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We got our puppy Kaine in November. He is about 7.5 months old. We have been crate training him from the start. Naturally he had accidents the first week but they tapered off and he would do really well for a week. Then he would have an accident.
He's an Eskimo Spitz so he has longer hair and if he has an accident in the crate it ends up all in his hair so we give him a bath each time to make sure that he is clean.
He seemed to be getting better and better and would go weeks doing great. Now he's having accidents in the crate every few days again.
DH went out with his buddy last night for awhile. Before I went to bed about 9:00 I took Kaine out and he did his business then I put him in the crate and went to bed. When DH got home around 11:30 Kaine had wet in the cage so DH got him out right away and he immediately did both on the floor. He didn't get it all in his fur this time so DH cleaned up the crate real good and put him back to go to bed.
This morning I guess Kaine had gotten out of his crate (He can open it if you don't turn it to the side so the door won't open) and was running around. I looked everywhere and didn't see any accidents. I took him out and did his business in the yard and I put him back in the crate. When I went home for lunch he was clean and dry. I took him outside and he wet and then he ran around in the house while I had lunch. Then I took him out again before i went back to work and he wet again. Then I put him the crate. This was at 1:00. DH just got to the house at 2:30 and Kaine had done both in the crate and he threw up.
DH is so frustrated. Well, both of us are, but I have a little more patience with the dog. But it's tiresome to be having to give the dog a bath two or three nights a week. Some days I've had to do it twice in the same day. Then he will go days and be fine. I just don't get it.
When we're in the house he is usually free to run around play and we just close off the rooms we don't want him in. If he needs to go out he goes to the door. Of course if you're not paying attention and don't take him out he go on the floor. But we are usually watching him closely and take him out right away. So there haven't been very many of those accidents at all. It's just in the crate.
WOuld take him outside on a leash and stay there with him til you know what he's done - reward him also (use a very small piece of chicken, steak or cheese) when he goes and praise him. He shouldnt be allowed to run amok outside, he's out there to 'go', he can play later.
Would also feed him once or twice a day, get him on somewhat of a schedule so you know about when he has to 'go' and can take him outside, learn his signals (ie when he wakes up, starts circling etc, take him outside fast).
Would also curtail his freedom somewhat but maybe rely less on all the crating as it sounds like he's crated a lot thruout the day (I may not be clear on that though) - gate the kitchen so he's not all over the house. When ours were young, we spent a lot of time in the kitchen. You can also tether him to yourself w/ a leash so he's less likely to have an accident w/ you a foot away.
Bottom line, it does take a while, try not to be discouraged (easy to say, I know), it may just 'click' in his mind all of a sudden but at 7.5 mos old, he's still young yet and prob. just needs some fine-tuning. Best of luck
The house we are in right now is a rental and he is in the crate while we are at work. I only work about 2 mins down the road so I come home for lunch just about every day. I let him out while I'm home so he can run around and play and stretch his legs. Then when I get home after work he's out all evening with us. This is usually about four days a week as I have every other friday off and DH has a day off during the week usually. WHenever we are home Kaine is out. And he usually does real well. The accidents are almost always in the crate.
The way the kitchen is set up we can't really gate him in. I tried gating him in the bathroom, but he can get over the gate. I tried moving the gate up higher and then blocking the bottom with the crate and something else to keep him in. I even put a heavy chair behind those to keep them snug up against the door frame and he still got out. He's like super dog if you try to gate him in the bathroom.
We are moving in a couple of weeks and will probably be able to set off a little area in the basement for him during the day. But I'd like to be ablet to have him upstairs at night in the crate. It will be much easier to take him out and I think he might whine if he's all the way in the basement at night.
Oh and he only eats once a day. He used to just poop about 30 mins after he ate, but now he goes 2 or 3 times a day some days. When he goes outside he usually goes straight to the grass and sniffs around goes. Then he turns and runs back for the house, usually as soon as he's done. We praise him and stuff. He knows exactly what he's headed outside for though unless we turn to the driveway to go for a walk.
Oh and he only eats once a day. He used to just poop about 30 mins after he ate, but now he goes 2 or 3 times a day some days.
When he goes outside he usually goes straight to the grass and sniffs around goes. Then he turns and runs back for the house, usually as soon as he's done. We praise him and stuff.
Two missing bits of info:
A) What are you feeding him (brand) and
B) When do you praise him (i.e. at what moment?)
If the dog's throwing up as well as defecating excessively, there could be a food issue going on here. BUT before that's tackled, you really need to go get an "all clear" from your vet (i.e. there is no physical/medical reason and it's a behavioural issue.)
I'd caution you about following any advice whatsoever until you've seen the vet.
The throwing up was just today. Not a regular thing. I told DH I think it was because he was in the crate with his mess and it made him sick.
We are feeding him the food we get at the Vet's office. I can't remember the name right off. But I can check when I go home.
I praise him as soon as he goes. Usually by getting really excited and clapping. Then he usually runs over to me and I pet him and love on him for a minute. Then we go inside usually he's pulling me in.
It's just strange how he will go days and/or weeks with no accidents and then all of sudden have several in a few days time. Like last night and today.
I go home everyday at lunch to let him out but there have been rare occasions where I haven't been able to and he's stayed clean and dry all day. Then today he has an accident in just a little over an hour.
We used to have bell hanging on the door and he would run over and ring it when he had to go out. Of course he eventually pulled it off and broke it and it had to be thrown away. I haven't gotten a new one yet, but he will go to the door. Accidents while he's running free in the house are rare. He either lets us know by going running over to the door or we take him every hour just in case.
I guess the frustrating part is every time we think he's go it, he messes up. And not just once but several times over several days. Then all of a sudden it's back to no accidents.
Here's my housetraining post. It works for puppies and for older dogs. As Honeycrisp said, go out with him and follow these instructions to the letter and you'll have a trained dog. Promise.
Here it is:
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.
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.
Thanks everyone. It seems we just need to keep on keeping on.
The biggest problem is I think he knows to go outside. I don't think he likes going in the crate because you can see him trying to steer clear of it. Of course the crate isn't big enough to make that possible and it ends up all over his feet and fur. Enough that he needs a bath.
I know he knows to go outside. When we take him out he runs to his area and starts sniffing out a spot right away. When he's done he turns and heads back to the door. If he doesn't go right away I'll say "go potty" and usually he seems to at least try to go. If we are in the house and I say let's go potty he will run to the door. Sometimes he'll come to the door if you ask if he wants to go outside. But if you say potty he almost always comes.
I'm afraid to leave him out because he still chews everything. We've tried tethering him up in the kitchen but he tore a hole in two places in the wall almost through the drywall. He also chewed through three leashes. Like I said, you can't gate him in the bathroom because he always finds a way out and the way the kitchen is you can't gate him either. There's too many ways he can get out.
He knows. I know he knows. We've tried getting him on a schedule. He eats once a day. But he goes several times a day sometimes. Then somedays only once. He had stayed clean in his crate for over a week, probably closer to two weeks until last night. Other than the occasional excitment leak he has or if I didn't get in there in time in the morning which was just once in the past two weeks.
ETA: I'll have to get some of that cleaning stuff and clean his crate with it really good just in case that's the problem.
Look at my post: PUT HIS LEASH ON HIM AND GO OUT WITH HIM. This is VERY important and this is NO time to be lackadaizical! You have GOT to be there to reward him when he does the right thing!!!! That is CRITICAL.
I didn't know this until I adopted a 10 month old puppy that was doing the same thing that this behavior can go on until a dog is a year and a half in some breeds.
My dog is almost 1 1/2 old and the last time he made a mess in his crate was a couple of months ago.
What I was told by a vet is that in some breeds, regardless if they're 'housetrained' or not still have a tendency to have accidents until a certain age.
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