Please help me housebreak these damn dogs!

[ElphabaTheGreen]

I've had dogs, specifically dachshunds, for thirty years, so have housetrained many dogs successfully, and I now have two who were mostly OK, but have been steadily slipping over the past couple of years. I think I have to go back to square one.

Male (5yo) and female (9yo) mini dachsies. Both spayed/neutred.

They have access to the house during the day via a dog door/pet flap.

They're 80% good when we're at home, but when we go out, they completely ignore the back yard and use the house.

My disabled mum lives in a granny flat which they can also access freely via a pet flap - they basically use her house as a toilet and it's horrific, as she's physically incapable of doing anything to stop them. I think our only recourse is to lock them out of her house permanently. So we have to sort them out when it comes to our house.

Mum is currently in hospital so keeping them out of hers is no issue for now. The carpets are being professionally cleaned tomorrow. I'm off work for a few weeks so can take them out regularly, but what can I do when I go out? Is keeping them crated for a few hours completely inhumane, or the only way we can crack this? And what happens once I'm back at work full time and alone during the day of they're locked out of mum's house?

Help!

Crating for short periods ok, but will have to be crate-trained first. You cannot just shove them in a crate. Is it possible to restrict them to a small area where if they toilet, it isn't such a problem - vinyl floor? I have just taken on a foster dog with incontinence issues, & will leave her for short periods in a room with stone floors.

Yes totally agree with you Moanranger they would have to of been crate trained first, in my opinion as pups.

OP,
I'm shocked that you have allowed your dogs to use your elderly mums house as a toilet.
They are your responsibility.
I would advise you to employ a dog walker/sitter to take them out for walks when you are not at home and remove the Pet flap from your mums property immediately.
Also consider changing your flooring in your house so if they do make a mess it is easily cleaned up, however this is not long term.

avamiah I'll thank you to hold onto your judgement. You are getting a tiny snapshot of a very complicated picture. I have by no means been 'allowing' them to use her house as a toilet.

By 'crate trained' - they go very happily and willingly into their crate on a regular basis, even voluntarily taking themselves in there to sleep, and never go to the toilet in there. Is that enough?

I can't really see how a dog walker would work. They'd be locked in a crate for hours, get taken out once, then be locked in a crate for several more hours. That would be cruel - I really just want them to use the back yard again for all toiletting, while having free-run of the house and garden, which has worked very well for every dog I've ever owned.