[alas542000]

I have been trying to potty train my 9 mo. old dachshund by taking her outside after her meals, every hour, in the morning when she gets up, etc. and I am not having much luck. I may have to resort to kennel training .....anyone have any advice on how to do this, and if it's really a good idea or not? She does sleep in her kennel in my room at night and does great, so she is use to a kennel, I just don't know if it's a good way to train.
Thanks,
Helen

[opokki]

I think that using a crate speeds up the potty training process. Take her outside and allow her about 3 mins to eliminate. If she goes allow her about an hour of supervised free time or maybe even take her for a nice walk, then another potty break. If she does not go, place her in the crate and try again in an hour. Repeat. As long as she is successful you can gradually increase the legnth of her free time.
You can give her a stuffed kong or another safe chew to work on while she is in the crate...the crate is not to punish but to prevent her from eliminating inside and to help get her on a regular schedule.

[Dulce]

Crate training is excellent. It's worked with both the adult dogs I adopted.

Just make sure the crate isn't too big, and isn't too small. I would suggest PrecisionPet crates. I have 2, and they're great. You'd probably want the "small" size for your dog. It needs to be big enough for the dog to stand up, and turn around. But not so big that they have room to potty.

Does that help?

[scott]

Dear Alas542000
Re crate training
If your dog can sleep in her crate over night without accident, in my opinion, she is house broken!
Thought a point that also should be mentioned is that, in my experience, long dogs are harder to housebreak. The normal thinking in house breaking is: feed the dog; wait 1/2 hour; take your dog outside to go to the bathroom. With longer dogs, I have found it beneficial to stretch the rule, try waiting up to 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours before taking your dog outside to go to the bathroom after feeding. This may mean revising your feeding schedule so that you feed your dog when you are going to be home for a couple of hours, rather than feeding your dog just before you rush out the door.
Hope this information helps.

[alundy]

I think crate training is a great idea! It is the best choice we've made with our pup so far. She loves her crate, and when we say "in your bed" she runs excitedly for it.

Find some good resources on crate training (there are plenty of online sites, DVDs, books, etc) and follow their tips. I think the #1 thing that made it successful for us is that we never use the crate for punishment - it is always a positive place.

[Scraps]

I think crate training is awesome! my dachshund mix chihuahua have his own little enclosed dog house that is roomy for him to sleep in one corner and play in the other corner. he only wet his bed once, which was the 2nd night of his arrival. it's been 3 weeks now and he'd only eliminate when I take him to the bathroom. of course, I have to leave him tied on a leash and leave the room for him to eliminate. sometimes he'd go in less than 15 minutes. sometimes it takes him much longer. I'd take him out every 15 minutes and watch his actions to see if he's still sniffing, and if he does I'd take him back to the bathroom. I'd allow 30 minutes after meals before bathroom break. in the mornings, I'd allow 30 minutes after elimination before feeding him. the lil guy could pretty much hold his pee/poo for a long time. he held it for 5 hours twice so far!