I understand your frustration. When we got Toby back in December (a puppy mill rescue) his foster mom told me he was 90 percent housebroken. He is neutered and 4 years old. He too had belly bands but she said he rarely wore them. DON'T GIVE UP. There is hope.
I'm no expert on potty training but here's my story. When we brought Toby home, he marked (even though he is neutered) so that made me decide to use the belly band. You ask what's the point of a belly band since they pee in them...............from what I've read and been told, dogs do not like to be wet so by wearing the belly band they will learn to hold it longer and longer to keep from wearing a wet belly band. Keep him on a schedule and praise, praise, praise every time he potties outside and praise him with cheese if you have to. Housebreaking won't happen over night. I've learned, thanks to all the information I've read and received here at YT, that with consistency you can housebreak your dog. I'm living proof. I used to free feed (left food down all the time so they could eat whenever they wanted to). Due to Toby's newly diagnosed luxating patella he now gets 1/4 c. food twice a day, morning and evening. What a difference that makes in his potty schedule. We keep a potty pad down in the foyer for those "just in case" times and he used to use it to poop on once in a while. But now I have to say the potty pad is down for emergencies only. He poops less frequently (only once or twice a day now) and I pretty much know when he needs to do that.
If we leave to go anywhere, I tell him "let's put your pants on" and he stands still for me to put on his belly band. It takes time and patience. Don't give up on the little guy.
I'm sure there are others that can give you more advice but this has been my experience. I can't remember the last time he's hiked his leg on anything in the house. Good luck and keep us posted. |