Bell potty training

[JeanetteHoover]

Our chi weenie is 10 months old and has been very difficult to Housebreak, it’s always been with peeing she never poops in the house. I feel like I’ve read every blog about it! We have followed all the rules, she is crated and doesn’t go in her crate, she is kept on a feeding and drinking schedule, rewarded when potties outside. The bell has finally helped and she knows to ring it and goes out to pee. The problem now is getting her to the next step. When we have tried to leave her in a room when we leave for a short time she will not hold it and will pee. We take the bell away when we have tried this so she doesn’t get confused and ring it. So how do we get her past this so she can have more freedom from her crate and be trusted to not go in the house, I was hoping to be further along with this by now it can be frustrating to have 10 months of cleaning up urine all the time. Any help would be appreciated

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello Jeanette,

Welcome to the forum! Sorry to hear you have been have trouble potty training your chiweenie. Smaller dogs can pose more challenges in the housebreaking department than larger dogs. You need to give yourself a good pat on the back though for the patience and effort and the fact that you were able to train her to ring a bell when she needs to go outside. At 10 months old, she should be capable of holding it for a good amount of time. It sounds like you are only out for a short time, so that shouldn't be beyond her physical capability. There are some things you can do to try to remedy the present situation.

 

1) Make absolutely sure she is empty before you leave the house. Training her to go potty on command as outlined in the archive can come extra handy for this. If your girl was able to learn to ring a bell to go outside, I am pretty sure she can learn to go potty on command eventually. This may take a little time to train because dogs need to become aware of the fact they are going potty versus doing it automatically without much thinking involved, but this conscious control comes with lots of positive reinforcement and repetition. It is well worth the effort in the long run though as it provides the peace of mind knowing that your dog is empty when you are out and about.

 

2) If your dog has proven to you that she is able to hold it for a certain amount time, but then has accidents only when you are away, there may be more than a potty training issue going on. It may be worthy for you to record her behavior when you are out and about and then watch it carefully to see exactly what she is doing when left alone. She may be nervous in your absence perhaps pacing back and forth acting restless, panting and these may be signs of separation anxiety. Dogs with separation anxiety tend to urinate when they are left alone. Some dogs with anxiety also drool a lot and at times dog owners think a small puddle on the floor is urine when in reality it is only drool.

 

3) If your dog is seeing other dogs from windows or hearing them, she may be marking her territory. Now, not all female dogs urine mark at this age, but some may do. Urine marking is a dog's way to laying claim of things but it also plays a role in helping a dog feel more comfortable. Urine marking can be distinguished by actual peeing to empty the bladder by the amount released (usually small amounts in different places) and the fact that it occurs in response to certain visual or odoriferous triggers.

 

4) Make sure that you remove all traces of the previous pee accidents. The smell of previous pee accidents tells your dog "here is your bathroom" and therefore can cause her to pee on these areas over and over. There are many products that will remove the urine smell, however those with ammonia should be avoided since ammonia mimics the dog urine smell and may actually encourage marking behaviors. Effective products that contain enzymes should remove the majority of the odor.

Using a black light will ensure that no spots are missed. This way all the odors will be neutralized and your dog may feel less compelled to pee over previous accidents.

 

5) Set her for success. If your dog keeps peeing when left alone, this makes the behavior stronger each time because practice makes perfect. Peeing is reinforcing. If she is crate trained, and you are leaving for very brief periods of time, there's nothing wrong in crating her if she has learned to love the crate or at least tolerate it fine. This lowers the chances for pee accidents, keeps her safe in the house and may reduce some anxiety if she associates the crate with a comfy place to chill out. Many dogs feel a big responsibility when they are left alone in the house. They will likely spend a lot of time barking at all the noises and go back and forth towards the door. This can be stressful to some dogs as they feel vulnerable until their owners come back.

 

6) If your dog is restless when left alone, there are chances she drinks a lot of water. More water, more chances for accidents. This may be a contributing factor to consider if she's left with a water bowl.

 

I would therefore consider these possibilities. Recording her behavior is a good start because it shows you how she feels emotionally when left alone. It also shows you whether she drinks and how and when she pees. If she seems very upset, stressed or frightened, she might do better confined in a crate with a blanket covering the crate for an extra sense of security. Providing her with a stuffed Kong can help keep her busy and happy. Anxiety aids such as DAP diffusers may help and playing calming CD's to muffle noises if present can help her feel less stressed. However, if she seems quite distressed, you may have a case of separation anxiety on your hands and this involves a much more involved protocol to tackle.

I hope this helps,

Let me know if you need any further assistance,

Best regards

Edited March 16, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli