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Originally Posted by lemonlauren  Don't be too scared by all the "horror stories" on this site. Keep in mind, it's a forum for support, so a disproportionate amount of the posts on here are from people who are having trouble and are seeking help. Most people who have happily housetrained dogs don't feel the need to comment or ask questions about why their dog is so well behaved. 
I agree that neutering is your best option to start on your way to having a fully potty-trained dog, but it's also true that it probably would have been best to do it at under a year. Still, it may help you anyways, and I'd give it a shot. It certainly won't hurt matters!
With potty training, you have to be insanely diligent about watching them, to the point where it will drive you completely insane probably, lol. But it's worth it. My boy is a little over 5.5 months old, and we haven't had an accident in over a week now. And that is in no small part thanks to how much time and effort we have devoted to watching him constantly, taking him out often, and some crate training in the beginning month or so. Potty training these little guys is undeniably a bit difficult with their tiny bladders and independent streaks, but it is not impossible with enough effort and patience. I am working hard on putting the time in now, so that hopefully the years to come will be that much more stress-free for us AND the dog.
Your young dog is old enough to have formed some pretty bad habits, so it'll be that much harder to break them, but I think that if you are both devoted enough to tag-team this issue religiously for long enough, you can succeed. Good luck. :-)
Lauren & Nikko |
Thanks so much for the support. Restricting his movement has been working. The lady that told me to keep him on a leash has helped a TON. He hates it, but maybe he'll figure out the connection. I've also started giving him 2 treats when he goes outside that has helped too. I was REALY hard on him the last time I caught him.
I think we haven't been taking him out enough too. I had a talk with my girlfriend about it and she seems to be on board. It has required TONS of effort, but I don't care about that as long as I don't have to do it for the rest of his life...