Dog that prefers to potty inside

[AliCat518]

I’m not a natural at dog training, and I didnt train this dog to begin with. But this is driving me nuts.

We have a 9-10 year old Llewllyn Setter. She was at the breeder (in a kennel run type thing) til she was 3, and the breeder basically begged my SO to take her for free. Well, he’s a pushover and took her home. (This was before we met).

She has never learned to ask to go outside. I think this is the root of the problem. She can be out for an hour (large fenced yard) and when she comes in, she’ll lay down for a few minutes, and then sneak back down the hall and poop. 90% of the time, she will go outside, but I expect 100%. I make sure to let her out often, and stay out there to watch her use the bathroom. If I dont watch, she goes on the concrete type patio.

The biggest problem is that we will be sitting inside, and she will get up and walk down the hall to use the bathroom. I have no idea why the hall/front bedroom is a good area other than that it is out of sight to us. She wont even TRY to ask to be let out. If it is overnight, and she really has to go, she will pace back and forth in the bedroom, which thankfully wakes me up.

But she seems to have ZERO problem peeing and pooping inside. OUr other dogs have had no problem at all. EVER. Do I need to tether her to me? This would not be ideal. Plus, what do I do when i’m gone? Right now, when we leave, the dogs are locked in the large laundry room, and she will pee and poop in there occasionally even if left for an hour. Note: She does this maybe once or twice a week, but that is TOO much for me. She is an older dog, but has always done this, and the vet says her health is just fine.

Is there a way I can teach her to ASK to go out when she needs to go? Our other dog asks when she needs to, but it’s seldom because we let them out regularly to play.

[alternate_universe]

Maybe try the potty pads? If you can get her to potty on them maybe you can try moving the pads outside and see if she’ll transfer? At the very least she won’t be peeing and pooping on your bare floors.

[To_the_MAX]

The only way to fix this is to NEVER let her out of your sight. Lots of people who potty train puppies will tether the pup to them. If you’re with her you can catch her in the act, discipline, take her outside, and praise when she goes/finishes.

You can’t reprimand after the fact, they just don’t connect the dots.

[JanM]

To the Max is right. She will have to be supervised all the time or else.

Because she had a kennel for so long, I bet the hallway looks like the dog run to her, and she thinks that’s the right place because it’s what she learned.

[S1969]

I would try crating her, then graduating to an x-pen, then to a confined room, etc.

I think if it was “her space” she would not relieve herself in it. But anything out of sight is just as good as “outside”. So I would think about re-training her concept of “her space”.

I do understand this - my 11+ year old boy will poop in the basement if no one notices that he needs to go out. In his defense, he probably “asks”…but we must not notice. If the basement door is open, it’s almost as good as being outside.

It won’t be fun to keep her crated or in an x-pen, but at least if you can confine her to a room (not the hallway where she wants to use it as a potty area) you might have some luck.

I’m not sure how to train her to ring a bell to go out, but it might be another option - instead of training her NOT to do something, train her to DO something (e.g. ring the bell and you get to go out). If she can make that connection, it might help.

Good luck!

[Simkie]

@To the MAX;6552194

The only way to fix this is to NEVER let her out of your sight. Lots of people who potty train puppies will tether the pup to them. If you’re with her you can catch her in the act, discipline, take her outside, and praise when she goes/finishes.

You can’t reprimand after the fact, they just don’t connect the dots.

Exactly.

This dog isn’t housebroken. Don’t treat her like she is. Tether when you’re home, crate when you’re not. If you’re good about paying attention, you can substitute baby gates for the tether–baby gate her in the room you are in and WATCH HER for signs she needs to go out, then take her out post haste.

And, always–it’s a party when she goes potty outside, with high value treats or toys. No reprimands if she goes inside. If you catch her in the act, carry/drag her outside to finish and then PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE.

[Casey09]

If you want to train her to ring a bell to go out, here is how I have done that:

• Each time the dog is going outside, ring the bell first and then take the dog outside. It is very important to do this each and every time.
• After you have practiced ringing the bell yourself for a while, then let the dog loose in a confined space near the door with the bell on it. Wait. When the dog hits the bell, immediately take the dog out and make a big deal out of it. If the dog doesn’t hit the bell, then go back to the beginning and try again in a few days.

I do agree with going back to square 1 with her. If you can make a small part of the yard a place where she really likes to relieve herself, that might help a bit (a sandpit or something?). Since she goes on the concrete patio, I would guess that this is as much about the surface she prefers as inside/outside. Since she’s older, I’d be a bit tempted to try to give her the surface she likes outside. I’d also start feeding her in her favorite places to have accidents. That’s old fashioned, but sometimes it works if a dog gets used to relieving itself in a certain part of the house.

[cswoodlandfairy]

I would make going outside fun. Bring treats with you and every time she does what you want give her one. Its harder to train when they are older, more set in their ways than anything, but for a while I would take her out every two -three hours (i know hard to do) and every time she goes on the grass make a big deal and give her her favorite treat.

Eventually she should put two and two together and know that when she goes outside she gets treats and such, she will be more willing to let you know.

It took a while with our older dog, but he eventually figured it out and now just sits by the door when he needs to go (sometimes just because he wants the treat too) but we always let him out.

[Doberpei]

I got a kennel raised dog when she was 8, and had a similar problem. I watched her like a hawk to make sure she did her business outside, because she would come in and promptly squat. She is now a champ at home and at the office, but the only thing is that in a new place, she reverts if I don’t pay attention to her bathroom cues (she will try to hold it, but sometimes she just has to go.)

My philosophy is that if she goes in the house - I made her wait too long or ignored her signals, it’s never her fault.

Everyone has given great advice, so you shouldn’t have any problems.

[wendy]

I would forget about the “asking to go out” thing for now, and instead concentrate on teaching her WHERE to go. As a kennel dog, she never learned to either try to hold it, or to not-go indoors, so you have to teach her.
Treat her like a young puppy who has no clue and no control over her body. This is just a temporary phase- it should only take a few weeks of strict confinement, frequent visits outside, and lots of praise for going in the right place before she gets it. Then you can relax the confinement.
Once she knows where to go, then you can think about teaching her to ask.

[AliCat518]

I’ll definitely try these suggestions! Unforunately, I’m gone from the house from 6:45am to 3:30pm-ish. During that time, the dogs stay in the laundry room, where she rarely has accidents. When i’m home, I make sure to let the dogs out every hour or so. The other dog loves to play in the yard. Anytime Possy (the inside pooper) gets up, I let her out. Literally, she will get out of her chair and just walk down the hall. No notice. So now she goes out every single time she wants water, food, or just to get up and lay on her bed.

She has been crated before and is a raving lunatic. She howls and barks and cries for hours. When she was crated, she didnt mind pottying in the crate (which was appropriately sized for her) and having to sit in it.

We also dont give treats generally. My Secret Santa from last year gave me a bag and it’s still mostly full. Even when I try to give this dog a treat or “people food” she stares at it, and will take it and put it on the floor. She’s incredibly bizarre. So treating outside won’t work. She does love verbal praise, and scratches though, so i’ll do that!
Thanks for the suggestions!

[2ndyrgal]

Install tile floors

in your entire house. Kenneled dogs are usually very, very difficult, if not impossible to retrain. She has always “gone” in her house, now is no different because it’s still “her” house. It’s why some older hunting hounds just don’t work out in people’s homes, at least not people who will be at work all, or part of the day.

It isn’t her fault, she isn’t spiteful, it’s just what she’s always done and you may have to accept that it won’t ever change.

Not much fun to live with, but it may just be who she is.

[rivenoak]

@2ndyrgal;6555255

Kenneled dogs are usually very, very difficult, if not impossible to retrain. She has always “gone” in her house, now is no different because it’s still “her” house. It’s why some older hunting hounds just don’t work out in people’s homes, at least not people who will be at work all, or part of the day.

This has been our experience with 3 female hounds. The 2 male hounds were easily retrained.

The female beagle we have right now is reliable if she is in a bedroom (ie: overnight). She is not reliable in the rest of the house. At this point…we’re working on it.

Everyone is crated when we are not home and crates are not messed unless someone gets Funny Tummy.

[AliCat518]

[QUOTE=rivenoak;6559168]
This has been our experience with 3 female hounds. The 2 male hounds were easily retrained.

The female beagle we have right now is reliable if she is in a bedroom (ie: overnight). She is not reliable in the rest of the house. At this point…we’re working on it.

Everyone is crated when we are not home and crates are not messed unless someone gets Funny Tummy.[/QUOTE]

Sigh…I was afraid others would have experiences like that. At this point, being 9 or 10, retraining her is a real hassle, and not completely feasible with our work schedules. SO just accepts it, and cleans it up without a second thought. Personally, I wouldnt have a dog that does this. Good thing he doesnt mind–so he gets to clean it up

I’m still going to try the suggested tips though. Cant hurt! My SO has been gone for 24 days (out of country on business) and she hasnt pooped in the house ONCE. (Peed twice). That’s definitely progress! I caught her peeing once and she was reprimanded and put outside. I think catching her is crucial, since I can actually teach her that it is not a pleasant experience.

[AliCat518]

[QUOTE=rivenoak;6559168]
This has been our experience with 3 female hounds. The 2 male hounds were easily retrained.

The female beagle we have right now is reliable if she is in a bedroom (ie: overnight). She is not reliable in the rest of the house. At this point…we’re working on it.

Everyone is crated when we are not home and crates are not messed unless someone gets Funny Tummy.[/QUOTE]

Sigh…I was afraid others would have experiences like that. At this point, being 9 or 10, retraining her is a real hassle, and not completely feasible with our work schedules. SO just accepts it, and cleans it up without a second thought. Personally, I wouldnt have a dog that does this. Good thing he doesnt mind–so he gets to clean it up

I’m still going to try the suggested tips though. Cant hurt! My SO has been gone for 24 days (out of country on business) and she hasnt pooped in the house ONCE. (Peed twice). That’s definitely progress! I caught her peeing once and she was reprimanded and put outside. I think catching her is crucial, since I can actually teach her that it is not a pleasant experience.