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Author Topic:   House breaking a 6 month old Papillon...help!!
Patti
New Member

Posts: 1
From:United States
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 11-18-2003 01:15 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Patti     Edit/Delete Message
Hello, I am hoping there is someone out there that can help me and my family! We have adopted a 6 month old Papillon from a family that did not have time for this puppy, didn't give him much discipline, and as a result he is quite difficult to deal with. We took him home on a 'trial' basis, and I didn't have the heart to send him back into a situation where he was crated for sometimes up to 12 hours a day...I don't have a clue as to why they even bothered buying him! But now, we are taking on the challenge of breaking him of his bad habits, which he has a few. My main concern is the fact that he is not yet fully house broken. He is walked several times a day (and night!), we spend lots of quality time with him, taking him to parks with our other dog (a 2-year old Pomeranian), etc. He is never home alone during the day for more than 4 hours at a time. When I got home for lunch today, he had messed in his crate! He was walked at 8:30 this morning, and I got home for lunch at 12:30 this afternoon, and he had messed. He even eliminated during his morning walk. I am beginning to get discouraged (we've had him for a month now)by his lack of picking up on our 'routine'...any advice? I'd hate to have to give him up..I want him to have a happy life with us, and not be bounced around from family to family...thanks for any help that anyone out there can offer!!

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nern

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Posts: 1591
From:NY, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 11-18-2003 03:56 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for nern     Edit/Delete Message
Im glad to hear that you have taken in this poor puppy and are willing to try and work with him.

quote:
When I got home for lunch today, he had messed in his crate! He was walked at 8:30 this morning, and I got home for lunch at 12:30 this afternoon, and he had messed. He even eliminated during his morning walk.

Its quite possible that he learned to mess in his crate from being locked in it for so long (as long as 12hrs??)...Im sure a puppy can not possibly hold it that long and as a result he started going right in the crate. At this point he probably has no reason not to mess in the crate. Do your best to show him where you want him to go....lots of praise and maybe even a nice treat everytime he goes potty outside. Try not to get discouraged...he's bound to pick it up eventually. Im sure others will have more advice for you.

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nern

Moderator

Posts: 1591
From:NY, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 11-18-2003 04:09 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for nern     Edit/Delete Message
Wanted to add some more....
How is he out of the crate? Does he tend to have accidents? This is just an idea....if he does pretty well (in regards to infrequent accidents outside of the crate) you may have better luck confining him to one room rather than using the crate since he seems to have trained himself to mess in the crate.
I did'nt use a crate while housetraining my Aussie x. Instead, I confined her to the kitchen while I was'nt home. She had infrequent accidents sometimes which I did not punish her for. She used to pee right on the blanket that I left for her to lay on and she would still lay on it but I was still able to fully house train her because once she understood that I wanted her to "go" outside she stopped having accidents inside.

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MyBabyShihPoo
Member

Posts: 206
From:
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 11-18-2003 04:14 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for MyBabyShihPoo     Edit/Delete Message
Hi Patti,
First of all, congrats on your puppy! It was very kind of you to rescue and take in a dog such as yours, that says about you and your generosity!

Anyhow, don't get discouraged too early on! Yes you have had him for a month now, but give it some more time. As we all well know, habits are difficult to get rid of, and the same is true for dogs. It requires a lot of patience and time on your part.

As far as the housebreaking goes:
1) How big is the crate that you are using? If it is too big then the dog will just mess on one side and sleep on the other. The crate should be appropriate for the size of the dog; which in your case is a small-sized crate. Also, what do you put in the dogs crate (i.e. a blanket, etc.). Reason why I ask is because dogs will instinctly find the most absorbent place to eliminate on. To illustrate, if a dog has a choice between tile and carpet to eliminate on, the chances are likely that he/she will go for the carpet. So, you may want to try not putting any absorbant material in the crate until he can be trusted.
2) Do you take him out RIGHT BEFORE you leave?
3) Have you checked to see that he does not have any urinary type infections, as these can cause a dog to lose the ability to hold it in.
4) Do keep in mind that smaller dogs are harder to housebreak, and often times take awhile to get it down pat. Some dogs even take up to a year to fully housebreak!
5) Maybe the 4 hours is just a little too long for him to be able to hold it in at his age. My two shih-poos, both 5 months old, can hold it in for about three hours (and if I am lucky four, but that is risking it). Our vet said that it does take smaller dogs more time to be able to hold it in for longer periods of time compared to larger dogs.
6) One more thing, be sure to clean up where the dog eliminated with a good quality deodorizer. This is because the scent will attract the dog to eliminate again in the same area where he did before.

These are some suggestions that you may or may not already have tried, but hopefully they will be of some assistance to you! Dogs are a challenge, but in the end they are more than worth it, just try and stick with it for a little longer, you CAN do it!!! Keep us updated on your success!
Best of luck with you and your dog,
Kristi

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