Need serious help with housebreaking an 8 week old Golden retriever/black lab mix

[jeannie00]

I just got Valentine two days ago, and i need serious help and advice as how to housebreak her. Weve had soooo many dogs and it was never successful with housebreaking them so we've gotten rid of them. Im tired of getting a precious dog and then getting rid of them. I want Valentine to work out. SHe is such a sweet 8 week old puppy. I want to have a successful relationship with her and hope to get her housetrained ASAP.. CAn someone please give me tips as to housetrain her please....

[jessi76]

Originally Posted by jeannie00

I just got Valentine two days ago, and i need serious help and advice as how to housebreak her. Weve had soooo many dogs and it was never successful with housebreaking them so we've gotten rid of them. Im tired of getting a precious dog and then getting rid of them. I want Valentine to work out. SHe is such a sweet 8 week old puppy. I want to have a successful relationship with her and hope to get her housetrained ASAP.. CAn someone please give me tips as to housetrain her please....

First, I REALLY hope you stick around here, and let us help you with this pup. That said, the fact that you have "gotten rid" of "sooooo many" dogs because you couldn't housebreak them DEEPLY concerns me, and I'm sure, will concern many other members here.

Why did you get this dog? To be honest, if your sick of getting "precious dogs" and "getting rid of them", why did you get another? a dog may not be the right pet for you.

Please understand that an 8 wk old pup will NOT be housebroken ANYTIME soon. It takes boatloads of patience, carpet cleaner, and TIME. Puppies need routine, need to be taken out OFTEN, after eating, drinking, playing, and sleeping - they are babies. What aspect of housebreaking are you having trouble with?

I'm sorry if I sound harsh, I am very happy you found this forum for help though!

[jeannie00]

Originally Posted by jessi76

First, I REALLY hope you stick around here, and let us help you with this pup. That said, the fact that you have "gotten rid" of "sooooo many" dogs because you couldn't housebreak them DEEPLY concerns me, and I'm sure, will concern many other members here.

Why did you get this dog? To be honest, if your sick of getting "precious dogs" and "getting rid of them", why did you get another? a dog may not be the right pet for you.

Please understand that an 8 wk old pup will NOT be housebroken ANYTIME soon. It takes boatloads of patience, carpet cleaner, and TIME. Puppies need routine, need to be taken out OFTEN, after eating, drinking, playing, and sleeping - they are babies. What aspect of housebreaking are you having trouble with?

I'm sorry if I sound harsh, I am very happy you found this forum for help though!

I completely understand what your saying. And yes it is our fault the dogs werent housebroke. But alot of it is this. My hubby wouldnt help me with the dogs. I have three kids, ages 6, 4 and my baby boy is getting ready to turn 1 the 26th. So ive got alot of time on my hand already. But we truely deeply want a dog, its just we havent had any good luck with the dogs. We also too just had a house built and we have new carpet and stuff, and i'll admitt, we got tired of the dogs peeing and poopin on the carpets, so we just said pooey and got rid of them. I know that was horrible, but yes we just gave up on them. I truely deeply want this one to work. I feel bad for getting rid of the other dogs, what i mean by rid, is i meant we gave them away to someone who could take better care of them. and have the patience to deal with them. If i didnt want this to work i wouldnt of came here and ask for it. I want this time to work. I just need alot of help. We cant afford any dog classes or anything, we are on a tight budget, so i was hoping you guys could help me with tips and ideas. I really like this puppy and want it to work out. I just need help. I understand that this puppy wont be broke anytime soon now. But im gonna try my darndest to be succesfful at getting her housetrained ASAP...
The problems we were having with the dogs is. wed take them out and make them stay out to use the bathroom and they would go outside but soon as we brought them back in a few mins later they would go in the house as well. I dont understand. I just took them out. they would pee and poop and soon as we bring them in they would go again. If i can just get my dh to help me and stay on a routine this can be successful but i cant do it by myself i need help.

[StaceyB]

I hope you realize that not having a housetrained dog is never their fault. It is usually the persons fault with either not being consistant, giving too much freedom, etc.

I have some articles that may be of some help to you in this subject.
Check under the articles tab at www.dogsdenlearningcentre.com

It really makes me sad to hear that you have given up dogs for this issue instead of working through it. What happens this time if you don't succeed. Have you taken any of your previous dogs to class.

Some basic tools you will need are a crate, enzyme cleaner, and a feeding schedule.

What did you try with the others, how long did you give them before you gave up and got rid of them, why didn't you have success in your mind.

[Lucky Rescue]

So...you don't know how to housetrain a puppy, can't be bothered to learn, keep getting puppies then dump them when they don't housetrain themselves?? This is one of the most outrageous and heartless things I've ever heard.

The failure is yours, and innocent animals should not be aquired then dumped because of your inability to master this basic training. This is part of owning a puppy and if you have no intention of housebreaking it, then a puppy is not the pet for you.

Please read this link
http://www.inch.com/~dogs/housebreaking.html

I have three kids, ages 6, 4 and my baby boy is getting ready to turn 1 the 26th.

Why on earth did you get another puppy? That is the last thing you need.

[jeannie00]

I know i failed. And im sorry. Im just asking that you not be so hard on me. I really want this to work. I came on here to get help not to get criticized. Everyone makes mistakes and ive made alot with these dogs. I feel terrible about it too. All im asking is for you all to help me. Thats all im asking.

[StaceyB]

Please don't think we are attacking you and we will help with your questions but we are all going to have our own questions and comments to you. Many people here work with rescues and hate to hear stories like this.
How many dogs have you had and I noticed in your introduction that it said that you had another dog, is this one housebroken?

[jeannie00]

Originally Posted by StaceyB

Please don't think we are attacking you and we will help with your questions but we are all going to have our own questions and comments to you. Many people here work with rescues and hate to hear stories like this.
How many dogs have you had and I noticed in your introduction that it said that you had another dog, is this one housebroken?

No, shes an outside dog. When we first got her as a puppy, i think the owners kept her outside, but we tried to keep her inside, and she whine and whine wanting out, when we let her out, we could not get her to come back in. She would be at the door whining wanting out. So we decided to keep her outside. Yes she was housebroken though. Although, she had accidents, but it wasnt on purpose. When she gets scared or nervous she pees everywhere. She never went in the house on purpose. I honestly think she has a bladder problem. She is a very very good dog. Shes a good watch dog. She barks at everything that moves. She loves it outside. We tried to bring her in this winter and she would not let us keep her in. So we let her back out.

[StaceyB]

I am really curious to know how much time you have given these other puppies before you gave them up and how many you have had. Believe it or not the answer will help us to help you.
Your puppy will not be fully housebroken until after adolescence.

[jeannie00]

Originally Posted by StaceyB

I am really curious to know how much time you have given these other puppies before you gave them up and how many you have had. Believe it or not the answer will help us to help you.
Your puppy will not be fully housebroken until after adolescence.

1-2 years.
weve had bout 4 dogs

[jessi76]

please know are here to help, but you need to do the work. there's no EASY BUTTON for housebreaking.

Read the links the other posters provided. READ THEM WELL. get books on the subject. See if there are any affordable puppy classes in your area - maybe a community center? or local pet supply shop? ask you vet for a reference... simply make sacrifices to afford just one class. it's worth every penny.

also, think long and hard about the effect this has on your children. Do you really want to teach them that animals are disposable? Life is full of challenges, you must know this if you have 3 young children... conquer those challenges AS A FAMILY. everyone must pitch in and help out.

getting rid of dogs because you can't housebreak them is very upsetting, and will likey cause some negative reaction here - just as you ask us to be understanding of you, you need to understand this forum is full of people devoted to animals.

[StaceyB]

Please read the articles that have been posted for you, they will be helpful. Also, there are many, many threads here on this subject that will also help you out.

[Lucky Rescue]

With 3 children of those ages, just how are you going to have time to housetrain a puppy? This involves taking it out every two hours, after eating and after napping. You must stay outside with it until it goes. There are no shortcuts.

Puppies also need attention, and not only housetraining, but general training . This takes time and dedication.

How will do this with a 1 year old baby?

Instead of continuing to get puppies and dumping them, why don't you find this one a new home, and stop getting more until your kids are all in school? You're being really unfair by what you are doing.

[jeannie00]

Originally Posted by Lucky Rescue

With 3 children of those ages, just how are you going to have time to housetrain a puppy? This involves taking it out every two hours, after eating and after napping. You must stay outside with it until it goes. There are no shortcuts.

Puppies also need attention, and not only housetraining, but general training . This takes time and dedication.

How will do this with a 1 year old baby?

Instead of continuing to get puppies and dumping them, why don't you find this one a new home, and stop getting more until your kids are all in school? You're being really unfair by what you are doing.

My two older children are in school. Its just me and my baby home. Im a stay at home mom. I have the time. Time is no problem. I take the puppy out every hour. The problem im having with the puppy is this, when i take her out, she will go out there and just sit or lay down, I cannot get her to get up and go potty. Ive even tried putting her on a leash and walking her, and she will not walk. Shed rather me drag her then to walk. So i dont use the leash.. I stay outside for a half hour at a time and she still wont go. What else should i do to get her to go. I try to get her to walk with me, but she wont. she will just sit or lay down.
Im sorry that you are attacking me like you are, and i get the impression you dont like me, but im very sorry you feel that way. I am GOING TO MAKE THIS WORK, no matter what YOU might think. I can do this, i know i can. I just need hubby to help me with this. He wants it to work as well. We CAN DO THIS!!!! Despite what you might think. Im done with getting puppies and dumping them!! Im not getting rid of Valentine. She is going to be successfull, and ill prove it to you.

[jessi76]

I don't know if you are thinking of crate training, but if you are, this is what I did... took pup out, on leash, to the SAME spot each time. if pup goes, praise her like she just won the olympics! if not... take pup inside, place gently in crate for 10-20 minutes, then try again. NOTE: the crate is never used as punishment - consider it the dogs "special place" - their "room" - their "den".

you must read up on crate training if you choose to go that route.

and yes, please prove to Lucky and to the rest of us that you can do it.

as for the other dog that lives outside.... whole 'nother can of worms there.... one problem at a time, but if you suspect a bladder problem, please consult a VET, sooner than later.

[StaceyB]

Some more questions,

How much freedom does this puppy have in the house?
What is the puppy's schedule like, sleep, play, exercise, feeding, etc.
What kind of food are you using?
Are you using a crate?
What do you use to clean up the messes(both)?

Raising a puppy is very similar to raising children.

[Lucky Rescue]

The problem im having with the puppy is this, when i take her out, she will go out there and just sit or lay down, I cannot get her to get up and go potty. Ive even tried putting her on a leash and walking her, and she will not walk. Shed rather me drag her then to walk. So i dont use the leash..

You need to leash train her now. When you start something and it doesn't work that very second, you cannot just give up on a 9 week old puppy. Training is a process, and you must be patient and persistant.

How long do you wait outside for her to go? If she doesn't go in 5 or 10 minutes, take her back inside. You can put her in a puppy pen, then try again after a short while. You must keep doing this, so you can praise her when she does go outside. It's a lot of work, but this is the only way she can learn.

This is a little baby, just like your human baby and I"m sure you don't expect him/her to behave like an adult at 1 year old or just give up when the baby didn't learn something immediately? It's the same for a puppy.

[rosebury29]

Hi,
I have 5 children: 13, 8, 5 and 1 year old twins! We just got our very first puppy about 6 weeks ago. I did major research before going through with buying a dog as I knew it was a good 15 year commitment. A dog is much different than a bird or a cat and they get very attached to their families.
Anyway, my husband doesn't help out at all, he works long hours.
I knew the training would be the big obstacle for me (the worst part) but it was important for me to get a puppy to raise well from the start.
So I crate trained him and it was SO successful. It was hard the first weeks as I personally took him outside every hour, sometimes more, so he could go to the bathroom and get used to what 'outside' was for. LOT'S of praise was given. We didn't have many accidents maybe 1-2 a week and that was just because he didn't yet know how to 'tell' us when he had to 'go'. He never went to the bathroom in the crate which is why crate training works so well. I never left him alone when he was out of the crate and not for long periods.
It took a good month of this and now he is 100% housebroken. Hard work but worth it as he is our little angel. He will stand at the back door when he has to go to the bathroom and will not have an accident in the house. Therefore, he has earned his freedom! He only goes in his crate at night and when we are not home. Otherwise, he is free.
Good Luck. Lot's of consistency, praise and patience.
Stacey

[rosebury29]

Also, what kind of 'box' are you using? Is it an actual box or a crate? A crate feels cozy like a den and it is plastic so you can give it a good cleaning if there is an accident to take away the smell. Do you have a blanket in there too? A cardboard box isn't appropriate as it isn't like a den and once soiled would retain the stench. I think you have to take her out much more often then you'll catch her going pee and can go crazy with the praise.
Housebreaking is tough work!
Stacey