[anniec]

We got a puppy 4 months ago (he was 8w then he is now 24w so close to 6m). He is a mixed breed (mom is a german shep/border collie, dad is a german shep/rottie mix - he looks like a golden retriever lol).

I take him out every hour on the hour for 10-15mins with a 30 min walk once a day - he almost always pees when we're out and pops first thing in the morning before breakfast and 20 mins after breakfast as well as 20 mins after his 2nd meal.

He will go to the bathroom outside but then within 20-40 mins of being in he pees and/or poops in the house. It’s a constant battle with him. We praise like crazy when he goes outside and give a treat. He knows to look for the treat outside so I know he gets it.

One of the problems is even with spot cleaning when he goes in the house and shampooing the full carpet twice a week with a specific pet urine cleaner, the house is starting to stink (we’ve had professional cleaners out as well). I’ve taken him to the vet to check for UTIs and kidney function and there is nothing medically wrong with him.

On top of that he is crying and howling when left alone (maximum 45 mins as I’m home full time) if he goes in his crate for 30-45mins for me to pop out for lunch he barks like crazy and howls so much my neighbors have complained. He’s fine in the crate overnight from 11pm-7am and is happy to stay in the crate when we're home. I can't leave him uncrated when we go out as the twice i've done that he's completely destroyed my living room carpet so he needs to be crated when i'm not here. I can't let him make the racket he does though or I'll get evicted! I always take him out to pee before I crate him when I'm going out. He's never had an accident in his crate - not even once. I know he's barking and howling because we have a baby cam on him that I can monitor him through an app on my phone.

Any guidance at all would be really appreciated.

 

[Lillith]

No, he doesn't get it yet. He's still a baby. If he got it, he wouldn't do it. He may understand that going outside gets him a treat, but he doesn't understand that he shouldn't go in the house. The habit of going outside needs to be built.

If he goes in the house 20-40 minutes after going outside, take him out every 15 minutes. Perhaps an hour between potty breaks is too long for him, as he doesn't understand that he needs to hold it in the house yet.

Does he cry the whole time in the crate when you are out, or just for a few minutes? It is normal for puppies to cry in their crate when their owners leave. He may have a touch of separation anxiety if he's screaming the whole time, but its hard to tell based on what information we have. Have you tried leaving him with a long-lasting chew, like a frozen, stuffed Kong or a bully stick?

 

[anniec]

Taking him outside every 15 mins is not possible. It's hard enough taking him out every hour. I work from home and I am frequently in meetings. I'm scheduling things to be able to take him out hourly (and that's been a challenge for accommodation for so long) but I'm keen to break the cycle of peeing in the house.

He does get that going outside gets him a treat because he looks for it when he's done and doesn't look for it when he goes in the house. He can clearly hold it as he never pees in his crate.

He's fine for maybe 10 mins or so after we leave then he starts the crying/howling/barking. We always make sure he has a long-lasting chew like the stuffed kong before we go out. I try to mix it up and alternate what we give him in the crate so he doesn't get bored.

 

[Lillith]

Taking him outside every 15 mins is not possible. It's hard enough taking him out every hour. I work from home and I am frequently in meetings. I'm scheduling things to be able to take him out hourly (and that's been a challenge for accommodation for so long) but I'm keen to break the cycle of peeing in the house.

He does get that going outside gets him a treat because he looks for it when he's done and doesn't look for it when he goes in the house. He can clearly hold it as he never pees in his crate.

He's fine for maybe 10 mins or so after we leave then he starts the crying/howling/barking. We always make sure he has a long-lasting chew like the stuffed kong before we go out. I try to mix it up and alternate what we give him in the crate so he doesn't get bored.

While you're working, crate him, then. He should be able to hold it for at least 4 hours at this age WHEN CRATED. When he is active and out of his crate, it has to be 15-20 minutes between breaks. It will slowly get longer as he develops control of his bladder. He should be 100% supervised, and if you can't he should be in his crate. It's not like this is going to last forever, just until he gets it and his body develops. Annoying and frequent potty breaks is what you signed up for when you got a puppy.

Your dog is not peeing because he is being spiteful or deliberately doing it wrong, he is having accidents because he DOES NOT GET IT. And of course he's looking for treats when you take him outside for potty breaks, he knows you have them in your pocket! He's not dumb! He could be picking up on some of your frustration there, which is slowing the process. It's also important to understand that he is still a baby, and he may not even have full control of his bladder yet. Most dogs can't be fully potty trained until well after 6 months old. They only know they have to go seconds before they are going, therefore they have no time to alert you.

Have you ever let the pup out of the crate when he is being loud?

 

[InkedMarie]

Some pups go a lot. My soon to be 12yr old was so hard to housebreak. Some days, it was outside every 10min.

If you cant do this, use the crate.

 

[anniec]

I will start putting him in his crate when I'm on a call/in a meeting as this is when I can't fully supervise him. This is a great suggestion, thank you. I don't know why I didn't think of this before.

I wait until he stops whining before I take him out of his crate. I'm trying not to reward crying by being let out.

I absolutely signed up for frequent potty breaks when I got a puppy. I think taking him out hourly is more than a lot of people can manage when working full time. Every 15 mins just isn't practical.

I'm not showing any frustration to him, I'm making a point of utterly ignoring the house accidents and praising like a crazy person when he goes outside. He's so funny when I do this and becomes more of a kangaroo than a puppy with excitement at the fuss. I'm still shocked at how high he can jump when he's giddy.

 

[Canyx]

... praising like a crazy person when he goes outside. He's so funny when I do this and becomes more of a kangaroo than a puppy with excitement at the fuss. I'm still shocked at how high he can jump when he's giddy.

Great suggestions from the other posters. I'm gonna throw in a few small ones that may or may not help. Perhaps try to tone down your praise when he goes outside, wait until the moment AFTER he finishes peeing before praising, and throw in a few treats (3 small treats, one at a time) when he's done. Also, maybe walk around a little and see if he needs to go again.

I say this because I have seen energetic praise interrupt a dog from peeing and with a puppy they might not know they still need to go until they get back inside. Walking around for a minute or two after he first goes might help because sometimes the tank isn't empty after the first time. Both my males will go twice (not marking, and significant amounts of urine) during their big potty breaks after holding it for 5-10 hours. When my younger dog was a very young puppy, I don't doubt that he would have gone inside if he didn't get the chance to fully empty his bladder. Lastly, treats are more effective than praise for most dogs when it comes to really reinforcing behavior and ensuring it happens again.

 

[Lillith]

I will start putting him in his crate when I'm on a call/in a meeting as this is when I can't fully supervise him. This is a great suggestion, thank you. I don't know why I didn't think of this before.

I wait until he stops whining before I take him out of his crate. I'm trying not to reward crying by being let out.

I absolutely signed up for frequent potty breaks when I got a puppy. I think taking him out hourly is more than a lot of people can manage when working full time. Every 15 mins just isn't practical.

I'm not showing any frustration to him, I'm making a point of utterly ignoring the house accidents and praising like a crazy person when he goes outside. He's so funny when I do this and becomes more of a kangaroo than a puppy with excitement at the fuss. I'm still shocked at how high he can jump when he's giddy.

You may not think you're showing frustration, but dogs pick up on so much. A huff of air out your nose or a stiff set of your shoulders can tip them off. And it's fine, I'm not criticizing you for that, we're human, but it's something to be aware of as you go through this process. Understanding is very important, as some dogs are super sensitive!

And you're right, 15 minutes isn't practical when you're trying to work. Many people work out of the home and successfully potty train puppies, they just utilize the crate. Typically, the pup gets put in the crate for 4 hours, gets a break at lunch, and then back in the crate until their owner comes home. But when the pup is out and active and you're not working, committing to the every 15 minutes is a necessity. Adopting a schedule like that may help you, and the puppy will learn the routine and what's expected of him.

You never said if the dog cries the whole time you are gone, or just for a few minutes. If he's crying the entire time, I would suggest the help of a rewards based trainer. They can probably decided if the pup has some separation anxiety going on, or if it's just a puppy behavior that he'll grow out of.

 

[anniec]

I always always wait until after he's done before giving him a treat and praise - maybe I should give him more than one treat?. He's VERY easily distracted. Even leaves falling from the trees floating down distracts him, heaven help us if someone has the audacity to walk in his earshot when he has to go I try to make sure after he's finished we stay out another 5 mins or so, so he doesn't think he goes back in as soon as he goes.

 

[anniec]

You may not think you're showing frustration, but dogs pick up on so much. A huff of air out your nose or a stiff set of your shoulders can tip them off. And it's fine, I'm not criticizing you for that, we're human, but it's something to be aware of as you go through this process. Understanding is very important, as some dogs are super sensitive!

And you're right, 15 minutes isn't practical when you're trying to work. Many people work out of the home and successfully potty train puppies, they just utilize the crate. Typically, the pup gets put in the crate for 4 hours, gets a break at lunch, and then back in the crate until their owner comes home. But when the pup is out and active and you're not working, committing to the every 15 minutes is a necessity. Adopting a schedule like that may help you, and the puppy will learn the routine and what's expected of him.

You never said if the dog cries the whole time you are gone, or just for a few minutes. If he's crying the entire time, I would suggest the help of a rewards based trainer. They can probably decided if the pup has some separation anxiety going on, or if it's just a puppy behavior that he'll grow out of.

He doesn't cry the whole time, just some of it. He's usually OK for around the first 10-15 mins then he starts. You can talk to him through the video monitor which I've tried doing to reassure him and i'm not sure if this was a good or a terrible idea. It occasionally works to soothe him but more often than not it makes him howl louder so I don't do this now.

 

[Lillith]

And you're right, 15 minutes isn't practical when you're trying to work. Many people work out of the home and successfully potty train puppies, they just utilize the crate. Typically, the pup gets put in the crate for 4 hours, gets a break at lunch, and then back in the crate until their owner comes home. But when the pup is out and active and you're not working, committing to the every 15 minutes is a necessity. Adopting a schedule like that may help you, and the puppy will learn the routine and what's expected of him.

You never said if the dog cries the whole time you are gone, or just for a few minutes. If he's crying the entire time, I would suggest the help of a rewards based trainer. They can probably decided if the pup has some separation anxiety going on, or if it's just a puppy behavior that he'll grow out of.

He doesn't cry the whole time, just some of it. He's usually OK for around the first 10-15 mins then he starts. You can talk to him through the video monitor which I've tried doing to reassure him and i'm not sure if this was a good or a terrible idea. It occasionally works to soothe him but more often than not it makes him howl louder so I don't do this now.

Well, talking to him through the monitor may have made it worse! He knows that screaming will get you to pay some attention to him! It seems that one little mistake can make fixing the issue that much longer. This may be something he will simply grow out of. In the meantime, you might try bringing your neighbors cookies or brownies or something, explaining that you're training a puppy, and ask them to be patient. You might also try covering the crate.