# Rehouse training - help please!!



## Teddy Bear (Apr 11, 2015)

My apartment was renovated and this involved some structural changes and change of all tiles!

Teddy came trained to use newspaper (no idea how the breeder managed this) and has been using a designated area in the balcony (corner with a drain surrounded by a small step) since the time I managed to (accidentally) train him to use it as a puppy. 

The drain area is still the same design but half the size. He still fits in it.

Built him a small area where we can flush away his mess. (2 human steps away - on the other side of my small balcony!). 
He needs to take a step to get into the new designated area - which he does when treats are involved but refuses to use it.

He is 99.99% accident free with using newspapers no matter where I move it in the apartment except for his old (now smaller sized) area or the new designated area. I'd tolerate him using his old area if impossible to get him into the new one.

I caught him circling in the old area, quickly moved him to the new area before he managed to pee (hoping that would make him use the new area so he can get praised and a treat for using it) but he ran away and held it in for hours until he could sneak away to go between the new& old area.

He's never been able to go in front of anyone (except when peeing on all the trees and car tyres when on walks!). He was praised when he almost peed (not yelled at or punished) but is now afraid of using the old area too! 

Washed the balcony several times with vinegar, tried putting soiled newspaper in both old & new area to encourage him to use either and praised him if he steps into either area but nothing is working! 

Have tried testing him by putting newspaper anywhere else and he is still 99% reliable in using it anywhere else but ignores it when in the new/old designated area.

Any suggestions on what to do?


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

am having a hard time picturing this setup. Try blocking off the old area he used to use. Place your newspaper with some urine feces scent on where you want him to go, and reward asap after he uses it. You may need to keep the old area inaccessible permanently. ?? Use high value treats something novel and use these ONLY for this activity.


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## Teddy Bear (Apr 11, 2015)

davetgabby said:


> am having a hard time picturing this setup. Try blocking off the old area he used to use. Place your newspaper with some urine feces scent on where you want him to go, and reward asap after he uses it. You may need to keep the old area inaccessible permanently. ?? Use high value treats something novel and use these ONLY for this activity.


I did block the old area and put newspaper that he's peed on in the other area. 
He goes into the new area, sniffs then finds another place! Now started catching him trying to pee on the carpets and today, we caught him pooping near his water bowl. 
He's never done this before.

Starting to get a little frustrated.


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

Also totally confused on the setup, but if a dog is backtracking on his potty training to the point that he seems to be going where he shouldn't be without any remorse, then it's best to start the process all over. If you can't have your eyes on him *like a hawk*, he needs to be in his ex-pen with his pee pad at one end and his bed in the other end. If a dog is having accidents in the house for any reason other than human error (you didn't hear his signal to go outside, you accidentally shut the door to the room with his pad, etc), then the situation needs to be treated like you are potty training a puppy all over again so that a bad habit doesn't form. It's certainly difficult to put a dog that has free reign under "ex-pen arrest", but in your situation, it might be necessary.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Get an 
ex-pen and set it up on a tarpaulin, in a location you want. In the ex-pen, put a crate with a comfy bed in 
it, and if possible, put the crate up so that it is a few inches off the 
floor. Also make a bed for him that is a few inches off the floor. You 
are putting beds higher because dogs often like to sleep higher than 
their surroundings and with dogs who are not housebroken as adults they 
will sometimes take the height as a salient criteria for not soiling a 
bed. Then on the floor, cover 100% with pee pads. When you cannot 
directly handle him, that is where he should be. Don't worry about 
urination and defecation in the ex-pen cause the whole thing is covered 
and on a protected surface. When he has been on this successfully for 
three weeks, take away a pee pad. If he is successful on this surface 
for three weeks, take away another pee pad. Continue in this way until 
he is chooses pee pads.


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## Teddy Bear (Apr 11, 2015)

Didn't realise that being a little higher would be considered important to him. 

We've been discouraging him from peeing on the left side of the balcony where there's a drain for water to be discarded (to drain water when cleaning the balcony). This was his old washroom area.

The human bathroom walls are on the right side of the balcony so the sewage pipe passes along the side of the balcony to leave the apartment. 
The builder built a step to keep it out of site. At the corner, he built a platform that Teddy can use as his washroom which drains directly into the sewage. 
Not sure if his resistance to use it is because it's a few inches above ground? It's a solid platform so not a stability issue and is tiled so it resembles the area he is used to using.
There's soiled newspaper there but when i catch Teddy circling, I tell him to go there. He goes up and sits on the newspaper instead. Never uses it. 

Is it a training issue or a flaw with my assumption that he would use it by following his newspaper like he usually does?


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

dogs form habits and prefer certain substrates.


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## Teddy Bear (Apr 11, 2015)

davetgabby said:


> dogs form habits and prefer certain substrates.


Is its too late to get him to change? 
He's 2.5 years old now.

Have occasionally caught him going to his new bathroom area and he seems to think its a place to sit and relax!


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

never too late. You just have to limit his possible area to one place.


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## Teddy Bear (Apr 11, 2015)

davetgabby said:


> never too late. You just have to limit his possible area to one place.


Any suggestions on how to get him to use his new area as a washroom area instead of going there to sit?
It has soiled newspaper but he still thinks its a place for him to sit or to sniff before peeing in the old area!
When I block of the old area, he pees next to it!


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

Read both of our above comments. He should have NO freedom at all, like he is a puppy. Newspaper really isn't that absorbent, which is why it's generally not recommended as a potty area nowadays, so deep clean the old area with vinegar or bleach to completely rid it of the smell. Use a blacklight if necessary. If you are dead set on him using this specific area, keep him in a pen unless you can have both eyes on him at all times, in which case he should only be 4-5 feet from you (use baby gates or a leash). Depending on how often he tends to go, pick him up from the pen and bring him to the area frequently, giving his potty command when you get there. If he doesn't go within a few minutes, back to the pen and try a little bit later. If you see him doing it outside of the pen (which you should, if you are watching him properly), give a stern but gentle "Uh oh", scoop him up, and bring him to the area. If you see the potty signs he usually gives, scoop him up and pop him on his potty area. When he does go in the correct place, treat and praise profusely.


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## Teddy Bear (Apr 11, 2015)

KarMar said:


> Read both of our above comments. He should have NO freedom at all, like he is a puppy. Newspaper really isn't that absorbent, which is why it's generally not recommended as a potty area nowadays, so deep clean the old area with vinegar or bleach to completely rid it of the smell. Use a blacklight if necessary. If you are dead set on him using this specific area, keep him in a pen unless you can have both eyes on him at all times, in which case he should only be 4-5 feet from you (use baby gates or a leash). Depending on how often he tends to go, pick him up from the pen and bring him to the area frequently, giving his potty command when you get there. If he doesn't go within a few minutes, back to the pen and try a little bit later. If you see him doing it outside of the pen (which you should, if you are watching him properly), give a stern but gentle "Uh oh", scoop him up, and bring him to the area. If you see the potty signs he usually gives, scoop him up and pop him on his potty area. When he does go in the correct place, treat and praise profusely.


Thank you!! I'll try your tips.
He came newspaper trained when I bought him.
His new area is designed to make it very easy to keep clean and doesnt require the use of newspaper. Once he get used to using it, I'll phase out the newspaper.


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## Teddy Bear (Apr 11, 2015)

KarMar & DaveTGabby,
Thank you both for the fabulous advise!

Teddy's decided to use the new area as his play area instead so I've decided to let him carry on using the old area.
He seems to have chosen to hold it in until we go for walks (or wake me up earlier in the morning if he cant) so in some ways, its actually better! We're just going to be extremely consistent on walk (and meal) times so its easy for all of us!

Thanks again!


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