housebreaking problems

[sakirby]

so, oscar is going outside....when i take him. i started housebreaking him two weeks ago. if i take him outside, after he eats, sleeps, plays, and pretty much anything else, he will go outside. but, whenever he feels the urge, he will go inside. when he does, and i catch him, i say a firm NO, and i take him outside. he is "gated" into the kitchen and that is where his crate his. but, i have yet to close the crate door. since he is still going inside when he wants, should i put him in his crate and close the door whenever i can't supervise him or when i have to leave for a couple of hours? i have had people tell me that letting him wander the kitchen is fine but, he just keeps going to the bathroom inside (fyi...he was paper trained in my kitchen for a week until it was safe to bring him outside). i am not sure what to do...he barks if i close the crate, although, i am sure he will get over that. but, do you guys think that closing his crate door will help to speed up the process? so far, he doesn't seem to realize that going in the house is a bad thing. he just goes outside if he happens to be there, and goes inside otherwise :) any suggestions?

[sakirby]

hi judy. thanks a lot. that does help. oscar is almost 12 weeks now! i can't believe it. time flies. he has been holding it through the night, so that is nice. but, in the day, he potties inside up to three times a day. i take him out a lot but, maybe not enough. sometimes he really drinks a lot of water too. so far, he doesn't really have a signal to let me know he needs to go outside so, i am looking forward to that developing :)

right now, he is locked in the kitchen, and we haven't had problems until the last few days. he has been chewing on the cabinets and the base boards. i have put bitter apple on the areas but, he just finds a new one :lol: any suggestions on this? he has other toys in the kitchen to chew on but, he prefers the wood! maybe i should start putting him in is crate more often when i can't watch him. i just liked the idea of him being able to roam the whole kitchen.

anyway, thanks so much for your help, i appreciate it! :D

[franp]

Sharon.

At 12 weeks (well at 14 weeks) Dari was crated.The rule is one hour longer than they are old.So three months=4 hours.

What I did was to take her out for a walk and let her play then she went into her crate,About 3-4 hours later I took her out ;fed,walked and played with her for about an hour or so after she did her business.

Yes, the first few minutes she cried when she was in the crate,so I covered the crate with a cloth.They can cry longer than we can listen.Then she fell asleep.

Crating her kept her from getting into trouble and taught her muscle control.the crate should be just a little bigger than the dog.Big enough to turn around, but not to get away if they mess.
For me, the first time locking her in her crate was heartbreaking.But she is 5 and her crate is in the living room filled with her toys.She still goes in it.

As she got older,I extended the time in the crate and out of the crate.By the time she was about 7 months , she was in the crate for about 6 hours till the dog walker came and then 5 hours till I got home.Now she is alone about5 hours till the dogwalker comes to get her and 5 hours till I get home.

Most of the time pups sleep during the day..And when they are crated; they are not chewing things..

One very important thing.If your dog is ever sick or injured, they need to be used to the crate...

This is what worked for me.

[sakirby]

thanks franp....

i haven't closed the crate door yet. i figured maybe (BEST case scenario) that i wouldn't have to and he would learn quickly not to go in the house. but, it has been two weeks, and add to that the fact that he is chewing the cabinets, i think it is time to put him in there for a bit.

right now, i am lucky, and not working for the next month or so. so, i don't HAVE to leave him in the crate. i think that is what has been stopping me. but, i also think that because of that, he isn't learning to hold it like he would if he was crated and he is chewing on things he shouldn't be.

just as a side. when i first got oscar, you guys were so much help (and still are :)!!! i was so overwhelmed. now, i am so relaxed about it, and i realize he really is a good dog. he doesn't bark anymore or whine, he sleeps through the night, and doesn't freak out when i leave him. he has developed new "weird" behaviors: hopping at thin air, running around in circles, clawing at imaginary things in his crate, and sitting his butt down when he doesn't want to walk...BUT, i am so thankful for this site and the info. it has provided me. i am also so thankful that oscar is in my life and that is is SUCH a good dog when it really comes down to it. anyway, thanks to ALL for your help, for listening, and for the great advise. i really really appreciate it. i think oscar does too, even if he doesn't know it :) he is clawing at his imaginary crate friend as i type. :lol: