I have a dog!?

Question

I have an Italian Greyhound and she is the sweetest dog in the whole world! She used to be house trained, but now that I've moved into this new house, she goes all the time in the bathroom. That's the only place she'll go. I've been there for 7 months, now, and I can't get her to stop.

Answer 1

If she used to be housetrained, all she really needs is a "reminder".

I'll pass on to you a method of housebreaking that I have used, and passed on to my clients, with great success. It's humane and geared to doggie psychology--the dogs understand and respond to it very well.

You will need a small bottle of white distilled vinegar, a roll of paper towels, and small bottle of tobasco sauce.

When you discover that the dog has made a mess, go and get her. Do NOT call her to you, or say anything to her......just go and get her calmly, and lead her into the bathroom by the collar. Have your stuff right there. Take a paper towel and pat the mess (don't soak the paper towel with urine or feces, just get the smell of the mess onto the towel....and dampen just a small section of the towel with the mess). Wad up the paper towel, then gently open the dog's mouth and stick the paper towel in her mouth, saying "No" firmly--let her see the disapproving (NOT angry, by the way, just disapproving) expression on your face. She will immediately spit out the towel. Keep her there beside you while you finish cleaning it up, then sprinkle several drops of vinegar on the floor where the mess was. Take another paper towel and pat the floor again where the mess was. Put it into her mouth again and tell her "No". Then take one small drop of tobasco sauce on the end of your finger, and rub it into her gums (this is the actual punishment, and it's a small, fleeting discomfort that reinforces the lesson you've just given her). The last step is to take your dog back to the spot or spots you've sprinkled with vinegar several hours later (or, like, once or twice a day), pat the spot (get her to smell it), and tell her "No" again. If she won't smell it on her own, don't force her head down to the floor and make her--she would interpret this as aggression on your part and you don't want to do anything to ruin her sweet disposition or cause her undue distress. Just bring her as near as you can, leading her by the collar, and point to it, telling her "No"--she will get it.

You obviously can't go around urinating in corners and "marking" your territory (to tell your dog not to go to the bathroom there). That's what the vinegar is for--it has a sharp, acidic odor, sort of like urine, that lingers and will remind your dog not to go there.

Let me say again, it isn't necessary to soak the paper towel in urine or feces before putting it into her mouth in order to get your point across. Her nose is sensitive enough that she will smell what's on the towel, even if it's mostly dry. The reason this method works is because it isn't a punishment per se, and the dog understands it. I've never seen a dog who needed this lesson more than a half a dozen times (and most get it after three or four times) to become totally housebroken.

Another easy way of housebreaking is to put the dog on a feeding schedule--put her food and water down for a half hour in the morning and evening. Let her eat and drink her fill, then remove the bowls and take her out......she will have to use the bathroom within a half-hour or so of eating and drinking, so stay outside with her and make sure she goes.

Whichever method you use, at least she makes it a little easier because she always uses the same place! And she picked the spot YOU use, so she must be pretty sharp.

Answer 2

Italian Greyhounds are a very sensitive breed. Many will start pottying in the house if there is something outside in their environment that is uncomfortable for them (ground, weather, rain, etc.) If she keeps going in the same place, try using vinegar to clean everything around that area, that will rid the place of any other animal scents, if necessary. If retraining her to potty outside doesn't work successfully, or if she still has accidents, it might be worth trying a doggy litter box. The boxes and litter are found at almost any pet store. They work best for small dogs, and are a lot less mess than a cat litter box. And it will make it easy to teach her to use it-- just put it in the spot that she has been going to already--the bathroom. Once she gets the hang of it, maybe after a week or two, you can try moving the box somewhere else.

Answer 3

Put newspaper down in the bathroom, and when she soils it move it little by little to the door where she would be going out. When it gets to the point of outside the bathroom door shut the door, and remember to keep it shut. Clean the paper, but leave a piece with the soiled scent, so she knows to still go on the paper. Basically you will be moving the papers each time to the door. Once they are at the door leave them there for a week, to make sure she goes in front of the door. Now you are both at the door you can introduce OUTSIDE. Go ahead and put the paper out there. She will get the message.

Answer 4

If someone else had animals before u lived there the dog might be smelling the other animal and maybe they used to use the bathroom for their pet,. U will have to deodorize that area and get the smell out of bathroom. Dogs smell better then humans and u might not be able to smell the other animal. See if that helps if it doesn't then hire the "dog Whisperer" and he can set your dog straight.

Answer 5

Try a wee wee pad put it were she likes to urinated like in the bathroom then move it to a different spot and make sure she knows where it is and how to get there it's a new house when you got there she was marking her territory. Now, that she got used to it it's a habit.

Answer 6

Is there a question here that I've missed ?? because I've reread this for the fourth time and I can't see the question---I'm sorry you have a dog that is no longer house broke though--sounds like it could be a real drag

Answer 7

I don't get what you mean when you say"she goes all the time in the bathroom."

Answer 8

This is NORMAL.. it is a new place and she is confused... When she does it and/or if you find the mess afterwords, bring her to the spot.. rub her nose in it and say NO! NO! and take her outside immediately. In time she will learn.. believe me

Answer 9

Shut the door

Answer 10

What happens if you keep the bathroom door shut?