# Anyone want a 20 week old GSD???



## RvUsa (Jul 21, 2009)

I have had it, I can not house train this dog! I have tried everything, but she will not learn. You can let this dog out 20 times a day, and it will come inside and go the second you are not staring at it!!! I thought UTI, took her to the vet, nope. Crate trained no problem, will go in with a single command. Tried positive reinforcement, praised the crap out of the dog when it goes out side, still pees in the house. Tried yelling when I see it go in the house, nope, still does it.  I have wore a clicker out, works for everything but potty training.

I have had other GSD's, all were house broken in a matter of a few days, to a few weeks MAX. Even have a rescue GSD/husky, that was 2 yrs old when we got her, had her broke in a week. Crazy beagle, everyone says, can't be trained, they are stubborn, had him trained in 2 days, he had 2 accidents in the house total, and then has been perfect. But the GSD, nope, she is hopeless, if she wasn't so darn cute, and so loving, I would have taken her to the pound, my wife is gonna make me make her an outside dog.... I am at my wits end.....


RRRRRRrrrrrrrRRRRR ok rant over!

John


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

How old is this dog/puppy? Have you tied her to you in the house?


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## Ilovealldogs (Nov 17, 2006)

Not to ask a dumb question, but are you using a crate in training her? That's the only way my dog finally "got it." I see that you say you've used a crate, but have you confined her to it except for playtime, feeding, and potty?


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

And have you used one of those enzyme cleaners to clean up the spots she has gone in?If not try that before giving her away.


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## Doubleminttwin (Aug 21, 2009)

that has to be very frustrating for you! Don't give up on her yet, even if thats an even more aggravating statement. There has to be a reason even if its a one in a million off the wall crazy reason. Maybe you can see a personal trainer about it? I understand how frustrating it can be when dogs don't want to do somthing. She seems like shes smart if she knows her other commands. I wouldn't put her outside all the time







That wont help her, it will give you guys a break but in the long run it wont do her any good. I wish I had more to offer you but I'm sure someone else will be able to help more, in the mean time feel free to rant away, it helps blow off steam and hopefully someone will be able to find a solution! Good luck and keep us posted!


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## daydreamyr (Feb 23, 2009)

John,

Don't give up yet!!! Speaking from recent first hand experience! Jesse was about that age when the light when on finally! I was at wit's end also, you can ask on here! But we just stayed the course, and it has paid off, since the light bulb went on, no accidents. 

Each dog is different and individual. It just took me 12 weeks to figure out that when she goes out, she MUST go pee twice. I was bringing her in after her first pee, and she wasn't done!!! Once we figured that out, it worked for us! It was me that had to be retrained!!!! But I learned! 

John Hang in there!!!! You won't be sorry!!


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## RvUsa (Jul 21, 2009)

I just counted, she is actually 22 weeks old. She is crate trained, when she is not playing, or eating or potty, she is in the crate. She was so easy to crate train, she goes in there on her own, she loves it, if we are playing in the bedroom, and she gets tired, she goes in there and lays down. 

We litterally kept her on her leash in the house for 2 weeks, no problems, the next day we thought we were in the clear, so let her play without the leash, and she snuck off and pee'd.

Other than being in direct physical contact with her, she will play for a minute, and then just GO.

We are leaving for vacation in a couple days, and taking her with us in the camper. This is going to be a very in depth training exercise. We will all be with her every second when she isn't in her crate (we are taking it with us).

On the enzyme thing, I think we are keeping that company in business!!! LOL


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## shilohsmom (Jul 14, 2003)

Don't give up is excellant advice. John of the three GSDs I have now #1 Shiloh was a breeze. #Shoshona a little bit harder but I think she'd just be so busy playing she would forget. #3 Eli, I thought he'd never get housebroken. It took what seemed like forever but one day it just clicked to him. From that point on it was smooth sailing ahead. What I'm trying to say is they are all different and unfortunately all you can do it be consistant and hang in there-it will get better.


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## RvUsa (Jul 21, 2009)

I was kidding about giving her away, you guys know that right? I am just beyond frustrated with her, and my wife is going to kill me in my sleep soon. Ziva was my idea, and is "MY" dog, and I am being held personally responsible for her behavior.... LOL


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

I would go back to the leashing in the house if it worked.Is she peeing in the same place or all over the place?Which enzyme cleaner are you using?


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## windwalker718 (Oct 9, 2008)

Allie got 1/2 of the suggestion I was going to make. Put her on a lead and attach it to your leg or the leg of your chair so that you can observe when she 1st begins to pee, or acts like she wants to. The second part would be not to just "let her out" but to go out with her so that she doesn't have to choose between taking the time to pee, and being with you. Taking her out every hour or two should catch her @ times when she needs to go. 

Once that makes some improvement in her hitting the yard, I would also put up babygates so that she only can be in the room you are in. I have one on the entry and exit to the LR, so that if I'm in the LR, the dogs are in the LR with me. Again it helps me notice when they're acting like they want to go out.


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## Spiritsmam (Nov 10, 2007)

Does your pup pee in her crate at all? Does she dribble urine? Has your vet checked to see if perhaps she has a recessed/infantile vulva? My Aoibhe has a recessed vulva and possible ectopic ureters and at a year old still has problems holding her urine. Thankfully she knows to pee right by the back door where I have a plastic mat with pee pads for easy clean up (when I can afford it she'll be going for a "nip tuck").


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

You should deff cut down on her water.
No water after 6.
Helped with my puppy....


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## AllisonS (Oct 16, 2007)

My Pit Bull was IMPOSSIBLE to train. She was the only dog I ever considered giving up on. She had been abused & the potty training was just one of a huge list of issues with her. ANYWAY...I called the vet nearly in tears & she asked if I was giving her a treat & praising her in the yard as soon as she went. I was waiting a few seconds which apparently was a problem. I had trained many dogs before this & the little delay wasn't a problem. Once I started taking the treat out with me & putting it in her mouth the second she was done she realized exactly what I wanted her to do & it hasn't been an issue since.

I also wet vac-ed the whole house with a ton of the enzyme stuff in there so there was absolutely no scent for her to pick up.


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## GranvilleGSD (Mar 28, 2007)

At least she's not reverse crate trained! Izzy was reverse trained, she would go into her crate to go to the bathroom, even if she had just been outside. I'd take her out before bed, put her in her crate for the evening, then morning I'd go to take her out and she'd pooped, peed, and mashed it all up and rolled around in it. Needless to say after several mornings of baths and hosing the crate off outside, she started sleeping on the bed at night tethered to me because she wouldn't go there. Eventually she figured it out, but she always sleeps really close to me now, lol!


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## wakefield622 (Aug 17, 2009)

All I can say is potty training a puppy is one of the toughest jobs out there...and I have done a lot! I would rather potty train 10 kids than one puppy, lol. I can't wait until this phase is behind us as well!


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## Doggydog (May 12, 2009)

I think the advice to use a leash/ crate/ & enzyme are all good. 
I don't have much to add except to commiserate. My puppy was turning 6 months old when she finally stopped peeing in the house. I thought I was going to lose my mind. She was so easy to train in every other regard, but the pee in the house part she just couldn't learn. I didn't expect this because my last GSD was housebroken within days at under 3 months.
I don't know what the problem was with her understanding that, but she did finally get it. I suspected it was because we have 3 exits and she was confused over which door to try. I also discovered that her way of indicating to me was very subtle. She would come over and pant. Since it was summer it took me a long time to realize this was her cue. Now I know her well enough to see the potty expression, lol. We got through it. It could be your dog is giving you some small indication that you are not reading. 
Don't despair, eventually they all get it. Some take longer than others. 
When I was going through this problem I posted here about it. Someone commented that the smart ones are sometimes the most stubborn. So I decided she must be VERY smart!


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## RvUsa (Jul 21, 2009)

Well, we just got back from 2 weeks in Fl in our camper with the pup, and we could not believe how great she was!!! Not one accident, she was an absolute joy! 

I swear we got home, she ran in the house, down the hall and pee'd in our bedroom!!! Ok she took a few minutes to say hi to the other dogs we left with my Dad, but then she ran into our room and went!!!

My wife and I decided today to put hardwood in our room, and throw the carpet away, maybe this will help, it will definitely be easier to clean up


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

That helped my situation.Once I ripped up the carpet there have been very accidents.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

It sounds like somehow along the way she got the idea that she is supposed to pee in the bedroom . . .

In addition to putting down hardwood, since you are going to do that anyways, make the areas she pees in/on an eating and playing place for them. Start feeding her in the bedroom. After doing all the cleanup, put her food bowl down in the areas she used to pee in, so now it is part of her living space and not part of her "bathroom". Spend time in there playing with her, have a dog bed and bones and treats for her. 

I had problems with my previous pup and my present pup pottying in the living room - I don't use the living room much, my older female has spay incontinence and has had leaking accidents in the living room where she was lying down, and I have a demented cat that I have to keep crated or she pees on the carpet - so a real challenge for house-breaking, and I can see how the pups got the idea that the living room is an indoor loo. 

What I did that worked was to clean up good with lots of enzyme cleaners, and make the living room a play, rest, and eating area. Did Obedience training with sits/downs/stays in the living room. Fun stuff for treats! It worked great both times!! Dogs don't want to mess in their own eating/sleeping spots. 

Hope this helps!


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

maybe she likes the camper life)))) sorry couldn't resist))


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