# how to teach to pee and poop in house



## agent99ri (Sep 25, 2008)

I have a 7 mos old Yorki and now want to train him to do this business in the house ..Im going back to college at the age of 43 and my husband is disabled... I need your help, Thanks


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

I think they make those indoor grass boxes (fake grass?)...maybe that would help?


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

So long as you are aware that "in the house" usually translates to "anywhere" in the house. Dogs don't always use litter boxes or pee pads when provided.....even cats don't use the litter box 100% of the time.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

TooneyDogs said:


> So long as you are aware that "in the house" usually translates to "anywhere" in the house. Dogs don't always use litter boxes or pee pads when provided.....even cats don't use the litter box 100% of the time.


I beg to differ on the cat statement. My cats use their litter box 100% of the time. I have 5 and the trick is to keep that box clean and to have more than one (sort of mandatory with 5 cats!). NEVER have these had an "accident" and I have had 2 for 13 years and 2 for 14 years and 1 for a year and 3 months! I am ANAL about the cat care and being sure they have clean boxes. 

Fact is, the youngster cat got accidently locked in the computer room once a year or so ago for 6 hours  and when I found him and opened the door he RAN for the litter box! 

I can't IMAGINE teaching a dog to go in the house. They don't cover their poop and are not as selective as cats in any way shape or form about where they go. 

I NEVER want anyone to walk in my home and sniff the air and say "You have CATS!" I am anal about the dog as well.. the doggy odor thing.. and I do not want anyone to walk in my home and sniff the air and say, "You have a DOG!" either. I keep all of them clean and bathed.. yup, even the cats get a bath once in awhile and after they are dry they get some Advantage for fleas. I only let them out on a leash so fleas are not an issue and the dog is treated with Vectra 3D. Every month just before the Vectra application (the day b4) she gets a thorough bath too. 

Since it sounds like your husband is home and disabled, can you build a fenced yard and a dog door? Seems like a way way way better solution than pooping or peeing in the house. Just my thought on it.


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

Elana55 said:


> I beg to differ on the cat statement. My cats use their litter box 100% of the time.


Mine doesn't and I'm also anal about keeping a clean box. I really intended the statement to be a general cat statement (not all cats will use the box 100% of the time, ie; dogs hit/miss usage will often be much lower than cats).


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## agent99ri (Sep 25, 2008)

I keep my house and pet very clean...Cats are not my issue... Its a 5 lb Yorki the poop is smaller than a peapod.. When he was a pup he use to pee and poop in his crate and I cleaned it everyday.. I dont want to crate him again.. he is a great little dog and well behaved.. just need ideas how to train him to go on a pad again.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

Confine him to a room, or an area in a room, with a hard floor and put pee pads on the entire floor (with phermones or "seed" the pee pad with some dog poo where you will be leaving the pad where you will want him to go). 

As he gets the idea (keep some poo on the pad where you will eventually be leaving it all the time) and goes regularly in one area, start to take up the pads until all you have are one or two where he is supposed to go. 

Good luck with all this. I would still prefer a dog door and a small yard if the dog is housebroken because he is going to try to "hold it" at first if he is. 

And Tooney Dogs, I did not mean to sound at all confrontational.. I simply wanted to point out that cats and, in my case, dogs, can be very very much NOT hit or miss on the house training thing. 

Unless I have had a sick animal, I haven't had a house accident with the cats in years and years and the dog pee'd inside ONE TIME and my reaction convinced her I was INSANE (I interrupted her and did not punish or yell but but instinctively, and in a very high pitched voice, said, "No no no..." as I grabbed her and put her out to finish up and gave her a treat... I expect she was permanenetly traumatized because she never saw me act like THAT before.... and has never given me cause to act like THAT again... LOL).

It is a proven fact in my house that insane people cause traumatization to German Shepherds... She is the only dog I know who will walk away muttering to herself and shaking her head.... (I have the same effect on my co workers)


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

That's it, I did not read any of this thread and will not read any more. I will quit training if it means I have to teach dogs how to pee and poop in the house. I am drawing the line in the sand

As Clint Eastwood once said in a movie, "A man got to know his limitations"


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

Elana55 said:


> And Tooney Dogs, I did not mean to sound at all confrontational.. I simply wanted to point out that cats and, in my case, dogs, can be very very much NOT hit or miss on the house training thing.


No no....I didn't take it that way at all. We both read over and over again that folks have problems with dogs consistently using litter boxes and pee pads. They tend to think that dogs will be as good as cats about using them and not going on the carpet, etc. Litter box use may come natural for cats but, dogs need a whole lot more training and I think first time owners don't realize that. They set out the litter box/pee pads and expect the dog to use them with almost no thought on the How To.
Now, if you can get my cat to stop going on the concrete in the lower level of the house I'd really appreciate it!! Why she doesn't consistently use the 2nd box down there beats me.....she's perfect upstairs.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

TooneyDogs said:


> Now, if you can get my cat to stop going on the concrete in the lower level of the house I'd really appreciate it!! Why she doesn't consistently use the 2nd box down there beats me.....she's perfect upstairs.


Of course you know the ol' natures miracle clean up so have used that. I would try a different cat litter in that box. If the box is different (not covered and the upstairs one is covered for instance) get a covered box. 

If the box downstairs is NOT covered, cover it. Try using something in that box like pure sand or even just plain dirt. You can get a scrap piece of linoleum and put that down and then put the box on top of it so going next to the box on the concrete is less attractive. I would start by making sure both boxes are the same construction and then put something in the box like plain sand and see if that makes a difference. 

Just like dogs, there is a reason and the reason may be gone and now you have a self reinforced habit. 

Or you can close the basement off to the cat.. or if the cat has to be in the basement, confine the cat to a Kitty Condo (very large cage with carpeted shelves for the cat and a litter box in the base). 

I am better with cats than dogs... and my dog KNOWS it. Worse yet, the CATS know it and man they work me, while the dog watches and laughs at me. *sigh* Life is tough on humans in this house.


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

Got the Natures Miracle covered but, love the idea of perhaps covering that box. The one upstairs is somewhat secluded/barred to keep the dogs out but, the one downstairs is out in the open....good thought! Thanks!


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

You vcan get a covered box from Walmart for like $10. Be sure to "seed" it with a bit of his cat poo to sort of encourage the idea. 

PM me to let me know how it goes. This problem can be difficult to fix. 

I swear about 20% (more???) of this forum is about animal poo.. and I swear it is the only place I can go where people are really eager to talk about it. LOL


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## PeppersPop (Apr 13, 2008)

Out of curiosity, what made you leave this post?

I don't understand how you got "wvasko MUST train his/her dog to pee/poop inside" or even "all dogs SHOULD BE trained to pee/poop inside" from the original post.

I'm not trying to be a jerk... just curious why you took the time to write this, especially if you didn't read any of this thread and aren't going to read anymore of it. 

Regards,
Sid



wvasko said:


> That's it, I did not read any of this thread and will not read any more. I will quit training if it means I have to teach dogs how to pee and poop in the house. I am drawing the line in the sand
> 
> As Clint Eastwood once said in a movie, "A man got to know his limitations"


Tooneydogs:
Like Elana55, I am not trying to be confrontational or rude, but I have to disagree. 

Potty training / house breaking is teaching the dog where it CAN go, not where it CAN'T go. Its impossible to take a dog to every single place in the world it shouldn't go and then train it to not go there. On top of that, most dogs aren't good at generalizing.

Using your logic, teaching your dog to go "outside the house" means that your dog can go anywhere and everywhere so long as it's "outside the house" right? Meaning that its ok for the dog to pee and poop in the sandbox, on the porch, patio, or deck, in the children's outdoor playhouse, in or next to the swimming pool, in neighbor's house, etc. because its all "outside the house." 

I don't find peeing and pooping EVERYWHERE acceptable, whether its inside or outside the house. 

You are absolutely right... cats don't use the litter box 100% of the time and neither would a dog. But healthy, appropriately trained cats and healthy, appropriately trained dogs do go in the appropriate area 99.99999% of the time. There is always the potential for an animal to have an accident... including dogs that have ONLY been trained to go outside. 

Absolutely, dogs who are trained to use an indoor potty area are more likely to have indoor accidents than dogs trained to use an outdoor area.

But what you seem to have missed is the "its a 5lb yorki and the poop is smaller than a pea pod" part... very few large breed dog owners train their dogs to go on a wee-wee pad or to use an indoor potty area because it's difficult to contain/manage the large amount of waste left by a large dog---even if its going in a designated area. It's just not practical... but that's not what is going on here!!!

Agent99ri:
How do you train a dog to go in a designated area indoors... the same way you train a dog to go in a designated area outdoors.

---If the dog is already trained to go outside, practice using a cue word and reward the dog for going on cue.
---Pay attention to when your dog goes and look for a pattern/schedule... try to get the dog on one if it isn't already.
--Decide what area you are going to use for an indoor potty area and what containment method you are going to use. Note:If you dog doesn't make a large volume of waste and stands still while it goes, a wee-wee pad might work. If you dog is a sloppy pee/pooper, then you might need a more confined area like a litter box or a commercial "dog potty."
---Get the dog used to being in a crate/pen/cage.

Here's what you do:
First thing in the morning, take the dog to the designated potty area. Use the "go to the bathroom" cue/command. If the dog goes, give it lots of praise/treats/toys/affection.
If it doesn't go, put the dog in it's crate. 
In 10-20-30 minutes, take the dog back to the potty area. If the dog goes, give the dog lots of praise/treats/toys/affection. 
If the dog doesn't go, put the dog back in the crate. 
In 10-20-30 minutes, take the dog back to the potty area. If the dog goes, give the dog lots of praise/treats/toys/affection.
Repeat, repeat, repeat. 
Watch the dog like a hawk... if it starts showing signs of needing to go, take it to the potty area.

Take the dog to the potty area at times when the dog normally goes... take it to the potty area after you feed it...make sure that the dog always has access to the potty area.

If the dog has an accident and goes outside the designated area, its extremely important that you clean it up ASAP. The scent of urine attracts more urine so you'll probably want to buy an enzyme cleaner or something specially made or pet waste.
You can also use this to your advantage... you can leave a very, very tiny amount of pee/poop (remember, dogs have very powerful noses) on the pad when you first start your training. One way to do this is to take a wee-wee pad out when your dog goes to the bathroom outside... after the dog pees, drop the wee-wee pad (absorbent side down) onto the spot where the dog peed. Use your foot to gentle press it down so it absorbs some urine... you don't need much.

It IS possible to teach a dog to go in a designated area, be in indoors or outdoors. 

Good luck!
Sid

PS. A doggie door might be easier both training and cleaning wise... and over the long run, it's probably cheaper because you don't have to buy pads. But a doggie door only works if you have a safe, enclosed space for the dog to go out to (since he'll be going out alone). You also have to have a door you can modify and permission to modify said door.




TooneyDogs said:


> So long as you are aware that "in the house" usually translates to "anywhere" in the house. Dogs don't always use litter boxes or pee pads when provided.....even cats don't use the litter box 100% of the time.


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