My pup will turn 5 months on Aug 7 and she is really pretty good with house breaking in the morning the routine is great she will go outside or if we go for a walk she will poop and pee on the walk but in the afternoon and evening is when there is a slip and she will poop or once in a while pee in the house and it is always in the living room and it is always when my back is turned so I can't really scold her for doing it and I just clean it up. Can anyone give me any tips or am I expecting to much from the pup at this age?
At what age are most Shelties housebroken?
- Thread starter DEPM
- Start date
3 were easy, Savannah was HARD
3 were easy...were trustworthy within a mth...Savannah...took WAY longer, almost 8 mths to be accident free...but Savannah is my smallest one yet...other 2 were 40 lbs...Kaleigh is 20 lbs, and Savannah is not even 15 lbs yet. She held potty at night from day one-unlike my others that were pretty much 4 hrs and needed let out (interrupted sleep for mths), so I think it wasn't a size issue as much as her just being stubborn. It was still COLD weather for us, and she hated going outside in cold...my others were potty trained in nice weather-I think it was the issue. Just keep reinforcing the expectation and be consistent on a schedule.
3 were easy...were trustworthy within a mth...Savannah...took WAY longer, almost 8 mths to be accident free...but Savannah is my smallest one yet...other 2 were 40 lbs...Kaleigh is 20 lbs, and Savannah is not even 15 lbs yet. She held potty at night from day one-unlike my others that were pretty much 4 hrs and needed let out (interrupted sleep for mths), so I think it wasn't a size issue as much as her just being stubborn. It was still COLD weather for us, and she hated going outside in cold...my others were potty trained in nice weather-I think it was the issue. Just keep reinforcing the expectation and be consistent on a schedule.
Shelby's mom
Forums Enthusiast
Hollie was quick to learn and was pretty much housebroken in a month or so.
Shelby who is the complete opposite took much longer. She was probably 8-9 months or more before she could be trusted to go outside. (Chewing took years). Shelby also always made it through the night without having to go out. And she never wakes us up to go out. I swear she can hold it forever.
Hollie did need to go out every few hours as a pup, even at night. And Hollie would always wake us up early to go out.
I guess they are all different. I think you are doing just fine!
Shelby who is the complete opposite took much longer. She was probably 8-9 months or more before she could be trusted to go outside. (Chewing took years). Shelby also always made it through the night without having to go out. And she never wakes us up to go out. I swear she can hold it forever.
Hollie did need to go out every few hours as a pup, even at night. And Hollie would always wake us up early to go out.
I guess they are all different. I think you are doing just fine!
We got Honey at four months, and by then she had didn't understand that the cage wasn't for using as a bathroom as well, and I had no idea what I was doing, so we had to get all that sorted out, however I'd call her housebroken by 6/7 months, as in I could trust her off leash when I was home.
When we moved around 8 months, and then moved again at 10 months the upheaval caused some backsliding and we had to block off some rooms and resort to her being leashed to me for a few weeks.
If you're having accidents in the afternoon only, I might try putting your pup on a leash during that time and keeping it clipped to your belt until after she's used the bathroom. Keeping Honey leashed was a big help during the final stages of potty training.
When we moved around 8 months, and then moved again at 10 months the upheaval caused some backsliding and we had to block off some rooms and resort to her being leashed to me for a few weeks.
If you're having accidents in the afternoon only, I might try putting your pup on a leash during that time and keeping it clipped to your belt until after she's used the bathroom. Keeping Honey leashed was a big help during the final stages of potty training.
Caro
Moderator
5 months isn't old at all to be only partially housebroken. It really does depend on the dog.
If it's pretty much always in the afternoon and evening then you need to increase how often you take her outside to toilet. It will also help if you note the time she usually toilets so you can establish a toilet routine for those times.
If it's pretty much always in the afternoon and evening then you need to increase how often you take her outside to toilet. It will also help if you note the time she usually toilets so you can establish a toilet routine for those times.
Hanne
Forums Sage
Minnie was about 6½ months when she had complete control over the process.
She had a period before this - when she wanted out 3-4 times between the hours of 17-19, and each evening I thought she would just go out to be fooling - but it was not - she just ran out to pee or poop at once
One day this stopped and after this had complete control over the process.
But in return she will not pee or poop in the garden more
then we have go 3-4 trips a day.
(poop 2 times a day - pee a lot)
She had a period before this - when she wanted out 3-4 times between the hours of 17-19, and each evening I thought she would just go out to be fooling - but it was not - she just ran out to pee or poop at once
One day this stopped and after this had complete control over the process.
But in return she will not pee or poop in the garden more
then we have go 3-4 trips a day.(poop 2 times a day - pee a lot)
At 5 months she does not have entire control of the bladder/bowels. Getting there, but she would be in the category of "partially" housebroken. On top of it, she is probably teething and that just messes every thing up.
Here are some housebreaking tips:
1. ANY change in activity means a trip outside. Sleep, eat, drink, play and out.
2. Be there with her and tell her to potty and when she does big party, maybe even a treat. My girl sheltie likes to hold it. She learned "peecookie" as a command because if she pees she gets a cookie.
3. When you return inside you need to either crate, confine in the room with you, or tether the dog to you. If the dog changes activity or even looks like she might be looking for a place to void then out you go.
4. If there is a error that you catch in the process, things like NO and STOP are OK as interrupters but you don't get angry or put the nose in it. Even slightly after the fact, they know that is their urine, wail like you are heartbroken. They know they did that, punishment is not helpful but knowing it upset you is. Clean it up, take the soiled stuff outside and toss it on the ground and say "here, this goes here" and encourage the dog to potty while you are out there and party about it. If you just silently clean it up the dog doesn't get the sense it was wrong. I mean don't yell at the dog and punish it, it's just a baby, but I liked wailing like I was mourning the end of the world and really fast the dog understood he let me down. My very first dog was a 2 year old Aussie who was outside more than inside probably before I adopted him. He was housebroken mostly. I was not experienced with dogs. He peed on the carpet and I started bawling and sobbing and telling him that maybe I would have to take him back to the shelter (I wouldn't have) and he never did it again. He was a smart and loving adult, but I have always utilized that tactic with the pups rather than anger.
People tend to have the most trouble around this age. When the pup was tiny and slept most of the time you carried the tyke out after waking up for a piddle and then back to sleepy or playing with a toy or cuddling. When you get this more active age but not in full mental or physical control of the bodily functions, you have to increase the going out. My shepherd pup and my sheltie, I swear, had to go out every 20 minutes at this age. This is where every mistake sets you back and every correct potty advances you. It's very important to give the dog plenty of opportunities to get it right at this age while helping preventing getting it wrong.
Here are some housebreaking tips:
1. ANY change in activity means a trip outside. Sleep, eat, drink, play and out.
2. Be there with her and tell her to potty and when she does big party, maybe even a treat. My girl sheltie likes to hold it. She learned "peecookie" as a command because if she pees she gets a cookie.
3. When you return inside you need to either crate, confine in the room with you, or tether the dog to you. If the dog changes activity or even looks like she might be looking for a place to void then out you go.
4. If there is a error that you catch in the process, things like NO and STOP are OK as interrupters but you don't get angry or put the nose in it. Even slightly after the fact, they know that is their urine, wail like you are heartbroken. They know they did that, punishment is not helpful but knowing it upset you is. Clean it up, take the soiled stuff outside and toss it on the ground and say "here, this goes here" and encourage the dog to potty while you are out there and party about it. If you just silently clean it up the dog doesn't get the sense it was wrong. I mean don't yell at the dog and punish it, it's just a baby, but I liked wailing like I was mourning the end of the world and really fast the dog understood he let me down. My very first dog was a 2 year old Aussie who was outside more than inside probably before I adopted him. He was housebroken mostly. I was not experienced with dogs. He peed on the carpet and I started bawling and sobbing and telling him that maybe I would have to take him back to the shelter (I wouldn't have) and he never did it again. He was a smart and loving adult, but I have always utilized that tactic with the pups rather than anger.
People tend to have the most trouble around this age. When the pup was tiny and slept most of the time you carried the tyke out after waking up for a piddle and then back to sleepy or playing with a toy or cuddling. When you get this more active age but not in full mental or physical control of the bodily functions, you have to increase the going out. My shepherd pup and my sheltie, I swear, had to go out every 20 minutes at this age. This is where every mistake sets you back and every correct potty advances you. It's very important to give the dog plenty of opportunities to get it right at this age while helping preventing getting it wrong.
trini
Forums Sage
My shelties have ranged from no accidents by 14 weeks old to no accidents by 6 months...it really is variable depending on the dog.
BTW Since she has chosen the LR as her spot to have an accident...is there anyway you can gate off the LR so she can't get to the "accident site"? Sometimes they can decide that one area in the house is an acceptable dump site and closing down access to that area can often break the inside accident cycle.
Trini
BTW Since she has chosen the LR as her spot to have an accident...is there anyway you can gate off the LR so she can't get to the "accident site"? Sometimes they can decide that one area in the house is an acceptable dump site and closing down access to that area can often break the inside accident cycle.
Trini
Cleo2014
Forums Enthusiast
It took Cleo two months of training for her to have no accidents in the house. By this time she was 5 months. She has been accident free since then.