He's 2 and still CLUELESS!!
 

I know there are a lot of potty training threads but I just need to know he isn't too old and he can still figure it out. I'm at the point of desperation. I'm at the point where if we can't get him housebroken then he has to go to someone who can :(

He pees in the house and he poops in the house. He has favorite spots but he doesn't really care. You can take him out for an hour and he won't go and 10 minutes in the house and there is poop in the floor.

He isn't dumb. I know he isn't. What have we done wrong?!? It is like you take him outside and he just stands there. He will wet after a bit but you can almost forget about him pooping.

He doesn't seem to give any notice that he needs out.

Ugh... I don't want to lose him but I can't have a house that smells like dog crap either.

I should add... we've tried treats and praise for going outside. It doesn't mean anything to him. If you praise him he runs and hides. If you scold him he runs and hides. If he sees you put on make up or get shoes he runs and hides. He has never been hit or hurt or treated meanly. He just runs and hides over everything!!

I love my pup but I'm just done with a stinky house!!

Have you tried crate training him and putting him on a food/potty/playtime/crate schedule?

training yorkies
 

I cant wait to see what people say. I have a 2 1/2 year old who I have had for 4 months and an almost 1 year old who I got at the same time. Both are smart and they have good days and bad days. Sometimes when we take them outside they eat little sprouts from the bird feeder seeds or just sniff around and then come back into the house the do their business. I'm being very patient because I think they were crated at the breeder and allowed to do their business in the crates so its going to take some time. I have friends with Yorkies that have told me they take a long time to be housebroken. Good luck.

That would be my suggestion. Go back to the beginning. Find a way to restrict his freedom in the house. For me, that was an X-pen large enough to have her crate on one side and a potty pad on the other. He can sleep in the crate, door open or shut.

Take him out every hour on the hour until he goes outside -- you might even try taking a walk if a short trip outside doesn't work. As soon as he goes, reward and praise.

There should be no unsupervised house time. If you're not directly supervising, aka a leash, he goes in the xpen.

I loosely followed the awesome advice on this site:

Errorless Housetraining | Dog Star Daily

Agreed. I suggest start at square one. Don't let him have free roam of the house unless he's earned it. If you don't like the crate (like me :D) then try an expen. When you take him out, don't just take him out and stand there. Sometimes moving around gets the bowels moving. Take him out for 20 min walks.

So, there is hope??

I'm going to go back to the beginning. It is my roommate who is the one home all day and only works part time. So, it is convincing her to get with it!

Great minds think alike and post at the same time! ;)

Is it possible that he is afraid to go in front of you so he holds in when he's outside and waits for an opportunity to go when he is able to do it without being seen? I know it's frustrating. I taught my dog to go by naming it. When he poops outside, I tell him what an excellent job he did pooping OUTSIDE. And I give him some of his most favorite treats for going outside. It must be a special treat reserved for just those special occassions. And of course lots of positive praise and fanfare. I'm sure all my neighbors must think I'm nuts! Anyways, now when we go out, I can tell him to poop outside and if he has to at all, he will. My oldest female has been trained since she was a year or so and my other female uses potty pads alot as she doesn't like to go out if it's raining or there is snow but he is the first one I trained to go on demand and it really does work! When he goes inside, no treats, I just ignore it. No reaction whatsoever. No yelling, no frustration.

It is frustrating! I've never had an issue housebreaking a dog before. Ever.

I'm not sure he is afraid. He will normally wet on cue. We say "potty outside" and he gets all excited. I wonder if he needs more normal outside time and not just potty time and that he is considering "potty outside" as play time and not really potty time.

That's good thinking too. They are smart:) and if they like being outside and they know that as soon as they go potty they will go right back in the house, they may try to delay the process. I read somewhere in one of these 'potty threads' that after the dog goes to the bathroom outside, take them for a little walk or have a few minutes of play time outside before returning in. That's their little reward for "going" outside too.

If you're going to teach him to go on command, don't say the word you want to use unless he's actually in the process of going, that way he won't confuse it with anything else. I'm trying to teach Alice "hurry up" as her potty command lol

where did he come from? i only ask because if he's afraid of everything that makes me concerned as to where he lived before you got him. being afraid makes me wonder if he came from an abusive family before you or if he was raised in a puppy mill and has no social skills which would also mean no natural instint not to pee in his "den" dogs that are forced to pee in their living spaces don't learn that it's unacceptable to pee/poop in your/their living spaces.

i would try crate training and bell training. get a service bell that you tap his paw on and say "outside" every time he goes out. he'll learn to tell you when he needs outside. also if you cannot be actively watching him and i mean completely focused on him and not the TV or dinner or cleaning, then he's in the crate until you have time to watch again. the easiest way to teach a dog where to pee/poop is the catch them doing it in the wrong place and interupt their behavior with a clapping hand or a sharp NO NO and then take them to the proper place and give them praise and treats for a good potty.

Hi!
I have a almost 6 year old baby that is EXACTLY as you describe. He has been with me since he was 9 weeks old. I have his brother also. One of my boys is housebroken, yet the other is not and no matter what I do he shows no signs of needing to go out he just pees and poops in the house, even if its 10 mins after I let him out. :confused: :confused: Its very frustrating! He is also VERY skittish and slinks away from any loud noises, any fast movements, and he is afraid of everything, coffee cups, the kids (who are older), I mean literally everything (except other dogs). Its heartbreaking on that aspect. There is nothing I can do. I baby him probably too much but it breaks my heart to see him with his tail between his legs, looking nervous and trying to hide somewhere. I should make him face his fears. Sometimes a change of environment is all he needs. Like he was terrified of my dishwasher but I moved in with my boyfriend and he has no problems with that dishwasher. LOL

Anyways, wish I could help you but I'm battling the same issues. I have learned to clean my carpets a lot, let him out every hour on the hour and when/if possible replace carpet with tile, hardwood, pergo or linoleum. Sad, but true. Good Luck!!!