We have a 9 month old Staffordshire Bull Terrier bitch who still regularly goes to the toilet in the house. My husband works from home and she gets up to 5 walks of about 40 minutes each a day and we regularly throughout the day and night encourage her to go into our back garden to "go". However, we just can't seem to break her of this habit.

She goes to every manner of training classes and is in all other respects the perfect dog - extremely affectionate, well mannered etc. We never had this problem with our male Staff (who sadly died last year) so I am at my wits end as I don't want a house that smells!

She has been like this from the get go, and although she is nowhere near as bad as she was I need to know what we are doing wrong? Is it a bitch thing - we have only ever had boys before. I have tried all the tips I can find but there doesn't seem to be one particular area of the house she goes in.

Many thanks in advance... please save my carpets and my sanity!!! :)

Possibly she is just too tired to remember to ask to go out. No way does a 9 month old puppy need 5 walks of 4o mins a day. Two walks of that length would be ample and the rest of the time she could be TAKEN in the garden and someone stays with her until she empties. Then she can be praised. Also teach her a word such as "toilet" or "busy" which is said just as she is going so that she learns what is expected of her.

The rule of thumb for walks for any breed from Rottie to Chihuahua, is 5 minutes for every month of age.

So your girl is being very, very over exercised.  45 minutes is all that is required per day.  So only 22 minutes there, and 22 minutes back.  You are setting her up for health/bone problems.

From the time you brought her home, I assume that you have been taking  her out every hour, staying with her, and encouraging her to perform, with rewards and lots of praise when she performs?

>and we regularly throughout the day and night encourage her to go into our back garden to "go".

You say "encourage her to go out"  do you mean that she has to go out while you wait inside?   She doesn't know that humans like dogs to toilet outside.  We have to show them what behaviour is required.

If you have done things religiously, and shown her correctly, just go back to basics and treat her as an 8 week old puppy again.

> If you have done things religiously, and shown her correctly, just go back to basics and treat her as an 8 week old puppy again.

Wise advice from JSW :)  It's perfectly possible that you thought she'd mastered this and just stopped too soon, or she might be regressing a bit due to the nasty weather we're having lately.  Keep your coat by the back door and take her out on a lead, to the same place in your garden each time, and wait with her til she's finished.  Be prepared to hang about as it will take a bit longer at her age and keep your pocket full of tasty treats to reward her.

Inside, watch her like a hawk and use gates to keep her on a wipe clean floor for the times you can't watch her.  Don't tell her off for getting it wrong, just wait until she gets it right to give lots of praise. 

Persevere :)

Hi,
I think the best way to tackle this is to treat your youngster as If she were a newly arrived pup! Please don't think I am in any way critiscising what you have tried so far because I really am not but I think your little girl is probably confused and has never really understood that she should not go in the house.She is probably picking up on your anxiety and hence the reason she sneaks off to toilet.Not saying you are chastising her but dogs can always pick up on our emotions even if we don't utter a word.

I would try the following
1) every hour during the day take her outside on a lead to where you want her to toilet.Do not wander around all over but pick just a small area of the garden.(yes every hour I'm afraid)Use a timer to remind you if this helps

2) pick a word such as hurry up and try to say this in an upbeat manner without sounding anxious. Try to avoid too much eye contact if she trys to jump up wanting to play

3)When she does have a wee or poo tell her good girl and give her a treat,something nice and tasty and give her a pat.

4) if after 5 mins she hasn't done wee etc then take her indoors without saying anything and take her lead off and repeat process in an hour.Don't stay out for much longer than this as she will probably switch off and start to want to play or wander around.

5) don't give her free acess all over the house while you are toilet training,either keep her in the room where your husband is or put her in kitchen or a confined area.if she is used to a crate pop her in that when you can't watch her but not for too long a time, or you could use a puppy pen or put a stair gate up to create a small area in say a utility room.

6)ignore any accidents in the house,don't say anything to your dog just clean up with a biological cleaner

7) try to keep a record of when she does actually toilet and you may see a pattern over a few days and try to prempt when she is most likely to need to go,such as first thing in the morning within an hour of a meal or after a nap etc

the most impotant thing is to be consistent,too praise the toileting as soon as she has gone in the desired place,ignore accidents and for a while to accompany the dog into the garden whatever the weather.

the majority of this is going to fall on your husbands shoulders as he is the one in the house with her for most of the day.She is still only a youngster and hopefully will get the hang of things.I equate toilet training a dog to being like potty training a child and by that I mean you have to set aside time for the penny to drop. If after a week she starts to toilet on command when on the lead then you can stop using it but still go outside with her for a few more weeks until she really knows what it is she is outside for and keep on using your desired toilt word.after a few weeks of sucess then she can have more free acess to rooms in the house

hope this helps and I'm sure others will have more tips but I would suggest you pick a method and stick to that one,not necessarily mine,to avoid overloading and causing stress and confusion for yourself and your dog

best of luck

Sorry iF my post sounds like a repeat of the others but I am so slow on the computer and this took me 20 mins to type much to my teenagers amusement!!

Has she had her first season yet.

My two youngest house-trained very easily for solid matter but both continued to have odd accidents (if we went out for more than about two hours) until after their first season, so both were over 9 months before developing cast iron bladeders..

Both had very tiny/infantile lady bits and I do wonder if things inside were correspondingly immature.

Staffies in general hate cold and wet, so this, immaturity, perhaps confusion as to importance of going only outside may be combining, and as others have said i would treat as an 8 week old puppy and start house-training from scratch.

I SOOOOOO wish we had a like button, Japmum.  I cried myself laughing at your second post!! Ooooooo, funny.

I've nothing better to add other than reward the correct behaviour with brilliant treats.  I had a friend who dropped the rewards far too quickly and the dog 'went off' the idea of doing good!

As others have said, way too much exercise, this may actually be inhibiting her mental and physical development. remember her urinary sphincter muscles have to develop and strengthen to enable her to hold urine. Every single bit of energy she has at the moment is probably going to keeping up on this OTT exercise regime ( a bit like getting your child to do a marathon every day!! Short bursts of interactive play with you are better, with one short walk a day.

She is still very much a youngster.

As others have also said, take her right back to basics and treat her like a 7/8 week old pup. Limit her freedom in the house - keep her in the kitchen and immediately and without comment thoroughly clean any accidents, using washing powder/liquid, followed by something like white spirit to remove any smells which will trigger her to urinate/defecate again. Make sure the rest of the house is thoroughly cleaned too and don't let her in there for now.

I wonder did you or her breeder use puppy training pads. Some dogs and it is more often bitches, get confused about where to go and they make an association  between going indoors. It is possible that she is picking up on your frustration/ anxiety and this is making her anxious and confused too. The next time she goes carefully wipe it all up and then place the tissue in the part of the garden you want her to go- keep doing this and the smell outside may help to trigger her to go there.

It will not be easy, however, and you are going to have to be patient and really consistent. Therefore, every time she eats, after a play, after a sleep, you take her outside and wait- occupy yourself, perhaps listen to the radio on your mobile 'phone, if you have one, Just be really calm and don't let her feel you are focussing on her, most of all do not be impatient. If she manages to go outside, praise and reward her at the end of the 'event', but make sure it is not a second after, or she will not know what you are rewarding.

Be aware also that some bitches in particular do not like to urinate/defecate while being watched, this could be because somewhere along the line they have made an association between you getting cross/frustrated/anxious about the 'act' and so she does her best not to do it in front of you. Staffs are often very sensitive to our body language.

It may be worth considering crating her at night- few dogs will willingly soil their bedding. With any luck she will cry and then you can come down and go out with her. However, you do need to get to her each time, for this to work and she also needs to let you know.

For what it is worth I worked with a dog who had a house training issue and we discovered that the root of the problem was that the owner felt embarassed when the dog went on the pavement. The owner had never actively told the dog off or stopped the dog going outside, but the pup had picked up on the owner's embarassment and refused to go outside. Just goes to show how tiny things can have a massive effect on a sensitive dog.

Have nothing to add to the good advice re-training but I am amazed that anyone would spend 4 hours of the day walking even a high activity adult dog let alone a puppy. Far to much for a terrier anyway, on the odd occasion it would be all right for an adult but not every day nor every week it is just not needed and would leave no time to train or play.

have you had her checked for a water infection?

I do hope that the OP comes back with a response to the extremely sensible advice offered.

You must go out with your dog every time and like was said earlier take to a certain spot and use a word- praise/treat when done.
If puppy didn't go then either crate or leash to you- then take out again about 5-10 min later and do all over again. Once puppy
has done full business that is only when you will allow free time out- but remember you must be able to watch 100%.

I found leash training my one worked wonders, every where I went so did he- he was tied to me lol by the time he was 4
months he was having play time (I was able to give 100% of my time and allow him off leash) and wow he went to the door,
scooped him out and we both went- did that for a lil longer and after a week I didn't have to go with him any more. If I was having a bath
I would kennel him.

My new puppy Moose who has just turned 3 months on monday- we took her out a lot of freezing times outside. Then I started bringing the Boston's
with me every time. After a bit she would go out with them when they went and now she actually goes to the door on her own- the other dogs helped.
We can now say Moose have to go outside and she will go to the door, or stop in a middle of a play and off to the door. But if we are not watching her she
will squat so we always have eye's on her.

It just all comes down to having 100% watching her- don't give her crap that will only cause her to hide it when she has to go, and also try not to let her see
you clean it up, if so don't make a big deal out of it. If you catch her about to pee make a loud noise (shake can works great) usually stops them and you can take
her straight outside.

You must go out with your dog every time and like was said earlier take to a certain spot and use a word- praise/treat when done.
If puppy didn't go then either crate or leash to you- then take out again about 5-10 min later and do all over again. Once puppy
has done full business that is only when you will allow free time out- but remember you must be able to watch 100%.

I found leash training my one worked wonders, every where I went so did he- he was tied to me lol by the time he was 4
months he was having play time (I was able to give 100% of my time and allow him off leash) and wow he went to the door,
scooped him out and we both went- did that for a lil longer and after a week I didn't have to go with him any more. If I was having a bath
I would kennel him.

My new puppy Moose who has just turned 3 months on monday- we took her out a lot of freezing times outside. Then I started bringing the Boston's
with me every time. After a bit she would go out with them when they went and now she actually goes to the door on her own- the other dogs helped.
We can now say Moose have to go outside and she will go to the door, or stop in a middle of a play and off to the door. But if we are not watching her she
will squat so we always have eye's on her.

It just all comes down to having 100% watching her- don't give her crap that will only cause her to hide it when she has to go, and also try not to let her see
you clean it up, if so don't make a big deal out of it. If you catch her about to pee make a loud noise (shake can works great) usually stops them and you can take
her straight out.

I have a female shih tzu of ten months who has taken to defacating on the sofa. I put pepper on it in desperation it was getting that bad and she climbed up even higher onto the back of it and did it on there. Even with the door open to the garden she will still use the sofa. The other two are house trained but she is the underdog and very timid. I accept it may be that she is trying to get higher for self esteem but what on earth can I do. I spent months caging her and taking her out and standing out with her - within minutes of coming back in the house as soon as my back is turned she will go on the sofa - pure nightmare. Fortunately this is not our main lounge this is the family/ doggie lounge but now no one wants to watch TV in their because of her :0(  It takes me days to strip it all down and wash all the covers and get them dry in this weather - if I cover it she pulls the covers off.

You need to go back to basics, never leave her unattended where she can gets the opportunity to soil where she wants.

Put a leash on her and fasten it to you, she will then be with you at all times, when this isn't possible pop her in a crate.

When cleaning up after her use biological washing liquid as it works on urine and faeces to kill any smell left behind.

I would add to that, if it is only the one sofa she is choosing it might help if you could move it? either out of the room or to a different place in the room. It might just help to break the habit, combined with extra vigilance.

I too would remove the sofa from the room for a while. Then go back to basics and treat her like a baby puppy again. If you cannot remove it try turning it upside down for a while after all if no one wants to sit on at the moment it won't matter !! You need to break the habit.
Aileen

Don't mean to hijack this but its so pertinent to what I am going through. We have 'acquired' a 9 month old lab and I want to try and get her nearer to asking to go out?? I do everything that has been suggested - standing outside, praise, intercepting, knowing when it ineveitable however there are occasions when she just decides to go! I could be hoovering, or even on loo myself!

My 8 year old asks to go out. Always. I cannot quite remember how I have managed that though!

Tips always welcomed.
Sx

I have had 9 dogs so far (8 of my present breed) and only one or two asked to go out.  Some would stand by the back door or stare pointedly at me.

I simply give numerous opportuniteis for the dogs to go out, most often they are sent out for a pee etc at regualr intervals based on age and needs.

As I have a breed that can be vocal if not discouraged.  I concntrate on them not attention barking so you train to your situation/needs.

I have a cast iron bell hanging by the back door and would ring it each time I put them out, it was a novelty to start with but they soon leant that if it rang they would be put out regardless of whether they had just come in or how bad the weather was.

Now they barely nose it rather than grabbing the rope and shaking the life out of it.

Ah I like the sound of the bell thing! I did wonder if there was some sort of device i could place under the carpet on the way that would beep/shriek to alert me? Probs not. Thing is, if I am not in and its the OH despite my best efforts he is not trained in knowing to spot the signs either. Maybe a bell round his neck? Ha. Thanks guys. Keep them coming!

Since I got my bell I thought about a wireless doorbell, put the button at dog level[on the floor it would get damaged]and teach the dog to nose or paw it, make sure it presses easily, try them out in B&Q or the likes.

MMMMM, do they do infra red things like those alarm things you see do you think?? B&Q, I am on the way!! Thank you!!x

Neither do 4 out of 5 of mine, though it depends what you meant as asking I think. If you expect them to walk to the door, point and bark you'd be disappointed but they do drift towards the door more often or generally get fidgety   which I take as my cue. the oldest dog I have will go inside (never properly house-trained) if I miss it, the others would mostly hold it until absolutely desperate rather than go inside. My youngest bitch will come and find me and give me a pointed stare! though the 'look' can either mean she needs to go out, is hungry or really really BORED!!. bit of a process of elimination to decide which. also they have the routine of usual walk times, they also get offered the door in between whiles but usually refuse, and mr unreliable gets turfed out with monotonous regularity! I've always wondered if mine were the only ones who don't shout for the door and rely on me mind-reading.

I've wondered about a bell or buzzer but not sure how to teach the dog to ring it? and I've got a sneaky suspicion that they'd ring it whenever there was a noise they waned to investigate..................