What is the best way to potty-train a dog?

I crate trained both of my dogs. If done properly, the crate should become a safe haven for the dog, which reduces stress, and also allows you to create a better schedule for her. Have you ruled that out as a possibility?

You have to be diligent about taking her outside in the training stage or it won’t work. You need to take her outside and stay outside with her for at least 10 to 15 minutes. Take her often and to the same spot. As soon as she does potty, give her a treat. Always use positive reinforcement. Then if she hasn’t pottied, bring her back inside and crate her. Most dogs won’t soil in their crates. It shouldn’t take long to train her, but coming from an abused home, no one knows what her fears are, so you need to be even more loving and patient with her.

She’s potty trained but to that side of the table. You might try covering that area with one of those inside doggy bathroom mats until she trained to that maybe, then move them outside. I don’t know how large an area she’s using. I don’t know what would make her train to that spot.

I hesitate to crate her. She is such a loving, sensitive dog. Crating seems almost like a punishment to me.

At first, I was staying out with her, but she doesn’t like anyone watching her eat or poo. So, I let her out the backdoor and she travels around the house to the front door, hopefully doing her thing in between.

@Adirondackwannabe I think it’s obvious why she’s doing it by my husband’s side of the table…always within a foot radious. She does not like him at all. I suppose that is her expression…which I’m trying to negotiate. I use pads…that’s not good enough for him.

Is she fearful of your husband?

@Adirondackwannabe Yes. She’s fearful of all men…I’m imagining since he is closest, he would be feared the most.

I used to think crates were punishment too, but they are your pets safe haven, their little cave and home. It is not cruel to use a crate, it is for their safety. I think it would be better to crate your dog while she is potty training, then to let her roam free and poop beside your husbands chair and having him mad and yelling at her. That will just reinforce her fear of men. My dog was crate trained and I have left the crate up but the door is always open. She still goes in there a couple times a day to nap or just to chew a bone.

As @chyna said, I leave the door to my dogs’ crates open, and they go in there just to nap or chew on a toy. They will also run in there if something scares them, like thunder, for example.

It really should become a safe place for your dog to go – not a place for punishment. And crates should never be used for punishment, either.

I was thinking she would avoid something that she fears to do her business. I don’t know if dogs are capable of making a statement about someone, so maybe it’s the fear that’s triggering the reaction.

@Adirondackwannabe Good point. Kinda sad to think a dog is so scared of men that it makes her poop.

Of course she is showing her feelings towards all men by doing this beside your husband. But does he hate her? didn’t want her? check with Dog Whisperer or keep her out of the dining room. Sounds like your husband could use some whispering too.

@MissA Is your husband working with you on the dog?

@Adirondackwannabe

An emphatic NO. Unfortunately.

Crate training an animal is not punishment at all, by nature dogs are den animals…they feel secure in a crate and are more than happy to make that home for a couple weeks. It’s when you leave them in the crate and never take them out that is punishment. But for them to sleep in the crate for potty training purposes they do not mind it at all.

Shes doesn’t potty in the night. She does it so discreetly and FAST. I’m always circling around to make sure nothing is there. But, I’m not always fast enough. So, would I need to crate her all day?

WOW! First I think you really need to get your hubby on board and a good trusting relationship between them or else it could keep spiraling downward. The dog needs to know that men are ok especially your husband. The other thing is that if your dog is not even making it the “out” door for a poop, it hasn’t connected what you want. It is important you get rid of the smell, get stuff from the pet store, otherwise they use their sniffers to know where to go. Also when the poop is done pick it up and instead of automatically throwing it away put it in the yard in a specified area and bring the dog there all the time until your little guy figures out that’s where the bathroom is. Some dogs can take along time some can take no time. My choc. lab didn’t get it fully for almost 8 months. My black lab has never pooped or peed in the house. But I know their scheduale now and can predict. So scheduale has a lot to do with it to. Make sure your dog eats faithfully at the same time. It will take patience and canine don’t understand anger, so everyone needs to try not use anger at all no matter what, stay calm. If you follow this I promise the dog will get it.

Oh and crate training is not punishment its usually just the way it’s done by the human. A dog should not ever be under any kind of stress and either should you. But if you feel it’s a punishment it’s probably already not a good idea to try it and just stick with your instinct.

When you can not be watching her like a hawk then she should be in the crate. When you can watch her and you know the time is near, stay very close and when you see her start to assume the position, scoop her up and get her outside.

There is a trick that handlers sometimes use so the dog doesn’t poop in the ring. It is not cruel, just stings a bit and feels not so nice. If you take a match from a book of matches and just stick the tip of it in her anus, she will poop in about 3 seconds, guaranteed.

But if she is already suspicious and fearful then you might not want to try that, depends on how much faith the dog has in you.

I once had a chihuahua that was just impossible to housebreak. He had access to a dog door 24 hours a day and just would not go outside. I mean he would go outside for a stroll but not to do his business. He never learned so he lived in the kennel unless I could be watching him.

Good luck. What is wrong with your husband? And I gotta ask why, if he is so adamantly opposed to dogs, did you get one? It doesn’t seem fair to the dog really. Maybe you should get a new husband?

@rooeytoo

This is my first dog. I waited until I retired (and then some) before finding one, because I wanted to be able to give fully and freely, 24 hours. My husband is not adamantly opposed to dogs…he is a control freak. We agreed that I could get the dog…and, she was advertised as house-broken. When I picked my girl up, the lady said she might have an accident now and then. So, I figured that I could work with her. I am not allowing my husband to force her out of here. My little doggy and I are soo close already and I cannot imagine being without her. However, I’m beginning to imagine myself without him. Terrible.

@MissA – all kidding aside, I sincerely hope it does not come to the point where you have to choose. I am sure that if you persevere you will succeed. But I would seriously consider the crate. Most dogs are very fastidious by nature and will not mess their own quarters. There are exceptions such as if a pup was raised in filth and could not escape, then they see it as natural and that is really difficult to change. But in your case it doesn’t seem to be that. Buy a very small crate, only big enough so the dog can stand up and turn around. Google crate training and you will access a wealth of information on details. You will be fine, just be patient and firm. I believe in letting the dog know when it has done something wrong. I would suggest that when she does leave a calling card I would pick her up take her to the crime scene and tell her in an unhappy voice that this is not socially acceptable behavior, then take her outside, and with a happy voice, tell her this is the spot. It might also help if you save the evidence and put it in a pile outside where you want her to go and then take her to that spot when you know it is time for the next deposit. Cheers.

@MissA I really think you and your husband need to gain your girls trust. Also give structure. I wouldn’t suggest sticking anything up anus unless otherwise told by your vet. I have trained dogs and trust me you do not need to go this far. But a fearful dog will react in many different ways. The relationship will be much more fulfilled once you get on a scheduale of exercise discipline and affection and in that order. Have you taken your girl for many walks yet? A walk can create a bonding experience. Make sure you take the dog out 10–15 minutes after it has eaten, if nothing continue every hour until you figure out when around the time your dog goes. As they don’t usually go at sparratic times unless they are not on a scheduled eating time. Make sure your dog has a cozy place to lay down, it can be a crate, but it doesn’t have to be, a dog bed, a blanket, it’s own spot to sleep which is also a spot you can tell her to lay down and sleep on after she has eaten, exercised, played, etc. Naturally she will just go their after awhile, when she starts wandering she either a) wants to go out b) has no comfortable place to lay down and needs you to tell her to lay down c) is hungry d) wants affection. It is your call to figure it out as they need us to do everything for them anyway, otherwise they think of other things to do other places to go, other things to eat and things to kill boredom with if it’s not fulfilled by the human. I wouldn’t suggest crate training, as it can just cause extra difficulty training to go outside. Just take your time and invest in some really good spray that eliminates any smell and even if you have to take the dog outside every hour to figure it out eventually she will get it if you stay on a scheduale. My dogs are on a strict scheduale: outside by 9 then breakfast 2cups each, 45–60 min walk by 2, then supper 2.5 cups each at 7. They do not ever eliminate in my home and they urinate 100x (lol) and poop on the walk. They also have their own beds and do not even come close to my room. I have plenty other owners on the same scheduale and it works well.

@Meego – heheh, the match in the butt works fine even without a vet, did you ever use a rectal supppository?? It creates the immediate urge to get rid of it!

Thanks rooeytoo and Meego. Meego, I think that you’re way is going to be the path and method we try. When I say ‘we’ I mean her and I. My husband is not involved. That’s fine, because I have enough love to give her.

My husband’s way would be to holler at her and rub her nose in until she screams right back and throw her outside. I would not/could not do that in my wildest dream. She is precious and has been through so much already. She is becoming playful pretty fast, which I interpret as happiness. I will train her…but, will not let anyone harm her at all.

Some housetraining issues are related to leadership. A dog that is housetrained, may start going in the house to make a statement.

You should try to first clean the spot up very well with an enzyme cleaner. This will get the smell to go away for the dog. Normal cleaners only work to make humans not be able to smell anything, but dogs have much stronger noses. Simple Solution and Nature’s Miracle are both names of good enzyme cleaners that big pet stores will carry.

Then you can try scattering dried dog food on the area where you dog had accidents. Dogs do not like to go where they eat. Also keep your dog on a leash at all times in the house so that you can supervise the dog. Once he stops going in the house, you can slowly give him more and more freedom off of the leash.

Most importantly, though, is getting strong leadership with your dogs. Dogs are pack animals. We are not. Dogs MUST have a pack leader. We often expect our dogs to act and understand life in the way that we see and understand life. However, without good leadership, a dog is very uncomfortable. We often get a dog so that we can love and nuture it to death. We are getting what we need out of the relationship, but the dog is not getting what it needs most in life – leadership! Once a dog has leadership, it can relax and accept and appreciate all of your nuturing and loving. Without leadership, you have an unbalanced relationship, with you getting what you need, but forgetting what your dog needs.

Give your dog good leadership by teaching it commands. It should sit and stay before feeding and before going outside and whenever you can fit it it. You should go through doorways first and your dog should not walk ahead of you on walks, but beside of you. You may not care, but your dog does. Letting your dog walk first through doorways, or ahead of you on walks, tells your dog that it is the leader. That is how a dog understands the world.

Give your dog leadership, and you will have a happier dog! (And a cleaner house!)

@MissA Seriously, if your husband is treating the dog in that manner, you might consider re-homing her. She is a 3 pound dog and you have a grown man grinding her nose in her poop? He could seriously hurt her by grabbing her up that way.

A regular routine is the best way. Repetition is a great teacher. Time and place should be repeated over and over. Also, treats and bragging is important.

@MissA Hubby needs to chill out. A dog that’s been abused needs a lot of love, but if you win their trust it’s pretty special. Take her outside and let her play for awhile, until she goes. Don’t let her in until she does. It takes patience.

@MissA first I have to say, thanks for using my advice. I again am going to have to agree with some responses here though, I think for the sake of the dog you need unity in your relationship so the dog can see that it can trust men as well because the picture your painting kinda sounds like your husband might instil the fear a little more. I’m in no place to judge though and I’m not the shelter. But everything that @jmbnjcl said was quite accurate. Dogs need a leader as they are pack animals. Of course ultimately it would be more ideal if the dog had the both of you to rely on as pack leaders, like parents but that doesnt always happen but maybe once you do become the leader of your dog you can teach your husband how to be a leader and maybe it will rekindle something. Remember to be confident, don’t think about the dogs past, or what will happen next, just live, and live in the moment “the now” that also gives the dog the ability to start with a fresh clean slate. Dont hold onto the bad stuff, trust me this can not only be healing for you but for everything around you, I guess im just trying to say be positive it will go along way. You really should invest in one of Cesar Millan’s books he has a variety to choose from all with A+ advice, my training methods are very similar. I have found throughout the years finding a dog trainer that suits your needs to be like finding the perfect wine for humans, you really have to find one that suits your own taste. Good luck!
Oh and also about the treats and food, here’s what I get many others as well as myself to do and also seems to works great. Make sure before you give the food your dog is in a calm state. Also treats are another form of affection, too much = smothered. So I have always suggested giving treats to a dog that is in a only a calm state, therefore you are rewarding the calm behavior and teaching her that calm is the best state. Claim your space and be the boss, like managing employees as an owner of a fruitful business.