# Housebreaking 9 month old puppy



## lkellen (Dec 4, 2012)

I am new to this site & this is my first post-

I have a 9 month old (as of today!) GSD who is becoming extremely difficult to potty train! 

A little backstory::
We adopted her at 6 weeks old from the humane society. At 7 weeks old, she became sick with Parvovirus- she had a 3 day turnaround and was back to being a healthy pup. A few months ago, she had a yeast infection which caused her to potty EVERYWHERE, all the time! We got her on antibiotics and it cleared up. 

She is crate trained and does not mess in her kennel. As far as showing signs to potty, she shows none. She just squats and pees! It's very frustrating because I take her out right after or a few minutes after she gets a drink/eats food, and we stay out there for up to 15 minutes, if she doesn't go, we'll come back in, and as soon as we come in, she potties on the floor!

Any tips?!?


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Leash the dog to you. Reduce her space. She only comes back in after you witness her pottying outside - if you didn't witness it, place her back in her crate. She can't be loose in the house until you witness her pottying outside.

Gates up and/or leash her to you so you can watch constantly. If she starts pottying on the floor - which you'll see since she's right in your line of vision OR leashed to you, you say "AHH AHH!" and rush outside - this can be done in an "Oh, OOOPS, it's okay, we'll get you to the right spot" manner rather than "Oh crap here we go again".

Once you reach outside and she finishes out there, she's a hero, a superstar! You're so HAPPY! 
Avoid punishing her at all for potty accidents. 

Dogs do want to please their owners


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## lkellen (Dec 4, 2012)

Thanks! I will try the leashing thing.

I have tried going back to the crate if she doesn't go potty, then going back out. That just hasn't seemed to work.

She's got a mind of her own, this one!


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

How so didn't it work? It will work because she has no freedom in the house until she's gone outside. 
Even if it takes all day  Take her out every hour or so, witness her potty outside, if she didn't go, it's back in the crate. 
She'll get the idea sooner or later!

Especially, romp around and all with her, until she can't help but "go" potty outside!


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## lkellen (Dec 4, 2012)

Well, with the crate- she would whine and whine, and I would go to take her out and I'd grab her leash to put it on, and she'd take a step out and pee. Lol. so, we had her checked for all kinds of things bladder wise and everything has come back clear and good.


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## Marc (Oct 25, 2012)

lkellen said:


> I'd grab her leash to put it on, and she'd take a step out and pee. Lol.


Thats your problem right there, Dont give her the chance to pee inside, hold her collar and take her straight outside, if she starts going say "AHH AHH!!" if this turns out to still be a challenge, position her crate closer to the door, and have the door open so that it can be done quicker than the time it takes her to pee.

Make sure she gets plenty of treats and praise for going outside.

Your puppy has been unfortunate with illness and as such, has learned that her toilet is inside the house. Now that she is healthy, she needs to learn that this is NOT ok and that her toilet is outside. remember although it may seem like she is doing this on purpose, she really isnt, she has simply been taught that her toilet is inside.

Its a tough road, and the health set backs have been extremely unfortunate, but if you want a toilet trained adult dog, you need to put the time in now. The fact that she wont deficate her crate, gives you an advantage straight away, in that you have a place to put her when she is due for a toilet break.

To speed up her toilet requirements, take her on a LONG walk, so she is really thirsty, and make sure she drinks a **** of a lot when you get back, put her straight in her cage and wait 30 minutes (since she is 9 months, she should be able to hold it well by now), take her straight outside, dont give her a chance to toilet inside, praise/reward and let her play inside for a bit. This teaches her that good things happen, when she goes to the toilet outside.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Mine did not give me any signs that she had to go for a long time I thought that she had no control of her bladder because she would just start peeing and it was a lot of pee. I had to restart the process of potty training. I made a schedule and never let her out of my sight. Once she got it I haven't had any problems with her. She physically paws me once if she had to pee and both paws are used if she has to poop...as she is pawing me she talks to me too. I never taught her this, she just decided this was the way she would let me know she has to go. I don't care how she decided to do it, I'm just glad that she did.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

> and I would go to take her out and I'd grab her leash to put it on, and she'd take a step out and pee.


Yep. Either carry her if you can manage it, or set the crate RIGHT BY the door.
We always advise owners to carry pet to the outdoors, if it's small enough. If not, keep the dog leashed and right by the door, so you can grab the leash and direct the dog so it's first steps are to the outdoors.

I honestly can't think of too many puppies that have to "go" urgently, who'll make it even 5-10 steps without going as soon as they are out of their crate.

In fact one of ours has spinal issues and she can't make it all the way to the door and she's coming up on 3yrs. old (Dachshund). By the time she reaches it, poo is usually coming out. We tore out our carpets for this specific reason.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

With young puppies I'll sometimes pick them up and carry them, but obviously that's not an option with a 9 month old! What I also do is put the leash right on top of the crate at night, and when I open the crate door I reach in and attach it _before_ the pup steps out, and then we RUN to the door. Don't give her a chance to step outside the crate and pee and don't give her the opportunity to stop and squat along the way. 

And as msvette said, always have her right with you, and leashed to you is best. If you can't catch her before she starts to pee at least you can interrupt her and get her outside to finish if she's never out of your sight or reach. When she does potty outdoors make a huge deal about it, and give her a yummy treat. Every single time.


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## MattLink (Oct 23, 2012)

I never caught Link's "signals", I just interrupted him mid pee with a loud "Hey! No!" And immediately rushed him to where I wanted him to go. Which at the time was a pee pad. If he went there he got a treat. Within 4 days he would go to the pee pad to pee. But only it was in the same room. 

Link wasn't crate trained - though I wanted him to be so I had done a lot of research on it. That being said, I remember reading that you could crate the dog, then let him/her out but go STRAIGHT outside and if he/she did go you praise/treat. If not, then back to the crate


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## lkellen (Dec 4, 2012)

Well, we are in a 2nd story apartment. So, by the time I get out the door and down to her "spot" she has left a pee trail alllll over lol. We are moving into a house in March, I just wanted to have this down before she starts peeing all over our new carpets..


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## lkellen (Dec 4, 2012)

I manage carrying her actually, for the first 5 months of her life, she REFUSED to go up or down the stairs. That was a lot of fun...

Now she weighs 55 lbs and isn't actually that heavy to carry. However, once she grows more, I don't see carrying her happening!!


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## MattLink (Oct 23, 2012)

Well, it won't be pleasant for you, due to her bladder size at 9 months (a lot of pee all at once), but you could start her off with a pee pad. They have ones that resemble a lawn with a tray underneath so you aren't totally dependent on a pad soaking it up before it hits a floor. When she uses that comfortably, transition her to outside. By that time she'll know not to go on the way out


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## lkellen (Dec 4, 2012)

We had her trained on pee pads when she came down with Parvo, then all of a sudden, she just decided she did not like them and won't go on them now. She'll move it over and go where it was! It's crazy.


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## Jericho2007 (Dec 7, 2012)

Does she pee in the same spots when she comes inside? We had this problem with our female GSD. We cleaned up the pee and she would still come in and pee in that spot. Normal cleaning doesn't get rid of it. The dog will still smell the scent and involuntarily pee on that spot. We had to soak our floor with a product that breaks down the urine on the molecular level. Now she doesn't pee in the house. Not sure if that's your problem but that was our experience.


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## lkellen (Dec 4, 2012)

She does seem to go back to certain areas, however we have deep cleaned/shampooed our carpets with Nature's Miracle carpet shampoo! 


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Have you checked her for a UTI?

Unfortunately, you've taught her to pee in the house (on pads). Where she's peed on the carpet, it's probably soaked through to the pad and into the subflooring below. Get rid of the pee pads and start training her as if she were a baby as described by Debbie above. 

Stop carrying her down the stairs, if you still are. Work on getting her to go up and down on her own.


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## Jericho2007 (Dec 7, 2012)

I'm not familiar with Nature's Miracle but we had to use something called Urine Gone. I think that was the name. You have to completely douse and soak the spot and leave it for 24 - 48 hrs so it will get all the way down to the subfloor and have time to break down the urine molecules. We also use a steam cleaner every once in a while with a pet solution.


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## lkellen (Dec 4, 2012)

Jax08 said:


> Have you checked her for a UTI?
> 
> Unfortunately, you've taught her to pee in the house (on pads). Where she's peed on the carpet, it's probably soaked through to the pad and into the subflooring below. Get rid of the pee pads and start training her as if she were a baby as described by Debbie above.
> 
> Stop carrying her down the stairs, if you still are. Work on getting her to go up and down on her own.



She started going up and down the stairs at 5 months. She was afraid of being able to see through them. We had to train her on pee pads because she had Parvovirus and could not go outside for 4 weeks. She doesn't like to use them anymore though. 

We have deep cleaned our carpets twice with Nature's Miracle carpet shampoo and have gotten rid of all stains. I'm not sure if she can still smell them though.

What really boggles me is the fact she doesn't show me a sign to go pee, only poop. (I only know that because she starts doing circle after circle) Is there a way to train her to start showing me she needs to go outside?!


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## lkellen (Dec 4, 2012)

Jericho2007 said:


> I'm not familiar with Nature's Miracle but we had to use something called Urine Gone. I think that was the name. You have to completely douse and soak the spot and leave it for 24 - 48 hrs so it will get all the way down to the subfloor and have time to break down the urine molecules. We also use a steam cleaner every once in a while with a pet solution.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App



Nature's Miracle is just a popular pet cleanser/deodorizer where I live. We have steam cleaned twice in the past 4 months.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

lkellen said:


> She started going up and down the stairs at 5 months. She was afraid of being able to see through them. We had to train her on pee pads because she had Parvovirus and could not go outside for 4 weeks. She doesn't like to use them anymore though.
> 
> We have deep cleaned our carpets twice with Nature's Miracle carpet shampoo and have gotten rid of all stains. I'm not sure if she can still smell them though.
> 
> What really boggles me is the fact she doesn't show me a sign to go pee, only poop. (I only know that because she starts doing circle after circle) Is there a way to train her to start showing me she needs to go outside?!



I understand why you trained her on pee pads but the end result is she learned to go in the house. That's WHY she's doing it. So you'll have to start over with crating and tethering until she learns. My dogs just go to the door when they want to go out. I didn't teach them that, I think it just might be a natural thing after they figure out they need to be outside to go. 

Get her tested for a UTI. It's an inexpensive test. Even if it's negative, you could give her some D-Mannose which will kill e-coli which the vast majority of UTI's are caused by. A UTI is what caused Jax to not be house broken. Her only symptoms were excessive drinking and peeing in the house. A round of abx cleared it up.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Since you live on a 2nd story apartment, you should work with her to get her to go to a pee pad. If she's having issues walking to the door and down the stairs to grass, you could use the pee pad in an X pen. Watch her until she goes in the pen just as you would outside.


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## lkellen (Dec 4, 2012)

She actually had a yeast infection a few months back that caused her to have HUGE pee breaks and constantly, like every 30 seconds. She was put on abx for 2 weeks and it cleared up. However, I'm going to the vet with her tomorrow because she has been licking that area excessively lately, especially after urinating, so I'm sure they will suggest a UTI test as well.


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## lkellen (Dec 4, 2012)

I ALWAYS go to her crate with her leash so she knows we are going outside.. my boyfriend, however, does not. He lets her out and then he gets ready and then gets her leash on. I've tried to explain to him that SHE won't wait for that! And he needs to be 100% ready to get her out the door with her leash on as soon as he opens her crate. I think this could also be contributing to the problem, with him- she goes in the house, with me- she still does have accidents, but not concerning immediate release out of her crate. I've started going to her with her leash like suggested above.


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## FlyAway (Jul 17, 2012)

I don't have anything helpful to add, but I saw her photo and immediately I thought, "La Belle Noiseuse". That's French for, The Beautiful Troublemaker.  Now, I don't speak French, and I haven't heard that phrase in years, but it suddenly popped into my mind. Something about her expression, I think. 

I also have a "Belle Noiseuse", and everything with her took time. But we eventually learned to understand each other, and not because it was anything intentional on my girl's part. I always wondered if it's a female thing, but I know it's not.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

lkellen said:


> I ALWAYS go to her crate with her leash so she knows we are going outside.. my boyfriend, however, does not. He lets her out and then he gets ready and then gets her leash on. I've tried to explain to him that SHE won't wait for that! And he needs to be 100% ready to get her out the door with her leash on as soon as he opens her crate. I think this could also be contributing to the problem, with him- she goes in the house, with me- she still does have accidents, but not concerning immediate release out of her crate. I've started going to her with her leash like suggested above.


Consistency is your best friend. Get him on the same page. The first step is preventing CHANCES for her to go in the house.


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## lkellen (Dec 4, 2012)

FlyAway said:


> I don't have anything helpful to add, but I saw her photo and immediately I thought, "La Belle Noiseuse". That's French for, The Beautiful Troublemaker.  Now, I don't speak French, and I haven't heard that phrase in years, but it suddenly popped into my mind. Something about her expression, I think.
> 
> I also have a "Belle Noiseuse", and everything with her took time. But we eventually learned to understand each other, and not because it was anything intentional on my girl's part. I always wondered if it's a female thing, but I know it's not.



Well, thanks! She is a beautiful troublemaker. Can't ever stay mad at her lol. I think we are starting to understand each other, she has become much more affectionate with me as she's getting older.


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## Laura Jeanette (Mar 25, 2017)

llombardo said:


> Mine did not give me any signs that she had to go for a long time
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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