Help! My dog won't stop going in the house

Kristyg3

Novitiate
Hello fellow Doberman lovers! I am brand new here and could really use some help/advice about my four month old puppy, Finn. I got Finn a week ago from a breeder. He lived on a farm so he was free to run around with the other puppies. I've had him to the vet, no health issues other than Giardia which is being treated. ANYWAY..... he doesn't go in his crate and knows what to do when he goes outside. The problem is that he still goes in the house even though he goes out multiple times a day. I limit his water and keep an eye on him as best as I can but he spends a lot of time playing with my other dog. When he goes, it's A LOT! I don't even know how a youngster like him has so much pee in there! I keep him with me in the same room. He's like Hoodini because he's right there and I never see him go! I use the enzyme cleaner so he doesn't go in the same spot (I have very clean floors b/c I'm always wiping them)! He has only pooped once. I know that it'll take a while, but are there suggestions anyone has? It took me two years to convince my husband that it was a good idea to get a second dog so he's not very happy. I've trained dogs in the past but this one seems to be stubborn!
 
well, hello and welcome!

We just got a lab puppy and he is our second dog. He was IMMENSELY more difficult to potty train, I think, because we have another dog. He was always more interested in playing with her than alerting he needed to go outside. I can't tell you how many times we sopped up pee messes!! They would be wrestling and without a single sniff, he would stop, stand, and pee in place.

I would say he was consistently going to the door to indicate he needed to go out instead of going where he was playing at about... 5 months? It was very frustrating! We needed to start interrupting playtime and take him out alone so he could do his business and then we'd come back inside and play would continue. He just turned 8 months and we've been 2 months without an accident but we still take him out very frequently so he doesn't relapse.

Hang in there! Offer a LOT of praise when he goes outside and continue using the enzyme cleaning stuff. Are you taking him out the same door each time for potty breaks? Does he go alone or does the other dog always go out, too?

And yes... Dobermans are very strong willed so be consistent and fair with his training and he'll catch on in no time!
 
Welcome from Minnesota!

I agree that 4 months is pretty young to be accident free but as stated above, if you're consistent and take the pup out on a regular basis he will eventually get the picture.

We'd love to see some photos of him!
 
Welcome to DCF from Florida

With some pups it just takes a bit longer. Like everyone has said, just hang in there and take him out frequently and praise him happily each time he does his business outside. He will figure it out so be patient and vigilant.
 
As all have said above.

You have to have eyes on all the time, if he even flinches??? He goes out side and encouraged to potty. Then again and again and again. I don’t care if it’s every 5mins.... you are training him and forming a patterned behavior in his brain.

Just have to keep the course.

Good luck and Welcome from Louisiana.
 
He lived on a farm so he was free to run around


Did he live in the house or outside in a barn? If the answer is the latter it could mean he may be harder to potty train.
What has worked for me is to take puppy out on a leash to a certain spot and say potty, when he goes have a party. Praise and get so excited your neighbors think you have lost your mind. If he goes out alone, his 2 second attention span may distract him and he forgets to go.
If he just doesn't get it, you can tether him to you and the first sign he has to go, grab him and head out the door. When he goes get uber excited! Praise! Praise! Praise!
 
A play-distracted Doberman puppy? :rolleyes: We can be out in the yard playing with Kaiser (a single dog), come inside, and minutes later he'll ask for a potty break! Any physical activity will trigger the urge to go, but a Dober brain needs to focus on going, not playing. Give him some alone time in the yard. Say the command so he knows.
 

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