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    husky_Lover's Avatar
    husky_Lover Posts: 7, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Oct 16, 2006, 08:28 PM
    5 1/2 month old puppy still having accidents inside
    I have never had a puppy before, my previous dog was potty trained when I got her. But I am having problems with accident inside the house every day.. I started taking her out to potty every hour as suggested by the trainer and now if I don't take her every 45 minutes to an hour all the time she has an accident inside. Everyone I've spoken says she shouldn't be doing that anymore. I took her to the vet about this and they said there is nothing wrong with her. I just don't know what to do anymore... I've tried ignoring it, that didn't work and I've also tried reacting to it, but nothing is working. Anyone know what I can do to stop this?
    educatedhorse_2005's Avatar
    educatedhorse_2005 Posts: 500, Reputation: 78
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    #2

    Oct 16, 2006, 08:38 PM
    What kind of dog is it.
    labman's Avatar
    labman Posts: 10,580, Reputation: 551
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    #3

    Oct 17, 2006, 05:25 AM
    I would think she should be doing better by now. You might try limiting her water. Maybe let her drink her fill before taking her out each time.

    The big thing is to learn to read her and teach her to go to the door when she needs to go out. You need to start over again doing it right. There is a lot of poor advice about dogs out there. I see a lot of both bad advice and people having trouble. I started with very good instructions and have refined them through housebreaking 15 puppies since 1991. My 11 week old Holly is doing very well, the only accidents the last few weeks were when I fell asleep without putting her in her crate.
    Much of housebreaking is not training the puppy, but making it easier for your
    Puppy, you, and your carpet while its body to catches up to its instincts. At
    Around 8 weeks when the puppy goes to its new home, the time from when it
    Realizes it has to go, and when it can't wait any longer is a matter of
    Seconds. Only time will fix that. You can hardly be expected to be attentive
    Enough to avoid all accidents There is no sense punishing the puppy for your
    Inattention. It is not fair to punish you either, but you still have to clean
    It up if you didn't have the puppy outside in time.

    Housebreaking starts before you get home with the new puppy. If you don't have
    A crate, buy one. I prefer the more enclosed, den like plastic ones. Skip the
    Bedding. At first it gets wet, and later it can be chewed into choking
    Hazards. A wire rack in the bottom will help keep the puppy up out of
    Accidents at first. They are available with the crates, but a piece of closely
    Spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is cheaper. If you
    Already have a metal crate, covering it may help. Just make sure you use
    Something the puppy can't pull in and chew. Dogs that start in crates as
    Little puppies, accept them very well. Never leave an unattended puppy loose
    In the house. If nobody can watch it, put it in the crate. I suggest letting
    The dog have its crate all its life.

    Choose a command and spot you want it to use. The less accessible to strays,
    The less chance of serious disease. If it is a female, choosing a
    Non grassy spot will avoid brown spots later. When you bring it home, take it
    To the spot and give it the command in a firm, but friendly voice. Keep
    Repeating the command and let the puppy sniff around. If it does anything,
    Praise it. Really let it know what a good dog it is and how much you love it,
    And maybe a treat. Note, being out there not only means you can praise it,
    But it also keeps it from being snatched by a hawk. If it doesn't go, take it
    Inside and give it a drink and any meals scheduled. A young puppy will need to
    Go out immediately afterward. Go to the spot and follow the above routine.
    Praising it if it goes is extremely important. If it doesn't go, take it back
    Inside and put it in its crate and try again soon. Do not let it loose in the
    House until it does go.

    At first it is your responsibility to know and take the puppy out when it
    Needs to go. It needs to go out the first thing in the morning, after eating,
    Drinking, and sleeping. If it quits playing, and starts running around
    Sniffing, it is looking for a place to go. Take it out quickly. You will just
    Have to be what I call puppy broke until it is a little older.

    By the time most dogs are about 3 months old, they have figured out that if
    They go to the door and stand, you will let them out. The praise slowly shifts
    To going to the door. Some people hang a bell there for the dog to paw. If
    Your dog doesn't figure this out, try praising it and putting it out if it
    Even gets near the door. A stern "Bad dog!" is all the punishment that is
    Effective, and only when you catch it in the act and are sure you didn't miss
    It going to the door. Clean up accidents promptly. I mostly keep the little
    Puppies out of the carpeted rooms. Still I need the can of carpet foam
    Sometimes. First blot up all the urine you can with a dry towel. Keep moving
    It and stepping on it until a fresh area stays dry. A couple big putty knives
    Work well on bowel movements. Just slide one under it while holding it with
    The other. This gets it up with a minimum of pushing it down into the carpet.
    This works with even relatively soft ones, vomit, dirt from over turned house
    Plants, or anything else from solids to thick liquids. Finish up with a good
    Shot of carpet foam. Note, do not let the puppy lick up the carpet foam.
    Once the dog is reliably housebroken, your carpet may need a good steam cleaning.

    Many people strongly strongly push cleaning up all evidence of past accidents. I am slower to suggest that. Dogs will return to the same spot if they can find it. When you see one sniffing the spot, that is your clue to run it out.
    husky_Lover's Avatar
    husky_Lover Posts: 7, Reputation: 1
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    #4

    Oct 17, 2006, 06:55 AM
    That's the problem.. she tells me she has to go most of the time with the occasional time she decided to pee for no reason.. she is almost 6 months old and I still have to take her out every 45 minutes or so.. it's like she doesn't want to learn how to hold it while she's out of her crate.. cause when she is in it she will hold it for 6 hours plus. I tried limiting her water and got no results.. I was hardly giving her water all all at one time but she was still peeing in the house
    labman's Avatar
    labman Posts: 10,580, Reputation: 551
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    #5

    Oct 17, 2006, 07:24 AM
    It really calls for close supervision and learning the signs she need to go. Use gates or doors to keep her in the same room. I have this computer desk located where I can see a puppy at the back door out of the corner of my eye. Our other computer desk has a short length of chain to keep the puppy right there. Some people even leash the puppy to them.

    Also, one of the advantages of the crate is that it restricts movement. When a dog is free to move around, it needs to relieve itself more often than when in a crate.
    husky_Lover's Avatar
    husky_Lover Posts: 7, Reputation: 1
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    #6

    Oct 17, 2006, 07:27 AM
    I did that when she was younger.. I can't put her on a chain or leash now.. she'll just drag me or the object across the room, she likes to sleep and chew her bone and play at the front door.. which I can see from where I'm sitting. But if I strap her to my side she won't leave me alone. She's a Siberian Husky so she's pretty strong.
    cspeeks's Avatar
    cspeeks Posts: 20, Reputation: 2
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    #7

    Oct 17, 2006, 01:15 PM
    OK here's 2 more things you can try... one when cleaning up doggy messes never using anything with ammonia in it... ammonia is the same thing that is in urine so that can be missleading sometimes causing the dog to think , "if the human didn't clean my mess and I can still smell it then this is where I should go", on the flip side of that using a cap full of ammonia on the place you want them to go can sometimes help. Also if you have ever used "puppy pads" this can be confusing to the young one to as it tells them its OK to go inside, puppy pads are really made for the emergency " I can't hold it's" not the "ok here is where you should go. If you try all the things labman suggest as well as the other things and you are CONSISTENT with it and nothing works then you may want to try another vet because that normally means the little one has a different kind of problem
    husky_Lover's Avatar
    husky_Lover Posts: 7, Reputation: 1
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    #8

    Oct 17, 2006, 02:37 PM
    I don't use ammonia, I use the puppy cleaner from the pet store. As I mentioned most of the time she will tell me she has to go, it's the other times when she just decided to squat where she stands is the problem. As I mentioned she'll soon be 6 months old and I'm still taking her out every 45 minutes to an hour. Trainer said as she gets better with the hourly outing it can be extended by a few minutes more but I'm finding sometimes its actually going backwards. I've had her checked by 2 different vets and tests done and there is nothing wrong. So I'm wondering if this is just the case with puppies and they will stop after 7 or 8 months. Someone told me that female dogs usually take longer to fully potty train before there is no accidents in the home and that it will stop between 7 to 10 months or so. Somehow though I find it abit strange. I just thought someone who had a female husky or any dog could tell me if they had this problem or not.
    labman's Avatar
    labman Posts: 10,580, Reputation: 551
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    #9

    Oct 17, 2006, 06:24 PM
    I have done 15 young puppies, mostly females, since 1991 and frequently sit other young puppies. I have never seen a problem like that or heard of one from others doing the same thing.

    Not sure I have more ideas, except that a head collar is very effective to stop pulling. The leading brands are Promise, Haltie, and Gentle Leader. They have a strap going around the dogs nose looking something like a muzzle. They work by pulling the dogs head around. No other way gives you such great control with so little force. The prong collar is now a dangerous relic of value only for its macho looks. Do not consider using one without hands on instruction from somebody with plenty of experience with them.
    husky_Lover's Avatar
    husky_Lover Posts: 7, Reputation: 1
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    #10

    Oct 17, 2006, 06:51 PM
    I don't have a problem with pulling.. she's pretty good with it. But to give u another example of what she has done today.. I came home from work tonight and amiditly took her out.. she pee'd 2x and pooped once.. took her inside and was just putting afew things away about 15 minutes after we got inside when I turned around and caught her pooping on the floor.. no warning at all. Maybe I should just put dieapers on her LOL.
    labman's Avatar
    labman Posts: 10,580, Reputation: 551
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    #11

    Oct 17, 2006, 07:32 PM
    Perhaps I have been slow to recognize a challenge to your leadership. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/

    Exactly what goes on in those furry little heads is hard to say. Could you be convinced she is doing it deliberately to prove that you can't control her? If so, continue all the above, plus the obedience training plus implementing the rules at http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm

    Now is a good time to get her spayed too.
    wolfboy's Avatar
    wolfboy Posts: 32, Reputation: 4
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    #12

    Oct 17, 2006, 08:14 PM
    Does she go immediately after you let her out of her crate.
    Or does she wait the 45 minutes.
    Siberian Huskies require a lot of training before they are house broke.
    I have been raising siberian huskies 1993.
    I have only successfully trained one to be completely house broke.

    How much time do you allow her outside each day.
    Maybe the reason she wants to go pee all the time is because she needs to be more active.
    Siberian Huskies are a very active breed of dog.
    Is there any way to leave her outside for half an hour at a time.
    If so try it then bring her in and see how long it is till she needs to go back out.
    husky_Lover's Avatar
    husky_Lover Posts: 7, Reputation: 1
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    #13

    Oct 18, 2006, 06:33 AM
    Giving an example she was taken out to potty last night about 9:15 when I got home from work... she did 2 pee's and a poop and then just dropped to the grass and started rolling in the wet grass. So I walked her around the complex and came back inside.. within 15 minutes she decided to poop again in my kitchen with no warning which usually she tells me when she has to go. I don't have a back yard cause I live in a condo mind u, my place is huge so there is no trouble for her to run around if she needs to, not to mention she has a room all to herself if she wants it and sometimes she goes there... it's where her crate is.
    She has been in obience school, and other than the accidents inside she's a very good dog. She listens to me when I give her a command, doesn't touch the furniture, never chews anything other than her toys or bones, the nipping that used to be a problem afew months ago r almost completely gone since all her baby teeth r pretty much out and the jumping rarely happens anymore cause I've been working on it constantly. She's a very happy dog and active dog, I take her to the leash free park about 4 times a week depending on the weather.. if it's raining we don't go cause then she's covered in mud and soaked and we r out there for anywhere from 1 hour to 2 1/2 hours. She plays with the other doggies out there and has some regular doggies that she recognises and made friends with.So the activity is not a problem, not to mention when I take her to the family's place and everyone has to have a turn playing with her, so by the end of the evening when we get home she pretty much just lays down at the door and goes to sleep. She is crate trained but seems to still cry when I put her in there and she knows I am home. Sctually it's not crying it's down right screaming like if an animal is being tortured.. but it doesn't happen as often anymore. Guess it depends on the day and how she is feeling.At night she sleeps in my room in her own bed that I bought her and is usually pretty good and doesn't wake up in the middle of the night anymore for a potty break... if I crate her at night I'm lucky to get 3 hours sleep cause she'll cry all night and wants to pee and be near me.When I first got her I crated her at night and for about 2 months rarely slept very well cause her crying all night. I found when she she slept in the bedroom she was more relaxed and happy and didn't bother me at night at all.I spoke to out trainer and she said it may be a behavioural problem and she wants to check it out. But I don't understand how it can be that... can someone explain?
    labman's Avatar
    labman Posts: 10,580, Reputation: 551
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    #14

    Oct 18, 2006, 07:08 AM
    Forcing you to let her sleep in the bedroom with you shows she does not fully accept you as leader. Some obedience classes and trainers are useless or worse in teaching the concept as the owner as top dog. Top dogs aren't drill sergeants, but more the old fashioned strict but loving parent. Let me point out that the walks you take can be a powerful tool, but must be done right. She needs to have her front legs at your legs in the proper heel position and a loose lead.

    The loose lead is very important. Use the head collar I suggested yesterday if you need to. I met with the trainer from the school my Holly belongs to yesterday. She suggested I put 11 week old Holly in a Gentle Leader to nip her pulling in the bud. It actually should make outings with her more pleasant.
    husky_Lover's Avatar
    husky_Lover Posts: 7, Reputation: 1
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    #15

    Oct 18, 2006, 07:15 AM
    I don't force her to sleep in my bedroom.. she goes into it willingly, and I never minded her in there for I can see her and know what she's doing at night... she's usually in there before I even get there. And I tried a gentle lead before and found it was more diffuclt to control for me cause she would be in all differnet directions... As I mentioned walking her and pulling is never a problem.

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