More house breaking questions. - Page 1

OK, my 7 1/2 month old female simply refuses to house break. I have tried crate training, no crate, frequent breaks, reward, no reward, pleading, praying, and crying. The dog is perfectly healthy (my wife works at a vet hospital), but simply refuses to house train. My wife is about to banish the dog to a life outdoors, as cleaning up 4 or 5 messes a day is getting old. Does anyone have any more suggestions?

The best advise I got was to take her to yhe same grassy spot in the yard every time and try to be as booring as possible until they do their thing. Then immediately give them a treat. Does your dog "go" in the same area of the house most of the time? May be that you are not getting rid of all the smell. Remember that her sense of smell is thousands of times better than yours so be really thorough.. Also, it is not a good idea to draw any attention to the mess she has made like letting her see you clean it up. Not an easy thing to do when she has just ruined your new carpet but give it a try. Good Luck

I always limit their intake after a certain time in the evening so there is no problems during the night. Daytime, you may want to try hanging a large bell from a rope on the door handle...teach her to hit it with her paw, she gets rewarded for doing so AND gets to go outside! (another reward!) You will have to watch her the whole time, but don't let her back in until she has went to the bathroom, then make it a big deal! Has worked every time for me. Good luck!

Might be time to consult a private trainer on this. Worked for my friend. Good luck

Also, did you get her as a puppy? 7 or 8 weeks? What is her history? Has she always slept in a crate?

You have my sympathy. I have housebroken two adult dogs who had previously been kenneled-only a large portion of their lives. (Sold as well housebroken both times! Right!) It is real work, and for one of mine, it took nine months for her to be completely trustworthy in the house. The key is total supervision while they are in the house, and lots of praise when they eliminate outside. In the crate or the kennel when you cannot watch them closely. It is just like having a puppy, but it takes the adults many times longer to break the kennel habit, unless they were previously housebroken and were not kenneled-only very long.