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Struggling with training, help!

4K views 18 replies 16 participants last post by  Vectisvagrant 
#1 ·
My Bassett Oscar is 14 weeks old now, we've had him since he was 7 week old. The first week or two we were really easy going with him as he was getting settled in. Now he doesn't seem to be getting the hang of house training, one day he does really well and we think he's got it, the next he doesn't even attempt to let us know when he needs to pee or poop. If we catch him in the act we lead him straight outside but he's just not getting it. Is he still too young and at an age that he can't hold it or should he have got it by now? Any help or advise would be great. Thanks


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#2 ·
First and foremost... Oscar is such a cutie!!!

Second, potty training. I am not an expert (we have lots of them here) but here is my "take" on it...

Don't "wait" for Oscar to tell you it is "time". Take him out very frequently. I take my pup out the moment she wakes from a nap, right after or in the middle of play, right after a meal. I always have treat in my pocket or hand so when she goes outside it is "Mardi Gras!" If the neighbors are watching, I probably look like a lunatic. Lots of praise "Good Girl! Good Girl Ellie!" I clap, I rub and pet and give her a cookie.

I also have an older hound (Jake, 13 yo) who will ask to go out. I know what he wants but I still say "wanna go outside and be a good girl" (he had a big sister, doesn't know the difference!) and Ellie is catching on, she goes out then too whether she needed to or not. If she goes.... it is party time again!

I always reward them for going outside. We have a "cookie jar" and Jake immediately runs to it after going outside.

This method is working well for me.

Since I am gone at work all day during the week, I also piddle pad train Ellie. She mostly just uses it when I am gone or if she signals she needs out and I miss it. She does well with it, however, sometimes misses her mark but her front end it on it so I don't fuss (fortunately, I have tile floors so it is not a big deal).

I hope this helps.
 
#3 ·
With Bassets it may take a year. I have also heard it is harder to train a male but not really sure. He needs to be taken out often and rewarded when he goes outside. I would say after he wakes up, after playing, after eating, literally about every 15 minutes to start. Do a search as there have been many good post about this or maybe one of the experts will give more info. Do you have a doggie door or use a crate? Many hang bells at the door and teach the pup to ring them when they need to go out.
 
#4 ·
When we got Harry as a puppy we kept putting him outside the back door every half hour during the day. Tedious I know and luckily I was at home full time to do this which some people aren't. At night he was crate trained but we had a huge crate that the back half became his bed and the front half was lined with puppy pads. I was told as dogs don't like to mess in their 'den' he wouldn't go on the pads unless he needed to. We were very fortunate as Harry got the toilet training thing very quickly & was soon dry at night and he knocks on the cat flap on the back door to be let out. The only thing we did wrong was to let him go just outside the back door as it was snowy during this time and the poor little fella just disappeared into the snow! It did take a long time to retrain him to make the effort to reach the lawn & given a chance last thing at night the lazy little blighter will still try to get away with going near the back door if we're not looking! We got our other Basset as a rescue and luckily she was toilet trained and follows Harry's lead with using the cat flap as a knocker to be let out.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for you post. I will try this. In the day when were out he doesn't go on the pads at all, but I'm hoping in time he will eventually learn to hold it. We used to have a lab and its so strange going from a fully trained dog back to having to train. I read everything out there about training before I got him but it seems to fly out the window when they're here. Do you tell Ellie off if you catch her doing it in the house?


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#6 ·
My boy is 18 weeks now. At first I thought he was going to be terrible for it but he's getting so much better.
I was taking him outside after sleep. After play. After food, just walking around the garden until he done toilet, but still having little mishaps in the house.
Now he is so much better as he is getting older, as soon as he walks into kitchen I run through and open the door, if I don't see him he will happily do a pee pee rite in front of me on the carpet. It's always just small dribbles though but this maybe a boy thing!!!
He doesn't really give me a sign as yet so I just have to be alert.

With the poo poo. He most defiantly knows if he does his dumps outside he gets a treat. As soon as he's done he gallops to the door and sits beside me waiting for his treat.

I'm sure in time your pup will get hang of it, just takes patience :) xx


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#7 ·
My puppy was doing the same thing she is now 17weeks. Keep your puppy on a scedual like every 30-45 minutes and if it does go in the house bring the puppy to the area and tell them no, I know sometimes you even have to rub there nose in it to get the point across. My female always thought we were playing when we told her no and she would actually think we were playing and try to snap back or take the washcloth and run. They are very stubborn. But just keep a scedual and try putting a bell on your door low enough for the puppy to ring it with it's nose and teach them to ring it. Hope this helps!
 
#11 ·
Boomer was 4 months old when we got him. He was a rescue puppy, so little to no prior potty training. He was almost 7 months old before he finally stopped having accidents. He's 7 1/2 months old now; hasn't had an accident in weeks. He seems to have it down now. :)
 
#12 ·
Hi I've not read through all your replies, so I may be going over 'old ground'. What leaps out at me is you are waiting for him to do the asking! Don't!! Even when he's much older it's YOU who should be dictating when he needs to go outside, based on when he last went. Actually it's normally easier to get a male to empty, peeing at any rate, because of the inclination to mark where any other dog has gone, once he can go out off your property. Bitches don't do this :p

So get down to taking him out regularly so to avoid his 'need' to be emptying indoors. When you catch him in the act, and I do realise with a baby Basset especially that you often don't see it until he's moved off :rolleyes:, correct him, but don't shout or hit. Just say ah-ah and get him outside. When you find a mistake, just clean it up without comment. He'll be watching, and noting your body language. When you take him out and he empties, go nuts with the praise. So it's clearly obvious that going outside makes mum happy and anywhere else doesn't.

NO PEE PADS! Ever. This only tells him it's okay to empty indoors. And certainly not in his crate. Your aim should be for the crate to be the very last place he poohs or pees in. And if he's going in there, you are not getting him out often enough. Once he learns that even if in his crate, you will be letting him out frequently, he will start to learn to hold until you do.

With poohing, it's easier. On 3 meals a day, he should need to empty 3 times, + one, with a normal stool. Obviously with diarrhoea, this can't be controlled. Take him out first thing and he should have a BM and a pee. Feed his breakfast and take him back outside to either just pee, or have a BM if he didn't first thing. Crate overnight - but plan on getting him outside once during the night as, although by 14 weeks he should start to be able to go through the night, he needs to be given the benefit of the doubt so he doesn't mess in his crate :) Digestion in the dog takes roughly 4 hours, which should help you work out his need to have a BM.

I've never had a problem getting mine house-trained (other than one puppy b itch who it turned out, had urinary tract problems), but it needs persistence, and consistency so the message gets through :rolleyes: And never forget that his mistakes are your mistakes.

Apologies for the length of this but I hope some of it helps.;)
 
#13 ·
Your pup is still a baby with a very small bladder so don't expect to much from him. You are on the right track, but you must be vigilant about taking him out upon waking up, after eating, after playing (activity gets them excited and they pee). Bassets generally take longer to be trustworthy in the home, because they are slower in maturing than many breeds. Slower maturity means slower to achieve bladder control.

Bogie rings a bell to go outside. Hang the bells on the doorknob, etc. at nose height. Each time you take him out lead him to the bells and gently take his head and have him nose the bells so they ring. Open door go outside and reward with a treat. When he potties outside another treat. After he learns this and gets reliable with the bell ringing (several mnonths), we cut out the bell ringing treat and Bogie only got treats for potting outside after ringing the bell.
Visitors to our home are amazed when they hear the bells and we tell them that's Bogie wanting to go outside.
 
#14 ·
Is he still too young and at an age that he can't hold it or should he have got it by now?
LOL I have not seen a basset younger than six months of age that was what I would consider house trained and 1 year is typical. They are natoriously hard to house train. My therory and emphysis theory is they as a breed are much slower to develop sphincter control necesary for housetraining.
 
#15 ·
Is it normal for them to pee when wanting attention? I swear that our little girl does great when we are home all day like this past saturday. But yesterday we had to run to town, about and hour away to get her food, and the rest of the day she had serveral accidents but only seemed to happen when either the wife and I were busy. They would also happen minutes after she just went outside. It gets so fustrating to see a little mark on the carpet right after she peed outside.
 
#16 ·
Our oldest basset Monty was hard to house train. I kept telling myself that Mikey was right and he just can't hold it. He is almost 1.5 and still will pee on the floor, though rarely, if he either doesn't want to go outside or really wants attention. Try not to get too frustrated and just remember that many a basset owner have gone through the long process of training a puppy.
 
#18 ·
Most of you are expecting too much too soon out of puppies (any dog under 1 year of age at least) most pups may seem housebroken only to regress at some point ,this is normal.No puppy should have run of the home at all,each mistake made sets you back. Tether the puppy to you if you cannot keep track of where he is,this way you can run him out if you see him going.Realize most of the mistakes are yours not his:)
 
#19 ·
Hi would have thought getting him to use the bell (though a great idea is a little early).
Always blamed myself if a pup goes in side, clear up don't make a fuss, don't tell him off (sorry but your fault not his), make sure you really clean up with a biological powder or something similar to get rid of the smell or he will be drawn back, take him out side don't just put him out, praise him when he goes, take him to the same spot, use words like 'be busy' when he goes so that in the future will go on command, wouldn't use 'good boy' LOL as in the future he could associate it with going.
He's 14 weeks, I'm really taken aback on this forum at the expectations on pups to be housetrained in weeks, it can take six months or longer. be patient don't get angry. Enjoy & expect to spend alot of time on your knees, we soon forget the joys of owning a pup.
 
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