Help ME! Having problems with potty training my doodle.

[Linda Hershey]

Hi, Just fyi, this is NOT my first dog.  I have had several large dogs a shepherd, and 2 Rottweiler females and now also have a boston terrier.

 

I purchased a Sheep a doodle from a breeder.  I got her when she was 13 weeks old.  I had previously trained my Rottweiler pup and the boston terrier who was from a puppy mill and terrible to train.

She is currently 5 months old as of July 10, 2013.

I started crate training when we came home, ect.  She is good at night from about 11 or 12 until about 6 or 7 am. 

Morning, I let her out immediately upon getting up.  She is out for a few minutes or however long she wants.  I let the two dogs out together.

I feed the dogs separately.  I also open the garage door so while she is eating the door is open and after finishing she has the option to go back outside to do her duty at her leisure.  When she comes to the door, I let her in.

We go through the day usually ok without accidents. 

After supper about 4 pm she eats and has ample opportunity to go out side.  She has many opportunities to go outside. 

This is where we have problems, after my husband gets home all training is out the window.  She will pee, poop in the house.  She will pee anywhere but she usually poops by the door.  We let her out multiple times I just can't figure her out.  We will be sitting down relaxing and all of a sudden without warning she's pooping at the front door.  Or we walk through the house and see a pee puddle, it's so frustrating.

Also one other problem is she is an excited pee er.  She will pee with certain people who come in to our home, not everyone. 

When we take her places, she pees upon greeting people, she's in a sitting position so you don't know until she moves that there is a puddle under her. 

My Rottweiler never peed in the house let alone poop.  I don't remember having any trouble in potty training except for her not wanting to get wet while raining and I cured that in one day.  I took her for a long 2 mile walk in the rain.  She never minded going out in it again. 

I could let her in the house for 12 hours, no accidents, not that we did this but she never would go in the house.

We let Emi have the run of the house during the day except while I have to go somewhere then she is crated.  I make her settle down at a sit and quiet to let her out of her crate.  She is very intelligent, has learned to sit, shake ect.  I KNOW she is smart enough but I can't get her to stop.  We have caught her in this behavior and yelled and put her out many times to no avail...Please help...any suggestions???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Linda Hershey]

First of all don't get the idea that I YELL at my dog, I do not, I just meant when we catch her in the act, usually my husband he says NO, NO.  We don't yell at our dogs.  And second of all, I did have her on a leash every time we let her out for months, just in the last month or so we trained her to our underground fence and now she can have the run of our yard, I do usually step outside and walk with her until she goes, I say pee, pee or potty and she will usually go.  Most of my problem is with the poop,  she usually goes 2 or 3 times a day after eating.  Sometimes she slips another one in unexpected inside......

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I'm potty training a doodle puppy as well.  She will be 4 months on Saturday.  At this point I'm fairly familiar with her poo habits and know that when she first gets up in the am, within a hour or so after her breakfast, in the afternoon, and again after dinner before bedtime that we have to go outside and we stay out there until she has poo'd.    Sometimes it takes 2 minutes and others 20 mins.  But, I know that she needs to go and I have to make her focus on doing it.    The only suggestion I would have in addition to those given above would be to limit her area to just the area where you can watch her ... eyes on her all the time.  At least until you get this under control.  It sounds a little like once hubby comes home, life gets busier and maybe you aren't watching her as closely and catching her signals like during the daytime when there isn't as much going on.

[Linda Hershey]

Thank you Lucy, yes I agree, and Hubby isn't the best help in watching her while I'm cooking ect. 

[Lynda Kamrath]

Yes, as others have been saying, it is important to go out with her and stay with her until she does her business.  Just like children, they can be so influenced by all the interesting things they see outside.  Put her on a leash first thing in the morning and take her outside.  Then you need to stay with her until she has eliminated.

[Deborah Brown]

You've gotten some great advice.  I'll just commiserate a little.  Our doodle girl was incredibly stubborn.  I'd say we had an accident almost daily for the first 4-5 months.  I followed all the rules but she was just very difficult. After 7 months, it all seemed to click and we'd only have an accident every week or so when it was my fault for not keeping an eye on her.  Now at 9 months, we haven't had an accident in weeks.  And I use the term "accident" loosely.  :)

So... take all the advise to heart but don't beat yourself up.  I know it is totally exhausting to to in and out every hour and to never let her out of your sight.

[Donna Bay & Buzz]

People think I'm nuts because our Bay is now 13 months old AND I STILL WALK HER ON A LEASH IN THE BACKYARD!  They say, "you don't just let her out??"  NO...because then I am never 100% sure she has gone.  Yes, it's a big inconvenience, especially when the weather is crappy but at least I know and keep track of it.  She has had 2 pee accidents in the past 2 weeks and they were totally my fault.  She has not learned to give us a clear "sign" that she has to go but still, not her fault.  Try walking on leash and I like the "happy dance" idea.  Treats work good too.  Good luck.

[Adina P]

Continuing to go out with her may help.

Keeping her on leash in the house may help (so she doesn't run off and pee/poo somewhere).

Training her to ring bells might help (so she can let you know when she needs to go out).

And crating her when you can NOT keep both eyes on her in the house may also help.

Doing all of the above may help the most.

When we got our last puppy we got her at about 19 weeks.  She was old enough to be house trained, but I didn't know for sure if she was.  So I treated her like a new pup.  For the first week EVERY SINGLE DAY in our house involved her on leash or tethered by leash to a couch leg.  If she was free it was for very short periods after I KNEW she went potty.  Then we would go out together for potty time.  Then BACK to being leashed indoors or back to the crate.  She had near zero freedom in the house.  Week 2 I got more lenient and more lenient after once I was sure she was house broken.  It worked for us.  So since puppy is still going potty in the house, treat her like a young pup and take her out often, make sure she goes and then keep her close and in sight or in her crate while in the house.

[Linda Hershey]

I do have a bell, we haven't yet added that element because when I THINK she needs to go, I am in a hurry to get a leash on her and get her out asap.  She would pee on the rug just inside the front door while I was getting her leash on in the beginning.  so anything that took more time I did not do at first.  I have had the bell on the back door, she knows it's there we just haven't used it.  Now that she can hold it long enough to get her leash on usually, I may start doing the bell thing.  We too at first gave her  NO freedom in the house and did that for some time, We do keep our eyes on her at all times.  She will be running and playing with our other dog and all of a sudden she stops and poops.  Weird.  and the other night she was playing with our other dog and my husband and in the midst of that she jumped up on a chair in the livingroom and started to pee,  my husband was there and immediately told her to stop, and he made her get   down.  I am just so stumped, never had this before.  Thanks for your help.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

When they are playing is one of the main times that you must be careful and stop the play and take them out.  Even if AnnaBelle has been out in the last hour, if she and Lucy start rough housing, after just a few minutes I will stop the play and take her out.  That is one of the hardest things for them to learn is that when they are playing they need to stop and go out to potty.  Much easier to just squat where ever they are.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Plus, physical activity does seem to get things "moving", too. 

[Linda Hershey]

Thanks everyone for the info.  I guess I will have to succumb to the tether, and crate more.  She's a Large girl, probably already 45 lbs.  As big as she is and as easily as she learns other things I was getting really frustrated with this problem.  I have had dogs all my life.  My last Rottie Maggie was the best dog in the world.  I could take her anywhere off leash and she listen to me and she was Delta certified to go into the local childrens hospital, the only Rott there.  She knew over 100 words, was great around kids ect.   I just didn't  think I am expecting too much if I can just get her potty trained.  I am no dummy.  Emi is a very smart doggie.  For a 5 month old puppy, she is amazing around my grandchildren.  Doesn't nip, or jump and will sit with them and let them hug and pet her.  We have taught her a lot of things about living in a world with people and minding her manners.  We let her have a lot of exploration in her world and try to keep her active.  I just never thought a dog would take this long, as we have been on her like flies on poop since she was 13 weeks old about life and everything hardly ever taking our eyes off her for a second, she goes everywhere we do.  She has a great life for a dog.  Better than most.  Our dogs are now our kids.  I just hope we can get over this hump or I don't know what to do.

Thanks everyone....

I know you don't know me personally but I really am trying with her.  I do know it's like raising a 2 year old toddler for a couple of years.  I knew that going in.  I am just frustrated...

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

I understand that it can be soooo frustrating!  Like most here have said, when my doodle was a puppy, he was attached to me at all times.  That was the only way I could make sure I knew what he was doing.  It sounds like she is okay when it's just the two of you during the day?  I think someone else mentioned that maybe you are more distracted when he comes home and might be missing something.  I trained Bexter using the poochie bells and I LOVE them.