8 month old still having accidents

[CatherineCawood]

Anyone got any advice. So many people tell me how they have their dog trained in 2 weeks, I just feel like a massive failure.

95% of the time its fine and she goes outside but she still pees inside on occasion. I just can't get her to reliably ask to go out. Should I really still have to be prompting every 30 minutes at 8 months old?

She peed on the floor at work twice on Friday, despite:

going in the garden first thing,
30 mins at the park on the way to work
took her out 5 times during the day at work
a lunchtime walk

its driving me mad. She NEVER poos in the house (only twice when she was very young). Can not get a handle on the weeing though.

She does ask to go out sometimes but sometimes its just a 'glance' which I miss if I'm watching the TV or working etc.

I tried to teach bells but she doesn't really use them. She once barked at the door, I was thrilled, but she never repeated that! I give high value treats when she asks and goes for a wee.

How can I get her to ask me in a way I can't miss?

I find it infuriating that I take her out she doesn't go then she goes in the house 30 mins later.

She is dry overnight, in crate and out and has always been. Is dry in the car, even on long journeys such as 2 or 3 hours. Is dry in the occasional shop, pub etc.

On walks she wees like a boy, perhaps can go up to 10 times in one walk as if she is marking.

Tonight I'm sat in the lounge, back door is open, she's been wandering around and I just went to the kitchen and she has done an enormous wee on the floor! Why? the bloody back door is pigging well open!!! Argh......... What the heck will i do come winter?

Thinking about getting a doggy flap but wonder if there is any point if she will only go to the loo if I go with her. Bloody velcro dog.

I use the non ammonia cleaner too, its not like she goes in the same spot really either so don't think it marking.

Please help!

By dry overnight I mean that she can go from 10pm ish to 9am ish (more like 7am during the week) and is still not desparate to go out. Still lounges about having a stroke for a few mins before getting up. So can hold for up to 11 hours, apart from.in the day when she can go twice an hour.

This is all normal. Some dogs housetrain early (in the same way some toddlers are miraculously little prodigies) but most of them take a while to get it. Breed does make a difference - I have beagles, and I think 8 months is the youngest I've had them reliable. But my current youngster was still having the occassional indoor accident at a year.

You're doing nothing wrong. This is normal. Keep plugging away at it. Massive praise for going in the right place. Then one day you'll wake up and realise that it's aaages since you last had to clear up an accident.

Also at 8 months she may be coming into season, which tends to fuck witht he whole housetraining thing. And she'll definitely be hitting teen 'I can't be arsed' stage.

Just keep plugging away at it. She'll get there.

Thank you both I really appreciate it. I did wonder if she was coming into season, I've been wondering that for about 3 months though! But, it really should be soon.

Glad to know I'm not alone and not doing something fundamentally wrong!

Don't leave the back door open until she's fully house trained. I know it's tough in the summer but she may be finding it confusing as it means there's no physical barrier between inside and outside.

What breed is she? Some take much, much longer to house train than others so yes, you may well need to just keep taking her outside until she "gets it."

Are you cleaning any accidents up with proper pet enzyme spray?

I don’t rely on mine to ask to go out, I teach them to go when I take them out- it makes it easy for me to keep track of when they are empty and keep them on a schedule.
in her case she won’t be needing to go every 30 mins- but I would say take her about every 2 hours or 3 (you know your dog) if she hasn’t been. So if it’s 2 hours and approaching danger zone dont wait for her to ask.

Just keep doing regular trips out but try and teach a cue for having a wee and try and get a feel for how often she needs to go and plan trips around that

girls don’t scent like boys so if she doesn’t need a wee walking her in the park won’t help you need to walk around the times she’s likely to want to go

I'd disagree with that - some bitches definitely scent mark - I've had 5 bitches, three of them, including my latest (5yrs) scent marked - they even cock their legs to do it - and it's a small amount rather than the sitting wee. My current bitch competes with the two boys to leave the final "pee Mail" - I'm often grabbing one of the (small) boys to make sure she doesn't pee on their head 🤨.

@CatherineCawood She was also having the odd accident at that age, so I really wouldn't worry. Some just take longer.

Mine was awful and I was confidently told he'd never improve if he hadn't got it yet.

They were wrong. He's never ever had an accident in the house, over the last seven or eight years. The first year he was very unreliable! I can't remember how old he was when he suddenly 'got it', though.

As a dog walker, I can tell you that some girls definitely do scent mark!

Oh lord, this is a depressing read. I have a 9 week old puppy and I'm sitting in the back yard waitingfor puppy to go. An hours wait so far.

So, I have months of this ahead of me. Glum news.

Ours used to ask when she was desperate/had no ability to hold it so she'd have accidents by the back door as she couldn't wait for us to get downstairs or from the kitchen. She hasn't had an accident in our house since last October at the age of 13 months, she has had a few since visiting somewhere new but we realised we need to show her where to ask and reward heavily and this seems to fix new places too.

Most dogs are toilet trained in the home at 8 months. However do remember that they are still very young so may get distracted, or leave it until the last minute to ask to go out. Bests not to rely on waiting for them to ask but remind them regularly that they do need to go out. Same as with kids, we are going on a car journey have a wee before we go.

I agree with a poster above who says that they do not rely on the puppy to ask to go out. I think you are asking too much of your dog. You need to take them out regularly. I know you said 5 times in a day at work but if they peed inside that was not enough times at the moment.

The more successful times you have outside the clearer it will become to the dog where to wee.

If they are not weeing outside quickly then this again shows that they are unsure of where they should go.

Pop your dog on a lead and take them outside if they do not wee in 5 mins come back in but you will have to go out regularly maybe every 5 mins or so until the do wee. When they wee give it a name eg "be quick".

Then very quickly you can take them out on a lead ask them to "be quick" and they will understand what you want them to do.

Dogs do tend to understand in specific areas so you dog may be ok at home but taking them to a new location and you may need to again take them out more regularly to show them where it is ok to wee.

You really dont Polyethyl spend some time on it now and it will be sorted pretty quickly (usually!)

@Polyethyl Not necessarily, it's very breed and dog specific. Our pup never had an accident in the house beyond 9 weeks, just luck of the draw. I can't really claim any credit.

I know, from past performance, that the moment I open the back yard door, puppy will zoom straight past my ankles and piss and poo in the livingroom, before I can grab him.

Yea some girls scent but it’d be unusual in the back garden for most bitches compared to dogs.

so easier to teach a cue than having to keep going in and out

@bangersandsmashhh we just went out and she did a big wee followed by cocking her leg a few times just like a male dog 🙈

I have taught the command 'go wee wee' which she does do.

I have kept the back door shut today and given cheese for weeing on command.

@Ivedonethisthreetimealready I'll make sure I take her more regularly than relying on her asking.

Having had a look today I do think she is coming into season, her vulva is bigger for sure. Have ordered some period pants which arrive tomorrow.

She is a cockapoo.

Photo for cuteness!

Aw she’s gorgeous. It will come. Dogs develop at different rates just like humans kids do. My DH got a bit stressed about it but our pup was still having a few accidents at 8 months old. We’ve got kids and I wasn’t totally on top of toilet training but would always pop him out after a nap and feed and also used go wee wee. He’s over a year now and a little star. Can’t remember the last time we had an accident. My parents who were lovely but not natural dog owners had dogs they were toilet trained without doing any thing themselves.
as with kids some techniques will help but they’ll still all get it at their own rate. Our eldest 2 kids were on the old side getting out of nappies and I angst over the number of accidents. Our youngest demanded pants instead of nappies at age 2 and basically toilet trained themselves. Only ever had one wee accident when they fell asleep on sofa.
8 month old puppies are hard work. My DH took ours to work with him for a fortnight as I was at the end of my tether with the nicking things to chew. Ours is now 18 months and a total delight.

Some dogs can take longer than others your dog is still young. I think females regardless of breed take longer. Its summer it's hotter than average, is your dog drinking more. I presume you leave water down when you go to work.