to go out - he caught on though that he got a biscuit when he came in so was forever rattling the keys to do a quick circuit outside and back in for a biscuit

[bellasuewow]

hi pregnant i grew up with bassets and they are not the easiest to housetrain, they are more sensitive than some other breeds and emotionally high maintenance(smile) but they are utterly loving i do remember them doing a lot of pooh they are a big dog on small legs. It sounds like she is just not in a routine but she will get there, it does drive you mad, One of my dogs is so nervous and break in routine means pees and plops and she is 6 years old. I am so used to it now still a bit hard when you have a big day ahead though. The number of posts should tell you you are not alone....

[pregnantpause]

Thanks Bella- she is sooo setsensitive, I've shouted at DC around her and she sulks for hours! I have a basset book and it talks about them hunting in packs and being independent- mine is scared of her own shadow and needs constant reassurance.! She's lovely and has no idea that she's not supposed to be a lap dog

[Karbea]

mistle my pup often stops a wee halfway, comes in for a sweet, goes back out, finishes wee, gets second sweet ;)

[mistlethrush]

Karbea - now that's a clever dog!

[wildfig]

It took me nearly 7 months to get my basset puppy completely housetrained, and that was with me watching him like a hawk, keeping him confined mainly to the kitchen, and using a crate. If actual human tears could remove wee stains from carpets, mine would be spotless. He will now bash the back door (or any door) with his paw to go out if it's not open - I should try the dangling bell...

It's really just a case of sticking it out a little longer, and being very consistent. The penny will drop, honest. It just takes a little longer with all hounds - have you tried food motivation? That solves most basset problems, I find. A lump of cheese if she asks to go outside, and lots of fuss. They are very sensitive dogs, and do like to be with you; my stairgate is essential.

Apols if it's teaching you to suck eggs but do be careful about overwalking her before she's about one. They're a heavy-boned breed, and too much exercise too early on can set them up for joint problems later. Fully grown bassets will happily walk all day, but while the bones are still developing, it's best to stop them doing too much going up and down stairs/jumping off sofas/long walks.

[pregnantpause]

Not at all wild- in fact it's pause for thought as we do walk her for about an hour and twenty a day, this is made up of one 40 mins and two or three walks round the block. Perhaps I'll have to lower it.