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That sounds pretty innovative and kind of clever. We have a doggie door, though, that all of our previous dogs have used. We'd have started training him to use it from day 1 except that he is currently wearing the Collar of Shame and can't get through the door with it on. It comes off next Thursday. Meanwhile, we've actually been keeping the door to the backyard open for him most of the time, so that if he wanted to go out when not in our sight, he'd be able to.
Ah. This is part of the problem.
Believe it or not dog doors and free access are actual an impediment to housebreaking in many older dogs.
I have rescued mostly young adult dogs with various degrees of housebreaking. The most important thing is to get on a schedule.
Almost all dogs have to pee first thing in the morning. Put a bell on the door, ring it when you take him out when you KNOW he will go potty, like first thing in the morning. Unlike other posters I agree with the leash, but I would use a different one than you use for the walk. I would also try to minimize verbal commands. Take him out, say whatever potty command you are going to use once, and then minimal interaction until he goes. Once he goes, he gets an excited "good potty" (or whatever word you are going to use) and a treat. Back inside without playing. Oh, and don't ring the bell when you take him outside to play.
Most dogs will likewise poo after eating, assuming you are feeding twice a day, repeat after meals.
Oh and latch the doggie door until he is completely housebroken.
Good luck, and it can take time, but most dogs get it eventually. I had one dog for 8 months before she was completely housebroken but she got there eventually.
See, one training site I visited yesterday said that you should teach a dog to go in a specific place and that "just anywhere outside" is not good enough. I just don't know whose advice to take on this. Right now, we have blocked off a fairly decent size corner of the yard with a portable heavy-gauge wire fold-out fence. (That was our latest plan, which we tried just this morning.) From now on, I'll not have a leash on him when I take him out to that corner, since he can't get out of it.
My dogs have a back corner of the yard that is wood chips, surrounded by a shade garden and has its own path. Lots of visual demarkation. But we just wanted them to go outside when they come to us, and learn that potty means going outside. Once the learn the word, for a couple of weeks we take them to this area to go.
It is much easier to switch them to a particular spot after they know the command than to try to teach location AND command to a dog who appears to be shy about pottying.
BTW, seeing your posts about the dog "hiding" its peeing, I doubly suggest you take them out on a loose, longish leash, keep interaction to a minimum, even turn sideways to him, and give him a treat and restrained "good potty". Some dogs who have been yelled at (or worse) when pottying don't respond well to any type of emotional response, even if it is positive.
We had to crate him for a couple of hours this evening while we were away. When we got home, I let him out of his crate and went into the backyard. "Okay," I said, "Let's go potty!" Within under five minutes, he had peed and pooped with me watching! Boy, did we ever celebrate!
I haven't read all of the thread, just the first page. But, I rescued a papillon once who just would not go to the bathroom in front of me. No matter what. I hired a behaviorist from UC Davis (was living in Davis, Ca at the time). Nothing worked after months and months.
The best we can figure is that she learned it was not safe to go to the bathroom in front of humans. So, she would not go in front of me on leash. Ever. She'd go in the house, and in her crate when I tried crating her in-between walks.
I gave her to another papillon owner who had a backyard and a doggie door. She never went to the bathroom inside once she had the option to go outside where nobody could see her.
My current dog was housebroken and would not go inside until she was absolutely bursting. Was not able to train her to potty pads, so I always took her out. I now have a doggie lawn on a balcony (did not have a balcony or patio before). After about 4 months, she would go on the doggie lawn without being prompted (she'd go only before if I told her to go). Now she'll actually go out to the balcony on her own to pee. But, she won't poop out there unless she's about to burst, and she can hold it for days on end. And when I first moved here, I was determined to get her used to going on the balcony, and she'd rather try to eat it from her own rear, than go out on the balcony.
She had an accident last week when I was gone, and she pooped on the carpet in front of the opening to the balcony, which was open, rather than go on the balcony. Who knows why. I have done nothing but praise her when she uses it. And there wasn't much left of her accident, and all I can figure is she tried to eat it all. At least it was on the area rug.
Re-training a dog is really hard and sometimes impossible. Good luck.
We had to crate him for a couple of hours this evening while we were away. When we got home, I let him out of his crate and went into the backyard. "Okay," I said, "Let's go potty!" Within under five minutes, he had peed and pooped with me watching! Boy, did we ever celebrate!
That is great! He is associating going outside with praise, but he still has no idea what 'potty' means until you connect the word to him doing it. So glad the poor baby no longer associates potty with a negative. Whoever did that to him was a real jerk.
I haven't read all of the thread, just the first page. But, I rescued a papillon once who just would not go to the bathroom in front of me. No matter what. I hired a behaviorist from UC Davis (was living in Davis, Ca at the time). Nothing worked after months and months.
The best we can figure is that she learned it was not safe to go to the bathroom in front of humans. So, she would not go in front of me on leash. Ever. She'd go in the house, and in her crate when I tried crating her in-between walks.
I gave her to another papillon owner who had a backyard and a doggie door. She never went to the bathroom inside once she had the option to go outside where nobody could see her.
My current dog was housebroken and would not go inside until she was absolutely bursting. Was not able to train her to potty pads, so I always took her out. I now have a doggie lawn on a balcony (did not have a balcony or patio before). After about 4 months, she would go on the doggie lawn without being prompted (she'd go only before if I told her to go). Now she'll actually go out to the balcony on her own to pee. But, she won't poop out there unless she's about to burst, and she can hold it for days on end. And when I first moved here, I was determined to get her used to going on the balcony, and she'd rather try to eat it from her own rear, than go out on the balcony.
She had an accident last week when I was gone, and she pooped on the carpet in front of the opening to the balcony, which was open, rather than go on the balcony. Who knows why. I have done nothing but praise her when she uses it. And there wasn't much left of her accident, and all I can figure is she tried to eat it all. At least it was on the area rug.
Re-training a dog is really hard and sometimes impossible. Good luck.
Well, it's nice to know that Frederik isn't the only dog with a modesty hangup!
That is great! He is associating going outside with praise, but he still has no idea what 'potty' means until you connect the word to him doing it. So glad the poor baby no longer associates potty with a negative. Whoever did that to him was a real jerk.
Well, every time he goes, while he is going and immediately after he finishes, I tell him, "Good potty!" The word "potty" will become clear the more times he hears it.
Well, every time he goes, while he is going and immediately after he finishes, I tell him, "Good potty!" The word "potty" will become clear the more times he hears it.
Just making sure you don't end up like my friend lol! God love her, she doesn't have time to understand some of these dog training things.
We had to crate him for a couple of hours this evening while we were away. When we got home, I let him out of his crate and went into the backyard. "Okay," I said, "Let's go potty!" Within under five minutes, he had peed and pooped with me watching! Boy, did we ever celebrate!
That is great news. A potty party! It is hard to remember the amount of work at first it sounds like he really won't be that difficult.
Btw, I know of people who train their dogs to never go in the yard, so they would have been over the moon to adopt one who really didn't want to use the yard.
Perspective really helps sometimes. Good job to Frederick, you and your DH! Lots of great advice here too.
My post was probably misleading. I didn't realize Keeshonds want to be close to you at all times, and I'm actually okay with that. It's actually kind of amusing to think I have to have company when I go to the bathroom myself! What I meant when I said he has separation anxiety is that it seems as if the times he pees in the house are when we've left him there alone for a brief (i.e. 30 minutes or less) period of time. When he is left alone longer than that, we've been crating him.
Thanks for the encouragement.
all six of my dogs do this..... some just follow me in for a second, some stay to keep me company.... LOL
even the timid chihuahua from a hoarding situation..... he will run in from the deck when he hears me get up and head down the hall to the bathroom..... still won't get close enough for me to really pet him, but he is right there, making sure I don't fall in and drown.....
most are mixed breeds.... two are cattle dog mixes, 2 are smaller terrier mixes, one is a boxer x lab and the last is the chihuahua ..... and range in age from 2 years to nearly 13.....
and in her younger years, my Bailey, the senior ACD mix, would go around to the side of the house if she had to potty in the yard..... or if we were on a walk, would get herself as FAR into bushes as she could before she would go..... so yes, another modest one!!
Last edited by latetotheparty; 09-03-2017 at 07:46 AM..
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it sounds like he really won't be that difficult. 
