Question
Panda with my chocolat
I apologize in advance for the length of this, but I want to give you as complete a picture as possible.... I came across your piece on potty training and beagles on AllExperts.com. I have read everything I can get my hands on regarding housetraining, and apparently I'm still a failure at it. I've tried a few different methods for several weeks at a time, but have seen no progress with my 9-month-old Beagle-Papillon puppy named Panda. I've tried to give each method a fair chance, but have seen NO improvement, not even a tiny glimmer that she might be "getting it" just a little. I've done exactly as you outlined on AllExperts.com, but haven't had success. I was wondering if you had any specific advice for particularly independent-minded and easily distractible dogs.
I've tried crate training her for housebreaking. She doesn't mind being in her crate... in fact she goes right to it without batting an eye. With this method, I crated her any time she went outside for potty and didn't do anything. On more than one occasion, she did NOTHING (no pee, no poop) for over twenty-four hours!!! She didn't do it outside during potty breaks, and she didn't do anything in her crate either. How on earth can anyone go that long without eliminating??? The most recent time this occurred, she had gone to the bathroom outside at around 6 or 7 p.m., didn't go at bedtime, and then didn't go again the next day until almost 4 p.m.! I took her out in the morning upon waking around 8 a.m. (she didn't do anything). I fed her breakfast in her crate, which she wouldn't eat, then continued taking her out every hour or so. (She has access to water in her crate.) Although she finally did eat her breakfast at some point, she STILL didn't pee or poop for many more hours. I put her back in her crate each time the potty break was unsuccessful. I felt like a complete heel the whole day because she was in her crate, but I didn't let her see or hear how terrible I felt. I treated crating her as matter-of-factly as possible. I didn't scold. I didn't boo hoo. I just put her back in the crate and came back in an hour for the next break.
I've tried attaching her to me with a lead line all day long, and taken her out on a rigid schedule for weeks. One of the problems is that she rarely eats at feeding time, so I can't establish any regularity for pooping. Regarding feeding, I have offered her the food at feeding time, and if she hasn't begun to dig in by the time my other two dogs are finished eating, I pull up the food and offer it at the next feeding. As a result, she didn't eat for three or four days -- at all! It's not really feasible for me to withhold water because I have many pets in my household (dogs, cats, ferrets) who all drink out of the water bowls. In any case, I crate her at night so she doesn't have access to the water and so she can't sneak off and do her business.
I have used Nature's Miracle as per instructions on the bottle, but this hasn't stopped her from using her favored spots. (And I can't afford to replace smelly flooring.) While I certainly hate the mess and the smell of the "accidents", the bigger issue for me is that she is so distractable during potty breaks! I've tried taking her out at the same time as my other dogs (and rewarding THEM when THEY potty, even though they're already potty trained) so that maybe she'll get the idea. That doesn't help, so now I usually take her out alone, so there is less distraction for her. But... well... I call her my ADD dog (attention deficit disorder). LOL. EVERY TIME we go out for a potty break, she has her nose in the air or to the ground sniffing. If she sees a butterfly, she focuses on it. If she hears a siren in the distance, she focuses on it. If a neighbor is outside talking, she focuses on them. If she hears a noisy car go by a few streets over, she focuses on it. If she sees a [insert small animal here], she focuses on it. If there's a breeze, she has her nose in the air focused on it. If she encounters an interesting smelling piece of grass or weed, she focuses on it. I CAN NOT get her to go potty because she is so distracted!!! Even when we take long walks at potty time, sometimes she doesn't go to the bathroom at all during the walk, and other times, she doesn't go until 30 - 45 minutes into the walk.
I have religiously followed -- for many weeks at a time -- all the "tried and true" methods for housetraining, and this dog still goes in the house and WON'T go outside. She doesn't potty in her crate either, which seems promising, but it's not really much consolation in the big scheme of things. After a month using any given method, there isn't even the tiniest glimmer that she is making the connection between the word "potty" and the deed of actually going to the bathroom in the yard. I use a leash, confine her options to a specific spot in the yard, and give her yummy treats and elaborate praise when she gets it right. All to no avail.
This dog is driving me NUTS!!! If she had any other owner, I know she'd be in a shelter by now. I love her and refuse to get rid of her, and will live with foul-smelling potty house until the day she dies if necessary, but I'd love to be able to get her housebroken. I realize it can take months for successful potty training of "difficult" dogs, but I figured after one full month using a given method, I should start to see at least a wee bit of success, the occasional sign that she's making the connection between command and deed. I get NOTHING. My housemate downstairs doggysits her when I'm at work, and diligently follows the same training method with Panda. Nothing. My housemate has managed to housetrain Panda's littermate, and yet Panda has proven to be much more resistant than her brother. Sometimes Panda will be fabulous, pottying almost every time she's taken outside. But those times are few and far between. There is no rhyme or reason. There isn't any consistency, and I honestly believe that "successful" potty days are more of an anomaly than any indication that Panda "gets it" because after a month of training, the so-called successful times are no more frequent than they were at the beginning of training. Even after all this time, I have no idea how long she can reasonably hold it. When left to her own devices, she might go every two hours or four hours or six hours or longer. And I already know she CAN hold it over twenty-four friggin' hours! She's so inconsistent that I can't seem to home in on her optimum time period by taking her out every hour or two until we hit the threshold. And yet she has no health problems. The vet says she's perfectly healthy. I think she's just mental. SHE is the child my mother wished on me when I was a teenager.
When Panda was about 6 months old, we took a basic training class, and she was a champ at learning to sit, stay, leave it, off, etc. But even then, it always seemed to hinge on whether she FELT LIKE being compliant. But she picks up training really quickly. She's too clever for her own good. I can't afford to hire a personal dog trainer or behaviorist. I only took the training class because I got it at a discounted price. If you have ANY advice to offer me, I would dearly love to hear it. The current status quo is not working for me -- or Panda. =(
AnswerI am so sorry to hear about all these troubles you are having with Panda..... it sounds like you have dilgently tried to get this to work. Other than my way of doing it which apparently didnt work either I do not know else to tell you. My first answer would have been to tell you you need to get a one on one trainer in but you said you cant do that so all I can suggest is that you pick one method and stick to it whether it is working or not. My second thing would have been to tell you to take her to the vet because her bowel habits are not normal, nor are her eating habits but you said the vet said she is fine. I totally understand the crate thing and it is amazing that she doesnt go in there, my only thing about that is that I think that the amount of time she spends in the crate is why she is so distracted when she is outside. Being outside is a huge treat and not the norm so she has other things on her mind. There is no question that her body is not regulating elimination properly if she goes for those lengths of time, I still feel uncomfortable about that part. the rule of thumb is one hour for every month of age for apuppy, at 9 months she is already considered a teenager and should be able to hold it for 12 hours if needed but that shouls not be the norm.
Unfortuantely I am out of other options.......
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