Help please housetraining!

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huntley

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I have a seven month old whippet bitch who was housetrained in a very short time. My daughter has a 12 week old whippet boy who is the complete opposite! Wees and poos in his cage regardless of how late I take him out! Have tried big crate and a little crate. Mine never messed in her crate. Have tried leaving him loose in the kitchen with lots of newspaper and he does seem to wee alot. Left him this afternoon for 2 hours (had to go to work) and he had done at least three wees and a poo which to me seems alot! He is fed three times a day - last meal at 5 pm.I take them for two walks a day and they are in the garden most of the time. Is this a boy thing - never had one before - or is he just producing an awful lot of waste? Have looked through previous posts and most people say they never mess in their crate!
Many thanks to anyone who can help.
 
They don't usually soil their crates. Does seem excessive. I would look at what you are feeding him. Are his poos normal? Don't give water after 6pm. You can leave a couple of ice cubes in a dish if you think he needs it. Have you discussed it with your vet?
 
He is on the same food as the others. Poos are normal. I think he is just very different from the other puppy. Will talk to vet if it does not improve over the next week.
 
Im sure there wll be lots more advice by the time im back,im happy to chuck some suggestions your way after watching a dvd with the much neglected OH:rolleyes::D
 
Thanks everyone! They are both fast asleep beside me on the sofa - both on their backs with their legs in the air in a very whippety fashion! Butter wouldn't melt! I think he is better loose in the kitchen as he gets very upset once he has messed in his crate - 4.30 am today! I need my beauty sleep!
 
Might be worth getting a vet to check him over that does sound like a lot of wee and poo. If all is well, try restricting food/drink near sleep times, but it may unfortunately be a case of having to let him out all the time until he is a bit older and has more control. At least summer is coming and it might be easier to leave the garden door open?
 
Hi,

We really struggled with house training our collie / terrier as she was a rescue we got from 4 months and had just been in a pound/ kennels and so also used to wet her bed and cage to start with. It seemed to take for ever but now she is great.

It was jsut a case of constantly going through the usual methods of taking her out regularly, and as she went we said ' go to the loo' - or you can use your own phrase....the dog eventually learns the words mean to 'go' so you can regularly take them out and get them to go on command (useful for car journeys). Then massive praise each time they do the right this. Each time they go inside quickly and quietly clean it up with a good odour covering cleaner....we also taught her the word 'no' and gently used this as she tried to squat in the house (gently though - my husband and I used this a bit too sternly to start with and she would then wet herself with fright (she was quite an anxious little thing). Our carpet took some serious battering (we hired a carpet shampooer at one point) and we nearly gave up but she finally was completely house trained at about 7 months - late but it was worth it in the end. Probably some more experienced dog owners may add to this with something that would decrease the time.

She would still 'wet' in the night until about 1 year old even if we got up extra early to let her out, but we figured that she maybe just didn't have the bladder control muscles yet and this seemed to be the case as once she had matured she just stopped doing this completely and now is 100%.

Having a nightime ritual of food early, then a walk, then going outside last thing and staying there with her until she has done the required before bed also helps (can be cold in the winter!)

Good luck with it, you will get there in the end even if it seems impossible
 
All rather what I thought! There is nothing physically wrong with him - had his second injection last week and had put on a kilo in two weeks! I think alot of it is separation issues - which whippets are particularly prone to. I left him for a couple of hours this morning and he only did one wee. It is alot easier for me if I leave him in the kitchen than trying to clean out him, his crate and his bed.
PS No offence taken, but I am a very experienced dog owner. Have had just about every breed over the years, but he does seem to be particularly hopeless!! Never mind, we will persevere - we don't have many mistakes when I am at home so, as I said, I think it is a separation thing even though he is left with the other whippet.
 
It's not that unusual for them to soil in their bedsto be honest and I think lke you it's more stress based than dirty! or slow to train.

Not sure if you will return to the post but a few questions may help?

Does he still wee and pooh in the house/when out of the crate?
How often is he placed in the crate?
How big is the crate?
What and how many times is he fed?
Does he winge when placed in the crate? is his bed ruffled about when u get home?
 
oh dear, hope you didn't think I was suggesting you were not an experienced dog owner...I was actually referring to myself - i.e. someone more experienced that me as I have only had one dog from a pup and was just writing about the experience that I had but in the knowledge that I may not be neccessarily the most clued up person with house training dogs. So sorry if you thought that is what I was saying. I hope it goes well.
 
Hi Cayla! We have very few accidents in the house when I am at home. He has never been very happy being in a crate unless I put the older whippet in her crate next door to him. The messing is only occurring when I leave him. I have tried him in a big crate and a little crate and they are covered with blankets - my other whippet adores hers and if she is really tired will go in there for a sleep. I have just gone up to have a bath and left him alone in the kitchen with the garden door open and he cried the whole time so I am convinced it is a separation problem. I shall persevere with leaving him alone for short periods at a time and doing all the right things when I come back in to the room, i.e. ignoring him! I am sure this is a boy thing combined with a whippet thing! What fun puppies are! He is on three feeds a day - the last one at 5 pm. They are on James Wellbeloved and PC meat and they look fantastic. He gets two walks a day and they all play in the garden most of the day when the weather is OK.
Thanks for all the help.
 
Thes best thin you can do with the seperation issues is to have him spend time in the crate when you are in the home but also in the same room, i.e when u are watching TV drag crate into main room and him in it, the main issue is you crating then leaving, even if it's just the bathroom, your still dissapearing. He needs to associate the crate with a positive and he would also be more likely to take treats, kongs, pigs ears when u are in the room where he is crated in the same room (am I making sense)? Also cover the majority of the crate when he is crated with you in the room, so he can just say see u, this will help immensely when u are not there and u need to leave as u can cover it all and leave radio on so u can begin to confuse him as to weather you are there or not.
Obs the smallest crate u can get away with too, and squash one of those plastic beds in with a bit of vet bed (easier for you to clean) till u get this under control. It does work, I have has some severe seperation, esp staffis and I always crate them first and foremost in my company and sight, this alleviated the SA.
 
Thanks - that is a really good idea to crate him when we are with him. Am off to bring the crate in to the sitting room right now!
 
huntley said:
Thanks - that is a really good idea to crate him when we are with him. Am off to bring the crate in to the sitting room right now!
Click to expand...

It works wonders for the long run, as they think, Oh well nowt to worry about when im in this thing they are there aswell as not:D and soon they become confused as to weather u are there are not.
Having an extra crate for upstairs at bed time is a very good way to cure sever SA, as u cover the crate, hush them when they budge (so they can still hear you there) then u randomly place them in the downstairs crates for some nights (covered) and upstairs for some, again they are unsure if you are there or not;) sometimes it's about being a little crafty.
Just make sure u use the cover when u dissapear and when u are there, this will come in very handy.
 
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