# Big problem without a solution. HELP!



## wkk8984 (Jul 8, 2008)

Im stuck and need help. My german is well mannered, obedient and Iv had him for about a month. hes 3 months old and what seems to be the problem is that he wont learn to wait till he gets down to the garage to start peeing. I take him down almost every 2-3 hrs. We leave the apartment walk down a halway, wait seconds for the elevator and get to the garage. He seems to be able to wait fine till hes out of the apartment without any mishap but as soon as hes in the hallway he starts peeing. Ive tried yelling at him, lightly hitting him and using positive conditioning as soon as he pees in the grass by giving him snacks and repeating " goood boy". No matter how much i would try to discourage his peeing in the hallway, he seems to just get scarred to leave because of it rather then condition himself to wait till he goes down. Problem is im almost 100% sure he can hold himself as he's able to hold it for longer then 5 hrs alot of the time and over night but whenever were out he goes right away in the hallway, with a scarred look knowing something bads coming. Please help with suggestions to what I can do







!! thx in advance !!!


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

Try taking him out *twice* as often but PLEASE do not 



> Quote:Ive tried yelling at him, lightly hitting him


Dogs simply do not understand this type of "correction". He is just a baby and his little body just simply cannot hold it while you wait for the elevator to deliver him to his potty spot. 

Do give him LOTS of:



> Quoteositive conditioning as soon as he pees in the grass by giving him snacks and repeating " goood boy".


This will help a LOT more than the yelling/lightly hitting when he does wrong.


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## wkk8984 (Jul 8, 2008)

Im trying to stick to just the positive conditioning but if he wouldnt have been able to hold it, wouldn't he have gone in the apartment? and it seems to be a que that the hall way is where he should go. I completely understand your suggestion though and I think im gona stop the yelling and try to just enforce the peeing outside more but it seems to be a dillema in that he can hold himself...sometimes not even having to pee (and i can tell by the tiny amount of urine compared to usual)...but as soon as hes in the hallway he goes anyway...


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## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

Keep in mind that most dogs do not relieve themselves in their living quarters (which is essentially what house training is all about) but in your circumstances he has a longer trip until he is where he needs to go. If you try taking him out more frequently he will be able to hold it through the trip out as well.


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

He is much too young for holding it for 5 hours, then being in an apartment and waiting for an elevator when he HAS to go. This dog can never win-- by the time he is desperate, and he MUST pee.. he cannot wait, and you are yelling at or hitting him for what he cannot control.

Take him out on a schedule that is more often-- twice as often. This will help.


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## IliamnasQuest (Aug 24, 2005)

GIven that you describe him as having a scared look and then peeing in the hallway, I'm thinking that this caused in part by his attempt to be submissive, and with you scolding/punishing him you are just making the entire behavior worse.

Dogs often show submission by urinating. You can see this is interactions between dogs, or in dogs that are submissive and greet someone. They will dribble urine or sometimes even let go quite a bit. This is NORMAL and the best thing to do is to keep all encounters happy and positive, with zero punishment or actions that the puppy would consider punishment (like saying "OH NO!" or pulling him away or making unhappy noises). The best thing is to ignore it. Honestly. Anything else just increases his desire to be submissive, which increases the likelihood that he's going to continue to pee.

You're asking a puppy to hold his bladder for a long trip to the potty place. This is kind of unreasonable. When his bladder is full anyway, walking him stimulates it and he will need to go more quickly than he can hold when you're talking a trip down a hall, waiting for an elevator, and then down the elevator. You may want to pick him up and talk happily to him while you walk out your door to the elevator, and not put him down until he gets to where you want him to pee. Of course, this is not a long-term solution but it will hopefully help him learn that the peeing isn't to happen until he's all the way out. After a few days, you might carry him to the elevator, walk in and set him down while you hum a little tune, and then walk him out of the elevator to where he potties (using lots of praise when he DOES potty in the right place). And once he's got that down, you can carry him to the elevator, put him down before the door opens and walk him in and then out to the potty area. You just gradually backtrack until he can handle the entire distance to the potty area without having to go.

You also need to do some thorough cleaning in the hallway where he's already peed. Try to get that scent up. And if you take him out on a leash into the hallway and he pees, you just turn your head away and hum a little tune and walk him to the elevator like nothing happened. Then when you come back in, you put him away and then go out and clean the area again. He needs to gain confidence as well as physical control before he can walk all the way to the potty area without an accident.

He's just a baby - please enjoy him and don't get too upset when he does something like this. He truly doesn't understand and is only doing what is natural, and when you get frustrated and upset at him it makes him only more likely to do things you don't like.

Good luck -

Melanie and the gang in Alaska


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## DHau (Feb 24, 2007)

You are expecting the behavior of a 5-6 month old puppy from a 3 month pup. Most people take a pup that age out every hour. At least that's what I did. 

Yelling and hitting the dog is only going to make the dog afraid of you. Melanie explained everything beautifully in her post.


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## kaylesraven (Jul 2, 2008)

You also have to consider basic anatomy and physiology when you are trying to estimate how long you think your puppy can hold urine. Over night, when they are not up playing, drinking, chewing, or moving around (ie when sleeping or confined in a crate), their circulation is lowered, and ultimately they produce urine slower, so it takes longer for their bladders to fill. But during the day, when they are awake, drinking, chewing, playing, walking, running, etc., they produce more urine faster, and their bladders fill quicker. Two or three hours is just too long between walks for such a young, active puppy to be able to hold it. He's trying to wait.....he just can't yet. Use the advice everyone gave you, and take him out more often...his ability to hold urine will steadily increase as he ages and as his bladder grows larger. And his submissive urination will decrease as his confidence increases if he is not being punished via yelling or hitting and is rewarded often during the housebreaking process. Hang in there and enjoy puppyhood while it lasts. They grow up too fast.


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## wkk8984 (Jul 8, 2008)

Thx alot for ur advise guys, Im gona take onto your considerations and hopefully with time **** get better at it


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

I haven't read all of the previous posts so I don't know if this has been mentioned or not. But at 3 months old I would imagine that he is still light enough to be carried. (Unless you have a physical reason that you cann't do that.) Have you tried carrying him to the grass?


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

I agree with Tracy -- carry him out if you are able.

He's trying..


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

I would carry him out (as quickly as possible).
Also, after he has pottied and his bladder is empty, I would repeat the walk through the hallway and elevator. In this way he won't be stressed out by having to "hold it" and fear corrections.


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## LedZep (May 4, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: BlackGSDI haven't read all of the previous posts so I don't know if this has been mentioned or not. But at 3 months old I would imagine that he is still light enough to be carried. (Unless you have a physical reason that you cann't do that.) Have you tried carrying him to the grass?


That is exactly what I was going to suggest! I also agree with taking him out at least twice as frequently. Two hours is about all you can expect a 3 month old to hold it. Even less when they are active or excited.


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## Rosie (Oct 22, 2007)

You could get him a diaper for the trip outside. 
If you carry him, which is also a good idea, when you put him down start using potty commands so he will learn where it is appropriate to go. Then enthusiastically praise him for doing the right thing - and really make it extremely happy praise without scaring him!!


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

Carry him out. He should still be small enough you can do that. I had to do that with Ava for a short time because her kennel is on the second floor and I wouldnt risk it. Yelling and hitting the dog doesnt help, it will actually make it worse. Just pick him up and carry him.

I wrote this before I read all the responses, sorry. But it does work, the rule in my house was, puppy's feet dont hit the floor until after she gets outside to do her business........then she can come in and play. The only accidents we had were when my husband didnt carry her. Then HE got yelled at but the dog was forgiven.


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