How do I housebreak a Papillon?

Question

I have a six month old Papillon who is still going to the bathroom in my house!!! I'm really getting fed up with it. He knows he's not supposed to do it, but when I let him out he stands at the door waiting to come back in then goes behind the dinning room table and takes a giant crap! HELP ME!!!

He's 6 mths old and still goes potty in the house. I don't get it. I go outside with him and he stand there staring at me... if I just let him out he stands at the door. I'm sick of cleaning up puppy poop because he doesn't want to go outside.

I'm so buying a crate... I forgot how useful those are. Pain in the butt. Puppies are cute, but very messy.

Should I buy one of those retractable leashes and just walk away?

Answer 1

You need to take him out on a leash and supervise him to be sure he's going outside! Start housebreaking 101 all over again, as if he was a puppy.

Take him out every half an hour to every hour.. depending on how long your pup is able to hold it. He should also go out right after eating, sleeping and playing.

Use a command.. whatever you feel comfortable with "Hurry up" "go potty" "wee-wee".. just use the same phrase each time! While outside, have him on a leash and use the command. When he seems distracted, and doesnt seem to be searching for a place to potty, tug on the leash and remind him again, "go potty". Give her about 10 mins or so. If he doesnt go, take him inside and crate him for 10-15 mins then try again. If he potties, praise like crazy.

Watch for signs that he may need to go.. circling, sniffing, whining, etc. If you catch him pottying in the house, firmly tell him NO, then take him outside. Praise once outside.. even if he just piddled thru the house on the way to the door.

If you find a mess and did not catch him doing it, take a rolled up newspaper, and smack yourself for not paying closer attention!

Clean up all messes with a good enzymatic cleaner that is made for pet messes. You can use a blacklight to see if you've cleaned it all up or not.


Crate him when you cannot supervise. The crate should only be big enough for him to turn around and lay down comfortably. If the crate is too big, he will potty in the crate.. that throws out the whole crate training concept!

Also never leave him in the crate for more than a few hours at a time.. a puppy's lil bladder can only hold it so long.

I also reccommend scheduled feedings rather than free-feeding her.. it makes it easier to time out when he will have to poop!

Even when you can supervise, baby gates are an excellent tool to help contain him to part of the house.


Each puppy is different. It can take several weeks to housetrain a puppy.

Answer 2

Force him to build a bridge. :-)
House training is not breed specific. The best way is crate training but it is way too involved to cover here. Your vet, pet store, dog training club, and most dog food companies have tons of free information on this.

Answer 3

Go outside with him, and wait until he goes. Crate him when you can't watch him. 6 months is ridiculous.