I need some help! What to do?!?

Question

I am so sick of my dogs behavior lately, his potty training is really digresing (im guessing because its fall, and everyone is back to school/work/etc) SO! I've decided to break down, and begin crate training. Because nothing else seems to work. I really really need some step by step help. What to do, where to do it, when to do it. Etc. Please help!


My dog is a ten month old schnoodle. I know.. he should be perfectly trained by now. =/

I love all of your answers they are very informative!!

Here's my plan I don't know if this works or not...

- In crate 7am - 3pm. (Someone will be home for atleast 1/3 of that time to let him out periodically)
- Out of crate with supervision until 4
- Short walk or play time for 30 mins to an hour
- Back in crate for an hour or two
- Supervision
- Sleep in my bedroom out of the crate.


( I will let him outside about every 45 mins after 3pm)


Will this work at all? Or is contradicting itself?

Answer 1

Crate training is easier than you think, and it is safer for your pet to be in a crate, too (no risk of chewing on electrical cords, getting into household products, etc.). 10 months is by far old enough to be housetrained. Do this technique on a weekend, starting early Saturday AM--better yet, take a Friday off as well and start on Friday AM.

Take the dog outside to his normal spot to do his business. Bring him back in and put him in the crate, giving him treats for going in. Leave him there (despite all the howling he will be doing) for a couple of hours. Take him out at a time when he is not making noise, and repeat the process immediately--take outside for doing the business, put in crate, give some treats for going in the crate, deal with the howling. Once he understands he can howl all he wants but will not be let out, he will settle down. You know that he is anyway sleeping the entire day, whether you're home or not, so the crate just means he needs to sleep in a certain place. Also, make sure your dog sleeps in the crate at night, which will speed the crate training, and housetraining, processes.

One extremely key thing with crate training is that your dog MUST always get plenty of exercise and positive attention if you are planning to crate him for long periods during the day. A poorly exercised dog who is then crate-trained will develop bad habits. Never use the crate as a frequent 'time-out' for your dog, or a way to keep it away from you when you're sick of him bugging you. You want him to see it as his quiet place to rest, not a punishment. When you first take him out of the crate, he needs to go outside to do his business immediately. Establish a routine and you'll be fine.

Answer 2

He absolutely could be completely potty trained by that age. Seems, as you say, it could be that the change in everyone's schedule is affecting the dog. Is the dog going potty inside because people forget to take him out and he is holding it too long? Is he marking territory by lifting his leg inside? Is he going as a sort of reaction to everybody leaving him- a sort of separation anxiety? A crate can help to some degree but only if used right. You don't want to keep him in the crate all day or half a day while others are in school. Try and get a routine going for him that you can keep year round, like weekend dog park or off leash play somewhere with the family, or certain times during the week when he goes there. Establishing a routine that he can look forward to will help him feel more secure. Two scheduled walks a day like one in the a.m. before people go to school or work, and one in the evening after getting home from school or work would help. Make these walks at least a half hr each.
If possible, and you use a crate for awhile during work and school hrs, if he is going to be in the crate for some hrs, hire someone you trust to come in your home and let him out to potty and play with him for a bit while his potty training is being reinforced. Then after a few weeks if he is doing good with all this, you can leave him out of the crate until the person comes to let him out. After potty and playing a bit, he can go in the crate until you all come home. Once he is doing good with that for a few more weeks, Leave him out the entire time with the person coming for a potty break and bit of play. Then let that person start coming every other day and the days he or she doesn't come, leave the dog with a special treat like a Kong in addition to chew toys. You might try leaving a radio on so he gets used to background sounds and doesn't feel so alone while you all are gone. Just be sure it is plugged in where he can't chew on wires.
You could consider keeping that person as a part time caretaker for the dog while you are all gone during school year. I am thinking a regular schedule that involves the dog with your family every day will help a lot. Your dog will feel more secure and have things to look forward to.
Consistency is very important.
If your dog is lifting his leg in the house and "marking the territory", that's another issue.
Consider getting your dog checked by the Vet as well to rule out any medical cause for going inside since he seems to have been trained, especially if the above does not help.
If he is marking territory, neutering could help.
http://www.purinaone.com/online_vet_dog_qa_archive_category.asp?vetChooser=1&DCMP=ILC-PurinaONE-RSS+Vets&category=House+Soiling&dp=xx#14188

Answer 3

It's okay, it's not unusual for a dog to become trained and then regress. It's part of the learning process. But he is old enough to crate train, and crate training really works well.

When you leave or go to sleep, put him in the crate. When you come home, take him directly outside, and when he goes potty, give him treats and praise him so he knows he's done the right thing. When you're home, make sure to watch him carefully and take him out often. Don't forget the treat and praise when he goes potty outside.

It's a good idea to put a dog bed or blanket in his crate, and maybe a toy that he likes. I always give my dog a little treat or biscuit for going in the crate.

Answer 4

Dont worry, I thought my dog would never potty train either. He went in his crate too, he didnt care where he was at. VERY gradually he just quit going inside and now he sits at the back door and whines when he needs to go out. It kinda just came to him after a while when he got tired of peeing in his bed I guess. He stays in his crate when we arent home, which isn't often because I work at home. But just don't let it get to you. It will happen I promise. Now that he's got older we are dealing with him marking his territory. I think getting him neutored is supposed to help, but there's no chance in that since we are breeding him. Good luck and don't stress too much!

Answer 5

The first step in crate training is getting him acclimated to his crate. You do this by making it a safe and happy place for him.

First, NEVER punish him by putting him in his crate. It will only make it that much more difficult to get him to enter on his own. He'll view it as a negative place, and he won't willingly enter it. Second, introduce him to the crate slowly. Sneak a few treats in there when he's not watching. Let him find the treats, and when he goes inside to retrieve them, shut the door and latch it and praise him. Say something like, "Go to your room," so he can begin to associate it with entering his crate. Repeat this routine for several days, gradually increasing the time increments that you leave him in there. Also, stay nearby where he can see you, so he knows you're not leaving him. Next, slowly begin to entice him in by dangling a treat inside, while saying that same phrase - "Go to your room." By practicing this enough, it will make it easy on both of you when you need him to go to his crate. After doing this for a few weeks, he should know to enter his crate on command. Be sure to line his crate with a comfy pillow or blanket, in a room of your house that he likes.

OK, the size of the crate. You want a crate that's just big enough for him to stand in and turn around. At 10 months old, he should be done growing, physically, so you don't necessarily need one with a divider. You don't want one too small, as he'll be uncomfortable, but you don't want one too big, because then he can just eliminate on one side, and go lie down on the other. Dogs don't like to eliminate where they sleep, so by getting him a perfectly sized crate, you're encouraging him to go elsewhere.

When you take him outside, you should always be doing two things: taking treats and being patient. You may have to stay outside for 20 minutes until he does his thing, but trust me, it's worth it. Encourage him with words like, "Go potty," or "Go poo-poo." When he does either, praise him with lots of love and excitement, and give him a treat.

The big key with all this is consistency. Always reward him and be excited when he does what he's supposed to. If he has an accident, don't punish him. Simply say, "No," in a firm voice, then clean it up while he watches. He'll quickly catch on that he likes it much better when you're excited (and when he gets a treat).

Good luck, and don't worry, it'll work out if you can follow this. Just remember to be patient, because it does take time.

Answer 6

You could buy a puppy training book, but I'm interested in your dog's regressing. I thought my dog was regressing but it turned out to be a medical issue. Keep an eye on your dog to see if it's peeing excessively and drinking lots of water. Also, have you applied anything like Frontline (flea and tick preventer) to your dog recently? My dog started regressing at the age of 8 months - turns out he was diabetic. I suspect it the the Frontline as I have heard of other instances (rare) where a dog has had a similar reaction after an application of anti-flea/tick substance.

If it's not a medical issue, then crate training is a good idea. I would recommend getting a good puppy training book.

Answer 7

Here is a good article on crate training and housebreaking--click on the housetraining link. Crates should be used in the beginning--it makes the process SO much easier!

http://www.siriuspup.com/behavior_problems.html

Answer 8

If you read up on it dogs are known for doing well with that then between6 and 10 months.They will seem to go backwards and mess up .It is normal have patience.You may have trouble with the crate, as far as him whining ,but get some earplugs if that's the route you choose.

Answer 9

do you come home for lunch??? he is probably trying to hold it in but by the end of the day his eyes are probably yellow....my puppies are 12 weeks old and fully potty trained...work with them...you have to catch him in the act and then scold him....make sure anywhere he has gone potty you clean it good because if he smells it he will think its ok...if anything put newspaper down in the house and in a corner outside...after a couple of days you can take the newspaper away inside and show him the newspaper outside...if he begins to go potty inside pick him up and place him on the newspaper outside...when hes done give him lots of love....people might disagree with my choice of potty training but i have two adult dogs and have had 15 puppies (we are keeping two) and ALL of them have left my house potty tranined with this method...the only other one i suggest would be to stay up all night drinking coffee or water and every time you have to go to the bathroom take your dog out also because they have smaller bladders and they will get the hang of it all....good luck!!!!

Answer 10

Dogs feed of people's energy and mood. Your anxiety about it will actually make the dog more anxious, which will make the issue worse. Take a deep breath, read about house training on the internet and be patient. Is it possible your dog is ill in any way? Have you talked to your vet? They can tell you this and give you guidance on house training.