# Poddy Training Issues



## pulpfictionfan (Feb 27, 2018)

I recently adopted an eight year old Maltese mix. He is a sweet pup, but I am very discouraged because I cannot seem to get him to stop doing his business in my house.
I have had trained many dogs to go outside and when I got this pup I didn't worry at first that he seemed not to be house trained. 
I also have a beagle and the first thing I do when I get up in the morning is get them outside. Its also the last thing we do at night.
I currently have him staying in the kitchen on a solid hard floor so clean up is easier. He has a crate there and his pillow, too. Hes been good for the last five days or so but last night he peed on the floor right outside his crate. 
I have also been giving him a small treat when ever he goes outside.
I get then outside frequently when I am home and they are outside of their crates.
I am getting discouraged.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Be patient, be consistent, praise, praise & more praise (& treats if he is treat motivated). He will get it! It is your job to make it work. Good move to have him in the kitchen. I would put him in an expen w/restricted area w/pad, play space, water dish & bed. Take him out often!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't crate but perhaps others can speak to that topic. 
Don't be discouraged---use positive training & it will eventualy work. When I lived in Greece I traveled w/pads, put them on the sidewalk to get pup to go outside to be cross-trained---eventually it worked. I have no hair left, but it did work!


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## pulpfictionfan (Feb 27, 2018)

Thanks Edelweiss, thanks for the encouragement. I have been thinking about pads, but it seems counter productive if I am trying to get him to go outside. But maybe pads would be a good solution. 
Your pups are adorable!


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Thank you. I can take no credit for K & L being adorable, but I agree! 
I cross-trained both of mine---actually Kitzi trained himself at 3 months w/a pad at one end of a port-a-crib. He just stopped going in the night & I took him out upon awkening. Lisi was 5 months when we got her & was mostly pad trained so we kept her at it, at the same time attempting to cross train her to the outside. This was in Greece where there isn't much grass outside on the sidewalk, when there was a sidewalk. So we traveled w/a pad---put it out when she needed to go & paid no attention to the Greeks who thought we were crazy. Eventually she caught it, but it was harder than w/Kitzel as she was older, but she did get it. She will now go outside on grass but on a walk may go the entire time & come in at the end to use the pad.:HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley:


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## Aviannah's Mom (Apr 28, 2017)

It sounds like you are on the right path, and Sandi already gave good advice. I have no experience with a male to help. Aviannah has done well as long as I stayed diligent. I have cross trained her as well and love that she goes on her potty pads but will also go outside pretty much on command if we go visit friends or family. Praise works so well with this breed!


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## LOVE_BABY (May 5, 2015)

Yes, hang in there and be patient as Sandi with an 'i' already said. You only just "recently" got him as you said. He may have been previously pad trained and only knows that way, or may have never been trained at all. He may also still be getting adjusted to his new home and nervous still. Have you ruled out a bladder infection? He may be helped a bit to learn to go potty outside from the other dogs you have, I've heard that dogs can sometimes pick up behaviors from each other. 

When my boy was a puppy and we were trying to potty train him to do his business outside, he still would have an occasional accident inside the house up until about a year or more, it took quite a while. He didn't get to be allowed unsupervised free reign of the house for quite a while, and instead spent a lot of time with me fenced in the kitchen with a baby gate where the tile was during that first year or two, until I knew I could trust him on the rugs first supervised, then over time eventually while unsupervised. 

One thing that helped us during potty training time was putting a belly band around his waist and 'parts' with a sanitary napkin inside of it whenever I would allow him to be on our rug or furniture. A belly band shouldn't be put on too tight, make sure it is loose enough and make sure he doesn't eat the napkin. Remember to take it off when you take him outside to pee --yea I did that lol & forgot! :blush: He peed with the belly band on... twice! .... all my fault :blush:. I learned the hard way to remember to take it off! There is a website called baxterboo where they sell them. He has been belly band free for several years now, but I kept it on 'just in case' , especially when we would visit other people in their houses until he was almost two. Now he doesn't need it.

I think if you stick with it eventually he will probably catch on and figure out what you want him to do if you keep showing him & rewarding him, mine finally did. Are you using treats that he goes crazy for:w00t:? Something he really loves? I know it's difficult, but try to keep in mind the saying "Good things don't come easy" which is so true but worth it. I look back on those days as being a 'labor of love' . No doubt it is exhausting and frustrating but basically please 'don't give up' he is, and will be _so very worth it!_:thumbsup:


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## pulpfictionfan (Feb 27, 2018)

Thanks so much for the encouragement! I think you are right, he is worth the extra trouble. He is a sweetie. I can tell he means well. The folks I got him from made a comment about peeing in the house and I had the feeling that it had been an issue for them. But my thinking was I could train any dog to be house trained, it can't be that hard right? But I have never had a smaller breed like this before, either. 
I love him! He has a pretty apricot longer thin coat, with a beautiful soft thicker coat underneath. He actually looks pretty sad at this point, he needs a lot of tlc. His coat is so dry I think he was not fed a good diet. The family I got him from had kids he was apparently not crazy about. They told me he was the alpha but I am not getting that at all with Chance, my beagle. The family had so much going on I think he wasn't getting much attention and the toddlers weren't respecting his limits.
Hes been doing OK in my kitchen. I am in there with him a lot and also nearby when not in the kitchen. He can jump over the 28" screen that keeps in the kitchen, but only does it when he cannot see me.
I am thinking if I can get a 36" expen that should work. Just started looking for one, most appear to be 24". 
Thank you so much for the good suggestions. I am trying every one of them until we find the right fit for us


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

You can also try unsweetened coconut chips & coconut oil for the hair (I buy Trader Joe's organic brand---great coconut taste)---I give them as treats to Lisi & Kitzi. It is also good for the skin & digestive system. They get a bit every day.


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## Kathleen (Aug 4, 2011)

He is so lucky to have found a good home with you!
I have adopted older dogs in the past, and it can take some for them to learn a new routine, even if they are already trained. Just keep being consistent and give him lots of treats and praise and I am sure he will catch on. It sounds like he probably didn't have a consistent routine in his old home.
We really like the Iris pens. They have add on pieces that you can buy to enlarge the pen. I have a four piece one, with two additional panels added. It makes a nice big pen and you can move it easily to change shape to fit the space. 
https://smile.amazon.com/IRIS-Exerc...id=1520471763&sr=8-3-spell&keywords=Iris+xpen
Welcome to you and your new doggie! :welcome1:


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## MG10603 (Feb 5, 2018)

Lucy is 12 weeks old and we could not get her to use the pads for love nor money, so we have been working on going outside and so far pretty good. It was slow in the beginning and I think it was a bit problematic because the breeder did not use an xpen and the pups pretty much ran free in the kitchen. My husband taught her to ring a bell that we put on the door. She loves to go outside and play and chase leaves and such and is slowly getting the idea that when she has to take care of business to ring the bell, but still requires a lot of monitoring. I have been giving her small pieces of dried apricots as a treat when she poops and pees outside. We have also been using a water bottle with coins in the bottom to shake when she starts to mess in the house. We are crate training which is the first time we have done that. Husband is retired and I work 4 blocks from house so we are able to let her out frequently when Dave is not home - grocery shopping or so, she has been able to stay in the crate without issues for 3 hours at a time. She sleeps in the bed with us at night and sleeps nearly all night. from about 9pm - 5:00 a.m. Hope this helps, we are being diligent as well. I hope it gets easier when the weather warms, although I suspect we will be spending a lot of time outside 'cause she loves ringing that bell !


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## pulpfictionfan (Feb 27, 2018)

MG10603 said:


> I hope it gets easier when the weather warms, although I suspect we will be spending a lot of time outside 'cause she loves ringing that bell !


Haha!!! Yes, Marie, its amazing how quickly they understand that ringing the bell also means they can run outside and smell good smells, play and run!!! :w00t::w00t::w00t::aktion033::aktion033::aktion033::chili::chili::chili:


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## pulpfictionfan (Feb 27, 2018)

Kathleen, based on your suggestion I purchased an Iris expen. Thank You! I had planned on getting a different brand, but was reading the negative reviews that complained of the other brand being flimsy, and I love this Iris pen, it is very sturdy! So far this Iris pen has been the only thing that has truly given me hope!
My work schedule varies a lot during the week, it is hard to say what days I might be working, but I am consistent by getting the pups out to do their business first thing when we wake up and the last thing we do before bedtime. Additionally I take the dogs out just before I head to work and as soon as I get home. When I am home I get them out every two hours. I praise him whenever he goes outside. He doesn't seem to be as treat motivated. He really wants some loving. 
I purchased the book too, quite a while ago already, but the shipper seems to have lost it. Now they seem to indicate by next Monday for sure. Crossing my fingers!
I am honestly hopeful we can conquer this, but I am going to have to be very, very patient.
Thanks for all the good ideas!


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## LOVE_BABY (May 5, 2015)

Pulpfictionfan,

I'm glad you have more than one dog so that your puppy isn't alone by himself all day while your out. These little Maltese fluffs so need their companionship : }


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## pulpfictionfan (Feb 27, 2018)

Well, my efforts are not being rewarded thus far. I think he just goes so quickly when he feels the need he doesn't even think about it. In fact it happens so quickly I have a hard timing catching him in the act. It seems like it is just so automatic for him. I can see that he is pretty intelligent in other ways though so I don't think that is it. 
I have decided to go with diapers for awhile and see how that works.
Does anyone have thoughts on this?


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## LOVE_BABY (May 5, 2015)

pulpfictionfan said:


> Well, my efforts are not being rewarded thus far. I think he just goes so quickly when he feels the need he doesn't even think about it. In fact it happens so quickly I have a hard timing catching him in the act. It seems like it is just so automatic for him. I can see that he is pretty intelligent in other ways though so I don't think that is it.
> I have decided to go with diapers for awhile and see how that works.
> Does anyone have thoughts on this?


I just answered & gave my opinion to some of your questions in that other thread you just started --pleaser refer to that one.


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## Dminnar (Jan 8, 2018)

*Zoe is too smart*

I have the 4 piece Iris pen but Miss Zoe now 5 months has learned to put her little feet in the slats and climb up and jump out! I close off my kitchen and the bedrooms so she has the living room when I go out. She freaks if I put her in the crate. My other Maltese’s loved the crate. Every child is different and Zoe is a sweetheart trained to pee pads and outside. 🐾🐾


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## pulpfictionfan (Feb 27, 2018)

Dminnar,
Thanks! Gizmo has also figured out how to scale it and jump out. Sometimes it is funny to watch him do it. Gizmo I believe, is part jack russell terrier though I will probably never know for sure. He is very agile. 
I have been thinking about getting the top piece to put on the Iris playpen, that would surely help. Then I could use it when I am at work, too. 
Gizmo also hates the crate. He cries a lot in it. He doesn't mind the crate though, he will lay in it when the door is open and he is free to come and go and when he can see me. But he doesn't like to be alone in it.
Thanks to LOVE_BABY, I am buying the wraps now. Easier than a diaper and it is making all the difference. 
Thank you thank you thank you!!!


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