Housetraining dog

Question
Hi Charlotte!

I appreciate you taking the time to help people with your expertise. I loved what you wrote in your profile by the way.

My partner and are pretty experienced dog owners, and we just adopted a rescue dog, a mixed breed that seems like the dominant breed might be border collie or husky. The vet seemed to think border collie.

She is about 6 months old and from a young age lived in a little cage at a vet clinic with her sister.

She is VERY eager to please and is sweet as the day is long. She's learned sit, is working on down and knows 'get in the crate' and 'wanna go outside?'

The problem is the housebreaking! i've always had 'easy' dogs i guess b/c i'm a little lost as to how to complete her training. I take her out every 2 hours, except when she's sleeping in her crate (she won't soil the crate, she can hold it) and she'll go when i say 'Go Potty'.

However, she doesn't seem to 'get' that she shouldn't go inside. We've had her 3 weeks and we have to keep an eye on her at EVERY second or she'll run off to pee in the bedroom (she's never pooped inside).

I've caught her in the act and have reprimanded her verbally and taken her outside, but she just sits there smiling up at me like she's saying 'what? i don't get it'.

I'm a little flabbergasted. I don't want to have her forced to be leashed to me for the rest of her days!

The real problems seems to be, she understands to go outside, she just doesn't understand NOT to go inside! This might relate to being in a cage all the time when young. Also I don't like to hit dogs, and she's very timid sometimes so i am trying not to scare her too much.

I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make her comfortable. We have 3 other dogs in the household if that helps. They're all trained very well.

Thanks and sorry so long!

Sarah Cox

Answer
I may be completely wrong, but, she could just be trying your patience, or may think she is funny.
If the area where she pees, is carpeted, maybe she can still smell the pee, and goes there.
They can still smell it, when the human nose cannot detect a small scent of it.
I use Simple Solution. I get it at Petsmart.It comes in several formulas, one for dogs, one for cats, and one foredogs or cats.
It removes stains, but it also removes the odor, so they can't smell it.
By the way, it is a great stain remover for other stains on the carpet. I have used it on stubborn stains on cool wash clothes, that can't be bleached etc.
Very glad you don't like to hit!
I have found it necessary to give a swat on the bottom, on very rare occasions, like when my litle Lhasa scoots out when someone opens the front door, and runs across the street or a couple doors down, and will not come to me. I have to go and pick him up and carry him home.After over a year of this, I would add a swat or two on the bottom to the chewing. THEN he stopped doing it! He thought it was funny before.
She could be trying to establish herself as the more priveledged of the dogs, and can get away with more they can.Can you close off the room where she always goes to pee?

She could be marking that room as hers.
Max, the Lhasa, tries to make the guest room his, by marking it.
Female dogs do sometimes mark by peeing too.
The crate living may have something to do with it, I personally don't care for them.
At that age, she doesn't have that much control over her organs yet, but she sounds like she has a purpose behind this peeing.
I would close off the room she likes to pee in, take her out right after she drinks, and every couple of hours after that. Play with her outside, and get het very active, this seems to speed up the nature's urges.
Good luck on this. I know it can be aggravating, but we just have to hang in there, and think of everything you would try if this were a human child. Not that much difference is raising.LOL
About the only thing i found that different about raising 2 legged or 4 legged children was, The humans ones were taught to go potty inside, and the 4 legged ones went outide, and I didn't have to sew prom dresses etc, and the 4 legged ones never asked for the car keys.LOL
If you think I can help more, feel free to write anytime, and ,
Thank you for the kind words.
I love raising animals, can't imaging being without my kids, grandkids and great grandkids, and my litle 4 legged kids. The 2 legged kids learned so much from being raised with animals all their lives. They can really teach a child about their own humanity.
None of my children ever slept with a teddy bear or a blanky, neither did I when I was a child. Always had a real live, furry beddy boo.
Gives a child a good sense of security. None of us ever feared monsters under the bed, either. I think it was having the animals.