First of all, I want it to be known that Mike and I assume full responsibility for Lerwick's unreliable potty training... we just don't know exactly where we went wrong. We're doing our best to correct the situation, but since we aren't sure where the breakdown occurred, we'd like some outside opinions on what we're trying to do, and if there are other things we might try.
But first, the situation.
Lerwick will not do #1 in the house. He will, however do #2 in the house... always on the landing in front of the front door. I've thoroughly cleaned the front landing after each occurrence, used enzymatic cleaner, the whole 9 yards, so I don't think he's continuing to go there because it smells from previous accidents.
Either way, it means, of course, that we can't let Lerwick be loose in the house when we're out... but the thing is, it also happens when we are home, but in a different part of the house! As soon as we see the mess, he will try to eat it (even if it has been there for awhile... he won't try to eat it unless/until we've seen it). For awhile we were managing the situation by moving our computers out into the living/dining room so that we could monitor the front landing at all times when we are home (and we'd crate him when we left, of course, and at night he is shut in our bedroom with us)... but I am sick to death of existing in only one room of my house!
I am not sure if he is going there because he needs to go potty ASAP and it is a genuine accident... or if he is going there on purpose for reasons unknown. If it is a genuine accident, I'm very puzzled, because it doesn't seem that he is asking to go outside before this happens (and it's not, like, diarrhea where I would think it just caught him unawares). If he's going there just because... well, I really don't know what to think about that!
What could be happening is that he thinks he IS asking to go out, by scratching at the front door (even though we never, ever use that door to go out to potty), and since we are not in the room, we don't hear it. Now, the thing is, if we are in a different part of the house and he has to pee, he will come find us and bark at us in a very distinctive "hey, i've gotta go" way. It's a short, clipped bark, and he only uses it in that instance. Why he won't come find us to ask to go #2, I have no idea. I hit upon the notion that he might be scratching (but we can't hear him) during our recent trip to the beach, where he would scratch at either the front door (which we never used), or the back door, interchangeably, to ask to go outside. Of course, there it was an entirely open floor plan, so you could see/hear either door at all times, and therefore it wasn't an issue. Not so at home.
Anyway, here is what I'm doing to try to correct the situation. Input and advice is greatly appreciated.
1. At night, instead of having him shut in the bedroom with us, we're containing him to the landing with his crate pad, water dish, and a couple of toys. Last night was the first time we did this. He whined and barked at first, but quieted down soon enough. In the morning, I got up early and checked on him; there was no mess, and he went out and did #2 right away, so I think it is unlikely he went on the landing before I got up and simply ate the evidence, or he wouldn't have to go yet (I also did not smell poo-breath on him
and the floor looked impeccably clean.)
2. Whenever we leave the house, instead of crating him in our bedroom as we used to do, we'll confine him to the landing like we are confining him to the landing at night.
3. We are also feeding him on the landing, instead of in his crate.
I am hoping that this will convince him that the front landing is not an acceptable place to eliminate, but is part of his "den," like the rest of the house.
To combat the issue where he seemingly will not seek us out to ask to go outside, I also think that we should get a bell for each door and train him to ring it when he wants out... something that we'll hear if we're in other parts of the house... in case the whole problem is just that he IS asking to go out, by scratching at the door, but we just don't hear it, and he can't hold it any longer.
As a point of general information/reference, we feed our pets at the same time each day, and yes, Lerwick does tend to eliminate at about the same times each day. However, he will not potty on anybody's schedule but his own. This has been the case since day one with him, and if you take him out when he's not "feeling it," he won't go, even if he has gone at that time every day for the last two months. He also likes to ask to go out because he is bored, or because he heard something outside, or whatever, resulting in something of a "the boy who cried wolf" situation, where we never know if he's really gotta go, or if it's just another fake-out trip. Of course, we dare not ignore a request to go outside, or we might find a mess. These fake-outs are the reason we never taught him to ring a potty bell in the first place. The last thing we wanted was to have a bell going off all day and night simply because Lerwick found it amusing. But I don't know what else to do now.
But first, the situation.
Lerwick will not do #1 in the house. He will, however do #2 in the house... always on the landing in front of the front door. I've thoroughly cleaned the front landing after each occurrence, used enzymatic cleaner, the whole 9 yards, so I don't think he's continuing to go there because it smells from previous accidents.
Either way, it means, of course, that we can't let Lerwick be loose in the house when we're out... but the thing is, it also happens when we are home, but in a different part of the house! As soon as we see the mess, he will try to eat it (even if it has been there for awhile... he won't try to eat it unless/until we've seen it). For awhile we were managing the situation by moving our computers out into the living/dining room so that we could monitor the front landing at all times when we are home (and we'd crate him when we left, of course, and at night he is shut in our bedroom with us)... but I am sick to death of existing in only one room of my house!
I am not sure if he is going there because he needs to go potty ASAP and it is a genuine accident... or if he is going there on purpose for reasons unknown. If it is a genuine accident, I'm very puzzled, because it doesn't seem that he is asking to go outside before this happens (and it's not, like, diarrhea where I would think it just caught him unawares). If he's going there just because... well, I really don't know what to think about that!
What could be happening is that he thinks he IS asking to go out, by scratching at the front door (even though we never, ever use that door to go out to potty), and since we are not in the room, we don't hear it. Now, the thing is, if we are in a different part of the house and he has to pee, he will come find us and bark at us in a very distinctive "hey, i've gotta go" way. It's a short, clipped bark, and he only uses it in that instance. Why he won't come find us to ask to go #2, I have no idea. I hit upon the notion that he might be scratching (but we can't hear him) during our recent trip to the beach, where he would scratch at either the front door (which we never used), or the back door, interchangeably, to ask to go outside. Of course, there it was an entirely open floor plan, so you could see/hear either door at all times, and therefore it wasn't an issue. Not so at home.
Anyway, here is what I'm doing to try to correct the situation. Input and advice is greatly appreciated.
1. At night, instead of having him shut in the bedroom with us, we're containing him to the landing with his crate pad, water dish, and a couple of toys. Last night was the first time we did this. He whined and barked at first, but quieted down soon enough. In the morning, I got up early and checked on him; there was no mess, and he went out and did #2 right away, so I think it is unlikely he went on the landing before I got up and simply ate the evidence, or he wouldn't have to go yet (I also did not smell poo-breath on him
and the floor looked impeccably clean.) 2. Whenever we leave the house, instead of crating him in our bedroom as we used to do, we'll confine him to the landing like we are confining him to the landing at night.
3. We are also feeding him on the landing, instead of in his crate.
I am hoping that this will convince him that the front landing is not an acceptable place to eliminate, but is part of his "den," like the rest of the house.
To combat the issue where he seemingly will not seek us out to ask to go outside, I also think that we should get a bell for each door and train him to ring it when he wants out... something that we'll hear if we're in other parts of the house... in case the whole problem is just that he IS asking to go out, by scratching at the door, but we just don't hear it, and he can't hold it any longer.
As a point of general information/reference, we feed our pets at the same time each day, and yes, Lerwick does tend to eliminate at about the same times each day. However, he will not potty on anybody's schedule but his own. This has been the case since day one with him, and if you take him out when he's not "feeling it," he won't go, even if he has gone at that time every day for the last two months. He also likes to ask to go out because he is bored, or because he heard something outside, or whatever, resulting in something of a "the boy who cried wolf" situation, where we never know if he's really gotta go, or if it's just another fake-out trip. Of course, we dare not ignore a request to go outside, or we might find a mess. These fake-outs are the reason we never taught him to ring a potty bell in the first place. The last thing we wanted was to have a bell going off all day and night simply because Lerwick found it amusing. But I don't know what else to do now.
But, it works. Sounds like he is going to the door to out and just goes there since he can't get out the door. He will get it- it just has to click. You will help him know where to go !!
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