Housebreaking 2 dogs- HELP?

Question

I have 2 dogs both 1 yr old and they are still having accidents in the house. I NEED HELP! I AM AT THE END OF MY ROPE!

Answer 1

Please do not abuse your dog the way Karenj suggests. This will backfire moreoften than it works.

Your question makes me wonder what you have tried. Are you using puppy pads? (Why would you deliberately encourage your dog to go potty int he house, then get upset when he does?) Do you clean up the mess each time thoroughly and with an enzyme cleaner? (If you don't use enzyme cleaner the smell will continually draw them back.) Are you being consistent in your walking? Try a rigid feed/water/walk schedule so they can set their bodily functions to the schedule. (They will do this!) Do you reward sucessful behavior consistently. Go to the potty spot on a leash. When you get performance, give a high value treat like hot dog pieces then go off leash for some playtime AFTER success. Is there a health issue. (If you haven't gone to the vet, you should)

If the dog is 1 year old, there is no reason why it should not be housebroken by now.

Here is a handout we give out at my shelter:
House Training Your Puppy or Shelter Dog

House training is a major worry for most new dog owners. However, housetraining does not need to be difficult. With a little knowledge and a lot of consistency, your dog will be thoroughly house trained in record time.

What works:

Dogs have a natural need to keep their den (your house) clean. You don’t want to live in an unhealthy environment, and neither does your dog. To ensure that he does not claim a corner of your living room for his own personal toilet, put him in a crate while you are away from home during this initial phase. This crate becomes his own personal “den” where he can go to have some alone time, and where he always feels safe. Few dogs will willingly mess in their “den.”

Dogs respond best when they know what to expect. Set up a routine and stick to it. The following excerpt is by trainer Matthew Margolis from his website, www.unclematty.com

“Puppy Housetraining Schedule

7:00 AM walk the dog
7:30 AM feed, water and walk
11:30 AM feed, water and walk
4:30 PM feed, water and walk
8:30 PM water and walk (last water of the day)
11:30 PM walk the dog

“If you can't come home mid day and early afternoon, have a friend or neighbor help you out for a few days or hire a dog walker. House training can take as little as three or four days or perhaps a week or more. The more consistent you are, the quicker your puppy will catch on. Dogs really like to keep their dens clean and your house is the den.”

Develop your own routine. Let your dog out every time you return home. Bear in mind that this may mean you go outside after checking the mail. Teach your dog a signal that means we are going outside. For instance, hang a bell from the doorknob within the dogs reach. Ring the bell before opening the door to take the dog outside. Soon your dog will catch on and you’ll find yourself running to the door every time the bell rings.

Once outside, use a phrase like “Go Potty!” as your dog performs. Soon you will find that saying the word causes the desired effect. Remember to spend more time outdoors after successful elimination. If you go directly indoors once done you will teach your puppy that the only way to get to go for a nice long walk is to hold it as long as possible.


Biology plays a factor. Certain things will cause your dog to need to go outside. Use them to your advantage.
•A dog generally needs to eliminate 20-30 minutes after eating. Feed on a regular schedule, and be ready to go 20 minutes later.
•A young puppy will urinate after a period of play or heightened emotion. When the play slows down, be headed towards the door.
•What goes in, must come out. Limit water when the puppy will not be able to go outside for an extended period or overnight. Give plenty of water once you return to avoid dehydration.
•A puppy’s bladder is only so big, and he needs practice to be able to hold it. To determine how many hours he can go without a break, take his age in months plus one (i.e. a three month old puppy can hold it four hours.)

Watch for the signs. A dog will usually have behavioral signals he gives indicating that he is looking for a good place to eliminate. Watch for those signals. If you have a hunch that the erratic wandering and sniffing means puppy might need to go, chances are your right. If you wait to find out, you’re too late. You should keep your dog within easy reach until you feel comfortable that he will let you know when it is time. If necessary, leave him on a leash attached to you so that he stays within six feet at all times.

Scent marking will come back to haunt you. Dogs have a long lasting scent marker they leave when they eliminate. It is used in the wild to mark territory, sort of like a doggy signpost. Once he eliminates in your house, that spot holds the scent -- even if you cover it up with a perfumy cleanser -- for a long, long time. He will return to remark the same place repeatedly. After all, you have allowed him to do this by not covering his mark with your own urine! To eliminate the problem of remarking, you must eliminate the scent. Have your carpets professionally cleaned using professional odor eliminators. You can also try a bacteria or enzyme odor eliminator, such as Simple Solution or other products recommended by your pet store. Follow the directions carefully.

What doesn’t work:

Punishment. You come home from work and your puppy comes bounding over to greet you. Just then you see the wet spot that wasn’t there when you left. You take the puppy to the spot, shout and swat him on the butt. The puppy is unable to connect the dots between what he did earlier and what you are doing now. All he knows is when he came to you, you hurt him. Congratulations, you’ve just taught the puppy that you are unpredictable and mean. Punishing during the act will only serve to teach the dog not to eliminate in your presence, since you’ll hurt him when you see him do it. Instead, if you catch the puppy in the act, give a loud “No!” and immediately go outside. Give praise and/or playtime when the puppy successfully eliminates outdoors.

Rubbing his nose in it. Again, he has no idea why you are doing this. Dogs routinely smell feces and urine for markers left by others. What do you want him to read from his own markers? This serves only to confuse the dog and possibly to hurt his sensitive nose. It might also lead to coprophagia, eating his own excrement. Instead remove all scent from the spot as indicated above and redouble YOUR efforts to consistently follow a schedule. He wants to be clean; you need to help him know what to expect.

For further information:
Visit any library or bookstore for more information about house training or caring for your dog.


There is also a book you can buy on Amazon called Way to Go! It may be helpful, but says much of the same info.

Good luck

Answer 2

What you need to do first of all is have the house thoroughly cleaned so no trace of their smells is left. If the smell is there, you can't stop the dogs from continually going in the house.

Once the smell is gone what you need to do is almost start from the beginning - the good news is that because these dogs are 1 year old, they can control their bladders and it should be quick.

You need to keep them in the same room you're in so you can watch them. Take them out when they show signs of restlessness (circling) or if they haven't been out for a while. You need to go out with them, say "go pee" and the very second the dog pees you give lots and lots of praise then come right back in. This way the dog learns to differentiate between play time outside and potty time.

If you catch the dog in the act in the house, firmly tell him no, take him outside quickly and praise if he finishes. Dogs learn very quickly with lots of positive reinforcement and this way you're not giving them the opportunity to make a mistake because lots of corrections just don't work well.

When you're not home or at night, until they're reliably trained, you do need to keep them in either a crate or an exercise pen. Good luck with them!

Answer 3

Crate the dogs when you are not watching htem and if they are out of your direct line of sight you need to be watching htem all the time. I know it is hard to do but it takes time and effort to houesbreask a dog.
Once you paper train them you have taught them that it is ok to go in the house if they go on paper. I never paper train pups.
Catch them in the act of going and correct them strenly and take them out. They should be going outside about once every couple of hours. Many dogs need to go out more often.
Keep working on it and don't let them out of your sight when they are in the house.

Answer 4

Why don't you try feeding them and 20 minutes after they eat put them both outside and don't let them back in until they both have taken care of BOTH bodily functions.Then you'll be fine for a few of hours.
And since I'm sure your next question will be ;How do I know they've gone?Let me answer you now.WATCH THEM.

Answer 5

Its SO hard, I know! First of all, where they usually do their business, lay newspaper. Every time they do it somewhere other than the newspaper you have to catch them in the act and grab them and REALLY rub their nose in it (pee or poo) in a very aggressive manner (so they will smell it all day). Then, I use a newspaper only (never the hand) and give them a little swat on the butt, put them on the newspaper or make them go outside. Pretty soon, they will get the hint and you can either start to drag the papers outside or they wont need them at all.

Answer 6

just keep him in a pet kennel when you are not there. I know plenty of people that do this regardless of house broken or not. Some do it so that the dog won't chew up stuff.

Answer 7

put the dogs at the end of the rope instead

Answer 8

they either need to be outside dogs or need to use a litter box.

Answer 9

I think they need to be outside dogs.