1 year old pup still frequent in house accidents

[Ambergurr]

Guys, this dog is my perfect dog, but she is not getting the potty training thing.  I know that is always the people's fault, so I'm trying to devise a plan.  I have 8 kids.  I try to tell them not to let her in the house, that I'm the only one that can let her back in....but any time anyone wants to go out back, she comes in and I can't keep up with it.  We got new carpet on our entire 2nd floor THIS week and she peed on it tonight.  She almost NEVER has pee accidents.  It's almost always poo.....which I feel like is just totally unpredictable.  I don't see a pattern at all in when she goes.  We didn't really crate train.  We made our bathroom like the crate I guess and we just take her straight out every morning.  She often gets a walk after being outside for 15-30 minutes.  I do praise her when I see her go potty outside.  She goes to the correct area in the yard.  She is learning that often when we put her out, that is what we want her to go and do.  I just don't get how they are supposed to poo on command, and I think part of it is just that she doesn't know how to tell us she has to go.  Not sure if I'm giving her too much credit or not.

Anyway, my husband keeps threatening to get rid of her because of this issue, but he really does like everything else about her and I know we can get past this.  Do I need to buy an actual crate and have her in it constantly unless I have SEEN her poop outside barely? (I actually worry then that she's not done, because that has also happened--coming right in after pooing, then pooing some more.)  When I let her in and she stays RIGHT with me, she's great.....unless I get distracted and she leaves my side (not often because I usually put her right back out if I can't make sure she's right by me in that moment AND she's pretty good to stay right with me).  The problem is generally others letting her in, me not knowing, and her wandering the house freely, especially if I have no idea how long she's been in.  I have talked with the kids several times....again, 2 year old, or kids just wanting to play make it challenging.  I really want this to work.  TIA

[ShellyF]

Training to go ‘on command’ really has to start from the get go. Every time our little guy did a pee we said ‘go empty’ then praised. Every time he did a poop we said ‘ Number Twos’ and then praised. Now when he hears those words he’ll pretty much go on command. 

Peeing on new carpet could easily be marking. Our last dog (female) would always pee on someone’s carpet if we were visiting them for the first time which was embarrassing!

I am not sure why your dog is pooping in the house or how to better get your kids involved. If she has already pooped outside and these are additional pooping accidents then I would seek advice from your vet. Might be a health issue. 

 

[jami74]

Has she been dewormed? Is she eating at regular intervals? Are they 'normal' well formed or runny? Our boy gives warning he needs to poo, even when out his nose goes to the ground and he trots backwards and forwards before squatting. Maybe she isn't getting the warning she needs. I realised at one point when he was younger that we were probably over feeding him because he was doing multiple soft poos a day, so we cut back a bit and that reduced them and firmed them up.

Could you have a stair gate on the first inside door, so that if your kids let her back in she's restricted to just that room rather than being able to go upstairs?

[D'Elle]

Have the dog checked out by a vet, just to rule out any problems she might have that cause or contribute to this.

It sounds to me as if the potty training on this dog was not complete and consistent enough from the get go. At this point I recommend that you start from the beginning again. Use a crate; yes, an actual crate. Keep her crated any time she is in the house and not under your constant supervision. Take her outside very frequently and praise her if she goes potty. Then bring her in again and put her into the crate unless you are keeping her right by your side and paying attention so that she won't wander off. 

In order to train a dog successfully, everyone in the household must be on board with the training and be consistent with the training protocol. This has not happened, and the dog is now confused. You can retrain this but only if it is done with 100% consistency. This is very hard with very young children.  I suggest you talk to the kids and tell them if they do not go along with the training program at all times they may face the loss of the dog, and simultaneously you do something to make sure that your younger kids cannot let her out or in on their own. This is why you need the crate.  

It is unlikely that you will ever have this dog 100% reliable unless you can get everyone to contribute 100%, or prevent them from doing otherwise.