Small regression in toilet training

[*jody*]

Just wondered if it was unsual after you think they’re house trained?

Jake is 10 months now, and last night he poo’d in my mums kitchen and this morning on our sofa when hubby went upstairs.

He was what I would consider fully house trained about 12 weeks.  Im not making excuses but I think I know the reason, outside he is so preoccupied with waiting for Dante to go so he can mark over it, he is forgetting to go himself then doing it when he comes in.  We have a ‘wee wees’ command but not one for going for a poo.

Not sure how to tackle this one….

Edited to add, he has had a odd accident recently but from watching I think its for the same reason as above, never urinating though only poo’s.

[Justine&Rafe]

We have a command for wee wees but not for poo – if you could go back to basics and get a no 2 command in there too, that’d be amazing (and if you do, let me know how long it took to get through – as you only get a couple of opportunities a day to do the training!)

In the meantime tho, if he’s preoccupied about your other dogs, would it help to allow him out for a little while either side of the other dogs coming out, so he can have chance to think about himself and whether he does need to go?

Is there an area that he prefers going on?  Thinking back to prior to his current issues, did he have any sort of regime with his toilet?  Perhaps you can attempt to replicate the optimal pooing conditions, and then, even if you haven’t got it cued, give tons of praise and big big play for going at all (outside obviously!!), so he begins to associate it with something more rewarding than marking Dante’s emissions!

Another plan would be to bring him in, with the other dogs, and then keep him in view until the post-walk excitement has gone down.  Presumably this would be when he’d start thinking “crap, I forgot to go, and I can feel something brewing!”.  If you keep him in view he either won’t do it, or you’ll spot him looking around for somewhere to go.  Either way, don’t leave it long, and then take him out on his own to do his business, getting the chance for big big praise when he does.

[.dodger.]

I had a similar thing with Dodger. I usually go up to bed 12 – 1am so i used to put Dodger out just before i went up but we would have the occasional time when he would be dying to go to the loo during the night. One night when i put him out i stuck my head out the door to see if he was doing anything to find the boy had gone to the end of the pavement, curled up in a ball and had gone back to sleep :sleepy:

So now Dodger goes out around 10pm and will sleep right through.

I would say for Jake, let him out in the garden first ask him to have a wee wee and a poo then once he has bring him back in and let Dante out. Once Dante’s had a wee/poo let Jake back out so he can mark back over Dante’s wee. Dodger sometimes gets distracted when he is out with Luci or Benji :yes:

[Anonymous]

hi,

unusual as a rule but sounds like hormone – related issues …

is he usually allowed on the sofa, is dante ?

was he shut in the kitchen when he pood in there

is the kitchen the nearest place he can get to the back door

is he marking over dante with poo or wee ?

claire x

[*jody*]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, Ill digest them in a mo 😉

Claire:

Dante is allowed on the sofa (he wouldnt if I had anything to do with it but OH likes him up there) but Jake isnt

No he wasnt shut in the kitchen, we had only just walked in the door – he had been out at my house about 10 mins earlier before I left

At our house and my mums the kitchen is the nearest place

He marks Dantes wees and poos by urination, in fact he is very impatient when Dante wee’s and would hurry him along if he could (as has been known to mark whilst Dante is still going, missing Dante luckily cos of their height differences  :D)

[*Lassie*]

Was he loose?
Have you changed his food or the time of his meals?

[*jody*]

Nope nothing has changed…

And thankfully wasnt loose on the sofa otherwise I would of been really upset!

[*Lassie*]

Like Claire said he could be just feeling his Hormones ::)
Never had this problem, I would keep a careful eye on him and if he goes to do anything put him out. Reinforce the toilet training.

[*jody*]

I hope its the hormones too  😀

Last night I caught him in the act so he got a ‘no not in here’ and sent outside, but this morning he did it whilst OH was upstairs.  Going to keep him in the kitchen I think in this scenario.

Did I mention he has taken a liking to Dante’s poo too?  Im hoping the pineapple chunks I started with ‘D’ yesterday will put a stop to that  :vomit:

He’s being a naughty little ‘kevin’ teenager at the moment  :educated:

[Anonymous]

he’s definately scenting his smell and removing dantes – you may find he challenges dante in the coming weeks – would dante handle this ok if not you might want to think about leaving them apart when you are not in room – with 2 boys i doubt it would be more than noise but you need to make sure you are re-inforcing the right dog as top etc …

am sure izzie could help here with this …?  i know my own dogs and can ‘see’ in other dogs but not “in text” sorry 😀

claire x

[*jody*]

He’s been marking Dante’s poo and wee’s for a good couple of months now.

If it helps Dante is castrated and Jake isnt.  D is just over 2.

Dante knows his size, you can see this in play, he will usually play with Jake from lying down.  If D tells Jake off i.e. leave my bone alone Jake has never attempted to challenge this.  I cant see any signs of much more happening at the moment, but I will be watching them.  When left when Im out the house Jake is crated anyway.

[Justine&Rafe]

Crate = brilliant.

That’s a great place to start.  Does sound like his hormones are getting the better of him and he’s simply getting too excited about that to think about going outside.

Dogs see their crates as their dens, and it is exceptionally rare that they will soil them.  It seems like he has gone very quickly back to soiling in your house – well done for catching him.  In the meantime, as much hassle as it will be, I’d recommend crating him while you aren’t watching him.  Even if you nip up to the loo, just put him in so he can’t start pooing while you aren’t there.

Although this will be a right pain, it will essentially prevent him from doing the naughty deed unless you’re there watching, and that way you can quickly chuck him out when he starts circling.  If he does drop one inside, obviously no praise when he finishes the job outside, but if you see him circling/sniffing indoors, and get him out before he has started going, give HUGE praise when he goes. 

You need to reinforce that pooing outside is fabulous, as opposed to pooing inside being terrible.  Obviously refrain from telling him off when he has done it inside, correction, yes, but no punishment as this will simply encourage him to go when you aren’t there, or go where you can’t see it (behind sofa etc).

Good luck!

[*jody*]

I had just started phasing out a crate as well  😀

Back to the drawing board I guess 🙂  Although we had a battle of the wills this morning, he would not go for either until Dante had gone, hes a stubborn little so and so!  Probably more peed off that I had picked Dante’s poo up so he couldnt wee over it/eat it  ::)

[Anonymous]

i’d say this is undoubtedly hormone issues and he wont soil the crate IF dante hasnt been in there – otherwise he may well as scenting drive could be stronger than den clean one in a teenager for sure.

jus is right – manage in house by crating when u go out of sight and clean up really well scrub with a proper ‘clean up’ product every time or he’ll over scent his fading scents and you’ll have a monster of a problem 😉

he isnt stubborn his drives are telling him to hold it until he can over scent – i think you have a challenge coming – ESPECIALLY with the neutered / entire situation – whatever you do DO NOT neuter him yet.  you’ll make your life hell x x

claire x

[*Lassie*]

whatever you do DO NOT neuter him yet.  you’ll make your life hell x x

Neuter him and you can’t show him 😉

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