My Boston Terrier won't stop peeing and pooping in the house!! (training, shots)
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Your puppy isn't housebroken yet. These instructions are on this forum in a million places thanks to Viral. Follow them EXACTLY!
Housetraining your dog (puppy or adult!)
The first thing you need to do is to remember that you’re trying to reinforce a new behavior. That means that the rewards for this behavior must be WONDERFUL. NOT crap from the store. Wonderful treats are poached chicken breast/turkey breast, cheese and steak. And you don’t have to use big pieces. Tiny pieces (about 3mm cubes) are just fine! I poach a whole turkey breast every few weeks, cut it into hunks when it’s cool enough to handle, wrap them well and store them in the freezer. When I need some, I’ll thaw a hunk overnight and cut off pieces and dice finely, storing them in a plastic bag in the fridge. One hunk will last about five days. Cheese is also popular, so variety is fine.
I carry these plastic bags in my jacket pockets in the winter and in a fanny pack in warmer weather. You HAVE to have these with you, or this method won’t work, because you need to reward as soon as the dog finishes pooping or peeing. It’s not going to work if the rewards are in the house.
Remember that you’re trying to change a very ingrained behavior. Some dogs like to feel certain things under their feet when they eliminate, like fabric, or newspaper. This is called a ‘substrate preference.’ What you’re trying to do is change this substrate preference, and to do that you have to make the treats SO wonderful that the dog will change this very well-entrenched behavior. Thus the chicken, cheese, steak.
I love clicker training, but this can be done without clickers. You just need a way to ‘mark’ the behavior you want to reinforce. Use the word ‘YESSSSS!!!!’ very enthusiastically – that works for some.
You’re going to need to GO OUTSIDE WITH your dog and the dog needs to be on a leash. Yes, even in winter. If you don’t reward IMMEDIATELY after the event (when dog immediately finishes pooping or peeing) and wait inside, the dog is going to be reinforced for coming inside, not for doing its business. So, leash up your dog. STAND IN ONE PLACE. Be boring. Bring a book or magazine for yourself.
Eventually, the dog will do what you’re waiting for. The NANOSECOND that the dog is finished, HAVE A PARTY – lots of loud, high-pitched praise, treats and running around. You want to make this memorable for your dog! You’ll find that once the first event is achieved, the others will come more quickly. Keep on treating (you don’t have to throw a party except for milestones – a milestone = if he only pooped outside but now peed, too, or something equivalent to that) until he’s good and used to peeing/pooping outside. Before you know it, you have a trained dog.
Regarding accidents in the house: NO SCOLDING. Just clean them up. If you scold you’ll get the dog to think it’s bad to pee or poop and he’ll do it in places you won’t see. Until you step in it. Invest in a big bottle of Nature’s Miracle or Simple Solution and use it liberally on accidents.
To quote Patricia McConnell, author of “The Other End of the Leash” and co-author of “Way to Go” (a booklet on housetraining), “Once you face the fact that you just have take your dog out every time you turn around, give them the treat immeditely after they potty, and prevent accidents in the house… well, it usually goes so smoothly.”
With young puppies, remember they have little control of the muscle that holds the bladder closed. This is something they grow into. Just as it’s not expected that a human baby is toilet trained at six months, don’t expect much from a puppy. Patience, patience, patience!!!! The nervous system in a puppy has to mature, and it won’t have much control over the sphincter (closing muscle) at the neck of the bladder until six or seven months. The same goes for the anal sphincter. Until control is achieved, both of these muscles operate on reflex: there are stretch receptors in the bladder wall. When the bladder is full, it sends impulses to the spinal cord and these, in turn, send signals to the sphincter to open and the dog pees.
In the stomach wall, there are also stretch receptors. So when the dog eats and the stomach is stretched, the impulses again go to the spinal cord, but this time the reflex, outgoing, nerve signals are sent to the anal sphincter, so the dog defecates. This operates in people, too – which is why some people rush to the ‘reading room’ after a meal – especially breakfast.
Also, note the info below. Viral is my self-pronounced puppy housebreaking guru!
Side note: I doubt your dog has a UTI, but it never hurts to make sure!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Viralmd
First, you need to get her to the vet to make certain it's not a urinary tract infection. A UTI is the single most common reason for dogs to have a 'lapse' in their training. You can't diagnose this yourself - you need to get her to the vet. UTIs are particularly common in females because of the very short urethra (the conduit of urine from the bladder to the outside) and microorganisms don't have a long trip from the outside with that short urethra.
The vet can also rule out Canine Cognitive Disorder (dementia).
Second, DO control where she is in the house. Put a leash on her and attach it to your waistband.
Third, DO clean up with an enzymatic cleaner such as Nature's Miracle or Simple Solution.
Fourth, REWARD her for going in the right place. Rewards must be OUTSTANDING: chicken, cheese or steak.
Fifth, and most important: NO SCOLDING. All she wants to do is please you and if she's been trained in the past, then something's changed and it's not under her control!
you should restrict her movements in the house so she just can't go anywhere she wants to go to the bathroom. keep her in the kitchen or by your side when you are in another room. do not allow her the run of the house. if she does not have a medical problem go back to basics which is to limit the area the are free to roam in. feed once or twice a day and take her out consistently. do not leave her unattended and after a time she may get back on track
Also let her wear doggie panties in the house she may simply be getting incontinent. You can also get human bed wetting sheets if she sleeps on your bed a pees.
I am having a problem with my 10 year old Boston Terrier with her bladder. She has been house trained since about 10 weeks old. This dog could go 8 to 10 hrs. while I was at work and not have an accident. Now in about the past 3 months she has to go out to go pee about every 2 hours. I took her to the Vet. He did a blood profile and found a liver problem. I have been giving her medication for this but have not had much of a change yet. The Vet thought it might be a kidney problem or diabetes but the test found nothing in this area. I am wondering what else to do at this time. Thank you.
Is your dog taking any steroids, they will cause a dog to not have control of their bladders as well as excessive drinking?
Sometimes, it is psychological and if you have taken your dog to the vet to rule out any medical issues here are some additional options...
Here are two products to try...
Dog Housetraining: Pee Post
Dog Housetraining Aids: Hydrant Scent Attractant
Puppy Housetraining Supplies: Housebreaking Aids and Piddle Pads
As you know a dogs can hold their urine / bowels for about one hour for month of age. When they get older, things change, just like it does for humans. However, I would looks for signs of sniffing around as a tale-tale sign he needs to relieve himself.
Also, after eating, drinking, playing and sleeping. They usually will relieve themselves as far away from their beding (den) as possible.
Patience is the key when taking your dog out, using key words and lots of praise when they do their business outside.
To puppy pad train for future travel or if you are away from home longer than expected, take a clean puppy pad, find a few blades of "used grass" that has dog urine or poop on it. (I know gross,) but this will encourage your puppy to use the pad, too. Once your dog has used it, make sure you clean it up, throw it out and clean and disinfect the floor, not to leave behind any scent to encourage any "accidents."
Another option are diapers. You can purchase doggie diapers but they can get expensive. You can purchase newborn size (baby) diapers and cut a small hole in it for the tail. They actually work well and it will stop the mess your dog is making inside. (Just an option...)
Hope this helps!
"From wet noses to wiggly butts, our dogs are not just dogs, they are family!" ~Luv-A-Bull.Denver
We have a 12 year old boston terrie just started past 6 months peeing in the house when we leave for a short period of time. Going to buy him a cage like he was trained when he was a puppy. Vet is unable to find anything wrong with him besides eyes and ears aren't as good as they were few years back. He is our baby and hate to see this happening...Help!
It will be a sigh of relief to actually know WHY this is happening...
But moreso, you will be finding the answer that will alleviate the suffering of a possible UTI or other problem.
Let's hope your Boston doesn't have dementia.
Do you have an upcoming appointment made already?
All Boston owners are a community, a family, and we'll be waiting to hear how it went.
So please keep us posted. We care.
Thanks for getting back so fast. Yes we just had one 3 months ago when he received all of his shots plus he had blood work done as well. We will give another week or so and make another appointment for him. Will keep you updated...Thanks!!!
Sometimes, and I am not diagnosing.. just putting out a possibility,
Sometimes there are instances when the dog has not been drinking enough water for a multitude of reasons, which could cause a UTI.
When we go for a long ride we offer the dog water, but he drinks less on his own..
Any number of reasons could bring about an infection, or for that matter, any number of reasons why the dog is relieving in the house.
Sometimes the dog food is the culprit..
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good post
