Hi there,

We have been housesitting in the Gers for 4 months now. We look after two cats(no problem) and 2 dogs, one of whom is now 6 months old. Our problem is how to housetrain a puppy who does not want to be housetrained!!! We have tried everything but nothing seems to work, and trust me it is not nice to get up every morning to clear up piles of dog poo!!! Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

Thanks Sue

Edited: 12/29/2007 at 03:42 AM by mickanduse

Hi,
Years agao when I had a dog I went outside withhim once every hour. Wehn he would make a poo or wee then I praise him. If he did something in the house within the hour I would show him the mess and tell him off and bring him outside. Praise again if he makes something outside.

Make sure you let him out or even better walk just before you go to bed. Hopefully he will be fine the night.

sucess
katrin

Hi Sue:

I found when training our dogs, that taking them outside on a regular schedule to run around a bit, (such as first thing when you get up, at noon, just before dinner, and before bed) helps.

They look forward to the run and do their business at the same time, and before you know it they ask to be let out on their own.
Dogs have a great built in clock for something they look forward to, and depending on the personality of the dog, once they get used to a schedule, they won't let you forget it. LOL

Deb

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Edited: 12/29/2007 at 05:43 AM by IanLWhite

Does the puppy pee/poop in the same spots? If so then it is important to use a really good cleaner (specifically for getting rid of animal odours). I am not sure of brands or anything but somebody might know of a good one out there. If he can still smell his last pee or poop then it might encourage him to use that spot again (even if we can't smell the remains they often can).

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It's not the destination it's the glory of the ride!

Hi! I'm surprised you don't have him crated overnight. The absolute best way to ENSURE they don't mess in the house while you are asleep is to give them a bedroom of their own. Buy a dog crate a little larger than you think they will need when they are an adult, set it beside your bed, if you like, and let him sleep there overnight. Not only will he not mess in the house, but he likely won't mess in the crate (as they don't like to mess where they sleep).

Of course, then the other ideas are good ones: take him out regularly so he has plenty of opportunity to go outside. Praise and treat them when they do go outside, if you like (I never have). And you do need to 'industrial' clean the spots where he has gone, or he (and other dogs that come into your house) will think it's okay to go there ... but my BESTEST suggestion is ...

Hang a bell on a string on the doorknob of the door he usually goes out. Everytime you let him out, the bell will ring naturally from the movement of the door. He will associate the sound of the bell with the opening of the door and, when he needs to go outside, he will begin to take his nose to ring the bell to let you he wants to go out! I swear by it!!! It's so easy, and nearly foolproof (I did have one dog that would ring the bell every time he was bored and wanted to go outside just to see what was going on [check my bowl, check to see if someone wants to play with me, ring the bell so I can see what is going on outside], but that was better than having him pee on the floor.

Good luck!

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Hello,
Well, I am wondering why the owner did not leave instructions, a trainer, a class that they would use themselves so that their dog would be properly trained as they would want and would do if they were not away. Leaving a puppy to a person that is not a dog trainer is baffling to me. Puppies must learn at the early stage as to prevent a real hassle later on when they are bigger.
My idea would be to get online to read up on it, go to a pet store - get suggestions.
And then again, maybe the puppy has a health problem.
Let us know how it works out for you.
Sincerely,
R~~

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R&R~~

Hi,
"Baby gates" for restricting the area and puppy pads (flat "diapers") for the floor.
No crates needed. Easy clean-up.
My daughter is doing this now with her 2 new fellas: a maltese and a yorkie-poo.
Works fabulous!

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Pavement Ends...Life Begins

I think the idea of letting the dogs out on a regular basis is great. But, if accidents do happen, you must stick his nose in it, not actually touching the poo, and say no, outside! Even throw the poo outside with the dog. At night, you can leave newspaper by the door in case he has tried to get to the door, but can't make it. Praise is the key to having good behavior repeated, so when he does go outside, repeat and repeat good dog, and also treats are very appropriate.

I am also surpised that the owners would leave a young puppy. I did housesit 2 years ago for a women that had 5 dogs and it was hard. She wanted to chain the dogs up at night around the dining room table and they all had to go out at like 5am or they would poop/pee on the dining room floor. We worked out a routine and it finished well, although the way she wanted me to handle it was a little cruel, I thought.

Anyone have any bad experiences or unusual demands in housesitting pets?

Marla

Edited: 12/29/2007 at 01:44 PM by marlal6

Thanks for your reply. This house owner really had no choice but to leave her dogs with us. Her husband died suddenly who was the carer for the dogs and she was desperate for a housesitter. That is not to say that we weren;t suitable; I have had dogs in the past, but unfortunately (or fortunately for me) they were easy to house train. This puppy defies everything and everybody and although we have resorted to a puppy cage at night, which seems to work, we are reluctant to leave him in it when we have to leave him during the day. This then results in a mess and we were wondering how to overcome this without resulting in having to leave him in the cage during the day.

Other than the mess he is really well behaved and a lovely puppy and we don't have to put him on a lead at all on our walks together as he is very obedient, except for his soiling.

Still, I don't suppose we can have everying.

Hello Sue, It's actually too much to ask a puppy to last for 6-8 hours +. They cannot hang on that long. It's physically impossible until they become older!!! Also punishing the puppy can cause distress and he will associate your anger with his toilet habits and try to do it secretly making it harder for you! Taking him out on a regular basis, or when he looks like he is looking for somewhere to go, is preferable. It is important to stay outside with the puppy till it goes and reward with treats and praises. If it is just sent outside it will just try to get back in and go once inside!!! The odour must be removed from accident spots. The best things are products available from vets etc., or Biozet washing powder solution. Also when having puppy in a confined area its good to have a plastic sheet under a layer of paper, so any messes can be cleaned up more easily! Good luck and lots of patience, Ingrid.

Maybe you should try to go out and walk around the yard with the puppy every couple of hours. Sometimes putting their own pop in a spot outside will encourage them to go there next time. I think there were some really good points raised here. Puppies and even full grown dogs don't like to be sent outside and wonder what they did wrong and they will probably be upset or afraid and come back in the house where they are comfortable and let it go. Young dogs don't have the bladder capacity to hold it for very long. Its a delicate matter and all kids (pups} are different. It is my experience that most dogs want to please you at any cost. But you have to gently guide them in the right direction. After initial training they will be the most loyal and loving members of your family and everyone will be happy. But it can be a long haul...especially if you are house-sitting temporarily. This situation sounds like an investment in your time that you will probably see no personal benefit in return...except a happy trained puppy. ds

Hi there - concerning a way to clean up where the puppy has left his mark - I have heard that wiping down the area with lavender oil will deter any recurrences. Dogs just don' tlike the smell of it and will avoid the area. (I guess this will only work if the puppy goes in the same place ever time.)

What a neat idea with the bell on the door, I'll give that one a try right away!

Thanks,

rstaples

Edited: 02/19/2008 at 09:45 AM by HonestlyHousesitter