Housebreaking a Dachshung

Question
Hi Robin, i have a 9 week old dachshund.  He has never used the bathroom outside.  The breeder I got him from never let the dogs out of the house.  So, I am crate training him now and he is doing great...no accidents in the crate.  But, he won't use the bathroom outside. First thing I do when we wake up is take him out.  We will be outside for 10-20 minutes and nothing.  But first thing when we walk back in the door, not 5 seconds later and he is using the bathroom on the floor.  Same thing when I arrive home from work.  He holds it all day but for some reason just doesn't want to go potty outside...no matter what time it is or how long he has been holding it!! Any suggestions?? Thank you!-Rusty

Answer
Did he potty on something at the trainer's? Like a paper or a potty pad? If so, you could take that outside and put that on the ground and see if he'll go on that.

Be sure to keep a close eye on him in the house so you can hurry him up outside when he squats and if/when he finally does go make sure you tell him how great he is and give him lots of treats right then (not after you go back in). Although this is kind of gross and I don't mind saying I hate doing it (and dogs don't like it either), you can stimulate a bowel movement (but not pee) using infant suppositories or a wooden match (the sulfur end). Your vet can give you more ideas for stimulating bowel movements. Just make sure after that you give him super great treats when he goes.

Or you could pack up a picnic and spend the whole day in the back yard till he finally goes! Some dogs need to walk around a bit to get things moving so if you're just standing there for 10 minutes, you might have better luck if you walked him around the block. Eventually he will go, if great things happen to him then (treats, love, but don't get too excited or you might confuse him worse) he'll do it again.