A little discouraged

[newpup]

Of course norton did fine the first couple of days, but now he has gone to peeing in the house at least once a day. I usually see him do it and rush him out the door. This morning, I just walked out of the room a second and he had just got up after a nap, when I returned i saw him peeing on the fllor by the door. I think I grabbed him too hard cause he yelped. I took outside to his potty place and he did a poo not a pee. (I think i caught him just finishing peeing on the carpet. ) Of course I praised him for doing a poo. Then i took him back inside and put him in his crate with a treat. he went back to sleep. I am so worried he will think it is ok to pee in the house. We give him a treat every time he does his business out doors. But I have read so much about not punishing puppies about peeing inside. So sometimes I get confused on how to handle this. Also this week my husband and I have been sick and I still have allergy symptoms. ( I sure hope that Norton is not causing it. I hate be allergic to him.) I have been reading a lot today... and it sounds like to me he needs to be confined more. He is in his crate when I go to work part time, at night , when I eat and when I am in the shower. Other than that we try to watch him as much as possible. But i understand acidents can happen. Another question I have is, how long do you wait for a puppy to do his business before going back in? Sometimes he gets sidetracked and does not do his business right off. I have read so many things on so many different web sites. I just need help!!!!

Angie

[JoAnn]

When I was training Sadie (in the dead of winter) there were times I spent as much as a half hour outside with her. I always put her on a leash and said "pottie Sadie" at least a thousand times. I also took her to the same spot everytime.

Have you thought about tethering your pup to you in the house? That way you will never leave the room without him and he can't sneak a pee in the house. I have friends who have tried this with much success. They also said it was wonderful to be with their puppy all the time.

Sounds to me like you are off on the right foot. Crate training is a wonderful tool. With a little persistance you will do fine.

[Bassetpup]

I second what Joann said. She is right, crate training and tethering are TERRIFIC! Just remember, that right now consistency is the key. Put him on a schedule of going out at the same times every day. For the first few days, just take him out every hour or half hour and write down the time that actually went. I kept a journal of potty's!! LOL. But it really helped me see when Lily tends to go. Also, remember that activity makes pee. After a play session, take him right out. Plus, remember that hounds tend to take a while to catch on. Don't expect him to learn in a week or two or four...lol.

[Lexie]

Hang in there, it does get easier. I have to say that in the beginning I was getting so frustrated that I actually wished I had chosen a different breed. NOW, we still have accidents but Lexie has not done business in her crate in weeks. Lexie doesn't bark or stand at the door when she needs to pee---she runs like she is on fire around that den --barking like crazy. Sometimes we think that she is just feeling good and forget this is how she tells us she has to pee. We couldn't wait an hour or even 30 minutes in between taking her out. Hubby and I agreed that as long as she was out of her crate, we took turns taking her out every 15 minutes. Any longer than that and she would pee in the floor.

I promise it does get easier---Lexie is now 4 1/2 months old.

[tiny529]

My folks had a horrible time with Gwynnie. She was 6 months old and still peeing in the house constantly. I guess it finally clicked, though. They said she hasn't had a single accident for over a month.

Also, Gus's teacher said that most dogs really don't fully understand the whole peeing outside thing until they are 6 months old. Gus is 8 months old and still has the occasional accident (Pete said he peed on the floor in class last night!) For the mostly part, he's really good though. We taught him to use a bell attached to the back door to let us know that he's got to go! Of course, now he rings it if he has to pee, if he wants to play outside, if he wants to chew on a stick, if he wants to chase a squirrel, etc, etc, etc...

[Bassetpup]

I would love it if Lily would use the bell. I finally got Ally to leave it alone and was trying to teach Lily. Well, I feed her on the screened porch because my daughter likes to put her hand in her bowl. Well, that is ok since Lily doesn't care, but Ally has had her fill of Puppy food as far as I am concerned. So now Lily only rings the bell when she thinks it is meal time.

[newpup]

I am feel better today about him. His track record right now is peeing or trying to pee in the house once every other day. The other day, I caught him as his squated and I said NO and clapped my hands so loud he just froze, I then took him outside and he finished his business then I put him in his crate, he did not even whimper at all. (Usually he whimpers and cries for a minute or 2 when we first put him in his crate.)
The other night he woke up at 5:30 am and was impossible to deal with. My husband has been taking him out in the dead of night. And he took him out at 5:30. After he did his business, my hubby put him back in his crate, well he just would not shut up. My husband was frustrated, so I took him outside again, he did nothing. I gave him some food , he did not eat it. I took him to the water bowl and he drank. i guess he was thirsty. Later he went back to the crate and went to sleep. He slept well last night. I think everything will work out fine. We are being as persistant as we can. ANd we know that things will get better as he matures.

Thanks so much for your encouragement. You people on here are really really nice. ;D

Angie

[MowgliBaloo]

We had two Basset puppies at once...and it was VERY frustrating. There were times I was sooo tired I felt like I had a newborn in the house! Baloo would go to the bathroom in her crate and cry and cry...no matter how many times she was out. Plus, she seemed to have no regard for going outside or inside or whatever. Now at 7 months she has shown a HUGE improvement over the last month. Mowgli is one years old and very rarely has an accident now. They mostly go to the bathroom when we leave them alone for a bit -- mroe like separation anxiety than anything else.

We are FINALLY seeing daylight and you will too!

[Lucy & Ethel The Boston Babes]

Hi, and surely hope things are going better for you all.

Having had two bassets in the past, 1 for 12 years, and 1 for 13 years - but not at the same time - The second was easier to train than the first, but our current girls, Lucy and Ethel, were puppies 10 weeks old when they came to live with us. They were so easy to house break. They were in the same crate up until maybe 6 months, and then they graduated into their own. We found it absolutely amazing that when we took them out together, they peed, and pooped together, almost at the same time. They are now two years old and maybe have had only three accidents....but slaves fault, not theirs. They go to bed at about 11 after going outside, then have to be waken up and taken outside for a Quick Pee and Poo at 5am. They have never needed to go out in the middle of the night.....I certainly hope I have not spoken too soon - but they are amazing girls!

My best advise is to be consistant.

Good luck, and Happy Spring!

Sandi, Lucy and Ethel