should a dog that is 9 months be house broken?

Question

i have a german shepeared and she is 9 months old. when we got her she had been kept outside. we keep her inside, we have had her sense she was 4 months old. Should she be house broken by now?

Answer 1

Yes, ideally she should have been housebroken by now. However, because she was kept outside (and got used to being able to go whenever) it might take longer to housebreak her. Housebreaking takes you (or your family's) constant attention for awhile and with a dog like that it might be a little frustrating. The good news is, is that because she is 9 months old, her systems (bladder, etc.) are developed enough to 'hold it' for awhile.

If she's not housebroken, its probably due to some mistakes in training. Either training her incorrectly or not keeping up on it every day. Also, depending HOW she was kept outside, crate training isnt always an option. If a dog is forced to stay in their mess (ie: kept in a crate and not let out to go) they will learn to live in their mess and disregard crate training altogether because their natural instincts have been altered. For a dog like this, you can't use crate training, but there are other methods you can use.

Just be patient and make sure you are calm, and understanding. Dogs can read human's emotions, so if she thinks that you are getting angry or frustrated she won't want to go potty with you around (which makes it hard to housebreak her). NEVER rub a dogs nose in their mistakes. They don't understand that their pee + nose on carpet + no = don't pee in the house. Always clean up mistakes with a pet stain remover or she will be more likely to go in that spot again.

Dogs are pack animals. They don't adapt well to being kept outside all the time because they are separated from their pack. Dogs that are kept outside are more likely to have behavioral problems, including unpredictable biting.

If you are having problems and need some housebreaking tips and tricks, feel free to email me.

Answer 2

If you are crate training her correctly, yes. People swear by this method because it works on the dogs natural instincts as a den animal. They don't go to the bathroom where they sleep if they can help it. If they have a whole room or house they can move away from the mess and it doesn't bother them.

If you have done the normal training and she isn't responding you might want to have the vet take a quick look and see if she has a urinary tract infection or something else going on. If that is the problem she won't be able to control when and where she goes and won't be better till she gets medication.

Answer 3

Absolutely! If she isn't there are some steps to training that have been missed. Is she crate trained or at least locked in a room overnight where if she did do some business she won't mess up anything but linoleum?

Are you making sure that she is getting enough bathroom breaks? Perhaps she would make a better outside dog, if that is a possibility. Some dogs just never adapt to the whole hold it until you go outside routine.

Answer 4

Yes, she should know the house rules by now. Although she was at a disadvantage being kept outside early in life, it is never too late for an "old dog to learn new tricks".

Make sure your dog knows you are her pack or family leader, which means you set the rules and she follows- no questions asked. Take your dog for a walk twice daily making sure she "heals", walking by your side like a companion, not dragging you. Make sure there are rules or limits on what she is allowed to do ie. no jumping on people, no rushing out the door ahead of people, she must surrender toys or treats she is eating when you take them away...

To learn house breaking rules using a crate is the best method I've come across. use a large enough crate for your dog to stand up in, move around, and stretch out in. keep blankets and toys in it, feed treats in it and never use it for time outs. dogs are den animals and they instinctively avoid soiling their den, feed her in the den and wait a few minutes then take her out immediately to the area you've designated for her to use and give a command word to associate with the action, like "potty" or "outside".

consistency, leadership, and time will solve this behavior issue. always remember to give your dog exercise and leadership before toys, food, and affection- which must be earned.

good luck

Answer 5

Of course it's possible, but you have to work at it just as much as the puppy. This doesn't mean that the 'should' be for sure. Of course it helps with other things, such as cleaning 'it' up and the way your house smells. Just remember that a nine month old dog is still a puppy and they make mistakes.

Answer 6

it is incredibly no longer that confusing. you in basic terms could be consistent on your chosen technique and have lots endurance. some canines learn in some weeks, some take an entire 3 hundred and sixty 5 days! finally they're going to seize on on your expectancies and maximum canines are desirous to delight. whether, there are some canines which will properly be particularly obdurate and require extra endurance. I advise crate education. you will desire a kennel to place the dogs in at night. do no longer difficulty - they love being in there. do exactly no longer positioned them in there consistently. The kennel turns into their den that they seem forward to going into each and each night. My dogs starts pacing around 9pm waiting for his 'mattress'. make confident the kennel is barely sufficiently super for them to stand in and turn approximately. the belief is instruct them to hold the urge, as they do no longer desire to be close to their own waste. that's key in view which you like them to advance the potential to hold the urge incredibly than in basic terms urinating whilst they experience the desire. whilst they are not in the kennel I advise taking the dogs out each and every a million-2 hours on the commencing up and alter the timing as mandatory. you additionally can desire to minimize the dogs to tile or vinyl flooring in case you do no longer desire your carpet to be thoroughly ruined. once you're taking your dogs out make confident they comprehend it incredibly is precisely employer and supply them a cope with in the event that they bypass, dance, be an entire nut! the biggest element is endurance. do no longer provide up :)

Answer 7

Some dogs learn faster than others this is not uncommon.
The best way I found is to crate train it works very well for various breeds.
Hope this helps

Answer 8

Yes, but it takes also a part of you, you need to really be involved and let her out, because the first 5 months she could go whenever she pleased, she probably has a hard time adjusting.
You need a lot of patience.

Answer 9

It just depends how much effort you have put into it. We have a 4 month old thats completely house broken.........it's wonderful but it took many many hours/days/and sleepless nights. and he was crate trained!

Answer 10

Yes and no. Yes if you crate her and no if you don't. Also my dog wasn't potty trained until she was a year old. The also hate going out in the winter. good luck