Need Help/Information on how to house-train a puppy. I am at my wit's end over this!?

Question

I have a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, that was born on Dec 4, he is approx 6 months old.

I can not seem to break him to stop pissing in his cage! I will take him out, and he will pee outside, then I will bring him back inside and as soon as I close his cage door and walk away from him, I will see him pissing in his cage! He then "Licks" is all up, is that normal?

I will take him outside, allow him enough time to do his business, then I will sit outside with him for another 10 minutes or so just to make sure he is done. Then I bring him in, and like I said, He will piss inside his cage.

He weighs about 25 pounds, so I feed him 1 1/2 cup of puppy food in the morning, and then I feed him another 1 cup in the evening. I give him fresh water at each feeding, and no I do not leave the water dish down during the day except if he does not drink all his water when I feed him.

I do not let him drink any water after I bring him in from outside.

What can I do to break him of this???

Answer 1

I have a wheaten soft coat, to. I've learned that they are VERY hard to train.
(Trainers will tell you the same thing.. It can be done, but it is Very difficult).

First off, ALWAYS have water available for your pup. This is the first rule for ALL puppies/dogs!

Their water needs to be available at all times.

Try this, first, before you do anything.
If this doesnt work, try using a smaller cage.

(but, like some1 else said, they are probably drinking it because of his thirst. His urine is his last resort. I understand you took his water away to solve the problem.. but this may be the cause of it!)

Good Luck!!

Answer 2

Wow, you got a lot of answers, didn't you? :)

I don't believe we got enough information on this question.

From the way it sounds when you asked it, I'd think you just took the poor thing out of his cage to walk and feed him, and then shoved him back in when you were through. Surely that's not the case though? You let him hang out in your house with you sometimes, too, right?

So what times do you put him in the cage? At night? During the day when you're at work? If you're keeping him caged at times other than these, just give him away, there's no real point in you having a dog if you won't let it be part of your family.

If he never has accidents outside the cage, I'd try going cageless for a while. It may be by now he just sees the cage as a bathroom and you'll never break him of it, but he may not have that problem anywhere else.

Answer 3

No it is not normal for him to drink it.
He does not seem to like the cage much.
Drinking water should be available not just @ meal times.
I keep my water on my door step outside, when my dog is thirsty it will then scratch or stand in
front of the door to let me know.
I honestly do not see the point of cages sorry. To me the dog can not be enjoyed if it is locked in a cage for most of the day & only let out for meal times etc.
My dogs have never used cages they are fully house trained & do not chew anything in the house.
Your dog can smell where it has P'd in the house/cage.
you need to clean this with bicarbonate of soda, which is available in any supermarket @ the baking isle, this will remove the smell.
Put down paper so it is easier to clean up.
You know as soon as the dog goes in the cage it is going to P so when you put it in take it straight back out & take it back outside.
Your dog is only 6 month old & should be fed 3 times a day not 2 when it gets to 1yr then cut the meals down to 2. If your pup is eating all its food it should be given more as the food is not filling it up it is still hungry.
You can get a spray that is available in a pet shops you spray it were you want then to P etc & it attracts the dog to it. I have tried this & did work I put it outside & thats were the dog went.
Have you also thought maybe the dog is having to drink his own P because he so thirsty thats whats it having to do?
I can see why you are trying to limit the water because it is P'ing in the cage but you have to think how the dog is feeling by being locked up in the cage all the time it is bored stiff, thirsty, & not getting the attention/affection that a growing pup needs. It will learn nothing if you are not there to learn it

Answer 4

You can't expect good puppy training at 6 months old. That's very young, so forgive him his accidents. He is drinking his urine because he is like a sailor stranded on the ocean in a raft. He wants water and it isn't there to drink.

Always provide your puppy with water. It's a necessity and he could die without it, or suffer serious health problems.

Now, as for the training, take it slow and easy. Don't keep him in a cage for hours and hours if you aren't home with him because it is difficult to provide water. It usually ends up spilled all over the place. Just put him outside at regular short intervals and when he urinates outside, praise him to the Heavens and give him a treat. You'd be surprised what dogs will do for a yummie, and they lap up praise.

When he does have an accident, express your disapproval and say, "No. No. Outside! Outside!" Then immediately take him out. If he goes again, give him a treat and the praise.

Treats get expensive after a while. At PAWSwithaCause, they use hot dogs, diced in small pieces and microwaved until they are dried. These last without refrigeration and dogs love them.

Don't get discouraged. You have to reiterate every instruction over and over and over. There will be mishaps and accidents, but eventually he will learn.

Train your pup with praise, not punishment. He wants to please you. Soon, he'll get the idea and you and he will be able to live in harmony together.

Answer 5

When housbreaking dogs, I have found that the best method is to take them outside, watch for when they do their business, tell them "good boy/girl" in my best happy voice and then IMMEDIATELY take them inside so they know what they were out there for. After a few minutes I would take them out side for a good play. That way they don't confuse play time & potty time. Also, don't scold for unavoidable accidents in his cage while you were at work. A puppy can only hold it so long, no matter how hard they try.

It sounds like your dog is spending an awful lot of time in his cage. Dogs should be confined (at least until they are house broken & old enought to be trustworthy) when you aren't at home, but need to be with you while you are there. What is the point of having a dog if it spends all of its time locked up & not with you playing and training and just being buds? It should have access to plenty of water at all times. (You can take it up an hour or so before bedtime & make sure he goes out just before bed, but be sure to put it down 1st thing in the morning) He could have a bladder or kidney infection (that would cause burning), which would explain why he urinates in his cage. That could be from lack of water.

I would take him to the Vet to make sure everything is okay physically and then start taking him out for exercise and for some new scenery. The walk would be good for both of you!

Answer 6

Do not train the puppy, ( young dog now I guess.(. to use puppy pads.. It makes things much harder and you end up training them twice, or have a dog that pees all over the house, usually on your favourite carpet..

You have to take them out when they get up, you go with them EVERY TIME, so you can praise them when they go.. Don't come back in, until he goes.
Take him out every hour or so, whether or not he acts like he has to go.. Praise him when he goes.
When he gets up in the morning, straight outside, when you come home and let him out of his crate, straight outside.. When he eats and has a drink, wait 20 minutes and straight outside.. The more times you take him outside, the more chances you have to praise him for doing the right thing.

How come you put him in the crate as soon as you bring him in? How come you are trying to make him dehydrated by taking his water away.. He Needs MORE and I mean WAY MORE water than what you are allowing.
When they don't get enough to drink, the urine becomes concentrated and it becomes an irritant in the kidneys.. He very likely now has a kidney infection, or some other urinary tract infection.. Pee
is poison, especially in it's concentrated form..

Give him more to drink before you cause him serious health problems.. Take him to the vet and get him checked for an infection.. Tell the vet that you have been severely withholding the water so that he knows what to check for.. Check your dog for dehydration.. I would take him in today.. You could kill him.. especially in this warmer weather.

As a person, when you feel thirsty, it's already too late you should have had a drink earlier.. You are allowing your dog to go way too long without water, just so that you don't have to take him out as often and so that you limit the chance of him peeing in the house.. Don't do that!

Edit : Don't train him to use newspaper either.. It makes things much harder.. As you can tell, because the person below me took 18 month to train their GSD... I have puppies entirely housetrained by the time they are 12-16 weeks of age.. 18 months is absolutely ridiculous.

He is drinking his pee cause he is soooo darned thirsty that even pee tastes good and is moisture.. I'll bet when he gets a drink finally he drinks it all right up... You risk bloat if you allow your dog to gulp water like that.

Answer 7

The keywords that I picked up on were, "I give him fresh water at each feeding, and no I do not leave the water dish down during the day except if he does not drink all his water when I feed him."

A dog does not have a set amount of water that it has to drink. They drink when they are thirsty. Put the water out with food, but don't freak out if the dog does not drink it all. Put it down for him again about 30 mins. before you put your dog in his cage. Leave it out for about 10 mins., then walk your dog right before you put him in his cage.

When you know you are going to be at home, offer the water again, then walk about 15 to 30 mins after he drinks.

My dog doesn't drink much, if anything, if I am not at home, so she won't have to pee. I believe your dog is licking up his peepee because he knows he's not supposed to do that in the cage. They generally don't like to mess up the place they sleep.

Answer 8

First of all, terriers can be very stubborn. Wheaton's also tend to be high strung. They need a lot of exercise not only for physical reasons but mental as well. Exercise relieves pent-up energy that leads to mental stress so if you are just letting him outside but not walking him you need to do so. Peeing in the cage and licking it up is NOT normal. He sounds stressed out. You need to take him for 3 walks very day at the same time. He needs to make his "marks" along the way. My dog pees on everything along the way and by the end of the walk he is still trying to pee but nothing is coming out. I almost guarantee that if you walk him as I have suggested you will cure this problem. It wouldn't hurt to call your vet & get his opinion also. Good luck and don't give up.

Answer 9

Okay umm

I have a puppy she's half King Charles Cavalier & half Shihtzu.

She was born in Dec too :)

What I do is keep her outside for the day, make sure I have all my gates and doors closed, she dosn't have a cage she has a house quite big for her outside on the verandah and a whole backyard to roam around. She also has all her food and water outside ready for her to eat whenever she wants.

I know a lot of owners stick their dogs faces in their own "buisness" but I find that cruel, if you see him sniffing inside just makes loud clapping noises and he'll run away from the sounds, lead him outside and he'll find his own place there :)

Answer 10

How big is your dog's crate? It should be just big enough for him to stand up and lay down. Where did you purchase your dog? Pet shops and some breeders keep puppies up on wire which allows the pup to eliminate without being in it's mess so your pup may associate the crate with peeing.

Don't put your dog back in the crate immediately after going outside. Take him for a walk for a minimum of 1/2 hour, then when you come in keep the leash on and keep the dog close to you instead of crating. Put some old towels in the crate to absorb the urine. This will prevent him from cleaning it up.

Your dog sounds bored. Urinating in the crate is a way to get your attention. More exercise before crating should help. A tired dog is a good dog.