# Potty Training Woes



## JMGracie (Mar 30, 2011)

I apologize for making another thread about potty training because I know there's one from yesterday. But I had already started typing this out a day or two ago, and every situation is different. I didn't want to hijack someone else's thread with my specific problems.

I've seen other threads where people worry with younger ones, but Gracie is 7 months old now, and she still pees in the house on average once a day, sometimes more. And I'm sure she would do it more if I didn't watch her like a hawk.

One of the big issues is her not being vocal about it. She will go lay by the back door (actually the door that goes down to the basement which goes out into the yard) when she wants to go outside. Occasionally she will paw at it, but sometimes she just sits there and doesn't make a sound. If you don't happen to notice her laying there quietly for about 30 seconds, she will get up and go find somewhere to pee.

I've tried the bell before, but she had a bad experience with it when she was younger (she reached up to swat it and got a nail stuck in one of the bells, and yelped - it didn't last more than a split second, but I think that's when I sort of stopped pushing the bell on her). Maybe I should keep at it, so she learns, but I tried again last night just to see and she's just not into the bell. I had cheese (her favorite treat), and I was trying to lure her into ringing the bell, and she just wouldn't touch it.

At one point I had stopped giving her a treat every time she went outside, because it seemed like she associated the treat with going outside, not with doing her business. So she'd scratch at the door, I'd take her out, she'd sniff around for a few minutes without doing anything, and then she'd race inside for her treat. I realized it was probably a mistake to stop treating her, so I started treating her again a few months ago. I give her a treat immediately when she goes, and I give it to her outside instead of waiting until we get inside (to make sure she gets the association). That helped some, but still hasn't solved the issue.

She is crated during the day while we are at work. I come home once a day to take her out. It's actually one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Puppy-Playpen-Exercise-Kennel-Oxford/dp/B003JP4928/ref=pd_sbs_k_1 When she was little, we would leave a potty pad in there, and she went on it once or twice, but now she treats the whole thing as her crate. She holds it while she's in there. And at night time, she is sleeping on the bed now. It's not technically a crate, but she can't jump off, and she will hold it while she's on the bed, so it's essentially the same effect.

So basically, she's fine while we're gone, fine while we sleep... it's the other ~8-10 hours out of the day that she's bad.

I know a lot of this is on me. I need to watch her for signals. Know that she may not tell me, so sometimes I just have to take her out and see what happens. It works well a lot of the time, but I just can't seem to stay on top of it all the time. Just the other day, we were up late at night. We played some, then I was on the couch keeping an eye on her. She goes over to the door and paws at it. Great! She wants to go out. I go over, open the door, and rush downstairs to take her outside. I looked behind me, and she wasn't there. "Graaaacie?" I called. Went back upstairs, and she was nowhere to be found. I did, however, find a little spot of pee on the floor. So in the ~30 seconds it took for me to open the door, go downstairs like I always do, and come back up - she had instead decided to just pee on the floor and go up to the bedroom to go to bed.

Things like that are just so frustrating. Or there are times where I'll have her outside, she'll sniff around for a few minutes, and decide to poo. Then she sits by the door to come back in. I try to walk her around to make sure she's done, and finally let her in. Five minutes later in the house I notice a pee spot on the floor. Why didn't she do it when she was outside earlier? I try to give her as much time as possible. I stay out there with her to watch what she does. Sometimes I play the waiting game out there for quite a while (as long as 20 minutes or more sometimes).

I know there's things I'm doing wrong, but it seems like from other discussions I've read that I'm doing a lot right as well. Can you guys offer any advice?

A couple of other things I want to mention. Recently, she seems to have a weird aversion to the grass in the backyard. There's concrete and gravel under the deck, then there's grass, then there's mulch, then the fence. Lately she's been doing her business on the concrete or gravel. And if I carry her out to the mulch she may do it there too, but she won't go out onto the grass. The only exception is if somebody walks by the fence and she gets really excited, she'll go running across the grass with no question. Then when she calms down she has to skirt around the yard as best she can to avoid the grass It's so weird, and I'm wondering if maybe it's affecting her potty training (she's always had issues with potty training, but they have seemed to got worse lately).

Also, she recently got spayed. I know that can definitely affect their bodily functions, but she had these issues before the surgery as well.

I could really use the advice of all of you. It sounds like so many people do much better with the whole potty training thing. I'm glad for them, but it makes me very disappointed with myself.

Thanks, and I apologize again for making another thread on the issue.


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## StarrLhasa (Jun 6, 2010)

You are doing a lot of things right. I cannot guess about the grass except to wonder if there is a smell she dislikes. Has the grass been treated with fertilizer or another substance besides water?

Have you ever tried putting her on a leash before hurrying her outside so she does not get "lost" on the way out? 

What about keeping her attached to you with her leash so she can try telling you she needs to go out by another method? 

My boy is not getting the concept of bell ringing yet, but he has started coming to me and putting his paw up on my knee, looking soulfully at me. It 

has taken a little while for me to figure out that he is trying to tell me he needs to go out. Of course, sometimes he is saying that his belly band is already wet and would I please change it.


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## JMGracie (Mar 30, 2011)

Thanks for the advice. The breeder had told me a while back that when she trained her havs, she kept them on a leash in the house. So maybe that's a good option.

No, there are no chemicals at all on the grass. Actually I did a really bad job of that this year - grass looks terrible. But there aren't any chemicals or anything weird. It's possible there's some sort of mold/fungus on the ground (I forget what that's called). It's also possible that there are bugs that Gracie doesn't like. Last night I used some cheese to get her to run across the grass, sit in it, etc. She was hesitant, but she did it a couple times. Then again, she'll do anything when I have cheese in my hand.

Thanks for the tips!


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

I would encourage trying the 'bell' again, maybe a different set (new one w/o the memories of the owie!), our bell is basically ribbons from michaels with bells tied on the ends (strands of 7 or 8 ribbons with bells up and down), she typically hits them with her muzzle or face swipes them, never swats at them, perhaps trying to have her bump them with her muzzle. OR some other type of sound notification, it was a huge life saver in training because Gucci wouldn't bark either to go out, but she'll stand there and ring the bell for 15 minutes if she has too, lol 

Kara


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## LeighaMason (Dec 16, 2010)

I would get a kitchen timer, set it for every hour and take her out so you can see what her actual schedule is, plus do it on a leash. Patience is the key. 

I taught Sugarbaby to speak so she barks when she needs out, and when there is a bird, dog, squirrel, person, etc! I do NOT recommend this!

By the way, if Sugarbaby does have an accident in the house that doesn't mean she is finished, I think she just pees a little to relieve the pressure so she still needs to go out and if I don't take her then we have another pee spot. 

Good luck!


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