# I thought we were done house training! Guess not.



## BuddysMommy (Jul 18, 2011)

Buddy has done such a great job with crate training that I thought we were actually done. During this crate training period I got all the carpets shampooed to get any smells up we may have missed so he doesn't go there again. He now goes potty every time he goes outside. He goes right away and after he's done and gets his treat he is immediately ready to come back in (it's getting cold outside!). He has a very subtle way of letting us know he has to go potty but he does let us know. He will go to the door and just sit there a minute. If no one comes then he will find me and just stare at me. It's subtle but enough to let me know he needs to go out. He has been doing that for a few days now and no accidents in a couple weeks. He has been out of the crate most of the day for 2 days now, except at night and still no accidents. So I figured we were done and he was all house trained....wrong! I just noticed he peed on the corner of a chair this morning...uh...my heart sank! He gave me no indication he had to go out! So I guess we are back in the crate or on a leash again. Does anyone know when I will know he is house-trained? I suppose it is probably just a trial and error thing, huh?


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## romeo&juliet (Jun 23, 2011)

Well let me enlighten you i learned with a boy i needed to watch and make sure he peed a few times atleast more than once so i went form letting him go out only 5 minutes to actually giving him 15-20 yep i was shocked at how many times he peed during that time yes a few more than twice. I also learned that they will have accidents it all depends on whats going on for mine which i have boy and girl if they get distracted play too much which they do all the time they like to forget about its potty time so i have to make sure i tell them potty go potty and they will.. Routine even if they dont tell me they got to go i will take them outside for my comfort to make sure and they will go and yes the still have accidents very far in between but it really is now at 14 months that i absolutely believe that they are potty trained where they know outside is potty time. Also mine have accidents when they get sick and i can deal with that. I thought plenty of times that mine where potty trained but it took a day por two and bam :w00t: accident its like if they said well now we are out and free lets pee and poop in the house :HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley: and then yes i would put them back in the crate and no freedom at night and supervised during the day :aktion033: Eventually with the routine and schedule it worked...:thumbsup: the cold i wouldnt know see in florida it gets cold but not as cold as other places my babies hate the rain and wet grass and i have to pick the up take them outside or they will hold it till they turn blue..:blink: im not an expert but i hope this helped a little.


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## romeo&juliet (Jun 23, 2011)

OMG chicago cold how can you live in that cold :w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t:maybe some boots or socks on his paws will help keep his paws warm.. and he wont be too hesitant of wanting to go out more :thumbsup:


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## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

Peed on the corner of a chair? Are you sure that wasn't marking? Has he been neutered yet?


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

shellbeme said:


> Peed on the corner of a chair? Are you sure that wasn't marking? Has he been neutered yet?


That's exactly what I was thinking!

It sounds more like he was marking his territory. I know you adopted him as an adult. Is he neutered? Do you know how old he was when he was neutered?

Marking can be a problem in male dogs. You may have to restrict his area and keep him in his crate or a pen when you can't watch him.


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## BuddysMommy (Jul 18, 2011)

I was wondering that too about the marking but I figured since we have had him since July he would be done marking inside the house by now. We don't have any other animals other than an hamster so he wouldn't need to mark over another scent. He is approximately 3 yrs old. I had him neutered 2 days after we got him so he has only been neutered 3 months or so. It's amazing how quickly they can sneak away to do their business and come right back! You think you have an eye on them but really unless they are in the same room with you, you don't, lol. He doesn't mind being crated or leashed (on the leash he thinks we are going somewhere though, :HistericalSmiley so I am just going to have to continue the way we have been doing to be sure he doesn't have any accidents.


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## BuddysMommy (Jul 18, 2011)

romeo&juliet said:


> OMG chicago cold how can you live in that cold :w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t:maybe some boots or socks on his paws will help keep his paws warm.. and he wont be too hesitant of wanting to go out more :thumbsup:


Yes! We have a sweater for him now and I have been looking into getting him a winter coat and snow boots too. I found some "all weather boots" but I wanted to try them on him first because they looked a little big for him. It's just now getting cold enough to where he needs something warming than the sweater...plus we just had his hair cut so that makes a big difference! I told the groomer that with all the hair she cut off him I could make him a fur coat, LOL. He came from Missouri which isn't a whole lot warmer in the winter than here so I think he is used to it. It was in the 60's last week and even that weather he loves to be outside in. It is just now getting down in the 50's this week and he isn't interested in hanging out long so it's time for warm clothes for him! I'm excited to pick out a cute coat for him, lol. It's like having a baby again


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## spookiesmom (Mar 28, 2010)

I had 2 males at the same time, not malts. Vulfie would get anxious, and pace a bit. Rooney would stare at me. Unless I wasn't home. Then he peed on my new leather couch, and the walls. He had bladder stones, and couldn't help it.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

BuddysMommy said:


> I was wondering that too about the marking but I figured since we have had him since July he would be done marking inside the house by now. We don't have any other animals other than an hamster so he wouldn't need to mark over another scent. He is approximately 3 yrs old. I had him neutered 2 days after we got him so he has only been neutered 3 months or so. It's amazing how quickly they can sneak away to do their business and come right back! You think you have an eye on them but really unless they are in the same room with you, you don't, lol. He doesn't mind being crated or leashed (on the leash he thinks we are going somewhere though, :HistericalSmiley so I am just going to have to continue the way we have been doing to be sure he doesn't have any accidents.


Since he wasn't neutered until he was three years old, marking is an established behavior and may be more difficult to stop. I know some people who have adopted adult males, especially those used as studs, have to use belly bands. Do you know if he was ever bred?

It sounds like he does well when he's confined to a smaller area or leashed, so I wouldn't resort to belly bands at this point. Just keep doing what you are doing. Rescues are always a work in progress for the first year IMO.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

When you give a dog freedom, it needs to be in small amounts - not the entire house all at once. I would go back to the basics. 3 weeks of perfect behavior and increase his space a small amount. When you add space he needs to be supervised in that space. 3 weeks of perfect behavior, add a bit more space, etc. 

So, for example, with my last pup once we had out 3 weeks, the pup had run of the family room while I was there. Next we added the kitchen. Next we added the upstairs hall. And so on...


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## BuddysMommy (Jul 18, 2011)

Ladysmom~ I'm not sure if he was used as a stud but the groomer seems to think he was. The first time I took him she said she has a female in heat at home and he could smell her on the groomer and he just went NUTS the whole time she was grooming him. I don't know if that is normal for all male dogs or not but the first thing she said when I picked him up was that she thinks he was used as a stud. My grandma's dog was in heat when we first got Buddy and she was all he had on his mind the whole time we were there until we left. That and the marking were the reasons we had him neutered right away...I was visiting there for 2 weeks so we couldn't leave right away.

jmm~Thank you! That helps. Now I will just have to buy 3 gates to block off the areas he can't go in to. I was afraid I would have to do that, lol.


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