She WAS housebroken

dss62467

dss62467

Cathlete
I don't get it. Cricket has been housebroken for months. I get up every morning at 4:30 to take her for a walk/run on weekdays. And I was up at 6:30 this morning running her. She was going to the bathroom in the house up until I started walking her daily. Then she stopped and only did it on the days she wasn't walked. Almost like a behavioral thing.

So she's been great up until this last week. She pooped inside 3 times yesterday and started to do it right in front of me a few minutes ago.

Do you think it could be that I'm running her everyday and it's too much for her, so she's rebelling? Or maybe because we have the new kitten here after Kuzco's death? She seems to enjoy both the runs and the kitty, so I just don't know. I DO know that it's not cool having her poop in my house!
 
Maybe she is sick? I have a 11 year old wire fox terrier that is mortified if she has an accident in the house.. the only time she does she has a stomach upset of some kind..

Deb
 
No, she's feeling fine. I think. I don't know. She seems fine. She's eating well and is playful and happy. But the thing is with this dog, she tends to go to the bathroom inside as a sort of rebellion against me. It wasn't easy housebreaking her because I had my knee surgery right after we got her and I couldn't really be on top of it.

She started to kind of blow me off in obedience class. She'd turn and sit with her back to me whenever I'd give her a command. She'd respond to the trainer, but not me. The trainer couldn't believe it. She'd never seen a dog do that before, but suggested I make an effort to walk her daily. Once I started doing that, she was almost immediately housebroken - and responded to my commands in class.

Then the weather got REALLY cold for a few weeks. We had a lot of snow and there was nowhere but the middle of the road where we could walk. So I didn't take the dogs out. She got really bad and started going in the house again - a lot. Even though I'd take her out and she'd go outside, she'd still do it inside.

Once the weather got a bit better, the daily walks started again and she stopped going in the house.

I think maybe what's going on with her is that I started crating her again at night. I had no choice because she was chasing the new kitten around and barking, and I couldn't sleep. Up until Jasmine (kitty) came, Cricket would sleep cuddled up next to me and it was very nice. She's a great cuddler. I think she was hurt that she had to be separated.

She's been better about chasing Jazz, so I've let her sleep with me the last couple nights and she hasn't gone in the house the last 2 days (knock wood). She didn't seem too keen on the run this morning, though. Duke and I were standing at the door waiting for her. Finally I gave her a "well? are you coming or what?" Then she came. Weird.

We'll see how she is after I'm gone for 10 days and nobody walks her! Maybe she'll appreciate me getting out of bed at 4:30 a.m. for her!
 
Donna, is Cricket your pug? I know I've had lots of trouble w/Max & it's all behavioral. It got better when I crate trained him & oddly enough after we lost Cosmo he stopped altogether. Then recently he's started again, & I attribute it to too many hours here & not enough QT w/him.

Can you crate her during the day & let her sleep w/you at night? That's what I've done w/Max & he seems to like it. He loves his crate--it's like his own little space & he even spends time there when I'm at home hanging out.
 
Cricket is a corgi. She's gated in the kitchen during the day and her crate is in there, but she has the run of that room and our family room. It's a laminate floor, so I don't worry about her in there.

She was always fine in her crate, but she'd much rather be spending the time with her pack. When I put her in it now, she starts digging trying to get out for a few minutes. Then settles.
 
Well, here's my suggestion--it's what's worked for Max (altho the little devil is smart enough to act out during the few times I'm around but not paying attention, like when I take a shower):

I keep him in the crate when I'm not home. Recently I've been letting him out after lunch since I take a late lunch, it means he really only has the run of the house for about 2 hours.

At night I shut the bedroom door. NOT ONCE has he ever gone in our bedroom. Seems like dogs will not go where they sleep. So in the day he's crated, & at night he only has access to the bedroom.

It's kept accidents to a minimum. I don't know if this is helpful or not, but Max & I are certainly happier together. :)
 
Closing the bedroom door worked w/ my dog when he was younger. Now we don't have a problem.

I have heard [except during the evening when sleeping] dogs should not be crated for long periods of time on a regular basis.
 
My dog sleeps in his crate at night because HE WILL go if he is left to run in the house. I used to let him sleep in our bed but he is a total hog and takes up the entire bed and I get no sleep. He doesn't mind it at all. I am home all day so he is not usually in his crate. He's an Italian Greyhound. It took about 4 days for him to get used to sleeping there but he's fine now.
LD
 
Yes, I know many people who crate in the evening and it works well. The trainers I heard say not to crate for long periods are refering to day time hours w/ no one home. I'm not a trainer just passing something I heard.
 
Max stays in his crate for about 4-5 hours, from the time I leave for work to the time I come home for lunch. I used to put him back in after lunch, but I realized the poor little guy needed access to water & to be able to stretch his legs a little.

Nevertheless, he still goes directly into the crate when I get ready to go back to work, I just don't latch it closed. Not only does he not seem to mind it, he seems to prefer being in there when he's all alone. I think it gives him a feeling of security.
 
Well, she's doing it when we're home with her. She doesn't do it overnight and doesn't do it when she's confined to the kitchen. I really think she's being a snotty teenager.
 
Well, the one thing you have to realize is that crate training isn't just about confining them when you're not there, it's about establishing who's the boss. One of the things I learned from Barkbusters is crate training is partly behavioral--it helps the dog understand it's not the alpha animal in the household. So maybe being a little more restrictive w/the crate could take the snottiness out of your teenager. ;-)
 
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