What would you do (messing in house)?

friesian80

friesian80

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My 2 whippet pups were very easy to house train, they were born in the winter time so we worked away with the puppy pads but they soon learned to go outside to do their business.
My female whip went in a crate at night as she tended to chew up anything in sight.

At about 3 months though she was out the crate and it was put away.

Both female and male are now 7 months and every morning their is mess in the livingroom, also if I go out I will come home to mess (even if out for a very short time). They have also taken to chewing my rug which Ive now had to take out the sittingroom. I do tell them off when I get home to find this and they do look guilty like they know its wrong but its continuing. Being whippets it doesnt take much telling off for them to realise but im just wondering what I can do to improve the situation.

Im actually thinking to crate my female again during night time as I kow she is the instigator of chewing the rug and its her who I 'think' is doing most of the messing.

Any suggestions welcome!
 
Can you restrict their access when you're out - i.e kitchen. And then go back to the crate?

Also what time of night is last feed and walk??
 
I have my computer in the kitchen and my female has a taste for wires :rolleyes:

Last feed is 4pm and last walk is just before they go to bed :(

When they mess during the day I get the feeling its almost like a protest to being left behind. I do spend a LOT of my day with them and they get a LOT of exercise its almost like they expect to be with me 24/7! Feel like I cant win!!!
 
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Sometimes having two can delay progress. I'd definitely get the PC out of the kitchen and the dogs in there. Not just for hygiene but they might be more settled in a more enclosed space with less stimuli. Also remember dogs don't think like us - be careful not to anthropomorphise. Clear up mess silently, whips are sensitive wee dogs and 'guilting' them could back fire on you.
Do they go on command? A routine of a toilet trip every time you leave them/bed time should ensure their bladders are empty. Routines are just good all round really. You'll get there.
 
I'll give you some hope...my lurcher (who's pretty much all whippet..dad was 3/4 whip and 1/4 beddy and mum full whip), was a dream from 7 months to 9 (I adopted him at 7 months old)...from 9 months to 18 months it's been a nightmare!! Messing in the house, eating absolutely everything he could get his teeth on...including walls and doors!! Not listening, running away, nipping people, barking at everything...basically your nightmare dog from hell!! I have a pack of dogs and all are rescues with various behavioural and mental issues but this skinny little thing was nearly the undoing of me!!!!

BUT BUT BUT....the last couple of months he has become a different dog, we still have problems with strangers, but that's because of his start in life rather than him, otherwise he's utterly perfect in the house..clean, never ever chews anything now, sleeps for hours and is a dream to have around!!

So there is light at the end of the tunnel, unfortunatley having 2 of the same age and breed you've got twice the trouble but I think with patience and time it will turn around. You need to revert to puppy house training methods and just ensure all objects are removed from the room you leave them in. I personally don't do cages for my dogs but if that's what you did previously then go back to it.

Oh yes and a friend who runs a greyhound rescue told me...forget all you know about training dogs (she know's I've always had staffies and staffie crosses before!) and learn to be quiet, calm, non-reactive and get a stupid high pitched squeeky voice!! Lol!! She said whippets are a whole different ball game to other breeds, they are so sensitive and will remember a bad experience long after other dogs have forgotten!! It's so true..my lurcher caught his leg jumping into the back of the van...took me 2 weeks to tempt him back into it without me having to lift him up!!!!!
 
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I'd crate them both.

Also, I have always been told no matter what they have done while you are out, you should NEVER tell them off when you return (ie only ever tell them off if you actually catch them doing it). If you come back and are mad, they don't know why and will just think you always come back cross and they get in trouble, which will make them anxious and could actually be causing the behaviour that you are cross with them for doing.
 
gugglebum said:
Sometimes having two can delay progress. I'd definitely get the PC out of the kitchen and the dogs in there. Not just for hygiene but they might be more settled in a more enclosed space with less stimuli. Also remember dogs don't think like us - be careful not to anthropomorphise. Clear up mess silently, whips are sensitive wee dogs and 'guilting' them could back fire on you.
Do they go on command? A routine of a toilet trip every time you leave them/bed time should ensure their bladders are empty. Routines are just good all round really. You'll get there.
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The thing is that both were doing great for about 3 months, never messed in the house or chewed things up and now all of a sudden we are back to square one :(
Why would it be better to keep them in the kitchen? Surely for hygiene reasons the livingroom is better? My kitchen is quite big so they would still have the same amount of room to move around. I could perhaps put them in the hall but would have to shut bedroom doors upstairs. As they are whips I know not to discipline them sternly, I had JRT's previous but I soon leaned even a stern look from me was enough to have them hanging their heads in shame! They are very confident for whippets as I do my upmost to keep their confidence high, they are superb dogs, in fact the best dogs I have ever owned its just this new problem ive stumbled acorss which is causing me concern and would like to get others opinions before changing anything.

JSR - That does give me a bit of hope that its just a phase, would be great if I woke up and found they were back to their normoal selves one morning!!!

They do have a strict routine with me, but I work on call basis so I can be called out at any time and be away for a few hours at a time. I take them with me when I can but sometimes that isnt possible. There last walk is just before bed and they are off the lead so I always hope they will empty their bladders then, I even make them spend a bit of time in the garden when I get back telling them to 'go pee' which they do but then in the morning there is usually mess :(

Think I will get the crate back out for tonight, my male hates the crate so I wont crate him but the female quite likes going in it.
 
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friesian80 said:
The thing is that both were doing great for about 3 months, never messed in the house or chewed things up and now all of a sudden we are back to square one :(
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sometimes thats's just how it goes with babies of all species :) But has anything changed in the household recently, or your work times or anything like that? Anything stressing you out?

Why would it be better to keep them in the kitchen? Surely for hygiene reasons the livingroom is better?
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I just assumed hard floors with no soft furnishings would be easier to clean and disinfect until they're over this phase - my mum's mediterranean and can't stand dogs in kitchens either, but its what i've always done and I haven't died or gone blind yet :D But you know your house best. If my dog chewed rugs I wouldn't be brave enough to leave him in the sitting room :D


As they are whips I know not to discipline them sternly
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As someone else posted, only discipline if you actually catch them in the act.
 
With our Grey who sometimes feels the need to relieve himself in the house, we ignore him, if he has been clean we make a huge fuss, if he has messed then he is ignored as it's hard to tell them off for something they could have done an hour ago.
He absoluty hates being ignored.

We can go out for two hours and he'll mess the house, and he has been walked before we go out.
Yet if we have a night out get in at 2am, he'll sleep with us until 2 in the afternoon without going out and will not mess.
I take him to work with me and i don't on purpose take him out at lunch because if i need to leave him at home one day his body will tell him it's lunch time and time for a wee. This way he has been trained to hold it.

Still get the odd accident though.
 
I'm not proud of this, but despite best efforts to sort something out, due to a family crisis recently our dog was left from 6pm till 10 am :mad:
He crossed his legs bless him, if I had had a stopwatch I reckon he peed for a good 5 minutes when I let him out :o He's like a camel.
 
OP - Your dogs do not understand that you are telling them off for messing in the house. They only know that you are angry with them, unless you are catching them in the act.
Just clean it up quietly, no fuss.

I would crate them both.
 
friesian80 said:
There last walk is just before bed and they are off the lead so I always hope they will empty their bladders then, I even make them spend a bit of time in the garden when I get back telling them to 'go pee' which they do but then in the morning there is usually mess :(
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Put them on lead and go out with them for each toilet trip (might need torch for night) for a while, then your sure of what they've done plus its easier to know if it was marking sprinkle or full pee when stood next to them. You can also revert back to toilet training 101 and praise the the heck of out them for every outside toilet & reaffirm your "go pee" command.
 
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galaxy23 said:
I'd crate them both.

Also, I have always been told no matter what they have done while you are out, you should NEVER tell them off when you return (ie only ever tell them off if you actually catch them doing it). If you come back and are mad, they don't know why and will just think you always come back cross and they get in trouble, which will make them anxious and could actually be causing the behaviour that you are cross with them for doing.
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Agree 100% with this. Definitely crate them, but sounds like you might need to do some extra crate training with the male so he sees it as a happy place. if crated, they are safe, can't get themselves into mischief, and it will help them learn to hold it when you're out.

We tentatively un-crated our doglet at 11 months old, but he would have been straight back in there if there were any problems. Crate is still there and some days he chooses to sleep in it anyway.
 
Male dog is actually ok, I 'think' he only messes as he see's the female doing it (or perhaps Im blinded by love and he is just as bad! :D)
I never needed to crate him as a pup so wil try just crating female again.
Have just got the crate and set it up so will se how tonight goes, thanks for replies. :)
 
Really no use telling them off, they have no clue what you are telling them off for.
They may look guilty but so would i if i had someone telling me off for something i had no clue about.

I would crate them both.
 
If it were me, I'd dig the crate back out and make it real comfy and pleasant in there for her. My whippet bitch loves her crate and sees it as her bit of space. She doesn't resent being in there so doesn't mind spending the night in hers. Saves stepping in urine puddles and poops in the morning! As long as your dogs dont resent being in their crate there's nothing to feel bad about letting them spend the night in there. Just make sure someone's up bright and early to let them out without fail. :)
 
Looks like I might have trouble keeping them out of it!
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I'm sorry to be so rude but I do believe you are a liar...



How on earth can 2 such angelic gorgeous innocent looking creatures be causing such choas in your home??? I think you are mistaken and it's not them making all the mess and you should apologise now...actually forget that package them up and post them to me instead!!!:D
 
JSR - Butter wouldnt melt eh!????

Haha, I have to admit they are rather special little doggies and have the cutness to go with it.

Well after persuading Caleb to get out the crate last night before I went to bed Tara was more than happy to stretch out in the crate herself and go to sleep and get this - THERE WAS NO MESS THIS MORNING!!!!!!! :D :D :D
 
How old are they? I would be feeding them earlier in the day - if their last meal is at 4 and it takes 8 hrs for food to go through their gut that means they will need to poop at 12pm. I have 2 pups at the mo too a 6 mnth and a 5mnth and they get fed at the latest 2ish as it is still light now I can take them for a good run round the field before bed - so far no poops/pees in the house!!:D
I'd also crate both of them - always good to have incase you need to confine a pet - they won't panic if they are used to it, plus I think dogs like actually having their own little space and chill out area it's like a little den, plus if you have one loose and not the other the loose one will rile the other up and add stimulation rather than knowing that being in the crate means sleep time.
Ditto the others keeping youngsters in the kitchen - mine don't have free reign over the house unsupervised until they are 2 and they can conduct themselves in an adult fashion and don't poop/pee or chew!!!!:p
Also watch when they go out for a pee and give a command - not just chuck them out - mine will happily stay outside by the door and not pee/poop unless they are actually made to go further especially if raining!, they do grow out of it though I promise!!! I agree with others having had 2 pups from the same litter - it does slow things down training wise so do be patient there is a lightbulb moment eventually!!!!
 
We had the same problem so as we have a secure garden we installed a large dog flap in the backdoor,no more mess!
It is secured with an internal solid flap when we go out with the dogs so nobody can gain entry to the house in our absence, Oz
 
Alex - As they are still young I dont like the thought of them going for more than 16 hours without food, their first meal is at 8am and last is at 4pm. Tara has been crated every night for the last 2 nights for 7.5 hours, Caleb just sleep in his bed quite happilynext to the crate. Im starting to wonder if when Tara messed through the night Caleb was scent marking over it??? Gosh dogs they are delightful arent they! :rolleyes:

Anyway so far so good, 2 happy dogs, no mess = Happy me!

Ive also started to praise them more when they go outside reconfirming to them that is the place to do their business.

Unicornleather - Thats a good idea to have a flap but with the layout of my house it wouldnt work for us.

Thanks for replies :)

Oh and for those who have replied to my thread here are some pictures of the monkeys in the garden yesterday :D

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friesian80 said:
My 2 whippet pups were very easy to house train, they were born in the winter time so we worked away with the puppy pads but they soon learned to go outside to do their business.
My female whip went in a crate at night as she tended to chew up anything in sight.

At about 3 months though she was out the crate and it was put away.

Both female and male are now 7 months and every morning their is mess in the livingroom, also if I go out I will come home to mess (even if out for a very short time). They have also taken to chewing my rug which Ive now had to take out the sittingroom. I do tell them off when I get home to find this and they do look guilty like they know its wrong but its continuing. Being whippets it doesnt take much telling off for them to realise but im just wondering what I can do to improve the situation.

Im actually thinking to crate my female again during night time as I kow she is the instigator of chewing the rug and its her who I 'think' is doing most of the messing.

Any suggestions welcome!
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This may have been suggested - haven't read all the replies - but could they be getting cold in the night? My female smooth whippet/lurcher feels the cold easily and will occasionally pee in her room at night. Its a good indicator for me to put her jumper on a night!:)
 
Blazingsaddles - I dont thins she is getting too cold, Ive only left her fleece on for one night and she had pulled it off by the morning, their beds are right next to the storage heater so Id be surprised if they were cold.
Glad to report still no mess in the house, looks like the crate has worked. :)
 
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