How Long Did It Take You To Fully Housebreak?

[adudle00]

How long did it take you to fully housebreak and what was your method of training?

[alipac]

We were lucky, ours was immediately housebroken. The first time he spotted our couch, he tried to claim it. We said "no" and took him outside. He never tried to mark again.

 

When he has to go out, he goes to the door and gives a little whine, or if we don't hear him, he will bark at the door to the back yard.

 

In the three years he has lived with us, Jake has had a total of 1 accident in the house when someone shut the door to the gameroom and forgot he was there.

[JohnF]

My Peggy was described as "very clean in her kennel". Fortunately she decided that the entire indoors was up to kennel standards and that the outdoors was where you 'go'. So it was instant. Of course I knew when to anticipate the need and put her outside at appropriate times.

[PrairieProf]

No time at all, really. I just took her out frequently, and crated her when I was out (I still do) and at night initially as well. The three pee accidents Beth had in the first few months I had her were really about MY learning the patterns of when to expect she needed to go or how to read signs of urgency (she is my first dog). We still go out on a very religious schedule -- I don't wait for signs she needs to go. I am also extra vigilant in new environments. We usually leash walk and I walk her until she goes.

Edited January 10, 2013 by PrairieProf

[Sambuca]

Bu took about 2 months, but be only had about 3 accidents in that time. New places are a different story though especially since he has car and other anxiety. Sailor also took a couple months until I figured out his needs. Hes very pretty, but not so smart so he had no idea how to tell me he needed to go out. Hes still not great at telling me, but I can read him much better and know how often he needs to go. Most fosters take a week or two max to figure it out. Some as little as a day.

[a_daerr]

The actual "training" to housebreak an adult dog can take as little as a week, but keep in mind that a dog isn't considered 100% housebroken until he's gone 30 days without an accident. The more vigilant you are about (1) supervising and (2) crating or confining when you can't supervise, the less time the entire process takes. If the dog has had many accidents in the house, it may take awhile to counter-condition that thinking. Everyone's time varies, because everyone's training method varies. Some dogs just seem to naturally "get it." But I would say most dogs need to be taught and gradually earn privileges before they can be allowed to roam free without supervision.

 

Unfortunately, I didn't have great housebreaking experiences with either of my dogs. Henry took maybe 3 months to be considered reliable. This was mostly due to mistakes we made in the beginning- free feeding him, not putting him on a strict enough schedule, not supervising closely enough, giving him too much trust too soon. Other things to consider- NEVER punish your dog for going in the house unless you catch him in the act. Punishing only teaches the dog not to go in front of you. If you come home and find that your dog messed in the house, go get the newspaper, roll it up, and hit yourself on the head with it because that means you did something wrong in the training.

 

My favorite housebreaking resource is "How to Housebreak Your Dog in 7 Days" by Shirlee Kalstone. Although it's easy to read (it's more like a lengthy pamphlet, you could read it cover to cover and maybe 2 hours), it's also extremely comprehensive.

[Guest cwholsin]

It took Hermes upwards of 6 months to be reliably housebroken. He was a difficult boy. We praised like crazy when he went outside, tried to interrupt him when he'd pee inside (he'd be crestfallen that he did something that made us unhappy, but it didn't stop him from peeing in the house) and tried keeping to a strict schedule, but it just took him FOREVER to get it. Nash was a bounce, so he came housetrained minus SA accidents. And my borzoi puppy was by far the easiest to housetrain. It took her maybe a week and a half at 3 months, and then she'd go to the door to go out and bark at us if we didn't getthe message! She's crated when she's left at home (not often since she's in training to be my service dog) and doesn't have accidents in the house, in the crate, or anywhere we go. It took the better part of 2 years to teach Hermes not to mark for the most part. No idea why Hermes was so hard to housetrain, he was 3 when we got him and no medical issues compounding it! Thank god those days are over

[Guest snoopycomehome]

I guess we lucked out with Dragon and Gypsy! The first day when we taught them the dog door, they were trained. We have had two accidents in two years...both were Dragon and both times it was raining hard outside.

 

Gypsy, on the other hand, likes to 'mark' tiny little puddles in certain places in the carpet at MIL's house (she has two small dogs). She is dh's dog, though, so usually it is his issue to clean up. I might make her some doggie panties before the next time we go visit, though.

[Guest cwholsin]

Doggie panties!! Hehehe!

[a_daerr]

Doggie panties!! Hehehe!

 

I think these actually exist! The equivalent to belly bands for girls- they're called 'bad girl panties!'

[racindog]

I have 4 housedogs-3 greyts and a maligator. Only greyhound Bobber is reliably housebroke. Gilly Boy will make a terrible mess sometimes even if I'm only gone for an hour or so. I have had dogs that seemed to insantly be realiably housebroken. Had some it took a little while to figure out. Have some now that I really don't think ever will. I just do a lot of washing and cleaning-don't even think about it anymore.

[Guest KsFrets]

Magnus peed in his crate from SA when we got him, every time we left. That stopped the day we brought Maggie home. Other than a couple sick tummy episodes, Maggie has never had an accident in 5 years. Lisa came to us three years ago, good to go, and has never had an accident. Our little non-grey was a stray, and came to us house broken. However, she has had several accidents in the basement near the cat box. She is no longer allowed in that room, and has been fine since.

[Fruitycake]

Over the first two months Monty had a few accidents, but moreso because we didn't understand his very exceptionally subtle signals (and he was shy about doing anything when on leash, and we have no fenced yard). And the last accident was because my husband ignored Monty's obvious signals and my stating outright "Monty has to go potty and that's why he's whining" as I went to bed and hubby was playing his video game. So Monty found the closest thing to outside (a large potted plant on the floor in a seldom used room) and tried to be a good boy. Hubby caught him ("hmm, dog is now absent and silent...") and then took him outside after interrupting him loudly...which woke me up and I was fit to kill him. Hubby, NOT the dog. Hubby certainly became "potty trained" by that situation, and never told Monty again "just a few more minutes."

 

I'm better at reading the signals, which are still pretty subtle (Monty whines a lot, but I can hear the difference in the "I want to play" "I want to eat" "I'm bored" and "I need to potty" whines...hubby still hasn't gotten that good). If it were just hubby, there might still be accidents....

[Guest brandi007]

Foxy was immediate, within the first week. Sophie was good in the beginning but as she aged she got worse. She had incontinence issues which I think just got worse and worse the older she got, it got to the point that we ended up putting her in pretty supergirl lacy panties and diapers everyday as seen in the video below

 

Hannah....oy Hannah. We are currently on the first week since I've had her (got her November 2007) that she's been allowed free range of the house and hasn't messed on the floor. Hannah is the worst animal I've ever had for messing in the house, you would literally lose track of her for 3 minutes and she would go find somewhere to poop in the house, if you crated her - she pooped in the crate and was covered in it by the time I got home.

 

What ended up working for me was making 'pee pee' a party. I would get SUPER excited whenever I asked her if she had to go 'pee pee' and then I would stand outside with her and she would tons of praise the second she squatted (she had to actually be i the act of pooing/peeing to get the praise), on the way back in she would get a treat and tons of praise for doing a 'good pee pee'. If I ever caught her going in the house I'd give a sharp "AH!" just to interrupt her and repeat the happy pee pee ritual described above.

 

When left alone I worked with her one room at a time, first it was a crate, then an x-pen, then a bedroom, to a floor, to 2 floors and now finally, she gets the whole house. Still to this day, every time Hannah goes outside she gets the whole pee-pee party treatment

 

Dallas on the other hand has never had an accident.

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

I might make her some doggie panties before the next time we go visit, though.

 

I totally recommend this. I had to make bad boy panties for one of my cats earlier this year. He had gotten a urinary blockage and started spraying (ME -- ick) once he was feeling better. Thankfully it was only a phase, but the panties worked quite well.

 

I used a small dog buckle collar for around his waist, then made the panties with straps that went around his legs and attached to the collar. They covered his bits and stayed on, which I bet will be much easier to accomplish with a dog than a cat!

[Guest cwholsin]

We'll be using chastity panties twice a year for our puppy once she comes of age. And I guess I jinxed myself talking about how well housebroken she is--she just peed in the basement in the middle of playing with me. Doh! >.o

Edited January 11, 2013 by cwholsin

[Brandiandwe]

We've had Brandi a year. One accident in the past month - new years day, it was too hot to walk them far so she didn't empty fully and then they were alone and there were fireworks. Not her fault. She has a twitchy bladder anyhow.

 

Paige is perfect.

[tydyelady]

Well, we have just welcomed Toley to our home last night. Was not anticipating adopting so soon after losing our Opie, but this dog wa chosen for us I guess! Anyways, we were told he had some issues with marking inside, so we but a belly band with bladder pad on him. Last night when we got him home, there were only a few drops in the pad, so not too bad. Over night he slept very well, but DH said he heard him get up about 4:30 and walk around. I think that was when he actually peed cuz the pad was soaked in the AM. This is also around the time his foster dad got up (4:30-5), so I think we just have to retrain his schedule. This am he had a morning walk, about 8AM, had breakfast, and I was trying to watch him, but he darted out of my site for 30 seconds, and must have marked, as the pad was suddenly wet. DH took him out immediately. We will try to watch him more carefully, and maybe take him out again shortly after eating.