Still Struggling with Housebreaking

[denisegross]

Thanks to all of you for the additional advice. I do have her on a feeding and potty schedule. I have just about figured out when she poops, the peeing is still hard to figure out because I don't really know how much she drinks. I have only caught her in the act a couple of times and I tell her "NO" and pick her up and immediately take her to her potty spot outside and say"GO POTTY OUTSIDE." I might try taking her to her accident and telling her "NO". I have been keeping her with me on the leash almost constantly and I think that has really helped. I'm still working on the bell at the door too.I will keep on doing what you guys have recommended and hope she will soon let me know when she needs to out!.

[Bethy]

I have 11 pugs, and not a single one tells us they have to go out. We just put them out every two hours, or so.

They are all housebroken, but they don't tell us.

[DixiesMom]

I'm posting to this thread with extreme hesitance because it seems whenever I brag about finally getting Ms. Dixie on a routine she'll turn around and fool me by going inside.

Dixie was 16 mo's when we got her but the change in dwellings must have confused her. I think also because she'd been crated 90% of her day at the previous place and we only crate her for bed and maybe an hour a day (I'm trying to increase it for when or if it's needed to work on the anxiety :: for both of us::)

I would LOVE it if she'd use a bell, scratch or anything ... the best I've figured out so far is that when she sits on the floor very still and doesn't want to play or if she stops in the middle of playing.. that's her signal to go outside. Or if she's on my lap and jumps off and sits on the floor and looks up at me while sitting very still ... that's her signal. Or if she's been in her crate for bedtime and it's 3 in the morning she stands up and does a full body shake (making her name & shot tag jingle) and I let her out she'll go potty and then her reward is getting to sleep in the bed with us the rest of the night.

As for rewards.. again, not claiming to have it all figured out ... just knowing what's worked here and sharing ... I have figured out Ms. Dixie is more 'positive attention reward driven' than 'food reward driven'. Sure, she likes her treats, no doubt.

But after rewarding with treats several times I've now moved onto just murmuring 'good good girl... good good girl' while she's pottying and when she comes over to me afterward for acknowledgement it continues with petting and rubbing.

The other day we got rain for over 36 hours straight NO WAY she'd go in that.. I don't know "HOW" she holds it as long as she does.. she just does but I know that isn't good for her so I keep trying over and over every hour.. back in the crate, back out, repeat... but no luck.

She'd just tuck her tail and shiver and look at me like 'ain't no way anything is gonna happen'.

I've had a bronchial infection for 3 weeks and standing in 30 degree freezing rain murmering 'come on Dixie.. go potty.. come Dixie... go potty and we can go back in where it's warm and dry' ... 'come on Dixie' ... well, my recuperation has been slowed.

So the day it was non stop rain I decided 'if she has an accident indoors.. so be it.. we'll just start the training all over.'

I had some of those 'training pads' that I'd bought when I first got her so I put a couple down in my office (tile floor) because she stays in there with me all day while I work and said 'if that's what you need.. go for it' and she laid down on it!!

But then I had to leave to go to the store and when I came back she'd 'gone' on the pads. I was THRILLED. I praised her (not a party just 'you are such a smart girl, yes you are' then cleaned up the pads, mopped the floor.. but then wondered 'hmmm... hope this isn't the beginning of things to come'.

But finally the rain stopped and although I had to physically pick her up to go back outside for the next one (so she knew it wasn't still raining) she went outside again.. and has been PERFECT ever since (and here I go jinxing us for another accident)

And on that note she just jumped off my lap and is sitting in the floor staring so out we go... wish us luck!

[Russ]

Tilly has never come out and said 'I need to go'. Instead she will sometimes mind-meld (comes and presses her head to mine), or if she has been over in a spot not next to me the cue is she suddenly comes and sits on my lap. It is a very imprecise science to know.

Tilly also hates rain, and will only go out in extreme emergences. She likes snow...up to a point (5-8 inches ).

When I got Tilly she was mostly housebroken, but I know it took a long time. When I first got her she had a few accidents and I would take her out immediately. Now it only happens if she is ill.

[denisegross]

Here we are almost 2 months later and my 5 1/2 month old pug is still peeing and pooping in the house everyday! Today she pooped in the house 2 times and peed 1 time. I take her out about every 1-2 hours. I am soooooooooo frustrated. I have done everything that I am supposed to do. I take her out into the same place, I praise her, I give her treats. If she gets out of my sight, she will go and pee or poop. I know for a fact that she can hold it just fine. When I go to work, I am gone for around 5 hours and she stays in her crate and never has an accident. She goes all night with out having an accident also. I am at my wits end. I just feel like even if she needs to go a little, she feels it is just fine to go pee or poop in the floor. Why won't she just hold it until the next time I take her out. Like I said she doesn't go to the door and I can't read her mind. I just don't understand it all. It has never taken me this long to housebreak a dog, not even close. I am at my wits end. HELP PLEASE!!!!

[DixiesMom]

While I still haven't figured 'all' the signs I have figured out a sure fire trigger... put in a movie. Nothing like the credits rolling to make Ms. Dixie need to potty.
Seriously the viral tips helped a lot but also figuring out she responds more to 'affection and recognition' than treats helped even more. We practically have a parade every time she pottys outside. And I'll confess, the last time she did potty inside I didnot scold but I did say 'i'm very disappointed in this, you know better' and that's been nearly a month.

[Tina F]

Pugs are hard to train..we get a lot in our rescue because of this...it is consistency...I have found that putting a couple of puppy pee pads down definitely help...better to use a pad then to have her go on the floor...if she doesn't use it, when she does go on the floor use the pad to soak some of it up then put the pad where she went...she will come back to pee and most likely go on the pad...gradually movie it towards the door...be patient and the BIG thing is to NOT get mad when she goes in the house...negative creates negative...she will only end up going where you can't find it...there is also a site that sells panties for girls..you could try using them until trained ..they also sell belly bands..you can find the link on my website if anyone needs them:
Pug-Peke-Tzu Rescue

[CharlieBoo]

I am no expert....I only have two pugs. One is 2 and the other one is 9 months. My oldest did not ask to go out until he was 9 months old and just now our little one is asking. I think it probably happened sooner but I was not reading them. All they both do is sit at the door and look out the window. I think they tell us but we sometimes don't get it. Don't give up! That is the most important thing.

[DantePugs]

You shouldn't take her out every hour or two. That is done for puppies which are too young to hold it in (and not generally a good idea even then) for the sole purpose of minimizing clean ups.

The reason why it is not generally a good idea is because it runs the risk of training them to pee every hour or two, rather than holding it in, which appears to be what has happened here. If you take them out every hour or two, you essentially train them to make every hour or two, even if the urge is only slight.

Your Pug can obviously hold it in the crate, and of course while sleeping which is perfectly what one would expect from a sleeping Pug at night. So the issue here is during the day and outside the crate and that is what you need to focus on.

Set a "when you are home" schedule which I assume is after work and until you sleep, and spread the trips outside to 4 hours apart, same times every day. Treat reward when pee or poop outside, but not every time. Vary the treat rewards by giving them most often for success outside at the beginning, but then slowly varying whether you give them or not so that eventually, you give treat rewards at most 50% of the time for success. A little less is better even, but shoot for 50%.

Always give verbal and physical praise/reward for successful trips outside. This is very important because dogs are not solely motivated by food...not even Pugs. Your verbal praise (high pitched voices are best) and a good dose of petting as a reward as just as powerful a training tool and motivator to a dog as food rewards, if not more so.

If the dog knows it will get a treat every time it pees, some dogs will learn to squat for a treat and not actually pee. Strange but true.

Forget the stuff about going to the door to let you know. Your Pug is not trained to do this, therefore it will not do it. Plain and simple.

Dogs generally exhibit signs that indicate a need to pee or poop, though the hourly trips outside that your Pug is used to sort of eliminates the ability to accurately detect those moments.

Remember to stay calm and neutral when cleaning up accidents. Show the dog no reaction, positive or negative and just clean it quietly and calmly....Make sure everyone in your home does the same, and that everyone in your home is providing the same consistency.

You really are in the position where you need to sort of reset and start over, but you can do it and so can your Pug. Frustrating as it may be, and difficult as it is to do, you really need to take a step back here, calm down, re-group and re-focus on the reward ahead for you.....which is that you will succeed at this, and so will your Pug, provided you take all of this in earnest, follow it consistently and do what needs to be done.

The reward at the end of this whole frustrating process is a lifetime of joy, and well worth the time and effort

Also, if you feel you truly need help in this, don't overlook the idea of bringing in a professional trainer for some help. There is no shame in doing that and the cost is surprisingly minimal. Your vet could likely point you to a decent trainer, and the real pros are very often quite good at dealing with house training issues as it is the bread and butter of their business.

Good luck!

[ownedby5pugs]

If your pug is fully trained by 1yr old you will be doing good. Patience.....patience & more patience is all I can say. Pugs are never really totally potty trained and I'm owned by 5 and have pugs in my life 20yrs. And I'll top it off by saying I've never had a pug "tell" me he needs to go. Most times pugs have to be on a routine.

Marie