# Housebreaking frustration - should I clean the carpets?



## sandydlc (Aug 8, 2009)

I've had a rough couple of days with Lucy (now almost 9 months old). We had an incident last weekend where our groomer accidentally cut the pad on her foot, but now it's doing fine and is nearly healed.

Lucy goes to work with me every day and I have zero issues at work. We do have a fairly regular schedule there which I know is very important.

The past two days she had two of her worst accidents in the house. The first was yesterday morning . She had slept in our room with a cone on to prevent her from chewing her injured paw, so she did spend a few minutes saying good morning to my husband before I took her out with my Chihuahua Paco. We ran downstairs as always, but this time, instead of running to the back door as she usually does, she ran to our (new!!) leather couch and squatted on one of our pillows and peed!! She has never peed on furniture and I was horrified. I just yelled - No!! and ran her outside immediately where she finished peeing and also pooped. The rest of the day was spent with zero accidents, so I thought were were doing better.

This evening I got a call from a friend and was on the phone for 20 minutes or so. As I was walking back to the family room, I saw a new puddle on the carpet. My kids were watching tv - totally ignoring the dogs (mistake number one). Our extra crate was still in my car, so while I was cleaning the pee, Lucy was running around. I realized that I couldn't find her and finally discovered her in the hall bathroom, not only having pooped, but she was just finishing up eating her poop too (so gross).

I had my daughter take her outside while I cleaned what was left of the poop but I am so frustrated right now!! Lucy was nearly potty trained before she was spayed in early October, but since then we've been having issues. We started over by limiting her freedom by gating or closing doors so that she has access to mostly hardwood floors downstairs, but I may need to go back to crating her when we can't watch her 100%.

The only carpet in our downstairs that Lucy has access to is in our family room. It was new just two years ago, but before we got Lucy, Paco had been having a few accidents, and now when she has an accident, it's in the exact places where Paco had been going. What I'm wondering is whether it makes sense to go ahead and have our carpets cleaned or wait until I feel she's fully housebroken? I feel like she has a very keen sense of smell and pees right where there has been pee before.

So - clean carpets now which might help to prevent future accidents?

or - clean carpets later after housebreaking is done?

Thanks for any help or advice!!

Sandy


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## newhavaneselover (Nov 25, 2009)

Use Natures Miracle (my best friend these days). Mop your floors and Clean your carpets with it. That way Lucy will not smell anything, and will be easier to have less accidents. Also,what can happen is if she has a accident she might walk thru it and will get it where ever she walks, and will start peeing where ever she walked.


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## Moe's Gram (Oct 9, 2009)

After getting a 10 week old in June and a 3 month old puppy in September I had my carpets cleaned on November 6, before the rush of the holidays and after we had a few accidents. I am happy to report that we have not had an accident since the carpet was cleaned. I don't know if that had anything to do with it but I'm good with it!!!


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## tabby2 (Jan 19, 2009)

Simple Solution is also really good. You should spray Simple Solution or Nature's Miracle on the pee/poop spots and then have the carpets cleaned. You also may want to buy one of the spot cleaners (BotSpot by Bissell is one several people have recommended) so you can do spot cleaning right away. The less your Hav can smell of prior accidents, the better! I'm sorry you're seeing a regression but I understand that's not unusual about that age. FYI, BJ would pee on one of the cushions on my sofa every once in a while when he was a puppy -- fortunately slipcovered but eew! 

Good luck, and hang in there! Jane


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## Paige (Sep 12, 2006)

I went through potty training for three years straight. I got four havs in a three year span. If It was me, I would get the carpets shampooed now and again when there has been no accidents and you feel she is totally pottied trained. I found with my havs that at around 7 or 8 months their was some regressing on potty training. I just let them know it was not okay with me, and kept a extra good eye on them for about a week or two and it resolved itself. Make sure each accident is cleaned with a pet cleaning product such as Natures Miracle.


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

I invested in a carpet cleaning and it came in handy. I would use the carpet cleaner on the area of the mistake, and then hit it with Natures Miracle. You have to get all the smell out or she might go there again. I'd carpet clean now and after she is housebroken and every time in between


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

I also had regressions with both my boys (at different times) when they were each 9-11 months. There are a couple of threads here that talk about a regression at that age... add on top of that the spay and the paw accident and Lucy may be feeling a bit insecure. If you can afford to shampoo now and then again later I would do that too. But if not just use the natures miracle or simple solution on the spots as best you can (and on hard floors too every time there is an accident) and then when she has been good for 5 or more months I would feel confident to get it cleaned. 

I think the biggest thing for success is to (try) not to be frustrated. going back to square one is what is required and it sucks but I found it is for a much shorter period than the first time. But Lucy will pick up on your frustration which may make her more insecure and pee and poop more. 

We had a period when Jasper was just over year and had not had had any accidents for over 5 months and had only had two during his regression period. We decided it was time to do away with his crate and let him sleep on the bed (I hated that ugly crate.) After a few nights I was making the bed and noticed a hard little poop under the bed. I thought OMG this has been here since he was a puppy and the cleaners didn't get it! but then the next night another poop right on the bed! So I took him to the vet thinking something must be wrong with him. The Vet said this boy wants his crate! he is feeling insecure on the bed and letting you know. Sure enough ugly crate came back into our bedroom and you have never seen a dog so happy to see his crate! And we have never had a problem again. I am not saying that the missing crate is the key to Lucy's accidents just a story to show how insecurity can relate to accidents. 

The good news is a little diligence now will pay off for the long run.


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## Renee (Mar 27, 2008)

I agree with Missy. Go back to square 1 of training. Crate her when you can't watch her. Reward her when she goes poddy outside. Miley regressed with poddy training, and this is what we did. I even went a step further and put her on a leash when she went poddy, and took her to the grassy area in our backyard (to avoid messes on our brick patio). She didn't like the wet grass in the mornings, so would go on the brick patio. Diligence paid off, and she has not had an accident in the house for a LONG TIME. And she goes in the grass, and not on the brick patio. These creatures are all about habits. And we as their trainers have to help them establish those habits correctly to prevent problems in the future.


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## scoobydoo (Oct 5, 2009)

Scooby regressed to. After months on No accidents. He was about 8 months then. I took him straight back into toilet training mode. Pulled his water after 7 pm. I also figured my family would not watched him well enough, so when I was busy he had to go back in the crate.
I read somewhere that before you shampoo your rugs you have to nutralise the smell first for at least 30 minutes or else you spread the smell around. ( I learnt this the hard way) 
Jo 
P.s I feel your pain, almost puts me off getting another pup.


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## sandydlc (Aug 8, 2009)

Hello everyone and thank you for the great advice!!! Since my first post, things have improved. Only one accident in the past four days so we're making definite progress!!

Lucy does sleep in a crate every night, and I don't think we'll change that part of her routine. She gets too hot on our bed and I think we all sleep better when she's tucked away in her crate that I have right next to our Chihuahua's crate in our room so we're all together!

I did go back to taking her outside on a leash - every time - which is a pain when the weather has been rainy (Yes, Seattle!!), but I think it's worth it in the long run. I feel like when I just let her out or go out with her and not with the leash, she is lacking the discipline that she needs. I do think that the majority of her accidents have happened when she's feeling neglected and possibly insecure. I noticed that the majority of her accidents happen when I'm running around in the morning trying to get my son ready for school or at night after we're home and I'm trying to cook.

So - we're making progress and things are looking up. I think that I will wait a bit before having the carpets cleaned since she's doing better now. I think I was just starting to get depressed that we would be in constant potty training mode for another 6 months!!

Sandy


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*We took out the carpets...*

We have pergo and tile throughout the house. And when it pours like it does now, Daisy will go in the house. Riki goes out in the rain and doesn't ever go in the house except to cover up Daisy's accidents.

We have our foster dog who goes out in the pouring rain, so I see what dogs are supposed to do. Havanese are really hard to housetrain. Mine are six and five...


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## brookeandcolby (Dec 31, 2009)

I LOVE Nature's Miracle! That stuff has totally saved our house!


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