How do I get my year old terrier mix to STOP going potty in the house??

Question

OK...I'm not nuts or anything. Just give me some opinions. I have 2 indoor dogs; 4 year old terrier mix (male neutered) he is housebroke...and the culprit 1 year old terrier mix (female spayed). I just don't get this dog!! We go out a lot as I work and live on a horse farm. She will poop and/or pee outside and run around for long periods of time...come in the house and pee or poop!!! They both eat good quality dog food and eat early, about 5 a.m. Overnight...poops in the house! Almost every morning I get up and clean up. I'm thinking I should kennel them both overnight and maybe this will lick the p.m. problem. But what about the other times throughout the day? HELP

Answer 1

every time he does it rub his nose in it, spank em, and put them outside for a little while, after awhile they'll let you know when they have to go outside and they won't potty in the house any more, many people say that it don't work to do that but I know from experience that it does, it only took a couple of weeks of it continously to stop the pottying in the house and the dogs now let me know when they gotta go outside.

Answer 2

You can't blame the dog. Dogs are only as good as their training. Yes, the one going in the house will convince the other it is okay. You have to put some effort into training the dog. They need a minimum of four well spaced trips outside in every 24 hour period. Take them out, when they go praise them lavishly. They are adults and should be able to hold themselves for a few hours. Working nights, sleeping days, you still have time at home when you are awake, right? Keep an eye on them. If they start looking for a spot or going to an established spot tell them "no" firmly and get them out. It's all about training.

Answer 3

Have you had the culprit checked by a vet? There are several health problems she could have.
If checked and no health issues, I would re-train her by confining her to a small area on paper. Gradually reduce the area covered by paper, giving her a smaller target in a larger area to roam and when she is consistently going only on the paper, allow her into a slightly larger room. If she still goes only on the paper, begin to move the paper towards the door. With patience, you can put the paper outside the door and she will ask to go out onto it. Remember to praise her when she goes on the paper and if she goes anywhere else, you will have to go back to the small area-fully papered step and start over, so go slow.
If you change her food, remember to do it very slowly to prevent more stomach issues.
You will have to throughly clean the areas where she has gone in the past to remove any odor she might pick up. They sell a odor killing cleaner at most pet stores for this. If she can smell an old poo place, she may feel it is OK to go there again.
Good luck with her!

Answer 4

It sounds like crate training would be a good idea. Did you ever housebreak her? It's not something she would pick up on her own, so even if she is outside all day, if she hasn't been taught to go to the bathroom out there and ONLY out there, she'll go in the house forever. Start crate training her- make sure the crate is small enough that she can't sit at one end and poop or pee at the other-- if she goes to the bathroom in the crate, it should be unpleasant for her. There are lots of good books and websites for crate training, and it's too long to explain here. Just one word of caution: NEVER punish her for going to the bathroom in the house-- it only teaches her not to go in front of you and actually prolongs the process of training. Instead, reward her every time she goes outside, preferably with a voice command. Good Luck!!

Answer 5

If you (or anyone) wants to totally ruin your relationship with your dog, then by all means you should follow the advice of the above poster and rub your dog's nose in their "mistake". This is hands down the most ineffective, stone-age way to housetrain a dog - all that you're doing is showing your dog that you're crazy. Hitting a dog *after* the event is a completely ineffectual punisher. Catching them in the act and rapidly whisking them outside is better, but requires eyes in the back of your head and can be exhausting to humans after just a short while. There's tons of great info on the web about crate training dogs, and using positive reinforcement to clarify to your dog what you'd like her to do.
Remember that dogs do what is reinforcing, first, last, and always. Create a manageable situation for yourself and the dog that's based on the natural instinct of a dog to *not* soil their den, and you'll succeed. Good luck, sorry if I seemed like ranting, I just can't stand it when people suggest such gratuitous punishment.

Answer 6

I have the exact same problem!
1:put him in a crate with a pad on the bottom.
2:in the morning take him into the backyard and feed him. when you see him ready to poop say something like hurry up(something that's suitable in the public) then when he is finish say "good hurry up!" or something and praise him or give him a treat. Then put him back in the crate for his nap or let him play awhile. At noon let him him out and clean it again praise him when he's done. At the evening for your p.m. problem keep him in the crate all night for his sleep. (If he howls let him out again) then clean it in the morning or you can do it every time you send him out for howling. Remember!(say command when pooping and praise or give treat afterwards)

He should come out in the long run. I don't know because this is for small(not big) dogs I hope it works though! :)

Answer 7

You may have to use the kennel to start off at night. Then I would say that you need to start rushing her outside when she goes to the bathroom and take her doggy crap with you so she can smell it while being out there with you. Tell her to go potty OUTSIDE! Another option would to start with a small trick like sit and make sure you give her a treat...then later on when she's outside going potty you NEED to give her a treat...so pay attention when you can and make sure you praise her for going OUTSIDE! Then you would tell her that she's a good girl and pet her. When she decides to go inside you need to make sure that she's punished not physically but by letting her know that she's being bad without treats of course. One way I punished by dog was by telling her to go to her bed...I had bought her a dog bed and if she ever did anything wrong she had to go lay down in her dog bed!

Answer 8

I have 2 Boston terriers and they both went poo and pee in the house.but i got them neutered and spayed and they slowed down on peeing and pooping in the house.but when i saw they wouldn't stop i put them in a cage and put a metal bar thingy and left the dog only enough room to lay down and so why would the dog poop or pee where they have to sleep?that worked with both of my dogs.also try giving the kibbles and bits or pedigree dog feed.

Answer 9

i used this method with my dog. by a bell to hang beside the door by a string. then about every hour take your dog to the door ring the bell then go outside walk around with your dog until he goes to the bathroom. Most dogs like to do business on green objects. so if your carpet is green then you have a problem. but other than that this method should work. oh and put the food away after 7:00 p.m

Answer 10

How often do you feed the dogs, is it the same time every day? Don't let her have food when ever. feed her at the same times every day then she should only have two BMs a day. I have a Jack Russell Terrier and he would go to the bathroom in the house, so we crate trained him. He would do it if he was mad because we left him at home, or when new company came over ( only female) and he is fixed, when they 'd leave he would go pee on our bed!!!