Potty Training

[llombardo]

I have a now 4 month old female german shepherd that does not care if she goes pee and/or poop in her crate. I understand that she might not be able to hold it all night, but she isn't even crying, she just goes when she feels necessary. Throughout the day if she is out 8 times she might ask one of those times. Most of the time I just take her out because I feel like its getting close to that time. I have taken her out and within 5 minutes she peed on the couch--this happened twice. I also notice that she doesn't sleep much..She takes cat naps and maybe sleeps 4-6 hours a day..the rest of the time she is a ball of energy. I'm thinking that I am going to start walking her for two miles per day on a trail to tire her out...should I do this at any time during the day or closer to the night time, so she will be tired and sleep all night? I have never had this hard of a time potty training a dog

[Kittilicious]

Have you ruled out any type of infection?

[llombardo]

She had worms, but after she was treated that test came out negative as far as the poop goes. She is going in to get spayed on Wednesday and I'm probably going to check for a UTI, but in my experience she isn't showing signs of having pain or problems urinating, she drinks a normal amt of water and when she pees she pees. She was never one to just piddle. At 3 months, she was peeing like she was 3 years old...lots of pee for a little girl.

[Kittilicious]

I'd make sure to tell the vet of her behaviors so they can rule out anything possibly medical.

[llombardo]

When she went for her shots last week they didn't seem to have any concerns..they chalked it all up to being a puppy. Its almost like she hasn't learned how to control it yet..even when she asks to go out I have to be at that door immediately or its to late. She is like child that gets too busy to stop to use the bathroom

[Kittilicious]

No, at 4 months she should be able to control it. I'm surprised that your vet didn't do more than just "chalk it up". There are many dogs right here on this forum that were potty trained before that, mine included. Both of mine were trained before 3 months. There has got to be something else going on.

[llombardo]

This is what I'm thinking too. She is a great dog, very smart. I have a golden retriever that was trained at 12 weeks and I have never looked back. The german shepherd is proving to be difficult-more difficult then what a german shepherd should be. I should add that up until I got her a month or so ago(I got her when she was about 3 months), she was born, raised, and basically lived outside...should I take this into account? Even if I get her tested for a uti, what about the poop? That is firm, well when it comes out it is--not so much after she pees too...uggggg

[Angelina03]

Hi,
I'm new to owning a dog and GS, so I'm not an expert; but just a thought...
Is she on a feeding schedule?
The first night that we got Rocco, I left the food and water out for him and he peed and pooped ALL NIGHT LONG!! Now, he doesn't eat or drink after 9pm and is taken out at least twice after feeding before going to bed for the night. Also, I had to use the word "potty" and praising to get him to understand it has to be outside. He still has accidents, though, especially when he's roaming free (we have to watch him).

[llombardo]

I have tried any/all feeding routines with her...I have two other dogs that I put what they are allowed for the day in the bowl and they eat whenever--usually they don't finish even that. Well now that she's around she eats her food, then goes and finishes theres...that had to stop because its two different foods and her poop wasn't good. So now she eats in the morning and early evening(6ish) in her crate so my other dogs can eat. And boy can she eat The same goes for water. I used to have it out at all times, but now its up by 7 the latest, which doesn't make the other dogs happy and obviously isn't working because she is still going in the middle of the night..so yes we are all a bunch of miserable people/dogs

[Cassidy's Mom]

Originally Posted by llombardo

Its almost like she hasn't learned how to control it yet...

Or, she doesn't understand yet that outside is the only appropriate place for potties. Because she's been doing in the house and her crate for so long, it's going to be harder to train her out of it - it's become established behavior/

What you you do when she potties outside? Do you make a big deal about it with happy praise like she's just done the most amazing thing ever? Do you give her a treat afterwards every single time? Do you have a "go potty" cue? Have you treated her crate and all the pee spots in the house with an enzyme cleaner to completely remove the smell? If not, she can still smell it and will be attracted back to those areas, even if you can't smell it.

Every time she has an accident in the house, you delay housebreaking. Find a way to manage her environment to prevent accidents as much as possible. If she goes in her crate during the night without alerting you that she needs to go out, figure out how long she can hold it and then set an alarm and take her out shortly before that. Tether her to you around the house so she's never out of your sight and you can see if she starts to squat. Interrupt her and rush her outside immediately.

She's not going to ask to go out until she understands that she MUST go out to do her business.