# my 6 months american bulldog still isnt house trained!



## amy88 (Nov 25, 2012)

hi, ive had my female american bulldog since she was 8 weeks old, shes now 6 months and continues to pee and foul in the house! i let her out regulary and she knows to go out side to the loo, it just seems she isnt bothered to hold it in. ive crate trained her and it seems she got the hang of it, untill she then decided to pee in the crate, i litrelly let her out in the back garden every 2 hours maybe shorter because ino she will go to the loo, i feed her and give her water at a certain time and pick it up a good time so she has plenty of time to empty her bladder before i go bed, i just dont understand why she wont stop!,


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## HollowHeaven (Feb 5, 2012)

Puppies don't really start to get control over their bladders until about 6 months old.

Are you going out with her? If not, you can't praise her for pottying outside, and then it doesn't amount to anything.


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## aiw (Jun 16, 2012)

I think you are giving her too much freedom. Until she is housetrained leash her to you in the house and watch her like a hawk. If there are any signs she is about to go rush her outside. She does not 'know' to go outside if she is still going inside (unless there is a physical issue) and the only way to teach her is to build association with going outside exclusively. I had a very difficult to housetrain dog and the leash helped us hugely, in my opinion housetraining is 99% supervision. Its a pain but its SOO worth it when you spend 1 month housetraining and its done instead of 6 months mostly housetraining and they're still not reliable.


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## amy88 (Nov 25, 2012)

yes , shes constantly by my side (shes like a shadow ) 
its seems strange how she can hold it in and not pee once in the house and then a few days later, she will pee and foul everywhere


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## amy88 (Nov 25, 2012)

like i just wrote, shes constantly with me ( not by my choice lol) she chooses to be everywhere with me, 
she will just pee right in front of me no warning, just crouch and go! but true, she has had alot of freedom


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## aiw (Jun 16, 2012)

Weird as it seems its actually a good that she will pee in front of you. If she becomes afraid (as my rescue dog was because of a previous owner scolding him for going inside) she will try to sneak away to pee in the house and refuse to pee in front of you during walks. You end up working against each other, the owner is trying to supervise while the dog is actively trying to sneak away. The reasoning is not 'peeing in the house is bad' but 'owner gets so angry when I pee, must hide it at all costs!'. So its good she is not afraid, you will have an easier time rewarding her for doing the right thing.

The advantage of the leash is she is always within arm's reach and you become very aware of her. I think you need to commit to 1 month of 100% intense supervision. Meaning you keep your eyes on her at all times and when you can't she is crated or outside, even for a shower or quick trip to the car. You will start to learn the really subtle signs she needs to go or the places she prefers and anticipate when she will go. If you fail to anticipate you can interrupt her (without scaring her) and rush her outside. Of course when she goes outside, big praise and treats. For us, after 4 months of uneven housetraining it took 2 months of leashed supervision and he is now trustworthy in the house. It was so worth the effort and up-front time to do it right and be done with the issue.


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## amy88 (Nov 25, 2012)

ok sounds good, definatley give that a go, but what about the peeing in the crate?


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## kbt_guy (Dec 2, 2012)

How much room does she have in the crate? Maybe too much? We used a partition to limit our dog when crate training that sealed off part of the crate and just gave him enough room to lay down and sleep.


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## amy88 (Nov 25, 2012)

she can laydown and sleep , so not much really but enuff to be comfortable


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

It seems that whatever the reason, she hasn't totally picked this potty training thing up. So, start over. But, start over with some new ideas.

Supervise, supervise, supervise. Do not let her have any freedom unless you know she has just "emptied" herself. PREVENT accidents at all costs.

So, whenever you are home, and she is out and about the house with you, she should be in your sight and in your reach. Don't just occasionally look over and check on her, and see what she's doing. Actually keep your eyes on her. As you have found, it takes just seconds for her to squat and pee. So, keep your eyes on her. Imagine a human parent whose baby is learning to walk. They follow along to make sure the child is ok. Do the same. If the pup is asleep or is laying in one spot playing with a toy, you are off the hook a bit. Otherwise, keep your eyes on her.
Tethering her to you with a leash is a great way to keep your attention on her.

Yes, it's a pain. But, it's easier if you spend the time for a month and get it done right, rather than to do it halfway and have it take longer.

If you have to leave, or if you are doing something that prevents you from watching her closely, that's when you can put her in the crate. However, if she consistently goes potty in the crate, that might not be a good way of confining her. Could you use a small, puppy safe room, blocked off with a baby gate instead of the crate? Have you cleaned the crate with an enzymatic cleaner?


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

I would start her over with the protocol here. This really works!

In addition, make sure you clean all of your floors (and her crate) with an enzymatic cleaner. Normal cleaners won't completely remove the smell, and she'll still be able to smell pee even if you can't, which will make her more likely to keep peeing in that spot. Enzymatic cleaners will get rid of the odor completely.


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