Our Cockapoo Is 9 Months Old…very Cute, But…?
September 18, 2009 by admin
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
she is still not really potty trained. She will do #1 and #2 outside, and we take her out often throughout the day, but she also goes on the carpet in our dining room about once a day. I even put a motion detector in there and it works, but when I turn off the motion detector, she goes ahead and helps herself to pooping or peeing in our dining room! It’s like her day isn’t complete without it. I also have a carpet shampooer so I clean it up each and every time in this way, and we use “no go” spray all around. Does she just not respect us as her owner, is she just a high strung puppy that will outgrow it, or is there something else going on? We do have a kennel for her, but I really don’t like the whole “crate” philosophy. Any suggestions are appreciated.
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I feel for you!!! We adopted a male cockapoo who was 8 months old from a local pet rescue. He had come from a bad situation and the fact that he just wouldn’t potty train caused him to be physically abused and finally donated to the pet rescue.
I didn’t think we would EVER get him to potty train. I had read somewhere that one of the plus sides to a cockapoo is the high intelligence inherited from the poodle ancestry. That means that they are fast learners but can tend to be a tad stubborn in the potty training arena.
What I did, in addition to thanking the powers that be who inspired us to buy a carpet shampooer before adopting our little guy, was to make a diaper (belly band) for him. He never minded wearing his diaper EVER. When he tinkled, I would just throw away the liner and replace it with a new one. (I used generic baby diapers that had been cut in half with the elastic removed.) I have seen female dog incontinence diapers at our local pet store if you don’t sew. I’ve included a link below so you can see what they look like.
I read in several places that the less fuss I made about an accident the better (unless I caught him in the act) because I didn’t want it to turn into a game or to reward him with attention for watering my carpet. I simply cleaned it up and went on with my day without acknowledging he was the one who did it. The poop wasn’t so bad because luckily he liked to do that on the hard floor outside the hall bathroom.
Finally around November this year I pulled out all the stops and added a back flap to his diaper. He only pooped in it once…and I let him “stew” in it for about half an hour. He has not had a single solitary accident in poop or tinkle form since then. He will be 2 years old on January 4th.
Because of what he went through in his previous home, he is terrified of his crate. We have a Maltese-Poodle who loves her crate and we never had any trouble with her. We don’t close the door on it and she treats it as her own personal alone space when she needs to get away from her “little brother.”
Best of luck to you. Every dog is different. You may have to try several different things…for perhaps a year or more…but in the end you will be rewarded with a wonderful, lovable, potty trained family member.
P.S. If you do decide to use doggie diapers, I’d buy at least two so you can have one if the other is in the wash.
What are you cleaning the carpet with? Just shampooing it won’t get rid of the urine smell which draws her back to that area. You need something like nature’s miracle to eliminate the odor – because she can smell it even if you can’t.
Oh..and there is NOTHING wrong with crate training. Over time the dog learns to love their crate and see it as a safe place. At 5 months old my puppy goes into her crate to take a nap all on her own.
i have a 12 year old cockapoo. she got better as she grew up, but it’s coming back now that she’s an old fart
(and yeah cockapoo’s rule and are the cutest things on the planet)
cockapoo? ha ha ha
First, crate training is the single most humane and effective way to potty train a dog, whether you agree with it or not.
Second, she’s not learning because you’re not teaching. Mopping up her messes is not training. You need to sit there and watch her, and if she starts sniffing near the dining room rug, chase her out and yell “NO!” and take her outside until she potties. If she does it again, give her a light swat across the backside, say “NO!” and take her straight outside to the yard until she potties. Be consistent, watch her closely at all times (or crate her) and simply do not give her the opportunity to have an accident (or an intentional). Now, the catch is, if she’s already going to the bathroom or has already gone, it’s too late to yell at her. Take her outside right away, but do not yell or swat. That will teach her that pottying is bad. You need to teach her to stay away from the areas she potties in indoors, but not make her fear going potty in general.
Realistically, crate training would simplify your problem. All our dogs were crate trained, and it was fast and easy.
I would also suggest natures miracle. It is a great product. Another suggestion is to take her to your vet and have her checked for a bladder infection and other serious illnesses that can cause problems with house breaking.
Small dogs function much better when they have a crate, a little home of their own. Giving a nine month old small dog the run of the house is asking for trouble. It can be very overwhelming, especially for a young dog, and the crate provides a safe haven when they are tired, hyper, or cranky.
You must make the crate a comfortable space for her. Soft blankets and a few favorite toys will make it appealing to her. Give her scheduled time in her crate; start out by being in the room with her in a quiet activity, maybe reading, then leave her alone gradually for longer periods of time. Eventually, you can leave the door open and she will go in on her own when she needs some quiet time.
Once your puppy learns to love her crate, it will not be a punishment when you use it for potty training. Monitor your puppy’s eating and bathroom habits, so you know the times when she should go to the bathroom. The best thing, obviously, is to catch her before she has a chance to go inside, and take her outside, where she stays until she goes. If she refuses to go, crate her for 15-30 minutes, then take her back outside. She will soon learn that in order to get her freedom back, she must go outside, not in the dining room.
Well if you don’t believe in the crate philosophy, then you suffer from the consequences.
Stop thinking for your dog like a human being. They’re not. In the wild, dogs live in dens close to their mom. They go into the dens for protection and when they want to eat food alone. It gives them a sense of security.
When you stop giving them a den (crate), you take away their natural senses and obviously, they are not “getting it.” So take away the crate, you suffer the consequences. Sorry.
cockapoo…lol