# When is a dog truly housebroken?



## The Dogman Commeth (Jan 30, 2009)

Just curious -- would it be going 14 days without an accident in the house?

My training method is a bit unorthodox (based on the complexity of my dog lol), so I'm just curious as to when you guys can confidently say "my dog is housebroken."

Also, when housebroken, do you still crate your dog up during the day? or let him roam because you know he will not have an accident?


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## fuzzypuppies (Dec 22, 2008)

Really depends on the dog. Sometimes they need to be crated so they don't get into anything. If you want to break your dog from the crate, and see how it goes I would suggest you start with maybe an hour at a time and work your way up.


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

My dogs have both been completely house broken since a few weeks after I got them but I still crate one and the other has full run. This way I am completely certain there won't be any monkey business while I am away.


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## GeorgeGlass (Jun 5, 2008)

Mine came mostly pre-housebroken, but he did sneak off and use the back room a few times. So I treated him like an unhousebroken puppy. He never left my sight.

I did that for five months or so. The last 2-3, I've let him prove himself slowly. No accidents so far.

You probably shouldn't let a puppy have free roam period. In addition to housebreaking, you have to worry about chewing and such, which can be dangerous for the dog.

Some folks here believe you shouldn't ever leave a dog alone unsupervised and uncrated. Others have asserted you shouldn't leave a dog alone unsupervised until 2-3 years of age (depending on when destructive chewing stops).

I plan on seeing how my dog does. He doesn't seem to mind his crate. he looks more comfortable curled up on the couch. He still tries to get into stuff he's not supposed to now and again, though, so he's not ready. We'll see if I ever feel he is.


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## blackrose (Oct 7, 2006)

Chloe became officially housebroken when she started signaling to go outside and if we failed to miss her signal she didn't pee on the floor. That took, oh, about eight months. Now I can leave her loose downstairs for eight hours with no one home and she is perfectally fine.

Sadie was housebroken as mentioned above as soon as she gained control of her bladder. She would signal to go out and would go outside and try her hardest not to go inside as a young puppy, but she couldn't physically hold it. Once she was able to, she never once made a mess. She was crated when we weren't home because although she wouldn't pee on the floor, she loved to chew things (being a Lab).

Even though I have never done any training with them (in fact, they just started staying in the house this winter), I say my two older dogs are housebroken. They wait to go outside to do their business and they have never had an accident. If I took them to a strange house and let them run loose, they wouldn't pee on the carpet.


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## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

I consider Sadie housebroken in that she always runs to the door and barks if she needs to go out. However if no one gets up she will have an accident on the tile floor right next to the door. She KNOWS she needs to get out there but I think she just cannot hold it very well if she can see the outside  She never goes potty in her crate. We went to a neighbor's house and she didn't potty in there, she looked for a door to go out. I consider that good for me!


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## Meghan&Pedro (Nov 6, 2006)

I consider my dogs to be fully housebroken when I go 60 days without an accident inside the house.

That rule works for most people - because there's a difference in lifestyle between most of us. How often we take our dogs out, whether or not we crate etc. For YOUR schedule and for YOUR lifestyle if your dog is no longer eliminating inside the house then for your lifestyle your dog is housebroken.

I do use crates to housebreak the puppies, and I would say for most of my dogs they're allowed to be out, unsupervised for limited time periods after about 4 months of age. Then I would say that at about 10 months of age I have a dog that will not only choose to go outside, but will actually HOLD it until the time to go outside comes.

Using a bell on your door for your dog to ask to be let out is a great way to train that. I personally just take my dogs out inbetween 3 and 4 times a day (once before breakfast if we sleep in, once after breakfast, once early afternoon, once evening) and they hold it until they're able to go outside.

Most dogs don't know how to ask, I think that it's unfair that we think our dogs should learn how to ask us. Unless you're bell or vocal training your dog for a cue, how do they ask in a way that you'll always notice? Most dogs just sit silently by the back door until someone notices. 

One of my dogs will sit by my feet and give me nervous glances. No that's not a great way to ask, but it's the only way he knows! LOL It's dog to dog.

Neat question.


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## blackrose (Oct 7, 2006)

> Unless you're bell or vocal training your dog for a cue, how do they ask in a way that you'll always notice?


 Chloe makes herself a pest. She puts her head on your lap, licks you, jumps into your lap, and just won't leave you alone. Then when you ask, "Do you have to go outside?" she will perk her ears up and run to the door. 

Sadie did the same thing, so I've probably unknowingly trained my dogs to clobber me when they need to go out. LOL


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## Erick Aguilar (Jun 9, 2008)

I consider a dog truly housebroken, when they let you know it's time to pee without peeing inside the house.
I.E. standing by the door.


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