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I am really struggling trying to housebreak five-month-old puppy Truman. We've had him for a month now, and I feel like we've made such little progress, I must be doing something wrong. I am getting so frustrated and confused by all the advice and literature I'm getting. We started off trying to use the crate, then stopped because he was doing so well. He started regressing and going wherever and whenever he felt like it, so we are back to the crate again. Truman's problem is peeing- very seldom does he ever poop in the house. Even though we are going out on average 8 times a day, he manages to pee in the crate at least once or twice a day (sometimes more). Four days out of the week, I go to work. On those days, we wake up around 6AM and go outside. Come inside and eat breakfast, then go out again about 30 minutes later. I come home during lunch to let him out (noon). I give him a Kong with peanut butter or yogurt before heading back to work. Come home at 5PM and immediately go out. Eat dinner, then go out 30 minutes later. Then, we usually go out several more times through the evening and night (8PM, 11PM, and 2AM). On the days I don't work, we still go outside at the same times. He is not crated, and I supervise very closely and restrict him to the room where I am. I feed dry food and give water on a regular schedule twice a day. I noticed that he had been regularly peeing on his dog bed, so I replaced with a towel. That did not seem to deter him, because he began constantly peeing on the towels. I decided to take out anything absorbent, so all he has is the plastic crate bottom (I feel terrible about this). When I come home and find that he's peed in the crate, I immediately take him outside and lead him to his particular spot. I do not yell or give him any correction. When he does go outside, I praise lavishly and give treats while using the words "go pee." The crate gets cleaned every time with Nature's Miracle Urine Destroyer and paper towels. When I take him outside, about half of the time he just stands outside and won't do anything. When this happens, I lead him in circles to try to help him get the point. I leave my adult dog Henry inside so that he doesn't interfere. On the days that I'm not at work, I will bring him back inside when this happens, crate him for 15 minutes, then take him back out again. This process repeats until he goes. The crate seems to be the appropriate size. I considered getting a divider to shorten his space, although I feel the overarching problem is that he doesn't seem to mind sitting in his own pee. He was a kennel dog with several other puppies; I have no clue how clean the previous owner kept his space. He does not seem to enjoy being alone during the day. The problem definitely worsens on the days I work. I tried to remedy this by covering the sides of the crate with a blanket so it feels more "den like." I usually leave the TV on and leave him with lots of toys, chewies, and his heartbeat pillow when I'm gone. He also has a DAP calming collar with pheremones. This does seem to calm him down, but does not help very much with the peeing issue. Henry is not crated; he is very well behaved in the house and has a bladder and bowels of steel. I'm not sure if it upsets Truman that he can see Henry but not interact with him. On days I don't work, we have pretty long play sessions in the yard. He and Henry will chase each other and fetch toys until they're tired. When the weather is okay, we go on leash walks (even though it's winter in PA and not the easiest task with two excited dogs). He goes on trips to several different pet stores at least once or twice a week. On Saturdays, we have obedience class and a long car ride. Every day, he does one or two "mental exercise" training sessions (about 5 minutes long). I try to make sure he is exercised and socialized as much as possible. I feel like I have covered absolutely every base, but very little progress has been made. Is there any advice you can give me to help with this housebreaking issue?

All excellent advice. I forgot to ask, has anyone had luck with belly bands?

We've had Truman for about three weeks now. He is really the sweetest puppy ever. Loves to be around people- would snuggle forever if you let him. He and Henry are already the best of friends. They romp around in the yard. Henry lays with Truman and even licks his ears! Truman does well in the house. Miraculously, no chewing (other than the occasion sock or envelope). When left alone, the dogs rarely get into anything. I don't leave toys, treats, or food out to ensure they won't fight over a resource. Housebreaking, however, is not going so well. I'm thinking I made a big-time beginners mistake. I read several books on puppy-training- I was prepared to crate Truman and/or confine him to a small area of the house until he was reliably housebroken. I started small by feeding him in the crate and leaving him in for a few minutes at a time. He is an older puppy (four and a half months) and had never seen a crate before we adopted him. He has been in a kennel-setting where he had access to a run 24-7. Naturally, he wasn't very fond of the crate. Within the first week or so, he had very few accidents in the house. But then he did start peeing in the crate. He would cry and whine for hours on end at nighttime. Eventually I figured it was a lost cause, plus Henry never needed crating, so I decided to ditch the crate and try another way. Now, I'm kicking myself because he's going to the bathroom anywhere and everywhere. I have both dogs on a strict feeding schedule. I am trying remedial housetraining- treating him and making a big fuss anytime he does go outside. I go outside with them, showing him an area and using a specific command. But the weather has been pretty nasty, and Truman immediately whines to come back in. It's like a battle of wills- me standing in Pennsylvania January snowstorms saying "go pee!" while he sits and stares. The problem is that I work during the day, so I can't let them out as frequently as I want. I'm thinking I may have to go back to the crate, but I'm nervous to do it since he had such a bad first experience. I also think it stresses Henry out when the puppy freaks out and cries. What do I do??

Truman!

My vote is for the spray. I find that it's quicker and less messy. Henry tolerates just about anything (God bless him). So I pry open his mouth and spray three times after his meals.

Petzlife, Dental Fresh (water additive), and CET Hextra Chews. Henry's four and has never had a dental (crosses fingers).

YES! Mindy was so kind to get back in touch with me. There were two puppies left from the September litter. Our boy's papers say "Whimsey Mystery of Andarab." Sire is "CH Andarab Magic Raven," who, as I understand it, passed away some time ago. They did an artificial insemination with the dam ("CH Whimsey's Tarnished Reputation") I remember Mindy mentioning Yola, but I'm not 100% sure if they are related. Yes, he is an AKC greyhound. We adopted him from Whimsey Greyhounds in PA. I searched high and low for an oops litter, but this just ended up working out better. I contacted someone with AKC who put me in touch with a TON of different breeders.

I'm so sad to hear this. Echo was one of my favorite on GT. Our thoughts are with you.

He is just about four-months-old. I adopted him from Whimsey Greyhounds in Finleyville, PA which is an AKC greyhound breeder. He was intended to be a show dog, but because he's a monorchid (only has one testicle), he is ineligible for AKC confirmation. His coloration is blue brindle dilute (hence the blue eyes). He's been here all of two days and made himself right at home. Very energetic and loves to play, but has a pretty calm demeanor. No accidents in the house, already sleeping through the night on his bed. Very awkward around the kitties- I think he's still trying to figure out what they are. We've discovered that he LOVES playing with toys (especially Henry's lobster). Henry seems very happy. They play in the yard and go for walks side-by-side. We already have him enrolled in obedience training, starting next Saturday with WPA Humane Society. Now we just need to think of a name! Yes!

We don't have a name yet... but this is our new puppy.

Really great advice, everyone!

Henry is a major counter-surfer. I know this is largely my fault because on rare occasion, he has snatched tasty things. After all the obedience training and 'leave it!' commands, I'm finding that this is one of the hardest behaviors to train out of him. It's more than just not leaving stuff sit out. We've taken Hen to fairs, festivals, parties, etc. and he has snatched food right out of someone's hand. During Christmas dinner, he tried stealing food right off the table (relentlessly) until I had to tether him in a different area. I think it's great that he's food-motivated, but it's becoming an issue. Also, trying to distract him with bones and chewies doesn't work. He wants what everyone else is having. Any thoughts?

We went through this with Henry. It started when we got a gravity waterer and he hadn't yet regulated his water intake. So he would get up in the middle of the night having to pee. I soon realized he trained us and began doing it just because he was bored. I'd let him outside and he'd just run around in circles. Best thing you can do is ignore it. After a few nights, Henry stopped. It was pretty much a battle of wills.

Hi Diana! I fostered Flo for a short time (until she tried to eat my kitties) I am so happy to hear she is doing well.

There are a few indoor dog parks in Pittsburgh. A friend of our group owns Urban Dog in Lawrenceville. There is also K9 Kingdom and Camp Bow Wow.

I make Henry a combination of white rice, chicken baby food, and Pedialyte when he has the Big D. I call it "monster mash." I like this combo because it helps him to stay hydrated while giving him a good supply of nutrients. If it's real bad, I use Immodium AD.

I use the CET Hextra chews with great success. They have chlorhexidene that mixes with the dog's saliva and breaks down tartar on the teeth. These are a type of rawhide chew, which some people don't like. I feel safe giving these because I know my dog, and he works on his chewies slowly. I probably wouldn't recommend rawhide for a dog that woofs down their food or eats fast. Henry gets either a VeggieDent or a Hextra chew everyday at lunchtime. I also use Petzlife and brush teeth about twice a week.

I give Henry the same thing. I also give him the Vetri calming treats for new situations. Love both of them.

Poor Jaynie. Very sorry for your loss of Arlie. I think the trick here is to catch her in the act. In obedience training, we worked on "drop it" and replaced the "bad" item with something good. Hopefully with her special diet, there are things she's allowed to chew on. Nylabone, compressed rawhide, even a stuffie would be a good alternative to your purse strap. When you see her chewing on something she shouldn't be, give a command (I like "drop it") and offer her the good item. People asked, "Why would you give them a treat? Isn't that rewarding bad behavior?" The answer is no- it's clarifying the items she's allowed to have in her mouth. If she continually goes back to a particular thing, especially when you're not home, you may want to try bitter apple or a chew deterrent. Also, try to do everything possible to make her feel more comfortable with the stressful loss of her friend. You might like this article. Best of luck.

Very unusual for a dog to just start peeing like that, especially when he previously did well with housetraining. Some UTIs don't show up on tests, so I would definitely run a course of antibiotics to be on the safe side. If it persists, think about trying a belly band. Sometimes when male dogs start becoming more confident in their surroundings, they will mark. Some greys hate going outside in the cold weather, so depending on where you live, he may be uncomfortable outside. Either way, you want to discourage this behavior by interrupting him when he tries to pee (a sharp "uh uh!") and immediately take him outside. Wait for him to pee, then praise and treat him.

As the others have been saying, the crate may be your problem. When I first got Henry, our adoption group talked up the crate ("They love their crate! It's a safe den for them!") Some greys don't like being crated. Henry NEVER did. He freaked out and cried incessantly when crated. When we finally stopped trying to crate him, he would still pee and poop outside the crate until we actually took it down. Another thing you mentioned- he cries whenever the cat walks by. That's fairly normal, because (although unintentionally), it's like the cat is taunting him. He's saying, "How come you are free, and I'm not?? I know you are skeptical to leave him out of the crate due to the accidents. I would make it a priority to do potty training with him. When he goes outside in his designated spot, praise him and give him a treat. Make sure he's on a schedule, and only bring him in once he's done his business. There is a really good book called "Housebreaking Your Dog in Seven Days." Even "Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies" has a good section on housetraining. From what you've said, it doesn't sound like Bruce is a nervous dog with huge amounts of separation anxiety (especially since he was quiet and slept for most of the day). Best of luck to you! Please keep us posted. Edited: IMO, I wouldn't use puppy pads or newspaper on the floor when you're gone. Sends the message that it's okay to go in the house. You want Bruce to think of the whole apartment as his den. Maybe okay for smaller breeds or older dogs with limited bladder control, but I wouldn't recommend them. Greyhounds are really good at holding it if they're well trained.

Henry is certified TDI also. But he yawns in any and every situation. I'd hate to think he's always nervous?

I did find some evidence about the Natural Balance recall. Lots of differing opinions, but everything I've read about corn meal as a primary ingredient is less than favorable. Dog Food Advisor gives SD 2 stars. Hopefully Henry does well on the TOTW Sierra Mountain. As a last resort, I'll switch him back.

Update: I went to the pet food store today (I use a smaller local store in Pittsburgh called Burton's Total Pet). I explained the situation to the manager, and she was SUPER helpful. She said that a lot of dogs have allergies to venison. Natural Balance recently recalled their venison-based food for dogs and cats because it was causing kidney failure. She said the Science Diet is not a "bad" food, but that it has large amounts of corn meal. Apparently, dogs have a difficult time digesting corn products, so it can line the intestines and actually rot. This can lead to cancer in some dogs. So, I decided to use a different formula of TOTW (Sierra Mountain) because it has lamb as the primary protein source. She said the fish-based TOTW is good too, but it has a lot of omega fatty acids that can sometimes cause diarrhea. Also, if anyone is ever looking to switch foods, there is a product you can sprinkle on daily to ease them into the new food. It's called "Holistic Transition" by Eagle Pack.

Alright, I think what I'm going to do is try a bag of the TOTW Sierra Mountain. It's made with lamb, which is the same protein source that he was on before. If he still has problems, I'll switch back to Science Diet. I hope I ultimately don't have to go back to SD because (even though I had no health concerns), Henry didn't seem crazy about eating it. It was like "eh" take it or leave it. I will say that it's funny how so much literature is out there regarding food quality- everything is pushing for the grain-free diets. Maybe it's just a passing phase.