Impossible potty training...

edavy89 · 11-03-2007, 11:32 PM

I have two five and a half month old lab/pit mixes, and one of them is impossible to train. i have been around dogs my entire life, and i have never EVER seen a dog like this before. She is crate trained, we feed her in her crate, and whenever she goes outside we give both praise, and treats as positive reinforcement, and she still goes IN her crate. absolutely every morning when i wake up, she has peed and pooped in her crate, and the same thing every night when i get home from work. but wait, it gets worse. We take her out incredibly often, and i can watch her pee and poop inside. Then i come back in, put her in her crate, and go to the bathroom myself. By the time i get back out, she will have peed and pooped AGAIN. I love all my animals, but if i can't get her trained i will have to give her up. I live in an apartment, so not being poty trained isn't something i can have.

briteday · 11-03-2007, 11:36 PM

Have you mentioned it to your vet? I always try to rule out any health issues before assuming behavioral reasons. Urinary infection, parasites...come to mind.

However, I will admit the only lab I've ever had was very thick headed about potty training, even worse than my toy breeds that I have now.

Durbkat · 11-03-2007, 11:39 PM

The dog is only 5 and a half months old so it shouldn't be expected to hold it for longer than 5 and a half hours as the rule of thumb is 1 hour per month old. Have you ever thought that maybe the dog can't hold it all night? I would set your alarm for every 5 hours or ever how often the dog goes potty so that you can get it house trained. My 5 and half month old dog is house trained because I took the time to do it. This is why alot of dogs get sent to shelters because people don't make the effort to housetrain their dogs.

edavy89 · 11-03-2007, 11:51 PM

For one durbkat, that came accross a little on the rude side, and i don't think you read my entire post. As i said, I can take her outside, watch her pee and poop, go to the bathroom myself, and she will still have gone again. that is all of 5 minutes, which is quite a bit less then the "5 and a half hour" rule of thumb. And yes i have been to the vet, no UTI, no parasites, no anything, she is perfectly healthy, and her sister, of the same age, has absolutely no problems.

Durbkat · 11-03-2007, 11:56 PM

Sorry, I wasn't trying to come across as rude, people's tones of voice can't be read off the internet so some things people say can come across as rude when they really aren't being rude at all, just helpful. Are you sure she has gone completly? I have noticed that puppies don't seem to take advantage of their potty breaks and won't completly empty their bladder as I could take my dog out and he would go and he would come in and would dribble on the pad, but this was when he was younger.

edavy89 · 11-03-2007, 11:59 PM

She will squat and pee for 30-45 seconds with a steady stream, and still come inside and pee a lot. it isn't just a little dribble, but a decent sized puddle. And i usually take her out for 30 minutes for potty breaks, so she often has a chance to go again if she should need too. And again, every time she goes, she gets lots of praise, and a treat.

Cheetah · 11-04-2007, 12:04 AM

When a dog hits 5-6 months, it usually regresses in the potty training area. When Shippo hit 5 months, he forgot his crate training. Each day, I'd find a puddle in Shippo's crate either in the morning, during lunch, or when I got home from work, when he was fine the months before that time. He was never crated for more than 4 hours at a time during the day, but for some reason, he just forgot how to hold it. I had to have my boyfriend let him out when he was home, that way he was going out more often during this time. Once he hit 6 months, it was like it had never happened, and he started holding it again. Go figure!

Durbkat · 11-04-2007, 12:06 AM

Oh, well another thing to help to get my dog to go completly outside was to take him out and he would go and then I'd take him for a walk and then he'd go again so maybe you could play with her after she goes to try and stimulate that last bit of pee. I would try to nip going in the crate in the bud real quick as you don't want this happening as it will defeat the purpose of the crate. Are you cleaning the accidents with an enzyme cleaner such as natures miracle? If not that may be another reason why she continues to go inside.

ghosthunterbecki · 11-04-2007, 12:51 AM

Like Durb said, I've noticed that some dogs need stimulation in order to completely relieve themselves. For example, I can't get Dozer to poop unless I take him for at least a ten minute walk. These days that usually isn't happening (I'm supposed to be on bed rest, technically), so he gets two opportunities when DH is home -- once in the morning and once in the evening -- and he gets to pee as often as necessary in the meantime (because he'll do that without a lot of stimulation).

If you're "letting" her out (and that's my understanding, please correct me if I'm wrong), then she might not be getting the necessary stimulation to her bladder and bowels. I had a Shih Tsu when I was growing up who would go up and down the street and poop two or three times during a break. But if he'd just been taken out into the back yard, or let out, for example, we wouldn't have achieved the same results.

edavy89 · 11-04-2007, 01:23 AM

no no, i live in an apartment, so when i take her out, it is on a walk, And the thing is, she was never good with crate training. her sister is fantastic, but she is simply potty-tarded.

ghosthunterbecki · 11-04-2007, 01:30 AM

Hmmm... How big is the crate that you're using, relative to the dog's size?

Anela · 11-05-2007, 08:53 AM

How often are you feeding the dog and how much? Typically dogs should be fed about every 12 hours, according to specifications on the bag, unless your vet recommends otherwise. From what you describe, something has to be going in the dog, so it has to come out.

I would consult with your vet. Getting the crate issue under control must be done before you can proceed with potty training. You may need to restrict food treats and water for a while to get dog on a schedule.

I have stated in previous posts that potty training can be one of the most frustrating experiences dogs and their humans can have. This is one of the main reasons so many dogs wind up in the pound or back at one. Their humans give up out of frustration and because they don’t know what to correctly do to fix the problem. You also state that this is difficult for you because of your situation, which is understandable.

Considering sending the dog back to the pound would not solve the problem, it will extend it to someone else. You also stated that this is the first time you have had this type of experience. I see your challenge as a personal test, to see if you have what it takes to fix it. The dog was sent to you for a reason, try and look at the end result after you fix it. You will have an enormous feeling of success when things start to turn around and go right for you and your dog. .

Last year I spent 5 months last year training my pup. I was really forced to re-think my theory on potty training. The process brought my pup closer to me (not that I would want to do it again). But I do feel good that I helped her. She is now a wonderful companion.

Good luck! Keep us posted!

Anela

edavy89 · 11-05-2007, 09:44 AM

We feed her one bowl in the morning (relatively 2 cups), and then one bowl in the evening (another 2 cups) and that is it. We take her out a couple hours after each feeding, and she gets water at at the first feeding, and mid-way through the day. No water at night though. We feed her in her crate as well, to try to reinforce the fact that everyone says dogs won't deficate where they eat and sleep (nina apparently never heard of this rule)