I Just Want to CRY!! I'm losing the battle!
 

I know there's 500 posts on the subject, but I need to vent.

I have a 7mnth old little girl, who just isn't getting this potty thing. She sleeps in her crate all night and can hold it. She's never messed in her crate. SO, I know she can do it!

I'll tell her "Lets go pee-pee potty!" She"ll go straight to the door to be let out. Sometimes she goes and sometimes she waits, until she comes in. Now she is sneaky, so she'll go hide and do it. Or she'll wait until I'm not paying attention to go off and do it. It's not just in one spot. It's here there and everywhere. She'll poop in the same spot, so at least I know where to find her tootsie-rolls.

I can't get the smell out no matter what. I can't get her to go outside or tell me when she needs to go. I let her out all the time, but she still piddles on the floor.

IM GOING NUTS!

Help!!!

Thanks-
Sherrie & Pixie aka...pee pot

Aww Sherrie - she's still young. Mine weren't really potty trained until they were over a yr old and we were very diligent about it.

Try going back to an xpen. At least that way she won't be doing her business all over the place.

I really like Nature's Miracle to treat the spots.

I understand your frustration. Hang in there and don't give up.

Try going outside with Pixie and force her to stay outside until she pees or poops. It might take awhile -- I'm an impatient person, so I know how aggravating it is to wait, especially in bad weather. Walking can speed up the process, especially for poops.

When Pixie does things correctly, praise her profusely immediately. Maybe give her a treat. Keep up the praise for correct potties her entire life. I believe praise is key to continued success.

Try to keep a schedule of regular potty outings -- in other words, go at regular intervals about the same time each day. Of course, if you sense she needs to go out at a different time, take her outside immediately. At 7 months, Yorkies need frequent outings.

To get the smell out of the carpet and discourage her from returning to the same place, use an enzyme cleaner. I also highly recommend investing in a decent carpet steam cleaner. I bought a Hoover for under $200 at Walmart, and many people have suggested the Rug Doctor available at Kohl's. I use Woolite Oxy for Pets in my machine.

Good luck! Hope some of these suggestions will help you.

:thumbup: Yes! I forgot this very important point -- restrict Pixie's freedom in your home until she improves.

Dogs aren't word oriented, your words are a bunch of mumble jumble to them, and it's best to use only one or two words. First thing in the morning take her out of her crate, and carry her outside, she stay outside until she goes pee. Pick a one or two word phrase, like "go potty", but don't repeat it too much. After she pees say, GOOD GIRL, and give a treat. Dogs can hold it longer at night, urine production cuts more than half, but during the day, you might want to take her out every two hours. Some people keep the dog in the crate during this training period, and just take them out every two hours, and after they pee outside they get supervised playtime outside their crate, then another two hours in the crate. You have to train her to tell you to go outside and you can train her to bark or ring a bell, but all this takes training, and she hasn't even been trained to go outside yet. Most people make the mistake of talking too much. You need to use an enzyme cleaner such as Nature's miracle to remove all traces of urine from carpet, or she will think carpet is a pee pad. This is a good site, and has step by step directions for house breaking. You need to get in your mind exactly how to do it, (there are several ways) and be very consistent in your training, never punish for mistakes or she will just pee when you aren't looking. So ignore mistakes and praise success. Free House Training for Puppies and Adult Dogs - No More Accidents Starting Today!

I agree you should use Nature's Miracle to get the smell out, that way she won't keep going back to the same place to potty. Training is all about you! You have to be committed to it or she'll never learn, and it's all about dilligence as well. Set yourself a schedule. I'm going through the same thing that you are with my six month old Sasha. Here's what I do with her:

7AM- go potty
7:10AM- food and water
1PM- food and water
7PM- food and water
10PM- go potty and crate for bedtime

In between these times above she goes potty about every 2 hours. You have to keep a constant eye on her, when she starts to run around sniffing with her nose on the ground, you know it's time to go potty! I would try to cut back the phrase that you use with her to something short and sweet, I just say, "Go potty!" It's easier for them to understand. And like Maximo said, praise is key. Every time she pottys where she's supposed to, make sure you shower her with praise, maybe even give her a little treat. If you're busy doing stuff around your house, get a longer leash and attach it to your pants or belt loop so that she's always with you. If you really stick to a strict regimine like this, she will pick it up in no time. I also went out and bought some little cat toys with bells in them to hang from my back door and I hit one every time I take her out and say our phrase "go potty," this way she will distinguish her phrase and know what it means, so once she learns to tell me that she has to go out by herself, she'll know to hit the bell! Good luck!

I agree with Maximo. Try going out and standing with her. I have two dogs, and my little one does not like to go out without the other, but my older dog is more mature and dependable and does not need to go out as often. So when they don't go out together I have to go with the little one because she is insecure and otherwise won't actually go out and go....just pretend to. LOL. I tell her "go potty" and she pretty much will go on command now, but she still wants someone to hold her hand. Hang in there.

Ok so you got a good start there. Now it will really help if the puppy associate the action of peeing with a word (I use "washroom" you can use pee). So go out with her and when she start doing his stuff start saying the "word" a few times... Eventually she'll go when you tell her.

I know it's hard but she's still very young and some dogs take longer than other.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
Great post, the main thing I do differently is I take them outside again after they eat, even though they've just been outside. Some dogs have to go right after they eat.

Hang in there Sherrie....I'm right there with you. i just got my 6 month old pup that has had no previous training.

Do you take your little girl out for walks? Molly usually wees so much when we are out, by the end of the walk, she is still squatting, but nothing comes out! If you did a short walk every hour if necessary, that might help. Ive never owned a small puppy as my dogs have been older rescue dogs.
Molly did wee inside a few times to start with, but it soon stopped once we were having regular walks. :thumbup:

Keep at it and don't give up ! My oldest Chanel trained like an angel on pads inside and outside on grass in 2 weeks

then we got Cheri.....you'd think a 2nd would follow the 1st but no way. She was about 11 months before fully trained. I was lucky and had TILE throughout the house but still....I do remember wondering why she just didn't get it - especially when I did exactly what I did with Chanel.....

After my husband died I had to move into an apartment - she still sneaks little ones on the floor which is now Carpet....but normally only when the weather is bad.....Chanel is very good about using the pads always but her sister is a different story.....lucky they only 'go' a tiny bit -

have a big Spray bottle of 1/2 vinegar and half water and saturate the area - then let it sit for a minute or so and step on a towel to soak it up - it keeps the smell nutralized.....I've even asked people if they EVER smell pee in the house and they say no it smells great - and I have some pretty honest DIRECT friends ! they would tell me if they could smell 'dog' smells.....

I too thought Rosie was just never going to 'get it' when it came to asking to go out to pee & poop. On eweek she'd be doin gfine, then the next it was back to square 1. I was even taling her to the grass on the corner of our strret, which worked for a while and the peeing part seamed to be comming together, but she would still sneak behind the sofa to poop. Then one day I just caught her at the right moment and put her outside, then after she ate I'd pick her up for 5 mins and them take her out, and stay'd out, and finally something seamed to click with her. She's almost 100%, only relapsing if I dont listen to her when she asks or she's a little off colour.

Keep fighting the good fight! :) I also had several moments where I thought Thor would never get it. I even started a thread titled "Untrainable?".

For me, the key was total, total vigilence. We had about two weeks where I really didn't do anything but watch him. As Nancy suggests, I put him in his crate every few hours, and when I took him out, I took him straight to his pad and said, "Potty." If he didn't go, I put him back in the crate for ~15 minutes, and then tried again. We had two marathon sessions where he stayed in his create for OVER 24 HOURS! But when he finally went, it seemed to click for him.

I also took about a month where he was only allowed in my living room (which pretty much meant that's where I always was too). Then I added half of my hallway. A week later with no accidents, the entire hallway. Another week, the bathroom. Etc. It felt like an eternity, but I think overall it was only about two months, and it's sooooooooo nice to take his training for granted now.

Thor was about two years old when I got him, and he'd previously been allowed to roam free in his owner's office building, so he had tons of experience going indoors. And even he got it. Your dog can too!

Whatever your method, it boils down to vigilence. If you cannot watch her with BOTH eyes, she must be in her restricted area (crate/xpen). If she's sneaking off to pee, that's a sign that she needs to be watched more closely / has too much freedom. As I said, the extreme, don't-let-them-out-of-your-sight-for-even-one-second attention lasted for several weeks, and then I could relax a little more, while still keeping most of my apartment off limits.

Yes it is surely enough to drive one to frustration. When I bought my first yorkie I accepted the fact that these little dogs often are never fully trained so that helped me.

At this point your going to have to start over as if she has never had any training. That means using a crate when you cannot keep your eyes on her, keep the crate near you. If she doesn't go potty while outside then straight into the crate when you bring her back in, wait 20 minutes then try again.

You say you "let" her out. Do you actually go out with her while she goes? This is SO important because she needs immediate praise for going. And it will help you because you will know if she went or not.

Also, buy a poochie bell Welcome To Poochie Bells and teach her how to use that, it is very easy and most dogs catch right on. Training to use poochie-bells and training example/video You can adjust them so they hang closer to the floor for small dogs and puppies.

Since she seems to have a lot of her pee scent all over your carpet I would have it professionally cleaned. They have products they use to get rid of the pet odor, down deep. OR, get rid of the carpet and put down wood, or laminated wood flooring.

My sister has bamboo floors, I sure wish I had gotten that. I hate my laminated flooring, it is damaged in some areas, and is supposed to handle pee and water but it doesn't and I spent A LOT! We spent $5,000.00 on 3 rooms and a hall for that stuff, Armstrong even! Carpet is way to high maintenance and I am glad it's gone. Our bedrooms still have carpet and is terribly stained from pee.. So the bedrooms are next to get replaced.

Then once you have it cleaned you can spot clean when needed, but again, you HAVE to get down deep into the carpets padding and floor for it to do any good.

I hope that helps.. I am still dealing with accidents but it is getting better.

Unfortunately you are not alone and I am personally glad that you posted this, as we're also having a tough time with 5 month old Chloe. Just when we think she's got it, she'll stand right in front of you and pee! #2 is altogether a sneaky process as she sneaks and hides to do that, and usually in a seperate room from the pad? Obviously we have to become more diligent in watching her and even getting back on a schedule. Fortunately, my carpet was in need of replacement already and actually why we timed getting a puppy now. Although we discourage any "accidents" even on older carpet, I'm hoping the day comes soon that she's trained so that I can replace all of it! It's beginning to look a little too tattered!!!

I've been reading about placing her in the crate for long stretches of time, then letting her out, but I have not had much luck with this method as she feels confined in her crate and will begin crying and barking to get out. Seems others dogs like being crated. Am I doing something wrong?

Also, a so called "dog expert" on a show mentioned mixing 1 part mint alcohol to 2 parts water in a spray bottle and spraying it directly on the urine stain. It's supposed to break down the acids that cause the odor.

We will be traveling without her this summer and none of my pet sitters will take her unless she is potty trained ( I don't blame them! ) I need to get this under control before then!

Getting them to like the crate is another step. :) That usually involves putting some bedding in, putting it in a part of the room where she feels safe, but can survey the action elsewhere, and leaving the door open so that it's a place she can retire.

You can also use the dislike of the crate to your advantage with potty training: ONLY let her out when she goes. Try the crate for brief stretches of time, and ignore her when she cries. More time out of the crate just means you'll need to watch her more.

Also, a lot of dogs don't like being in the crate if they see everyone else moving around and having fun. You can try taking her out more and really tiring her out - play fetch with her for an hour, so when she's inside, she just wants to sleep.

Hang in there! You've gotten a lot of good advice already. It will happen and one day she will "get it".

I would definitely try the expen thing. Try putting a shower liner underneath so if she does potty it can be wiped up so the carpet will not have the smell. I use Nature's Miracle. We also use potty pads, this has helped us tremendously as we have a sporadic schedule and sometimes we are late getting home. Pads are not for everyone but they do serve a purpose.

We use the phrase "do your stuff".

Good luck.

How do you do that, and how long do you let them cry? Is there a time period where you say that's too much? I couldn't do it with my skin kids and I can't do it with Joey, he loves his crate, and goes in it on his own, but I can't stand to hear him cry if I close the door. I would like to get him use to it, especially if I have to leave him alone for an hour.

Well, both dogs and kids can learn to cry if that gets them what they want. I don't know if there's any set time limit when you can tell if they're genuinely in distress. I think it's about getting to know them and knowing what they tolerate. Being in a crate is not inherently painful or scary, so I don't think there's anything wrong with letting them cry it out. They are most likely crying because it is unfamiliar or they are frustrated, which they can learn to live with.

I guess it depends on what you want to use the crate for. I eventually put mine away after I was confident on his potty training.

I assume you've done the standard drills to get him to like his crate more? Putting him in with a nice chew and closing the door for a few minutes, etc, so he associates a closed crate door with a special treat?

training boys vs girls
 

I feel spoiled. I used crate and paper training with Rocky. And it was a snap. He figured out that the paper in the bathroom was his place to go and only once in a great while, usually when he is mad at me does he poop right in the middle of the floor.

But, we have a new baby sister on the way. she will be 10 months old when she gets here, Hawaii quarantine.... I sure hoe I have the same luck, with little Lilly.

Are females harder to train than males? I think I've head that.

From my experience, YES! :p

:thumbup::thumbup: Agreed.... I did something very similar with Harley... she was completely house broke by the age of 6 months, I think...she just turned a year old and always goes to the door and whines when she needs to be let out. You can do it...just be persistent with what you want. Good luck!

Yes, I've done the treat thing, and like I said, he doesn't mind going in there, it just having the door closed. He's house broken, I don't use the crate for that, it's just I think they seem safer in the crate if I'd have to leave for an hour, I know some people whose dogs love their crates and gladly go into them. Part of the problem I'm sure was we used a wire crate that had a tray bottom with bedding on the tray, and he got his paw stuck between the tray and the wire once, so after that it took a long time before he'd even go back into the crate, and then I could never close the door. I have a new soft sided crate that he also goes into on his own, but I haven't tried to close the door, I want a plan in mind before I try it.

Pixie is 7 months old and fully pad trained. This is what I did.........
When I brought her home I had an ex-pen set up in the living room and I had it set up the elongated way. I put a plastic runner underneath for accidents. I put her bed in the far end of the crate food and water in the middle and at the end of the crate I put her pee pad.

I would let her out of her pen to play for about an hour and put her back in her pen and tell her to go pee pee. when she would go I would say good girl and get all excited and let her out to play. Then repeat in another hr. If she didn't go I did not let her out until she peed, or if I wanted to play with her I would watch her like a hawk and if she sniffed I would pick her up and put her in her pen and tell her to do pee pee.
I also gated off the living room and that was the only room she had full run of. When she was playing I would always leave the gate open in case she wanted to go in and pee.

At night I had a crate with her bed in it and some food and water. I kept it by my bed so I could hear her if she had to go, she would whine. I would pick her up and bring her to her pen and shut the door and tell her to go pee pee. Sometimes she would take her dilly dally time. I would wait until she went, and at night I would give her a cheerio so she would go sooner. Then back in her crate till morning. First thing in the morning I would pick her up and bring her right to her pad.

She started having a few accident behind my husbands recliner so I said ok I will fix you and I put a pad tray there and she started using it.

Don't get discouraged I think it is really persistence. I was home a lot too which I think made a huge difference in the success.

Eventually she started going in her pen or on the other pad when she had to pee. when she gained my trust I started letting her have more run of the house. The poop took a little longer, but she eventually did that as well. If I started to see her squat to poop on the floor I would pick her up and put her on her pad.

It has been over a month or so since we have not had an accident. When she gets excited bc someone comes over I have to say Pixie go pee pee. She is like.........oh yeah and runs to her pad like a lil kid running to the bathroom! lol

If you need any more help just pm me I will try the best I can to give you advice. Hang in there it will happen........ just don't give up!!~Joyce

How about closing the door, and THEN giving him the treat? Sticking it in through the side? Something really good that he doesn't get under any other circs. Then you can sit by the crate while he eats it, and then let him out again. Etc.

Never thought of that! Thanks. He's very food oriented.

My Maddie is two. I have a large fenced yard and found that there was too much distraction. I purchased a small x-pen and we started actually picking her up inside and carrying her to the pen, placing her in the pen to pee and poop. This served multiple purposes. Her scent was really strong in the small area so she would pretty much go right away. One of us always takes her out so we know for sure if she goes or not. There are also no distractions so she pretty much knows to take care of her business if she wants out. We often let her out to run around the yard after she has taken care of business, so sometimes that is a treat as well. If I have time, I sometimes would just let her run around the yard, but even then, watched her like a hawk and would praise her whenever I saw her squat. She will pee and poop first thing in the a.m. and right after eating supper and about every 4 hours in between. When I know it is poop time, I just keep her in the x-pen, tell her good girl after she pees, then say go poopie and then ignore her until she does. Sometimes I think we use to not give her enough time and she would come in the house and then poop!

With the shape of my house, the bells would not work since there are parts of the house you wouldn't be able to hear them. I started getting Maddie to bark before we walked outside. I did this by "barking" at her :rolleyes:, I know, I'm nuts, until she would bark back at me. When she barked, I would say good girl, lets go potty and did this EVERY time. Now, when she needs to go out, she will bark and let us know. However, I don't rely on this alone. If it's been 4 hours I will take her out to pee even if she isn't barking. If she doesn't go, I take her every 15 min or so after that until she does go. I do crate her if we are going to be gone from the house for more than 4 hours so she doesn't have the chance to have an accident.

BTW, she is 7 lbs and I came up with the 4 hour time by actually writing down the times she went potty until I could figure out her schedule. Just like a baby!

We just got a 2 year old female from a breeder. She wasn't house trained but she was crate trained. She has only had a few accidents but they were starting to happen more frequently. Anyway, that is what I did - I took her out and didn't let her back in until she at the very least piddled. I have my fingers crossed - she seems to have gotten the message. I do praise her when she piddles or poops outside.