# I Need Help with My 5 month old - still not housebroken!



## Lorric

Hi..I've asked this question before but after trying all the different suggestions, my Aggie still is not housebroken! I take her out very often, usually have her tethered to me but on the times that I don't, she finds her way into another room to poop and pee!! Our family room (where we usually are) is in the middle of the house between our front and back doors. Will she grow out of this? What am I doing wrong? I've always had shepherds but she is the first that I am having this problem. Should I crate her on the few times that I can't keep her within my view? I have a bell on my door and I have tried to ring it when I bring her out but it seems she doesn't make the connection. Am I just being impatient?
Thanks!


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## Elaine

You are doing something wrong and that's letting her get away with going potty in the house. She clearly feels comfortable with this as she does it whenever she isn't tethered to you. She has been getting away with it and it has now become a habit. 

You MUST have her in sight at all times or she's in a crate, but she learns nothing by being in the crate - it is purely a management tool when you can't watch her. Best bet is to put up baby gates so she can't get away from you. You MUST be able to catch her in the act so you can correct her and get her outside immediately.

I have never done the bell on the door thing and find it totally unnecessary. You should be able to see your dog needs to go out and then take her out. She's still too young to be dependable about telling you.


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## prockerb

Elaine said:


> You are doing something wrong and that's letting her get away with going potty in the house. She clearly feels comfortable with this as she does it whenever she isn't tethered to you. She has been getting away with it and it has now become a habit.
> 
> You MUST have her in sight at all times or she's in a crate, but she learns nothing by being in the crate - it is purely a management tool when you can't watch her. Best bet is to put up baby gates so she can't get away from you. You MUST be able to catch her in the act so you can correct her and get her outside immediately.
> 
> I have never done the bell on the door thing and find it totally unnecessary. You should be able to see your dog needs to go out and then take her out. She's still too young to be dependable about telling you.


Great advice! You have to prevent her from going into another room to poop, and pee. You have to keep your eyes open when she is out in the house, if not she has to be in the crate.

Ignore her when she pees and poop in the house, give treats, praise, or another reward when she does it outside. Never take her back in the house imediatly after a she potties or that can teach if she pees that means no more yard time, and she will try to hold onto the pee. So make shure to reward her with atleast a 5 min walk, or free time in the backyard everytime. I bet you pretty much you know that allready. Usually when a dog/pup isn't able to learn something it is the handler's fault. So sit down, and think what can be your mistakes. 

With mine I started out by taking him out every hour at two months, and then with every month that past I added and hour.. example 2 months every 1 hour, 3 months every 2 hours, 4 months every 3 hours.. If I were you I would start over and do every one hour, and then build up from that. Remember prevent prevent prevent when you are not at home or around Good luck!!


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## llombardo

Mine was difficult to potty train too. You'll have to follow a schedule. When you take her outside, make sure she is on a leash..once she goes potty..reward and praise. If she doesn't go when your outside after about 10-15 minutes, she comes back in and goes in the crate..then try again after about another 10-15 minutes. Once you start feeling like your spending more time outside then inside with the dog, you'll know your doing something right Right now its not about play time...its all about potty time. Once she gets that concept, then she can have more play time.


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## Blanketback

I'd do what everyone said, and I'd also use an emzyme cleaner on the area that she's been going on. My puppy wasn't completely trained at 5 months either. Good luck!


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## Good_Karma

100% supervision along with trips outside every half hour. Also, are you sure she doesn't have any medical issues interfering with training? Apologies if you have already looked into that, I haven't gone back to look for other threads on this from you.


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## SewSleepy

Ours was peeing upstairs for a little while. It turned out to be a combination of things. First, she didn't spend any time up there so it wasn't living space to her. Once we cleared that up, the accidents for closer to the stairs because she just couldn't make it in time.

Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using PG Free


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## LaneyB

Our puppy would seem potty trained, then when I would start allowing him more access to more of the house he would have accidents. So we kept his access very limited. Now he seems better able to handle being able to have access to most of the house in the morning while I get ready for work. It seemed to take him awhile to understand the upstairs is not a potty area. Now he is 5 months old, and hasn't had any accidents for a long time.


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## Shaolin

I personally like the bells, but we started using them by pure accident (had them hanging on the door for other reasons, pup banged them with his nose and had his "need to pee" stance. We let him out and he's done it ever since and that was 4 years ago.)

Have you ever tried one of those "pee here" stakes? I have never used one personally, but a friend of mine was having the same issue as you are and the minute she put one of those outside, things changed dramatically for her. Everyone posting here is correct; gotta watch the dog like a hawk and lots of praise/lovin'/treats when the dog does the do outside. 

Hope this helps.


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## MaggieRoseLee

I know I have babygates and closed doors all over my house until my pups are housebroken. They HAVE to be within eyesight for us to train them. If they are allowed to sneak off and go to the bathroom in another room, then you can't train. Catching them mid-squat is the only way to correct, not finding a mess (too late).

Plus, are you going outdoors 100% of the time with your pup still for the puppy party when they DO use the outdoors? Party outdoors 100% of the time. Keeping an eye on them in the same room INDOORS to prevent and 'accident' or catch them mid-stream.

Plus what others are suggesting.

aw:


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