At my wits end.. I don't know what to do anymore..?

Question

Ok- we have an almost 7 month old puppy. We got him when he was 3 months old and obviously started potty traning right away. I got SO discouraged because he had so many accidents. We would go down, he would poop AND pee and then come straight up and have least one accident within 10 minutes. At that time we were going down at least every 30 minutes. He pooped and peed all over my house and it just reeked. I read every book out there, every article online and came here for any advice I could get. I was so stressed out about it. I knew he was a puppy and it takes time. Well, after long hard training he got the picture. He was doing MUCH better and rarely had accidents. I was so proud and felt it was finally paying off. All of the sudden, close to a month ago he started doing it ALL over again. He knows he isn't supposed to go inside. He poops in here at LEAST three times a day. He has even started EATING IT TO HIDE IT!!!! I just don't know what to do. He is ruining our place. ANY HELP???

We live in an apartment, so we don't have a back yard. When we take him down.. he has to be leashed and only has designated areas to use the restroom.

Also, he is crate trained. He pees in there all the time, but never poops.

Answer 1

How often are you feeding him & giving him water? As with people, they'll feel the need to "go" shortly after they've eaten or drank. Try these tips:
-Try to control the potties by only feeding him & letting him drink when you know you'll be around & NEVER leave the food out for him to munch on throughout the day.
-If he doesn't eat his food within 10-15 minutes of you putting it out, then it will have to be saved in the fridge until dinnertime. He'll get the picture pretty quickly!
-Always Make sure you're around to let him out or walk him within 15 minutes of consumption. DO NOT bring him back in until he's gone potty, & make sure you praise him BIG TIME with a small, yummy treat when he does go. This way, he knows hes doing the right thing.
-Also, keep track of where he's pottying outside, & try to always direct him there when he's out. Dogs can smell where the prior potty is, & will usually go in that area so you may have more luck getting him to go.
-Its important to also only let him have a bowl of water when its eating time, & not to leave it out for him. You can put out a few ice cubes for him instead, which will also exercise his teeth & keep him hydrated (but not enough to go potty) just enough to tide him over until its Waterbowl time again.

Answer 2

I got a puppy a few months ago, and had some potty training issues as well. Here are some things I have learned from experience and friends:

Take the puppy outside as often as possible. As soon as it pees or poops, take it right back inside. Don't play with him. This helps them learn that outside is for poops and pees.

Praise him when he does right.

Puppies will normally have to go within 20 minutes of eating, or playing, so take him outside within that time frame. Exercise and playing help a puppy’s digestive system, so within about 20 minutes of play or activity, take the puppy outside. They also usually need to go within about 20 minutes of waking from a nap, so again, take him outside within that time frame.

Clean any area where the puppy has gone inside extremely well. If they can still smell it there, they will still think it is their bathroom and continue to go there. Place some newspaper where the puppy goes most often so at least it's not directly on your floor.

Take the puppy outside before bedtime, and before he will be home alone to reduce the risk of an accident.

Try to remember that puppies take a lot of hard work. They don't always know or understand that what they are doing is wrong. They live by instincts.

I really hope this can help you out.

Answer 3

You know, I actually just read a book the other day that said that many puppies start having accidents again when they're around one year old- it's kind of like a relapse into puppyhood. It's very common. You just have to kind of start training him all over again, which sucks, but it will kick in a lot quicker this time. If you can, go back to taking him outside every 30 minutes until he's back on track. I actually go through this with my own dog once every two months or so, where he'll just have an accident on the rug out of the blue, and he's nearly three years old!!!

Answer 4

Take your dog to the vet. Maybe he has some kind of bowel infection, or intestinal problem

If he is eating it to hide the fact that he pooped in the house, and if he knows he is not supposed to do so, sounds like this is something that he cannot control.

A few months before we had to put down my dog, he had a hard time controlling his bowel functions. He would poop inside because he could not control it--and then the look on his face was so sad--cause he knew he wasn't supposed to poop inside, but he just could not hold it or help it.

You could also change his diet (depending on what type of dog he is, of course. Iams worked for my chocolate lab).
How much does he exercise? How much time does he stay inside (ie is someone home with him all day or not)? Factors to consider.

Answer 5

Have you tried crate training? I've found it the most effective way to housebreak. The website below tells how. I've trained two dogs this way successfully.

You will have to start from scratch unfortunately with housebreaking. Some dog breeds are notoriously hard to housebreak so you have to stick with it and be consistent. And now you have to clean thoroughly any spot that has been created. For pee, I like a product called Urine-off which is available from vets and online. It's the only thing that I found that works 100% that the dog with its sensitive nose can't find the spot again. A little expensive but worth every penny.

Answer 6

Here are several things I have done. One thing I did for a while was put a string of bells on the door knob so my pup could tell me when he had to go. This can become annoying if they just want to go out and play but it keeps your house clean. You also have to set a schedule. Right it down if you have to, but take him out at the same time every day. When your not at home, keep him in a crate, most dogs won't relieve themselves in a crate. You also need to start recognizing the signs that he has to go.

Answer 7

related to the 22 300 and sixty 5 days previous: Umm, whether he did no longer stress her, that guy gets arrested in case you tell the cops. he will circulate on the intercourse offenders checklist and could stay to tell the tale it. there grew to become right into a narrative in simple terms like it on 20/20 different than the guy grew to become into basically 18! And the girl and guy are married now yet he remains on the intercourse offenders checklist.. With that reported, i think of you should tell atleast your mom and/or dad so as that they could attempt to get her some help. She could be performing out yet i do no longer think of she might've waited 2 years, perhaps she observed your uncle lower back and it set her off. Sorry i know i'm no longer lots help! i'm hoping this facilitates even with the undeniable fact that! Even a sprint! stable success! ?

Answer 8

Did you start to get a bit lax? Often, when we see improvement, we start to become less strict about the rules, then the dog backslides. If that is the case, go back to what you were doing before.

Another thought - how much do you feed him? It sounds like he is pooping an awful lot. If he is eating too much, he is going to eliminate a lot. Double check the feeding recommendations on the package; you might even still want to feed a bit less than suggested (some food companies recommend feeding more than is needed, so they sell more). There are web sites that tell you how many calories your dog should have a day, as well. Here'e one of them: www.phouka.com/dogs/dog_amount.html

Answer 9

Do not be too eager for it to learn anything. Remember it is an animal, not a human being. Why not just let it be free in the backyard ? You'll discover that by nature, it will do its' business further out from its' sleeping place or eating place. It does have a sense of cleanliness. Then slowly train it. It is alright to let it have the backyard or the compound as its' home and not necessary to be inside the house.

Answer 10

Crate training is the easiest way to house break any dog. Some breeds are almost impossible to housebreak.