The Puppy Who Almost Broke Me - a house training tale of woe

Desi Arnaz - the latest dog I’ve added to my very long “Dogs I would steal” list

I mostly work with dogs showing some concerning behaviors that are often labeled “fear or aggression.” So, getting the chance to work with a puppy is a real treat for me. These little sponges who quickly learn to learn and don’t have a learning history that includes people as “bad” in any way make my job pretty easy and really fun. Sure, they have lots of energy, and those sharp little puppy teeth, and they may squat to pee or poop at any minute, so you really have to stay alert and ready to act. But, generally speaking, I love the chance to train puppies.

And the puppy I’m writing about today is no exception when it comes to how quickly he is learning new things. He’s staying with me for a week and we’re approaching halfway through right now. He’s learning all the basic “manners” sort of things quickly. Leave it, go to your bed, stay, come, touch - he’s nearly aced all those already in just three and a half days. We’ll keep making those harder with longer durations, distances, and distraction levels while also adding new behaviors each day. So, in that regard, he’s just what I hope for when I get to work with a puppy.

But then there’s house training. This little fellow is Desi. He’s a lovely young Havanese who comes from a reliable breeder and lives with experienced dog owners. They reached out to me even before Desi came home (what a smart move - plan ahead when you’re getting a puppy!). And we talked about the pros and cons of me teaching them how to teach their dog vs. me bringing him here for a week of training and we all agreed on the latter. The plan was to spend a solid week on all those manners things. But before he came here, it became clear that the biggest issue for everyone was his constant peeing and pooping inside.

We can never know what another animal is thinking. But it sure looked like Desi was convinced that peeing or pooping outside was for heathens and the proper thing for civilized dogs to do was to hold it no matter how long you stayed outside and finally get the relief he needed the minute he got back into his playpen or crate. This is the opposite of what most people want their dog believing, and yet Desi seemed convinced he was doing the right thing. And every time he did it, the relief it brought seemed to reinforce the idea - so it was more and more likely to happen again. We were on a downward spiral and needed to change this behavior ASAP. While dogs can (and do) continue to learn throughout their entire lives, new habits are easier to change than long-established ones. This one was getting stronger by the day.

So, his folks asked me to focus on that more than anything else.

I admit that I took on the job with real confidence and nonchalance. Heck, I’ve worked with LOTS of dogs. We’ve raised a few who live here. And I’ve counseled tons of people about the process including the importance of consistency and vigilance and assured them that they’d live through it and things would get better if they did their part. And, sure enough, people reported back to me regularly that things DID improve and their dog was having fewer and fewer accidents in the house or none at all. I was confident that I could lick this problem right away. Heck, I’M A PROFESSIONAL!

He arrived late morning. We spent hours outside and I never took my eyes off of him. He never once eliminated. I took him inside, popped him into a small crate just so I could set up his playpen - and he peed on his blanket within two minutes. So, I set up another playpen outside to keep him confined while I set up his indoor playpen. Once it was ready, I brought him inside, placed him in his bed, gave him a few tiny treats and a chew stick expecting he’d lie down with it and doze off for an afternoon nap. But before he did that, he pooped as I turned my back just long enough to fetch a soda from the refrigerator (within site of the playpen!). So far, he had spent more time peeing and pooping in the house than doing anything else (cuddling, playing, training, sleeping - all perfectly good alternatives he hadn’t considered).

There was pee and poop inside the playpen the next morning. Each time that happened, I was fastidious about cleaning. He’s on a nonabsorbent surface, so I started by dabbing it up with paper towels, then soaking the area in a cleaner meant for the job. Regular household cleaners won’t do the trick. Even bleach based products will leave behind just enough of the scent to encourage dogs to return to the area for future elimination. I’d let the cleaner sit for a few minutes to really break up the residue before cleaning it up. I even carried him in my arms for a visit to the pet store to buy an additional gallon of the Nature’s Miracle Advanced.

I was doing EVERYTHING RIGHT!

I spent the next seven and a half hours outside with the puppy. We played, trained, and cuddled, I gardened while he “helped” by digging next to me or by grabbing weeds I’d pulled and redistributing them to other areas of the yard where they’ll undoubtedly re-root to be pulled again at a future date. He became cautious buddies with my own two adult dogs who were sometimes annoyed by his puppy energy (but were always appropriately restrained in their responses when they’d had enough). He followed Joker around wherever he went and sat to watch Juno from a safe distance away. He was clearly having a good time exploring the many plants I’ve planted, punctuated by cute puppy zoomies as he flew down the various paths in the yard. He ate breakfast and lunch outside, drank water and had an entirely normal day.

And I never saw him peeing or pooping.

Now, to be fair, he’s tiny (five pounds today) and his “squat” is easy overlooked. So, it IS possible I missed something. But I don’t think so. I was watching. Or at least I was trying. Finally, it was time to go inside.

Within two minutes, he peed.

I scooped him up, rushed him outside mid-pee and realized that he was one of those unusual dogs who doesn’t immediately turn off the flow when lifted. He peed all the way to the back door - including on my pant leg and shoe before I held him away from my body. I laughed and figured he’d finish after I put him down and we could then celebrate his peeing outside and we’d build on that. As soon as I put him down, he stopped. Literally, not a drop. That was Monday - today is Wednesday.

I just kept at it (what else could I do?). I followed all my own rules that I give to my clients. We went outside…

• immediately upon waking up from a nap or first thing in the morning

• ten minutes into rambunctious play

• ten minutes after drinking or eating (which I soon learned was too late - he’s going to pee about two minutes after he drinks, so I adjusted accordingly)

• every thirty minutes otherwise (when he’s awake - I don’t wake up sleeping dogs to go out)

And it started working. Because we were outside when he was mostly likely in need, I caught him peeing outside - and I threw a party. He had no idea why treats were falling from the sky while he was being praised and petted after he finished. But I knew that he’d make the connection eventually. Later that day, he pooped outside. And he’s done both several times since then.

Yes, he’s also had a few accidents. And I know that each time that happens, it gives him more practice building that undesirable habit. So, I try hard to make sure get him empty before bringing him in. And, if he does have an accident, I count it as my own and I calmly secure him in the outside playpen while I clean up inside and try again. No punishment for him. He’s doing what comes naturally and it’s up to me to help him learn that there are advantages to peeing and pooping outside. (Punishment for housetraining accidents can backfire in a number of ways - including teaching the dog that you’re not safe or, at least it’s not safe to pee in front of you - then you end up with a dog peeing behind the couch or around the corner out of your sight. That’s not better. In my book, it’s worse.)

And now, I’m continuing. We’re only on the third full day, so I don’t expect this to be entirely “solved.” I typically tell people that it’ll be three weeks at a minimum. So, we’re just getting started. But I found that taking him to a certain spot in our yard greatly increases the chance that he’ll eliminate there. Of course, it’s the farthest corner in the yard and we’re having unseasonably cold weather (mild to many, but Floridians think we’re freezing). So, I’m shivering in the back corner of the yard, trying to be boring so as not to distract, but occasionally coaxing him back if he wanders (or zooms) off to see something else. And then I see him catch a scent and you can almost see the lightbulb above his head turn on - OH! THIS IS WHERE I PEED BEFORE AND, COME TO THINK OF IT, I DO NEED DO GO RIGHT NOW.

And when he’s done, he’s started looking my way as if to ask, “hey, does this mean treats are coming?”

I think we’re going to survive after all.