Out of the Crate Accidents

AdGeek29

We have a 6 month old Black lab we rescued from the Shelter a month ago.

She's great in the crate and can hold her pee. I've pretty much gotten her poop down to when she does it 2x per day (although she sometimes does it at an off time in the house. When she's out of the crate, she has a lot of accidents and seems to go very often. How do I get her to let me know when she has to go outside without taking her out every hour. Each time I take her out of the crate, we go 'outside', she makes, I praise her and give her a treat. We do the same before I put her back in the crate. I'd like to keep her out for longer periods of time but she seems to have accidents.

We also have an older dog in the house (they get along).

Thanks for your help!

sheltieluver

Besides putting her in the backyard do you take her for walks? A 6 month old lab will require a lot of exercise. A tired dog will less likely have accidents. You may want to also take her to the vet in case there are any medical problems causing your dog to eliminate so often.

AdGeek29

She gets a lot of excerise. She goes on walks and we have another dog and they play endlessly. I'm trying to keep her out of the crate for only about an hour and then take her outside and back in the crate. Sometimes with my back turned for a few minutes she makes in the house.

She's been to the doctor - nothing wrong w/ her....just can't get her to totally get housebroken

DogAdvocat

The problem is you turning your back. You can't do that. You need to be vigilant when she is out of her crate. If you can't be vigilant, then she either needs to be in her crate, or tied to you so that you know what she is doing even though you aren't technically looking at her.

Also, she can't "make" in the house if she has nothing to "make" with. If you've "drained the tanks" then she's empty.

And finally, when she goes outside to "make", do you go with her? Do you watch to make sure she is actually accomplishing something, and do you name it and praise it? Or do you just push her out the door so that the whole time she's out there she's concentrating on you inside the house? Have you taught her to go in one spot in the back yard? Do you recognize her request to go out? Sometimes it's as simple as a glance at the door, and some dogs activate all the bells and whistles. One of my dogs does "the potty dance" which means that I am trained to let him out immediately. Each dog is different, and some are subtle, some not.

AdGeek29

Thanks for your help!!!!

I always go out w/ her when she makes. I had her belted to me yesterday & no accidents. I think it was hard to keep an eye on her when the 2 dogs got to wrestling and running all over - she had an opportunity to do the deed.

You're right on the signal - I still have no idea on what the signal is w/ the Lab but I took her out often enough or crated her. My other dog goes directly to the door and scratches.

Is there any kind of rule of thumb to know when the dog will be ready to 'hold' the pee and not have to watch her all the time?

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DogAdvocat

My theory has always been that I'm the one that needs to be trained. In order to do that, I have to know my dog's schedule. Does she normally go every 3 hours, every 5 hours? Whatever the time schedule, I just make sure she gets out in time. Obviously, upon waking, or within 20-30 minutes after eating, are times that are pretty routine.

Just think of it this way, no matter how old the kids, isn't it kind of a cliche that parents still ask if they have to use the bathroom before getting in the car? Why should dogs be any different.

You also may start trusting, and relax your vigilance, and an accident happens -- no big deal -- just clean it up and go back to being more vigilant.

Sorry I can't be more exact, but I've found that every dog is so different, both individually and as a breed, that it's impossible to pre-guess. The only thing I can control is me. The one nice thing is that dogs don't get pissy with you if you nag.

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