Hi & Help!!

[karengp]

Hi
I am in desperate need of some advice with my two beautiful bichons.
My first one is two years old and her bad habits are peeing on beds and not wanting to go outside to go to the toilet when its raining, therefore when we get up in the morning she has poo-ed in the kitchen.
My other beauty is about 12 wks old and she is getting there with her toilet training but in the mornings before we wake she has done at least two lots of poos, which we clean up, then when we return to the room 10-15 mins later there is always more. She knows to pee on paper or outside, however shes just not getting it when it comes to numbers 2's!
I am begging for help!!!! Are bichons just lazy??
Any comments would be greatly appreciated as I am at the end of my rope with them - i dont want a smelly house!
Thanks.
Karen :)

[Patch O' Pits]

Try crate training.

[catcher T]

IMO,,bichons are the hardest breed to potty train,,don't know why,,I would put them in crates like they are puppies and start all over with them,,taking them outside every 2 hrs and right back in the crate they go,,if they use the bathroom in the crate,make the area they are in small,,and take them out more often,,I would not let them have run of the house

[spencersmom]

crate training is the best way to make sure they don't go while you sleep, but if you don't want to do that, then you might try some of my tricks. i always take out my dog the last thing before i go to bed at night, and VERY first thing in the morning, as well as 30 minutes after every meal. it may seem like a lot of in and out, but dogs (especially young/small ones) have to go often! i have a friend who trained her dog to use a litter box and she loves it! in the morning the pee is all in one place and she just cleans it right up, no ruined carpet or messy floors/pee tracked everywhere. good luck!

How to Litter Box Train Your Dog! (http://litterboxtrainyourdog.biz/?hop=kbeutjer)
How to House Train Any Dog! (http://www.dog-trainer-pro.com/pottytrain.htm?hop=kbeutjer)

[SiNNiK]

IMO,,bichons are the hardest breed to potty train,,don't know why,,I would put them in crates like they are puppies and start all over with them,,taking them outside every 2 hrs and right back in the crate they go,,if they use the bathroom in the crate,make the area they are in small,,and take them out more often,,I would not let them have run of the house
ditto. :D

[Tori's mom]

Definately crate train. If you can't watch them crate them (within reason of course!). The fewer accidents they have the faster they will potty train. When you see one "getting ready" pick them up and get them outside. Treats helped my little one figure out that potty outside is a great thing. Just give treats immediately after they finish their business and be sure to tell them how great they are. You can also start using a cue such as "go potty" as they start to go and eventually they will go when you use your cue. Helpfull if you take them on alot of car trips. If you are having trouble watching them try attaching a leash to your belt during the day, if they cant get out of sight you have a much better chance of preventing accidents. Good luck with your pups! Hope this helps.

[ClarkFarm]

Crate-training, when properly done, works wonders. My little dog, a chihuahua/pekingnese/pug cross (yes, shes unique, lol) was adopted by me when she was almost 2 years old. Her previous owners had not taught her to be housebroken but they did choose to beat her whenever she messed in the house so the only thing she knew was that if she had to pee somewhere, she had better go hide and do it and then afterwards I would find her trembling in a corner and I knew that she had an accident somewhere. I did crate-training with her when I saw how traumatized she really was and within 2 months, she was completely trained and now she has run of the house without ever going inside. The crate is left out and she will still voluntarily enter it when she wants to be alone but it is no longer needed as far as housebreaking goes.
I had to keep a strict schedule with her...meaning if she hadn't eliminated outside then she was put back into the crate. If she did mess inside the crate, I said nothing but made sure to thoroughly clean it up. This way, you dog will get only positive reaction for doing her business outside and it is this praise that helps it work as well.

And I am proud to note that my little Zoey no longer cowers or shakes and has become quite the flirt with visitors though she has pledged her loyalty to me and makes sure she claims my lap if I am sitting.

[lesley jane]

I have never crate trained a dog but the advice sounds good.

I have a 10 year old Golden retriever although its a long time ago now I remember her being fairly easy to train.

I have a nearly 9 week old Staffy now also and she is learning really quickly. I did buy a litter tray for her as I thought "at least its all in one place" But we had no success with that at all, I'm sure she thought it was a bed :rolleyes: I gave up on that after a few days and decided to just take her out more often. Within 2 days we had no number twos and with have very few wees in the house now, just one over night and the same during the day if she is left while I am at work (I'm sure this is just not being able to hold for that long, but she is getting better)

We have had Yemi for nearly two weeks now and she is near enough weeing on demand. I watch her all the time and take her out after feeding, after playing, after eating and anytime she looks like she might need it :) I stay with her the whole time so that I am on hand to praise her as soon as.
I also (for the first few days) said "do the wee" every time she did. She's great now :) Last thing at night when I don't want to be wandering around the garden for hours I just take her out and say do the wee and off she goes.
I haven't used food treats as she is such a gluts anyway :rolleyes:

It's really worked well. But its taken a lot of watching and running outside. Wow it's worth the effort tho

[catcher T]

even if u never plan on using a crate at home,,I can't imagine not crate training,,everyone should,,just incase the dog goes to the groomer or gets boarded somewhere

[Bonesdaddy]

Try to get them on a eating/drinking schedule. Right after they drink let them out. When they look like they need to take care of business, ie sniffing/circling around, take them out. Also crate train them to it'll work wonders lol. My dog would of been a terror without the trusting crate. Just don't overuse it and confine him in there for long stretches of time though cuz then it will defeat the purpose and he may urinate/deficate in his kennel. Also try to use a kennel that is appropriatly sized for the dogs. Not too big not too small, because they don't like to soil where they sleep or eat. You could also feed them in their cage so they eat in there cage which makes less likly to soil it.

[karengp]

Thanks for all your great advice! It is much appreciated.
As it is mostly only early in the morning it is happening I will have to look into the crate training some more, especially for pup. The thing is, my bichons are trained to go outside through a doggy door, and they do, except, like i said, early in the morning and sometimes when we have been gone all day. Not sure if my older one will like the crate but may try with the younger pup.

Any ideas and/or advice with them peeing on the bed? My older dog is definately housetrained apart from this - she is ok when we are in there with her, however we have to close all doors throughout the house (which is a pain) so she doesnt do it when we are not in there. Then the other night, we put puppy on the bed with us - and she did it straight away too!!! Couldnt believe it! I dont think its because of a possible previous odour from urine on the blankets/duvets as they are drycleaned, especially when they have wet on them.
Help!??! More advice would be greatly appreciated.

[karengp]

My older dog will use the litter tray but the pup just digs it all out so this is not an option.

[Reggies mom]

Our Boston, Winston, occasionally will have an accident. We have thought about doggie diapers for him for at night. I wouldn't do this for a younger dog as they should be trained. Winston, on the other hand, is almost completely blind and gets disorientated sometimes and that is where the problem lies..so I think the diapers would work well for him.

[trackdown]

Crate training is the ONLY solution. The principle of this is to CONTROL your dog's by not allowing undesirable behavior. The crate should be a safe haven (bed and foodd) and NEVER a form of punishment. It should be just large enough for a bed and some newspapers for "the bathroom." Ideally, you'll take the dog OUTSIDE immediately after waking & eating & frequently during the day - with lots of praise for using the "outside" bathroom. This can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks- depending upon how diligent you are in creating the desirable bathroom habits. Often, after deligent crate training, you can put newspapers or "piddle pad" in a location that they will use during the night. But they should definitely be crated at night & ONLY be allowed to roam free in a LIMITED part of the house WHERE YOU ARE PRESENT to supervise all activities.