Confused about how to fix "poop = bad!" beliefs

K

Katagaria

Forums Enthusiast
To cut a long story short, my boyfriend's mother is away for a couple of days, she's normally always downstairs and the dogs are used to that.

Well, here's the thing. We thought the dogs just had a problem with holding their bowls during the night (pretty much solved with that). Turns out it seems to be that they feel fine doing it as long as no human is around. So, in other words, they have been pooping and peeing downstairs freely during the day. Even though the back door is wide open for them to go out and do what they usually do.

I really don't know what to do, or how to undo them thinking peeing/pooping is bad and make them realise where they are supposed to be going. :cry: They should be potty trained by now too, they are old enough.

Every time I have gone downstairs and I see they have left something on the floor I tell them to go outside, and they seem to have begun thinking the back garden is punishment if they have been told to go out there, so they start hiding under the table or something. :cry:
 
Back to housebreaking 101. Put them in a crate. Take them out, if they potty, yay happy dance and cookie time. If not, back in the crate. If they do potty outside, they get to come in and play for a little while (an hour), then back in the crate.
 
And they're probably responding to the displeasure in your voice when you send them outside. Outside needs to be fun!!
 
ClantyreSheltie said:
Back to housebreaking 101. Put them in a crate. Take them out, if they potty, yay happy dance and cookie time. If not, back in the crate. If they do potty outside, they get to come in and play for a little while (an hour), then back in the crate.
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Awesome, this is exactly what I need to hear. Also, should I go out with them where they do their business? Everyone just lets them go and get on with it, no-one is ever there to witness it because they won't do anything. They'll just stand around and stare at you.

@Chris - That's what I've been trying to do. But it's a struggle getting everyone on the same page. It's too much "effort" for some people here. :ick
 
Yes, you should be there to share in the awesomeness that is their poop. :razz:

My new puppy loves to potty outside, because I make a big stink over it and he thinks that's fun! He is also learning that pottying near me is OK, and since he will be a traveling dog, he has to learn to go on lead (which his breeders did a spectacular job of).
 
I got my younger boy housebroken pretty quickly by walking on a leash and whenever he made any effort to either poop or pee, we had a party. My neighbors must have thought I was nuts.

I praised, cheered, did a happy dance, gave lots of treats, generally got my boy very excited about going outside. He had no doubt that he was doing the Right Thing by going outside. In fact when I am anyplace new with him, we have a little potty party refresher course to make sure he understands to go outside.

And yes, you need to remove the opportunity for them to potty in the house. That means crate time unless they have just done their business outside.
 
ClantyreSheltie said:
Yes, you should be there to share in the awesomeness that is their poop. :razz:

My new puppy loves to potty outside, because I make a big stink over it and he thinks that's fun! He is also learning that pottying near me is OK, and since he will be a traveling dog, he has to learn to go on lead (which his breeders did a spectacular job of).
Click to expand...

No pun intended??????:lol:(I mean the "big stink"!
 
Gosh -- I always go out with the dogs and praise. We live in a high snake area so I pretty much HAVE to go with them for safety. However, they repay me by coming in when I go and dancing around happily when I make good potty.
 
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