[kbigge]

Sorry this is so long, but I want to give you all the background so you know the history...

Kodee is 9-1/2 mos old, and I've had him since he was 7 weeks old. He's done wonderfully - great temperament, great w/my kids, housebroken/crate trained with no problems, except for one thing. He has a pretty regular poop schedule - once after breakfast (usually right after), and once after dinner (usually within a couple of hours). I've taken him out so regularly that normally he doesn't even have to let me know he needs to go out - he just goes when I take him, if that makes sense. He doesn't go to the door and whine each time, or anything. If we are already in the kitchen (which is the door we use all the time), he'll whine a little if he needs to go, but that's it. And he ONLY does this if we are already in the kitchen.

So my issue is - in the evenings he is in the living room hanging out with me after the kids are in bed. If he has already had his evening poop, then no problems. I can relax. If he hasn't, he'll run around and play with me for a while, and then sneak back into the hallway by our bedrooms. If I don't get him and take him out, he'll poop back there (I know this b/c he's done it twice, probably 3 weeks ago now). Now I'm savvy enough to know that the second he goes back there, I need to take him out. So as soon as he goes back into the hallway, I tell him "let's go outside!" , he comes running, I take him out, he poops. No problems.

BUT - how do I get him to just let me know he needs out? (Not just in this situation, but always?) He never goes potty in the house anywhere else, ever. Just back in that hallway, IF he hasn't already done so after dinner. How do I teach him w/out letting him "start" the dirty deed, and correcting him?

One other thing I should point out - this hallway is a new addition to our house, it's just a few months old, and the carpet has been in for about 8 weeks. So he may kind of think of that as "no-man's land", rather than part of his "territory" (where he doesn't relieve himself). We had a similar issue when he was much smaller - he never "went" in the kitchen or living room (where he spent the vast majority of his time), but if I turned my back at the wrong moment - he'd pee/poop in the dining room. At that point he was so young I just stopped letting him run around un-crated in the evenings if I wasn't literally right with him. (This was also during his "playtime" with me after kids went to bed). After a couple of months of keeping him crated in the evenings unless I had my eyes right on him, I started letting him out in the evenings again, and no problems. I guess he outgrew it. Or just got used to the dining room, not sure which.

So, 2 questions: #1 - What would you do to stop the "hallway pooping"? #2 - How do I get him to "tell" me whenever he needs to go out, iinstead of just taking him out when I think he probably has to go. (I stay home with him and my kids, so I'm always here with him. Which is why I've been able to pick up on his "schedule" so well that I know he has to potty before he does...LOL).

I think (hope) this is our final housebreaking issue)...

 

[RubyTuesday]

Be sure to use the problem area. Feed him there. Maybe crate him there. Put up a chair & read the paper there or do crosswords. Make it a lived in spot.

Don't give him opportunities to sneak off. until the housetraining is complete keep him on a leash & with you or confine to particular rooms with gates.

 

[doggiedad]

i did what you did for house breaking. i took my boy out all of the time. he came home at 9 weeks old. for awhile it was outside every 15 minutes. then we started increasing the time to every 1/2 hour to an hour untill we got up to 4 or 5 hours. if it's going to be longer than 5 hours we have a sitter come in and take care of them. personally i would have her come in every 4 hours but my GF thinks they're ok up to 5 hours. i'm surprised with your schedule that your dog still takes such a liberal action. you might be right maybe the new area is no man's land to him. i think what i would do is take him out a little more often and definitely watch him when he leaves the room your in. do you use any form of correction when he goes in the house? i use two forms of correction. when my boy would have an accident i would take over to it, hold him in the back of the neck and say firmly "no bathroom". i would say it 2 or 3 times and then take him outside immediately. i would praise him outside even when he didn't go. i'm not sure if you should praise him when they didn't go outside because he just went inside. i was trying to make the connect that's this is your area. when i say i took my pup to the area he soiled i never, never put his nose in it. if you take them to the soiled area they know what they did and they learn fast not to do it. my other form of correction is i'll put my hand around his mouth, lift his head so we make eye contact and raise my voice. be careful when using this method. i use to find myself having a full length dicussion with him while i'm looking at him or in the middle of it i would start to laugh because they are so cute when your face to face. is there any way you can block that area off that he uses? or if you have to leave the room for longer thatn 5 minutes crate him for a few minutes untill you return. or get another puppy, house train that one so he or she can train Kodee. i like that name "Kodee". also being able to be home with your pup is wonderfull. having that time to train her is great.

 

[DianaM]

I agree, put his bed and food and toys there. Train there, play there, hang out there. When you cannot be in there, gate it off so he can't get back there- no access may help to break the habit and cause him to rethink his actions, maybe whining a little or even coming to you. Once he learns it's part of the house, you should be fine. Also, always make sure to use plenty of enzymatic cleaner for any accidents!

 

[kbigge]

Originally Posted By: doggiedad be careful when using this method. i use to find myself having a full length dicussion with him while i'm looking at him or in the middle of it i would start to laugh because they are so cute when your face to face.

LOL - I have caught myself doing this - not necessarily during a correction, but just catching myself talking to him like he's one of my human kids.

OK - lots of good suggestions. thank you all. I think what I'll do is a few things - first, I'll take him back there intentionally during the day, and play with him, sit there and read while he hangs out, etc. In the evenings, I'll keep it gated off off for a while, unless I'm actually IN the hallway w/him. The last thing is, I'll give him access to the kitchen (which is baby=gated off from the rest of the house to keep kids/dog out of there when necessary. I didn't realize until I re-read my original post that he whines to go out in the kitchen - so maybe if I give him free access to the kitchen after the kids are in bed, he'll go in there and give me the signal that he needs to go out.

Thanks all - I think you may (hopefully) have told me how to fix this issue. I love this board!

 

[Timber1]

I was going to say block off the new addition. But perhaps the folks that say put his crate in there, feed him there, etc are right on.

 

[Heidigsd]

Do you think you could get him to use one of these to let you know he has to go out?

http://www.poochie-pets.net/

Michaela

 

[tracyc]

I'm with Michaela--get a bell.

Those poochie-pets ones are Cadillac. Mine was just a bell on a string tied to the doorknob.

Everytime you go out the door, you ring the bell. Then start training Kodee to touch the bell with a nose or paw as her signal to go out--wait until she touches the bell before you open the door for her. When she does, praise, then open the door for her as the "reward" for touching the bell.

Pretty soon she'll be ringing it to signal you--or just to get you to run to the door! LOL. After you KNOW she's housebroken, you can yell down the hall "Stop ringing that $#@! bell...you just came in!

 

[kbigge]

Originally Posted By: Luca_stl After you KNOW she's housebroken, you can yell down the hall "Stop ringing that $#@! bell...you just came in!

 

[Helly]

Its true...Jackson rings the bell to go outside and I swear I think sometimes he rings it just to see me come running!

 

[Shawneeshep]

Just a note of support and hope: I've been exactly where you are!
My current GSD has been a strong-willed little scamp from Day One; everything I knew, thought I knew about the breed went out the door! And she was a challenge to get house-trained, which was a total shock to me, after the perfect ease of those I had before her.

And I also thought her relapses were because since I was always home with her, she was always let out by me, just as you did, and that she didn't really learn to "hold it".

I am happy to say that with more maturity, I am starting to relax--she just turned 2, and the last set-back was several months ago.
And she also comes and gets me now when she has to go outside.
She likes to come get me even now when the weather is finally nice and I am able to use the doggie door to the fenced outside area. So I get up, follow her out and praise her to the sky when she shows off by doing her duty. I should also add however, that when I go away, or am busy outside working, she will do her duties in that area even though I'm not there to admire her work!

She absolutely loves the doggie door; I think it fits her independent nature, being able to come and go......(but again, if the door is shut for whatever reason, she now comes and gets me)


So......be of hope, it will get better as your pup matures. If my extremely strong-willed (but sweet, loving!) pup could finally get it and do it, then anyone can hope!

 

[Elmo's Mom]

I agree with everyone else that this is probably because it's a new area. When we were training Elmo, he was great after a few weeks. We kept him on the main floor mostly because we didn't want him climbing stairs. When we introduced him to the upstairs, he thought the bedroom was another place to go to the bathroom! Once we were hanging out there with him, and after a few corrections, he realized it was part of the house. So, I think once Kodee figures out it is part of the house, you'll be fine.

I love reading about people having bells to teach the dog to tell you when they have to go out. We tried it and have a funny outcome. We have a wooden gate at the top of the stairs which lead to the basement. I tried a bell to it. I figured when Elmo has to go out, he'll ring the bell on the gate. I spent weeks ringing the bell every time I moved the gate out of the way to take him outside. Instead of ringing the bell, he just moves the gate out of the way when he has to go out. I can hear the bells on the gate, so I guess it's the outcome I wanted. LOL.