Moe took many months to housetrain, and was almost two years old before he was accident-free. I think that males are harder to train but I may be wrong - it may be that some females take time, too. Some Bassets train quickly but of the ones I know there were no quick-learners.
Here is how we house-trained Moe:
First decide on a reward - what does Charlie respond best to? Most Bassets LOVE food above all else but some prefer extra attention (like lots of petting, or a quick toss of a ball or toy). We used to keep a jar of pupperoni near the door. I bought a large cannister at our local warehouse store and cut the Pupperoni into inch-long peices. They were the perfect size for quick rewards. Some people use kibble, hotdog peices, cheese, or even veggie treats - my boss used carrot bits to train his dog.
Then, once you've decided on your reward, take Charlie outside on a leash to a spot you want him to pee. Stand there and say in a high happy voice "Go pee, Charlie, go pee" over and over and give him every opportunity to do so. Don't walk around with him, stay in one spot. (I would cup the treat in my hand and clasp my fist to my chest as I asked Moe to pee.) Give him a few minutes, and if he doesn't go pee, DO NOT REWARD HIM, but take him back inside. (I would put Moe's treat back in his jar near the door.) If he hasn't peed recently, take him back out every twenty or thirty minutes until he does. Once he pees for you, you MUST PRAISE THE HE** OUT OF HIM and give him his reward IMMEDIATELY. Make a very big deal out of it! When he doesn't pee, ignore him and do not scold him, just try again later. Eventually he'll get the idea that he gets something good for doing what you want. Bassets LOVE positive attenion and/or food. Be patient and be persistent. Above all BE PATIENT. Our trainer told us it take approx. three months for a behavior to become a 'learned' behavior so expect setbacks. Accidents will happen less and less often. Give him time.
We trained Moe to pee on our gravel driveway. He was so well-trained that first year that, when I walked him, EVERY TIME we passed a gravel driveway he would squat and pee. He was so smart and so loved his treats that, even if he didn't have to go, he would make a big show of going out to the driveway to squeeze out a few drops just to get a treat. 8)
The other thing you need to do is watch Charlie closely for some kind of sign that he needs to go. Some people have had great success teaching thier dogs to ring bells or give some other signal that they need to go out. My Moe used to just sit in front of one of our four doors to the outside. He sat silently and patiently. He didn't bark or whine or make any kind of noise. If nobody noticed him, we'd find a puddle near the door he had been sitting near. I put two and two together and began to be aware of where he was AT ALL TIMES. It was much like having a toddler in the house again. Eventually he learned to scratch at the door if he wanted to go out. :x I'd hear him scratch and fly to the door to let him out - I guess he trained me!
It's harder to untrain a bad habit than it is to teach a good habit so we live with scratched doors. :roll:
Good luck to you!
Terry
Here is how we house-trained Moe:
First decide on a reward - what does Charlie respond best to? Most Bassets LOVE food above all else but some prefer extra attention (like lots of petting, or a quick toss of a ball or toy). We used to keep a jar of pupperoni near the door. I bought a large cannister at our local warehouse store and cut the Pupperoni into inch-long peices. They were the perfect size for quick rewards. Some people use kibble, hotdog peices, cheese, or even veggie treats - my boss used carrot bits to train his dog.
Then, once you've decided on your reward, take Charlie outside on a leash to a spot you want him to pee. Stand there and say in a high happy voice "Go pee, Charlie, go pee" over and over and give him every opportunity to do so. Don't walk around with him, stay in one spot. (I would cup the treat in my hand and clasp my fist to my chest as I asked Moe to pee.) Give him a few minutes, and if he doesn't go pee, DO NOT REWARD HIM, but take him back inside. (I would put Moe's treat back in his jar near the door.) If he hasn't peed recently, take him back out every twenty or thirty minutes until he does. Once he pees for you, you MUST PRAISE THE HE** OUT OF HIM and give him his reward IMMEDIATELY. Make a very big deal out of it! When he doesn't pee, ignore him and do not scold him, just try again later. Eventually he'll get the idea that he gets something good for doing what you want. Bassets LOVE positive attenion and/or food. Be patient and be persistent. Above all BE PATIENT. Our trainer told us it take approx. three months for a behavior to become a 'learned' behavior so expect setbacks. Accidents will happen less and less often. Give him time.
We trained Moe to pee on our gravel driveway. He was so well-trained that first year that, when I walked him, EVERY TIME we passed a gravel driveway he would squat and pee. He was so smart and so loved his treats that, even if he didn't have to go, he would make a big show of going out to the driveway to squeeze out a few drops just to get a treat. 8)
The other thing you need to do is watch Charlie closely for some kind of sign that he needs to go. Some people have had great success teaching thier dogs to ring bells or give some other signal that they need to go out. My Moe used to just sit in front of one of our four doors to the outside. He sat silently and patiently. He didn't bark or whine or make any kind of noise. If nobody noticed him, we'd find a puddle near the door he had been sitting near. I put two and two together and began to be aware of where he was AT ALL TIMES. It was much like having a toddler in the house again. Eventually he learned to scratch at the door if he wanted to go out. :x I'd hear him scratch and fly to the door to let him out - I guess he trained me!
It's harder to untrain a bad habit than it is to teach a good habit so we live with scratched doors. :roll: Good luck to you!
Terry
