If a dog will not house train, should I get rid of him?

Question

I absolutely love my dog and have had him for two years now, problem is that he refuses to house train and I refuse to live with a filthy animal. He only does it once a day, he's let out on a more then regular basis and I have tried pads, cage training, etc....Should I give up on my beloved dog or should I take him to the pound?

Answer 1

There are different reasons he could be doing this - it will take some reading and detective work for you to figure out what has gone wrong, but with time & patience you can still get him housetrained.

These articles have a lot of great advice that may help you:

Housetraining Accidents: Causes and Solutions:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1707&S=1&SourceID=47

Housetraining an Adult Dog:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1118&S=1&SourceID=47

Housetraining an Adult Dog Who Has Bad Habits:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1687&S=1&SourceID=47

Housetraining Pitfalls:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=2461&S=1&SourceID=47

If you take him to the pound, it's most likely that he will simply be euthanized. Please don't give up on him - try the ideas above, and give them time to work.

Answer 2

Here's a question for you, if you take your dog to the pound what are the odds that someone will want to adopt a dog that is 2 years old but not house trained? That may be a death sentence for your dog. I would seek professional advice from a trainer. There could be many reasons as to why your dog isn't picking up on the training (unless it is one of those smaller breeds who never seem to make it outside 100% of the time). It could be the smell of past accidents or something you are doing unintentionally to reinforce the behaviour. You could also ask your vet and check to see if there is anything medically wrong with him. Don't give up until you have talked to a pro about this.

Answer 3

First, get the vet to rule out a medical problem.

Second, start potty training from scratch. There are countless articles online and books telling you how to do it. I used ultra yummy freeze dried liver and salmon treats. They were especially for going potty, he didn't get them any other time.

Take him out on leash and say "go potty", don't yell or get frustrated, make this a calm, positive experience. One he squats, very gently repeat "go potty", the second he's done act like he's the best dog in the whole world, lots of praise and pop a treat in his mouth while saying "good potty". When he's inside and not being directly supervised, he must be crated. His crate should only be big enough to stand up and turn around and lay down in. If it's bigger than that, put something in side to block off the back portion and make it the right size. Since you've tried crate training, I'm sure you know that this is because dogs don't like to sleep in their own excrement, there fore they will avoid going in their crate if there's not enough room to put some distance between themselves and their poop and pee. Treat him like a puppy for now, potty within an hour of eating, potty after waking from naps, potty right before bed for the night, potty first thing in the morning, potty right after play time or exercise. Once you learn his schedule, you won't have to go outside constantly, this is just a guideline for getting started and avoiding mistakes.

Also, make sure that every place in the house where he has previously done his business has been thoroughly cleaned then treated with an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle. If it's carpet you can also saturate the spot with a strong solution of white vinegar and water, if it's a vinyl floor, I find plain old hydrogen peroxide works well too. This is crucial, your dog has been allowed to make mistakes inside, so it smells like his potty. You can't smell it, but he can! This is the hardest part, you might want a black light to help find urine spots if pee is a problem.

You can do this. All dogs can be potty trained. And keep in mind what another poster said, dropping him off at the pound is essentially asking the county to euthanize him for you. That is what will happen to a dog his age who is not potty trained. It's not that it's that hard to teach, it's just that there are so many dogs who need homes, and not enough homes to go around, that if there are any problems like that, they just won't bother. They figure anyone who is adopting an adult dog is doing it because they don't want to go through potty training.

Answer 4

First of all, you need to realize that the problem is YOU, not the dog. You are not training him correctly and you are referring to him as a "filthy animal" almost makes me want to tell you to give him up to a SHELTER, not the pound. But pets are not disposable so you need to go to s trainer. I dont see why you've waited so long, no wonder he keeps doing it. Also is he neutered? Many behavior problems come out more in unaltered dogs. Main point is, it is something you are doing wrong so don't put the blame on the dog. This dog needs professional training now. Don't give up on him because of something you caused.

Answer 5

REWARDS.........Treats:) I have a Beagle, got her from a shelter...took us 1 solid year to train her. She is absolutely perfect about it now. Use the same words everytime you take the dog out. We always said "hurry up". As soon as you see her do her thing, make a big deal out of it...love the dog and tell the dog "good job" while giving her a treat at the same time. Never punish her for going in the house..that will get you nowhere. Positive reinforcement is the only way.

Answer 6

You made a commitment to the dog for life. He does not refuse to train...you are not training him correctly. And he is not filthy...he has not been trained correctly. Take him to a trainer, which should have happened long before you had him for two years, if his accidents were such a problem.

Answer 7

No- kennel him. Take him out to go potty, play, eat etc, but when he's not involved in an activity, put him in the kennel. It may be noisy at 1st- time to try tough love- not mean love.
He'll get the idea and the kennel will become his safe spot.

Answer 8

No, that's a stupid reason to get rid of a dog. Would you get rid of a child just because he/she keeps wetting the bed? You're just not educated enough on how to housebreak him. The best technique I used whenever housebreaking my dogs was, everytime they wake up from a nap, I immediately put them outside rather they have to go or not, then I would wait for them to go potty, then bring them back in. And repeat every 2 hours. I would purposely wake them up out of a nap to put them outside to pee and poop. They all caught on real quick. They related outside to "bathroom".

Answer 9

before you go and get rid of the dog take it to a local trainer and listen to what he say to do and try that and if for some reason that doesn't work well take it to the pound.

Answer 10

you must be doing something wrong. is it happening at the SAME time every day? like while you're at work? do you yell at him when he does it? do you praise him when he goes outside? dont just get rid of an animal because it isnt properly trainned