Housetraining

[Proseccopanda]

Hi, new to the doghouse, but been on MN for a while.

So, we (me, DH and our 3 DC aged 8, 10 and 12) picked up our little miniature wirehaired dachshund on 2nd April, she'll be 11wks tomorrow and is the cutest wee thing on 4 legs

I grew up with dogs, but can't really remember being involved with any of the housetraining, so I can't really remember whether what we're experiencing is normal.

She's great at night and hasn't needed to be taken out overnight for a couple of weeks now, so we know she has good bladder/bowel control. I also work part-time, so she is left for a couple of hours on weekdays, and again, no issues there. However, we're struggling to stop her weeing and pooing on the carpet.

She has training pads, and bar one occasion last week where she wee'd on it, she just won't use them (I've even used them to mop up accidents to try and get her scent on them). We take her out in to the garden at least once an hour whilst at home, plus on the very rare occasion she does indicate that she needs to go out. However, she can be out and do her business, but then 10mins after bringing her in, she'll then wee/Poo on the carpet. She also doesn't have any cues to warn us that she's about to go. She can literally just be sitting normally, and the next thing she's lifted her tail and is weeing!

We're using Get Off spray to clean up after her and remove the scent, the house smells like an ad for the stuff

Is it just a case of it taking time, or are we doing something wrong? Any tips, advice or reassurance gratefully received.

You need to take her outvinti the garden at least every half hour. Wait until she has done her business then praise and reward. If she messes in house, say no or ah ah and put her straight outside.

Clean accidents with biological detergent so she can't smell where's she's gone and get rid of the puppy pads - they just teach pups to relieve themselves indoors.

Personally I didn't use any puppy pads as I didn't want to encourage any toileting inside as I think it can confuse them.

In the day they are moving about and have much less bladder control than at night. I took mine out after sleeping, after play, after eating and drinking and very frequently in between. Mine didn't indicate to go out until he was much older so I just concentrated on making sure we minimised any accidents inside and praised like mad when he went outside.

Any accident inside is a missed opportunity to praise them and cement outside is good. If I was you I would be taking her outside more often than you are and watching her like a hawk so you can pick up and run if you see her about to her business and then praise. If you find she does another one soon after coming inside then think about taking her outside again 5-10 mins after you come in.

PP have given great advice.

Just to add - 11 weeks old is no age at all and she doesn't really have the physiology to hold her bladder at that age. That she is clean while asleep is brilliant. Expect it to be several weeks before she's reliable in the house during the day. I think my springer was about 4-5 months old before he stopped having accidents. Dachshunds that are notoriously difficult to house train so this could easily be a six month process for you.

• Take out in the garden every 20 minutes. Wait 5 minutes (you need to be boring). If no wee or poo then back in and back out again 20 mins later. Repeat. If any wee or poo is done outside then praise and reward like a crazy person.
• Keep dog with you AT ALL TIMES and watch like a hawk. There are normally signals but it takes ages to see them. Sniffing is a clue. The instant you turn your back the dog will wee on the floor!
• Clean up messes with minimal comment. Definitely don't make a fuss.
• Put training pads in the bin.
• PERSEVERE. It will work but the rate of success will depend on the time and attention you can devote to this. Our pup was 99% there by 4 months and now he is nearly 5 months he is definitely trained but dear god did I spend a lot of time in the garden. I couldn't sit on the sofa peacefully for weeks because everytime he sniffed I had to jump up and run him out the garden and he STILL managed to shit on the floor a few times. I even carried him out mid shit once or twice ( a handful of warm poop is not a nice thing).

Thank you for all your tips and advice...we've had our very first accident free day! Taking her out more often, and rewarding with a treat when she goes outside seems to be the way to go.