# At what age did you consider your dog successfully housebroken?



## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Just wondering. Bailey is 15 weeks now and doing very well with housebreaking, but I don't give him really any opportunity to screw up. He sleeps on the floor of my bedroom and has full access to the room overnight and never has made a mess and paws at me every morning around 430 am (ugh) to go out. 

He's had a few mishaps in the house - always on the linoleum in the same spot and always urine, never poo. Those I consider MY errors. Other than that it seems like we're doing fairly well. Just wondering what the average time is for GSD's to be truly housebroken and trustworthy.


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## Sammy79 (Mar 6, 2011)

At 12 weeks Ace was fully trained. I have a bell near the door that he rings to go outside.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Wow 12 weeks, that's great. I think I'll try the bell thing, too. Have heard it works great but never tried it. My other dogs make it quite clear when they want out, very, crazy, too clear haha


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## Draugr (Jul 8, 2011)

Ten weeks. Maybe a day or two sooner.

He still had accidents in the house, but never without him having asked to go outside. Usually it was us missing his cues or "someone" in my house not paying attention to him when I was gone. I consider that successfully housebroken since he was asking to go outside.


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## k_sep (Jun 21, 2011)

My pup is about fifteen weeks old now, but she hasn't had an accident since she was 10 weeks. She got the hang of things really quickly. She scratches the door and whines if she has to go outside. People keep telling me that she will most likely make a few mistakes in the coming months, but so far, so good.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

I didn't get my guy until 10/11 weeks so that's when we STARTED (there'd been nothing done whatsoever.) I'm impressed with how young some of you say you felt it was accomplished. Very nice.


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

16-18 weeks for Jazz. Were in a high rise so I think it took a little longer as a result.

We got Bunny at 6 months of age and she was not house broken but she caught on within 2-3 days.


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

I want to say 4 months or so. She did have one rather major and shocking accident at about 6 months where she completely forgot herself and peed on the carpet right in front of us. 

We didn't really have the best setup for Shasta to ask to go out so I think that held it up.


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## Lakl (Jul 23, 2011)

I wanna say about 12 weeks as well for both of mine. They were both very easy to housebreak.


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## King&Skylar (Jun 3, 2010)

Skylar was around 10 weeks, only peed in the house once ever!
Kayden was housebroken by 12 weeks. 
The breeder worked with them a lot on different things, so they learned pretty fast. & they're crate trained.


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## JulieBays (Jun 26, 2011)

Sasha has been house broken since around 10 weeks too. However, she has had some accidents that were my fault. I didn't clue in to the fact she needed to go outside. I need a bell on the door too. One funny thing happened the other day though. She always follows me in the bathroom as most GSD's do. Well, I was going pee one day she pushes her way in and pees right next to me. I was so shocked but couldn't do anything about it! I was still in midstream and then I thought, how do I correct her? With her nose she probably knows I was peeing and after I was done a few seconds had passed so I just ignored the whole incident.


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## Countrymama (May 22, 2011)

Tessa- by10 wks (got her @ 8 wks)
Ziva- by 4 months (we got her @ 12 wks)
Merlyn- by 2.5 yrs! (we got him @ 4 months,he was troubled)

We hung a Christmas bell on the door handle and taught them to ring it when they wanted out.


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

I don't recall exactly what age I decided that mine were housebroken, it was more like I realized that we had gone a few weeks without an accident. Maybe four months old with Niko (he had UTI issues that slowed the learning process down), I think Rosa was closer to five and a half months old (she didn't come to live with us until she was five months old). I think it all depends on how many times you can prevent an accident, how closely you are able to watch, and how well your pup can hold his or her bladder/bowels. GSDs are pretty smart. I think I heard somewhere that they are one of the easiest breeds to potty train.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

We got Abby at 11 weeks and she was trained by 12-13 weeks. Only one accident of each type in the house.... mostly because of vigilance on our part. She is 2 now and she has never asked to go out. She trusts that we will let her out often enough and so far we have.


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## BR870 (May 15, 2011)

Usually takes a week or two after we get them home, depending...

I think Abbie was 14wks, and Kai before her was 12wks or so...


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## Cara Fusinato (May 29, 2011)

Got Shay at 12 weeks. I would say I felt he was intentionally holding it and/or asking at about 4 months. It was 5 months before he learned the outdoors deck is kind of part of the house and not an outdoors toity spot. Very few accidents, but I didn't give him lots of room for mistake. However, the deck took a beating for awhile.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

my pup came home at 9 weeks old.
11 days and 10 accidents he was house broken.
my was taken out every 15 minutes or so. then 15 minutes
went to 1/2 hour, 1/2 hour became 45 minutes,
45 minutes became an hour and so.
overnight or when we couldn't watch
him he was crated. in the begining
he was out every 2 hours over night.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

my pup woke one of us up at 4o am to go out.
i always took him out when he asked.



chelle said:


> paws at me every morning around 430 am (ugh) to go out.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

JulieBays said:


> One funny thing happened the other day though. She always follows me in the bathroom as most GSD's do. Well, I was going pee one day she pushes her way in and pees right next to me. I was so shocked but couldn't do anything about it! I was still in midstream and then I thought, how do I correct her?


Haha, that's hilarious!!!!!!!!! :laugh: My 8 yr old (different breed) did something similar recently in the middle of the living room. She hadn't had an accident in *years* but I think she was stressed with a bunch of crazy family stuff, ppl, dogs, etc... but she looked right at me, squatted and peed! I was like, you gotta be kidding!!!!! I couldn't even react! I was much too busy being shocked! :hammer:


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

doggiedad said:


> my pup woke one of us up at 4o am to go out.
> i always took him out when he asked.


I always do, too. The only bad thing is I get up for work about 530 am - ish and I can't get back to sleep after our 430 ish potty break. Wish this baby would just make it to 530 . Looking forward to that.

Also I'm on the outside position of the bed, so I'm the one who always deals with the potty needs. :laugh: Heck, the bf doesn't even wake up for any of it, so it's better that way.


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## mwiacek10 (Nov 8, 2010)

About 20 weeks for us. It was totally my fault. I was taking instructions from both the vet and the trainer. Two totally different opinions. But, once we figured it out, he hasn't had a accident. Also taught him to ring the bell. Amazing how fast he caught on.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

13 weeks.


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## Minoli (Jul 19, 2011)

I got Leo at 8 weeks. He peed 4 times within the first 5 days inside. 

Since then he's peed twice, one of which being my fault. This was around 9 weeks + 1-2 days old. 

He's almost 11 weeks old now. 

I guess he's not old enough quite yet to call him completely house broken, but his progress is great.


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## suzzyq01 (Feb 15, 2011)

Depending on when you get them and how quickly they learn. 

Sonar start to finish was about 2 weeks. 

Got him at 8 weeks and he quickly picked up going outside to go to the bathroom but we have a mudroom and although he was "outside" the actual house he would go in the mud room. So...it took a couple more days to get him to think of that as part of the house still and go all the way outside. No accidents after about 2 weeks. 

Consistency, consistency, consistency.


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