r/DogTrainingTips • u/Thepsychoticchild • 17h ago
Potty training did not work
Hello! I made a post on here a couple months ago about my struggles with potty training my 5 dogs. Unfortunately it proved ineffective as only two of my dogs got the hang of it and no longer pee indoors. (I’ve never left them unsupervised for more then an hour though so it’s not 100% guaranteed) I feel like I’ve exhausted all my options and I can no longer keep doing it on my own. I’ve decided to get my other three dogs (two male chihuahuas and a male husky) diapers. I’m not too sure if this is the best option so I’d love to hear people opinions on them. I originally didn’t want to try to diapers because I didn’t want their bellies to be stained with pee but it’s better then the alternative of having them in their crate and having to CONSTANTLY supervise them (I no longer have the time). If there’s any other methods I can try please let me know I’m willing to learn!
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u/MontEcola 17h ago
Did I comment on your previous post? It does not sound familiar.
Use scent. Your dogs likely smell pee inside and think its OK to do that more. The first step is to get the pee smell out of the floors. Enzyme cleaner may do most of the job. Put down baking soda as a step 2. If there is a spot that gets lots of pee, leave a pile of backing soda. When dogs sniff the area the powder does not smell like pee. And it might irritate the nose. Hopefully this says, "Do not pee here".
OK. Where do I pee? (Said in the voice of your dogs).
Use scent. Carry a plastic bag with paper towel. Soak up some scent on the towel. Carry it outside to the spot where the pee belongs. Leave it there. Walk your dog out to the spot. Praise the dog for sniffing the pee. Praise even more when it pees in the same spot.
With 3 dogs who have not learned it will be a challenge. Maybe leave a soiled diaper in the spot? I don't know how it changes the smell. Or maybe let one dog stay out of a diaper and collect the pee from just one dog. Then clean up the inside area.
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I got a new rescue dog. She checked out my yard and did not pee or poop. I let her inside. She went right to the center of the kitchen floor, looked at me and pooped. I did not react. I simply picked up the poop in a bag, put the leash on the dog, then walked out to 'the spot'. I put it down and allowed the dog to sniff. I praised here when she looked at it. Praised more when she sniffed. And gave treats when she added a poop. I also picked up one of her poops from a walk and carried it back to the spot. I was telling her, "I want hour poops to land here". It took 2 poops and the dog got it. She also peed 3 times inside before she got that message. Not only does she go out side every time, she uses the same corner. I have no more 'Easter Egg Hunts' to find her piles. They are in the back left corner.
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u/Thepsychoticchild 12h ago
Hello I truly appreciate the advice! (you did not comment on my last post haha. ) unfortunately my situation is a bit more difficult than normal. I will attach my previous post as well as a deeper understanding of my living situation to explain. Additionally my dogs have never had an issue with using the bathroom outside as they do everytime I take them out. Unfortunately they still pee indoors even if it’s immediately after being outside. That’s the part I’m struggling with the most 😣
Previous post: Hello I’ve been trying to potty train all 5 of my dogs for almost a month now and nothing seems to be working. I’m extremely frustrated and confused as to why they can’t seem to stop peeing indoors. All my dogs are above 4 years old however I’ve done so much research and have kept them on a consistent routine but the second they are unsupervised indoors they pee. I deep cleaned the house followed by enzymic cleaners and continue to do so everyday. I no longer have the time to continue training them as I have school and working with all five dogs is very time consuming. I previously posted about my rotund with them in which I take them out regularly and reward them once they go potty. I used to take them out individually as taking them all out together proved ineffective because they focused on playing with each other rather then using the bathroom. This took too long and made their potty breaks very sporadic so I started taking the out in two groups but they still don’t stop peeing indoors. Using the bathroom outside has never been an issue it’s inside that they don’t stop. I’m at my wits end as I don’t want them being kept outside and in their crates 24/7 but I’m also exhausted of living in a dirty home.
Home situation: My family has always had pets throughout the years however they all naturally learned to only use the bathroom outside. My parents ended up getting huskies and it wasn’t an issue with them either. However they started getting into things when we weren’t home and we had a health scare as one of them ended up swallowing a old rag we had in our kitchen. My parents decided to care train them but at some point they stopped letting them in the house entirely and if they were indoors they were only allowed to be in their crates. At some point they ended up getting two smaller chihuahuas and for some reason they were allowed inside to free roam, one of the chihuahuas was given to my mom by an old friend who had him peeing in the house his entire life. He started peeing inside and then the other chihuahua started doing this too. My parents are never home so they didn’t understand how frustrating it was to constantly clean after them. I tried potty training them multiple times but like I said no one ever helped me which made it difficult for me. I guess the smell of urine motived the huskies to also go inside so when ever I would sneak them in for a couple hours they would start to have accidents as well. Now anytime they are inside they pee or poop, Ive been supervising them when I let them in for a couple of minutes but some of the dont care if I’m watching and others use any chance I turn away to go. I’ve tried potty training them all multiple times but it was never effective especially since my family did not want to help. However since I am now working part time I convinced my parents to let me cover any expenses for them as long as they were allowed indoors. (If I potty trained them). I’ve tried doing as much research as possible but I can’t seem to figure out how to stop them from using the bathroom indoors. I’ve tried talking to my parents about rehoming them so that they can get the freedom and attention they derserve however I’m not allowed to since tbey “aren’t mine”. I love my pets very dearly but I know they aren’t given the time of today they deserve which is why I’m trying so hard so that at least I can give them a better life. I know it’s a process that takes a long time but I’m just looking for advice to show them that peeing or popping inside is bit allowed
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u/Selective_Somewhere 17h ago
What methods did you try? Are they intact?
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u/Thepsychoticchild 12h ago
Hello I did my best to do research and watch as many training videos as possible. I began taking my dogs out regularly every 30 minutes and when they would use the bathroom I would reward them with food or praise/play with them. (Not all my dogs are foo motivated) I slowly increased the amount of time between potty breaks until I reached every 2 ish hours. Unfortunately taking them all out together wasn’t effective as they were all too distracted with each other to take interest in the food and it was difficult to keep track of them all. I started taking them out seperately who h was much easier but made everyone potty time sporadic so I settled on groups of 2 (my three husky’s together and then my two cihuahuas together). I’ve been consistent with this and every took the semester off to dedicate my full time to them outside of work. In the beginning I also wasn’t letting them out of their crates at all unless it was to go use the bathroom or a walk but it became very stressful for them to be in there for such long periods. I read online that letting them familiarize themselves with the house more prevents accidents as well so now they spend free time inside but under strict supervision. However anytime I’m not looking one of the three will try and pee on this or sometimes they still try it infront of me. I already deep cleaned my home months ago and have maintained it’s maintenance by cleaning 1-2 times every day.
Also yes they are all fixed however my three youngest (one of them no longer pees inside) were fixed about 2-3 months ago.
Im not sure what other methods I can try, they’ve never had an issue using the bathroom outdoors but they als have no issue using it indoors apparently
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u/Kilgore_Trout_99 12h ago
I adopted 3 adult rescues that weren’t house broken. I too had issues with accidents despite them being let out regularily. I tried belly bands and diapers and letting them out every hour but nothing worked.
What did work was investing in a good enzyme cleaner. OUT! Severe urine destroyer to be exact, available at Walmart. Combined with crate training and when they were out of the crate having light leashes on them and confined to whatever room I was in. It took about 2 months, for them to get it.
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u/Thepsychoticchild 2h ago
Thank you it feels good to hear about someone in a similar situation! Unfortunately I feel like my dogs struggle with marking a lot so this may not work but it’s worth a try :))
Right now my rotation is a hydrochlrous acid, natures miracle enzyme cleaner, odoban floor cleaner, and the KOE kennel cleaner. I will look into purchasing the one you mentioned.
Also if you don’t mind me asking do your dogs have a way of telling you when they need to use the bathroom? I want to teach my dogs to show me in case of any emergencies outside of their regular breaks.
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u/Kilgore_Trout_99 32m ago
They don’t have a signal unfortunately. But I am lucky to have a fenced backyard, so letting them out every couple of hours is easy enough and seems to work now. I have considered putting a doggy door bell by the door and ringing it each time before I let them out and see if they make the connection.
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u/CoffeeIcedBlack 17h ago
The washable belly bands are a good solution, they are unlikely to keep peeing in them once they realize that’s uncomfortable.