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Adopted my first Basset! Housebreaking issues :(

13K views 22 replies 18 participants last post by  MomosMum 
#1 ·
Hi everyone! I am new to the forum and new to basset ownership! :D I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on how I should go about housebreaking my new baby. I have been able to housebreak a puppy of a different breed before but she (my basset) is quite different. She is 7 months old and has been an outdoor farm dog up until we got her which was less than 48 hours ago. The trouble I'm having is that she just doesn't want to listen to me at all, she has a mind of her own! Whenever I call her she just looks at me, she won't follow me to the back door in order to let her out. As of right now Im am having to physically pick her up and carry her outside to try and get her to use the bathroom. I don't want her to think this is ok or get used to it. I know I need to stop doing it now but Im wondering if there are any suggestions as how I could get her to follow me through the house and get her outside on her own. Thanks so much!!
 
#2 · (Edited)
I'd go right back to the begining as if she was a pup. Slip her lead on & take her outside, praise her when she goes, try taking her back to the same spot, from the begining when she goes use a phrase such as 'be busy'. Don't show anger or even that it's something wrong if she has a mistake inside, wash well with biological powder to get rid of the smell. Take her out as often as you think she needs, were lucky with our previously kenneled boy he asked to go out from the first evening but being slightly mad I did sleep on the floor just out of sight to ease the seperation anxiety & incase he needed to go out. Good luck
 
#4 ·
The trouble I'm having is that she just doesn't want to listen to me at all, she has a mind of her own!
This is perfectly normal for a Basset - may as well get used to it. :D
 
#23 · (Edited)
I wish there was a TU option here - so true.

Just to correct the common notion that Bassets are stubborn because fact is when you get stubborn, you have to change your approach to what you want. This is best done by making them think what you want, is their idea! Applied psychology. Treat all this housetraining as you would a young puppy, with the proviso that if she's able to hold through the night, which she should at this age, you should be able to expect her to hold for longer than a puppy of 8 weeks can. I think you do need to rule out a UTI which isn't uncommon, especially in a breed that's so low to the ground and able to squat where there could be some infection lurking. When we bought our current Basset at 4 months, from a kennel situation, we gave him the benefit of the doubt, taking him out once overnight. It pretty soon became obvious he could hold right through from around 10.30. to 7 am.

Don't wait to be asked re going out - for now, take her out every 2 - 3 hours during the daytime, after every nap immediately, short periods of playing and after a feed. Put a slip lead on her - you wont' be able to carry her for long and you do need to be out there with her so you praise her lots when she does empty. If when you know she must need to, bring her in after around 5 minutes (or she'll find tons to do out there), keeping her in the room by the door and staying with her. The moment she squats, say No! firmly, but not shouting - you don't want to scare her and Bassets are sensitive creatures - and take her straight back outside. Correct ONLY in the act and clean up mistakes without comment - she will be watching.

Bassets aren't stupid (well there are always exceptions!) but you have to get into their mind-set so there is mutual respect - a bond.

You do have to cling to a sense of humour with these people .... otherwise they will drive you nuts ...... but it's a wonderful 'nuts'. Must be because I've been 'with Basset' since 1972 when we bought our first, and far from last.
 
#5 ·
Agree with all the comments above! Bassets are a stubborn breed & need to be calmly & kindly shown who's boss. Ours housetrained very quick, but still in the evening when we say 'out for wee wees' at bedtime he lies on the sofa pretending to be asleep with one sly eye watching us. For nearly 3 years he's done this every night and every night I have to go and pull him off and then he slouches slowly out the back door.

Good luck, I'm sure it will all come good. Patience and adapting to a Basset! I've grown up with them but it took my husband a good 6 months to adapt to being a Basset owner rather than just a dog owner. He'd only had Labrador/Collies before which was completely different & he did find being a Basset owner tried his patience sometimes.
 
#6 ·
Beasley used to pretend to be asleep , When he was a puppy I would put the leash on him and he would get up and go out . Bassets are a different breed of cat . We had Labs before our bassets and they are night and day , I think you need to give him some time and maybe lure him out with a treat . It may take more time but I'm sure if you keep it to a routine you will make it
 
#7 ·
And here I thought mine were the only ones that pretended to be asleep when it was time to go out and potty before bed for the night. Mine are 6 and they still do it. I have to nudge (gently at first) them before rolling them out of bed (by turning their beds over lol) sometimes.
 
#9 ·
Sounds right to me, all of the above behavior I have seen in mine. I had to house train her and she was a doozy. Gotta keep an eye on her and set the times yourself. It will happen eventually, though you may have to shampoo your carpets a half a dozen times afterwards.

Sissy will pretend to be asleep or just raise her head and look at me with one I when I call her. When she does get up she is slower than the second coming. She has such a sweet nature though that I could not help but be patient.
 
#10 ·
I've trained my 6 mo old to use the bells. it is hit or miss somedays but he is catching on.
but you have to physically take their paw and ring the bell every time you go outside, when the bell is rung I say " good boy, outside!"

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#12 ·
Bromley has selective listening as well. It is a basset thing. When he won't listen, I usually have a cucumber slice in my hand and that works. They are such good dogs in all other ways, so I try to be patient. I use cucumbers or his favorite squeaky toy. I always praise him when he follows instructions. I've had my dog (rescue dog) and I already know he owns me !





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#14 ·
Walter is going on 4 days of accident free (he is only 10 weeks however). It took watching him almost every second of the day, LOTS of praises, and walking him to the door and outside during "bladder full times" (after naps, play time, eating and drinking). We probably did this every 30 minutes to an hour. Now he will go to the door on his own and patiently wait for us to notice him. We are still working on some kind of signaling so he isn't waiting too long. At first we gave treats just for walking out the door on his own, then to immediately after he went, now to going out doing his thing and coming back in.
 
#16 ·
If you are getting nowhere, other than stubborn, you have to change your approach. The secret to this breed is using applied psychology. Make them think what you want, is their idea.

Rather than battle with your hound when it comes to getting it out, use a slip lead, over the head and onto the neck. Done. The more you force anything, the worse this will get.

Ruling out a medical issue (there's no point trying to housetrain if the hound can't help what's going on) you just have to keep on rewarding the good, lavishly, correcting the wrong only in the act, and with housetraining mistakes, cleaning up without comment. Most dogs, including hounds!, want to please their owners so they don't live with constant nagging so eventually housetraining should happen, as should a recall (use a food bribe) and so on.

I have no idea how anybody would get a hound to ring a bell - or need to. We leave our door to the outside open most of the day in suitable weather, but I still keep an eye on when they actually go out to empty. It's mainly about being one step ahead.

Add - If you've only had her for 48 hours, I'd defy anybody, with any dog, to have formed a sufficient bond yet. 6 months ahead and still having trouble, then you HAVE trouble.
 
#17 ·
I have no idea how anybody would get a hound to ring a bell - or need to. We leave our door to the outside open most of the day in suitable weather, but I still keep an eye on when they actually go out to empty. It's mainly about being one step ahead.

Add - If you've only had her for 48 hours, I'd defy anybody, with any dog, to have formed a sufficient bond yet. 6 months ahead and still having trouble, then you HAVE trouble.
LOL, Think from this forum ringing a bell is an American thing, I can just imagine the look of pleasure as they have me answering a bell at the back door, with the added look of 'Not me!'
 
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