My 4 Yr Old Cockapoo Has Been Having Accidents All Over The House. Any Suggestions?
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
I feel like my cockapoo was never 100% house broken. He has always had accidents here and there. But lately it has been terrible. He has at least 2 accidents a day, both #1 and #2!!! We just had our first baby 6 months ago so I don’t know if he could be jealous and doing this out of spite. Any suggestions for re-training him? Is it even possible since he is already 4 yrs old? Help!
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Yes it is totally possible and you are correct, It is quite likely because of the change in the house, not to mention you are busy with baby.
Instead of thinking he is doing ti out of spite, try looking at it from his perspective. babay is on scen and he is paid less attention. Likely you ar mssing any signals he might be giving you to go out ad he is probably on less of a schedule than he once was. This will lead him to potty in the house.
Do a through floor cleaning of ALL the rooms he has peed in.
Use vinegar or bleach or other non-ammonium-based cleaner. If your dog smells ammonium anywhere, that could be enough to trigger him to pee in the house.
Start from the beginning, pretending he is tiny puppy. Confine him in a small area such as a kitchen etc with baby gates, X pen etc. Take him out every two hours during the day, plus after meals, playing, training or exercise. It works best if you have a designated spot to take him outside.
Take him on leash and praise, praise, praise and pet (even use treats if you want) when he goes. (The idea is to stay with him) Make sure to wait until after he goes all the way to praise or you might cut him short and he then will need to go again soon. Wait about 10 minutes the first few times.
Block access behind and under couches as little dogs are notorius for sneaking away and potty and you discovering it later. Prevention is the key.
If your dog does start sniffing around (first sign) take him out immediately. If he starts to actually potty, pick him up and take him out to the designated location. Be calm and matter of fact.
If you are diligent, most retrained dogs ‘get it’ with 14 days. After about a month, you can start giving him more freedom to other parts of the house, one room at a time. For example, add a room, try it for two weeks, then add another. If you place his bed/mat in the room, and sit with him in the room for an hour or so a few times, he’ll learn that is also his space too and not to potty there! Most people go too fast trusting their dog-the most common mistake.
If he has accidents, (he will), clean the area with bleach or vinegar to remove the smell. Even a small amount left will trigger his need to pee on the spot again.
It may also help to train her to ring a bell to ask to go out. That way she learns a signal to tell you she needs go out.
The other thing that little dogs are famous for is marking. That is when they lift their leg on things but only leave a little pee.(Think when they go outside and pee on other dog’s pee). This may be triggered when another dog (or cat) comes in the house, even just for a visit. Or if another dog actually pees in the house. Again, prevention is the best bet. Keep all visitors confined to a hard surface floor area where it can be thoroughly cleaned.
If you are looking for a great training program, try this one! Even if you just get to level 3, your dog will be well-behaved in your home.http://www.dragonflyllama.com/%20DOGS/%2…
It’s great for dog class follow-up as it teaches you step by step how to train.
Good luck!
If it’s just gotten worse, it may be a medical problem. You should probably take him to the vet, or at least call the vet and ask what they think.
You’ll be able to retrain him. Shelter dogs who are adults and not potty trained are adopted every day. I’m sure their new owners potty train. You’ll have to be very consistent, but also retrain yourself. Whatever habits you had before that allowed the occasional accident need to be broken.
We had the same problem too. It ws hard to teach him not to relieve himself indoors, and he still does it sometimes too. Ask the previous owner/bredder how they trained him and find out some background of the dog. Sometimes puppies/dogs will relieve themselves indoors cuz of a certain past or habit of doing it. You can also ask your vet (by phoning them) you call and it’s for free and you can get great tips from them. I THINK it’s possible for the dog to be re-trained again, but it can be difficult. If you can’t do it, send him to obidience school.
Hopes this helps
Your dog is very unhappy that the baby has arrived on the scene and showing you that doesn’t like the lack of attention. He was never completely housebroke and the arrival of the baby has made it worse. In order to get him to stop he will need to get a lot of attention. As far as retraining him, he was never completely trained before and with attention and time to adjust to the baby, it will hopefully get better. Also, please watch him around your child especially if the child is on the floor. If the dog has toys make sure the baby does not get ahold of them. I once had a dog, Cocker, that this happened with and when my son started crawling and grabbed the dog’s ball he was bitten by the dog. I don’t mean to frighten you but your dog is showing signs of jealousy and he should be introduced to the baby as an equal (I know that sounds stupid!!) ASAP.
Just re-train him.
Was he a pet store/puppy mill dog? Housebreaking issues are very common…
Do you use a crate?
get pee pads