# Training problem??



## my ragamuffin (Apr 16, 2007)

Hi my name is Mary and I have a maltese male named Ragamuffin, I love this site and come to it all the time for info -
Here is my problem - Muffin is 7 months old and I cannot train him for anything. I love this pup, he is adorable and lovable, but I just cannot have him potting all over the house whenever he wants. Is it true that some dogs you just cannot train? I have tried it all and he seems to get it. He went almost 3 weeks with no accidents, and all of a sudden he is back to the beginning, goes wherever he wants. I have tried pee pads, crate. I am just beside myself and very sad. I love him to pieces and he is very smart. 
Please help us -


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

I'm sorry you are going through this. It can sometimes take up to a year to get them trained. What method had you been using?


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## ShilohsMom (Jun 25, 2007)

Make sure you don' leave food down all day at this point. Feed your baby on a set schedule until you can get his potty habits under control. That way his bathroom times wil be easier for you to pinpoint and monitor. Good luck to you and I know sometimes it takes the patience of a saint. My little guy was very easy and we crate trained him to potty outside. At what age did you get this pup?


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## my ragamuffin (Apr 16, 2007)

> I'm sorry you are going through this. It can sometimes take up to a year to get them trained. What method had you been using?[/B]


Oh thank you for the encouragment! Are there any of you out there, that can say their pup took more than 7 months to get it. I just hope that he can still get trained. I have tried the crate, the pee pads and outside seems to work the best for him. 
Anyone else with any thoughts or encouraging testimonies?


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## elly (Sep 11, 2006)

Ellie took almost a year, I would keep him on a schedule and give him a very special treat that he only gets when he potties on his pad or outside. I use baby food as a very special treat, just a little but they all love it.

Cathy


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## Max & Rocky (May 20, 2004)

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It would help us if we knew more details of what you are doing, your routine, how much freedom he gets and so on. I believe that consistency in your routine is a really big part their understand what is expected and learning. For instance, you must always take him to potty within a few minutes of his waking in the morning, and a little while after he eats. Watch him carefully and you will probably notice there are specific other times when he will need to go... and so you must adjust your routine to what he needs. Also, you must limit his ability to roam to a room or where you and your family typically spend your time and can watch him. If I give mine access to the entire house, I can be pretty certain that someone will have an accident after a few days. One final question, when he has an accident, what steps are taking to clean up all traces of the accident? Their potty routine is largely determined by habit and by scent... and their noses are far more sensitive than ours.


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## my ragamuffin (Apr 16, 2007)

Thanks again everyone - I have had him since he was 14 weeks. I only feed him twice a day. I did the crate thing and am still doing it. I take him potty after eating, after napping, first thing in the morning and many time in between. I keep a close eye on him. If he do not go potty I put him back in the crate for about 10 min. and try again. And like I said why did he do so well for 3 weeks and now back track? I am just hoping that it can sometimes be normal for it to take a bit longer for some dogs, or is there a possibility that he will never train?
Thanks again for all your help, it is appreciated as I am at my wits end!!


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

> Thanks again everyone - I have had him since he was 14 weeks. I only feed him twice a day. I did the crate thing and am still doing it. I take him potty after eating, after napping, first thing in the morning and many time in between. I keep a close eye on him. If he do not go potty I put him back in the crate for about 10 min. and try again. And like I said why did he do so well for 3 weeks and now back track? I am just hoping that it can sometimes be normal for it to take a bit longer for some dogs, or is there a possibility that he will never train?
> Thanks again for all your help, it is appreciated as I am at my wits end!![/B]


Since you keep a close eye on him...what do you do when you catch him in the act of having an accident? When you see him going in an inappropriate spot, have you tried immediately picking him up and giving him a swift "NO!" and putting him straight on the pad or outdoors and say "potty!" Then, when he goes where he is supposed to go, make a huge deal out of it and reward him. I really believe that if you are as consistant as you say you are, then he'll catch on. If you feel like you are doing absolutely everything right and are not getting anywhere, then I'd give his vet a call. Best of luck!!


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

1. Rule out a medical problem. Have the vet test a urine sample to be on the safe side. 

2. You need to stick to one method, one schedule, and be consistent every day. Write out your schedule and make copies. Put one on the fridge each day and check things off. 

3. Is he having accidents while you are watching? Is he aware of it? 

4. What type of confinement do you use when he is out of his crate? You should be actively watching him (not doing anything other than watching him) or he should be leashed to your body. No wandering. No freedom. 

5. Does he mark at all or need to urinate more than once to totally empty his bladder? Markers won't usually empty on the first time so you need to make sure he goes again (if I take Soda to a mark-friendly place, we say 3 pee's). Some dogs just have a habit of going 2-3 times and that's just normal for them. However, as I said in #1, it would be pertinent to check a urine sample in this case. 

6. Don't forget to tell him when he's doing something right! Yummy treats for pottying in the right place. If you want to work on behaviors like sit or down, keep some treats handy. When he does it, say "YES" and treat him. If he's laying quietly and being a good boy, calmly reward him. We often forget to remind our dogs of their good behavior when it is quiet. 

7. Ignore his accidents. Saying "no" and upsetting or punishing him will only make him not urinate or defecate in front of you. That won't help you in rewarding him for going in the right place. Simply put him in his crate or take him out to finish and then put him in his crate. Clean up the accident. Use an enzymatic cleaner. I've gone to spraying a little vinegar water once the spots dry since my dogs in general don't seem to like to sniff it. If you have places he's gone a lot, borrow or buy a Little Green Machine. Those things are awesome! 

8. Going along with the be consistent, pick ONE place for him to potty. Whether it is the pee pad in one spot in the hour or one spot in the yard outdoors. This is where he goes every time. It helps establish routine and smells like his spot. 

9. Good dogs are tired dogs. Many Maltese require more exercise than they are given. Soda, for instance, walks 1 1/2-2 miles a day. He'll do more if we go hiking. That walk is needed just to have a nice, well-behaved dog in the house. We also do brain exercises, asking for behaviors when we're hanging around the house. 

10. Obedience class. This is a great way to bond with your dog. It also gives you an opportunity to work with him and a professional to guide you in training him. They can help you find ways to make him more interested in working along with you rather than just being beside you. It is a wonderful relationship builder. Dogs who know basic behaviors are generally easier to deal with. For example, if you have to leave your door open for a few minutes and you can have your dog sit beside you. Or if you have a guest, you can have your dog quietly lay next to you and stay. I think you'll be surprised at how receptive he may be to a different approach. 

Good luck!


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## my ragamuffin (Apr 16, 2007)

Yep if I catch him I firmly say no and take him outside and tell him this is where you go potty. I have trained two other dogs in just 2 weeks. I am just wondering if a smaller dog takes longer, and if consistancy will still pay off for me. Or is there a chance that he will never train?


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

> Yep if I catch him I firmly say no and take him outside and tell him this is where you go potty. I have trained two other dogs in just 2 weeks. I am just wondering if a smaller dog takes longer, and if consistancy will still pay off for me. Or is there a chance that he will never train?[/B]


I have had little dogs train very quickly. Does that mean I gave them 100% freedom then? Heck no. We stuck strongly to our schedule for 3 weeks and then slowly added freedom. Small dogs are very intelligent. I think we tend to let them get away with more. If you had a Great Dane, that dog wouldn't have touched the carpet until it was trained. 

I have trained older shelter dogs including intact male markers. It can be done. It takes time and consistency. There are some dogs I would never give 100% freedom to unsupervised.


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## Joey's Mom2 (Aug 24, 2004)

Everyone gave really good advice about potty training and so I won't repeat as to avoid being redundant. But I will just give you THIS piece of advice: HANG. IN. THERE. I K-N-O-W that it is ABSOLUTELY the most frustrating thing. Fendi is actually my first dog ever in my entire life, and it just so happens that this is the breed that is soooooooooooo difficult to potty train (I know not all Maltese are, but in my case YES--she was extremely difficult!!). 

From reading what you're saying, you're doing everything right. Which is why it frustrates you even more when your pup makes an accident. I know, I've been there. MANY MANY MANY times, I've been there. I did everything according to the book. In fact, she would only get treated FOR potty-ing in the correct place because I really needed to make her understand (she would get chews and bones and things like that, but as for treats, only for potty-ing). I would correct her if she's going in the wrong place. I have had her since she was 12 weeks, and have given her a strict feeding schedule. I make her go potty according to schedule. She's now a year and four months old, and let's just say although she may likely will behave, I still will not trust her roaming around on her own if it's more than two or three hours. Not that she absolutely WILL make an accident, but I just don't trust her enough. 

Only now is she starting to finally understand where to go. It's been over a YEAR. Of course, we moved when she was about 7 months. We used to have a yard before and now we don't, so she goes inside on a puppy pad now, so that may have had some influences on her being so confused...but she was still very difficult to housebreak. Even at 7 months, she was nowhere near "housebroken." Hang in there, though. The day will come. 

I guess if they were easily trained, they'd be too good to be true huh? LOL.


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

> and it just so happens that this is the breed that is soooooooooooo difficult to potty train[/B]


I just have to ask...why is it that everything I have read says the opposite of that? I've read that maltese are highly intelligent and easily trainable. If anything, they are so smart that they can actually be manipulative, which I suppose could be a training problem...

Both Camden (RIP) and Ollie were super receptive to training. Was it hard work? I don't know that I'd say "hard" yeah, probably, but it was more like consistancy. If one finds consistancy to be "hard work" then I guess it is hard work!

I look at it like training a skin kid to potty sort of (I've trained two  ). There's ups and downs and every kid is different, but they all eventually get trained--you just have to keep positive and remember that the final outcome will eventually happen...


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Just a though.....

Is he neutered? Is he "marking", lifting his leg and peeing on vertical surfaces like furniture, etc? That's a different issue than housebreaking.


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## my ragamuffin (Apr 16, 2007)

Thank you Camfan, that is what I was thinking - They are so smart. So consistancly is what I will do. Yes he is neutered and is not marking. However the last two days have been great no potting in the house at all! Yay!
Thank you everyone who replied I have used all the info, and am just going to be consistant and not get discouraged. I appreciate all your help.
You all are a great bunch of people!


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## ShilohsMom (Jun 25, 2007)

I know this might sould silly but I read this before I got a maltese. Always make sure the dog is walking himself outside or to the desired potty area. No carrying him or her. It said if you carry them they don't connect the dots the same way. I am sure at 7 months he marches wherever you allow him but I thought I'd just mention it...lol


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