Housebreaking
Hi. I’m new here and mom to 6 doxies (5 rescues and 1 adopted baby). My recent adoption was a three year old female who had been running loose for awhile. She was in pretty bad shape but with some love and vet care she is a completely different baby now. She gained alot of weight (ok, too much) and loves to play ball every single minute of the day. However, I am having trouble with the housebreaking. She will go outside but mainly just to socialize with the others. Then she comes in and finds a nice spot - never the same one - and leaves a huge puddle (she’s a pretty big girl). Pooping too, but that doesn’t ruin the floors. She also dislikes the rain (we live in the Pacific Northwest and have had nothing but rain, rain, rain). I take her out on a leash and she will do her potties, but its almost like she saves some for later in the house. Any suggestions? I have 2 boys that don’t like the rain either and find little spots to do their business. My youngest baby boy (he’s 3 too) won’t potty on a walk for anything no matter how long the walk is. Any suggestions?
November 22, 2006 @ 6:44 pm
You can pitch a tent outside and live in that and let the wieners have the house.
November 23, 2006 @ 3:20 am
Thanks Spanky…..I sometimes think that I have already done that!
Firstly may I congratulate you Luv Doxies on rescuing so many! A whole houseful. I too rehomed 5 unwanted ones, all except Hughie, as adults. The housebreaking issue was, and still is, a difficult one, as none were housebroken when I got them. My girl Heather (now 13 and a half, deaf and very grumpy) still will wee inside if she is annoyed with me. Luckily it doesn’t happen often, as she has trained me well! I haven’t cracked that one in the 12 years she’s been with me. The boys have chosen only one or two spots, and I have covered that with lino. I regularly clean it with smell removal stuff from the pet shop and that helps. Maybe Rhona (Rhuari and Chase) can help. She’s our housebreaking expert.
As far as the rain business is concerned…. I have yet to meet a dachsie who will willingly go outside in the rain. I am sure that they are genetically programmed to hate water!
Good luck and welcome to the HDB.
Harry’s Mum
November 24, 2006 @ 10:57 pm
Both of mine are rescues, and my Anna was loose for a while like your girl. At first we had accidents, too. Both would do well on the leash, but were not interested in the yard. But that had to change before winter set in, so I started with small treats after they did a job outside in the yard. Didn’t take long for them , espacially Anna, to catch on. They still prefer walks, and Smokey hates the rain, too. In winter I have to shovel paths thru the snow for them.