Hi . I have a one year old Bichon which I have failed in the toilet training area of things. I wondering if she will ever be trained. How do i train her???? Are Bichons more difficult to train???

I grew up with a Bichon, in his 17 years he was never fully house trained.

Oh no. this is causing friction in the home. my partner wants her to go if she carries on peeing etc in the house. I couldnt let her go.

I had a conversation with a fellow Bichon owner yesterday and she was moaning big time about her 'dirty' boys peeing every where. At her wits end with them I think. Hebeboots may be along soon to tell you herself. It seems to be par for the course with them I'm afraid. I hope your predicament can be solved.

Hi Bichon Baby.

Is it any particular time/place this is happening?

I have two Bichon bitches who I have had no problem with but my mum has a male and had a lot more problems, although I blame this on my mum's inability to have any sort of routine and the assumption that her dog can wait until she is ready to go out with him.

I would suggest that you go right back to basics and start again with taking her outside after meals and on waking, giving her the command to go and praising when she does.  Both my bitches go on command last thing at night - even if they have only been a short while earlier and end up only making a small effort - so it is possible to achieve.

Hope that helps

Andrea

Hello Bichon Baby,

Yes unfortunately it is a problem common in Bichons.I've also heard that they're not great to be left on their own for any length of time but im not sure how true that is.
As Andi said it may be a case of going right back to the beginning. GOing out every half hour or so. It may get a bit tiresome but better that than have to get rid of her because your partner is unhappy. Also, what are you cleaning up the wee with? If the dog can smell their scent they will keep going back to the places they have been before to re mark their scent again.

Yes I do think Bichons are quite hard to house train.  Mine was 8 months before he was fully house trained.  He did get separation anxiety for a while though but I discovered that was because when I went out I used to put him in the kitchen behind a dog gate but leave the door open so he could see into the lounge but he used to get really worked up and wee and poo everytime I left him - even only for 20 mins.  He used to get all wet round his mouth too with getting so worked up.  I have now solved the problem by letting him have the run of the house when I leave him - although its not often he's on his own.  He is exceptionally clean now and always asks to go in the garden - even at 4 o'clock in the morning (thankfully its not often he does this)  He's nearly 4 years old now and is a fantastic dog in every way.  My sister had two female Bichons years ago and from what I remember they were always clean in the house after being housetrained except for when they got old.

Hi Bichon baby,

Yes unfortunately they are harder to house train than a lot of breeds. I have three boys, but there in is the problem - two entire marking males and one neuter that copies (monkey see, monkey do), I had three bitches before and all were hard work, but again there were three of them, all copying each other. You have an advantage as you only have one girl, and it CAN be done, just will take you a little more determination and watching her like a hawk. My girls were at their worst when we left them, we always called it there 'protest pee/poo' they didn't suffer seperation anxiety, but were more annoyed that they couldn't come to. :-)
Make a MASSIVE fuss of her when she does her business outside, bichons live to please and love getting praised. I am in a different position to you, as I said, their entire young boys, hormones racing all over the place, and pleasing me takes second place to their marking instincts. :-)
Don't lose heart, I'm sure you will get there. Do a search on here and you'll find tons of advice for training her. I doubt they'd be as popular as they are if they were impossible to house train!!

Good Luck

xxxxxxx

Thanks for all your replies. I really need to work at this. She is getting a lot better. Once she even had a poo on my bed with me in it. She used to mess just by her bed. This seems very strange to me as I thought this would be the last place she would want to mess. Now she mainly pees in the room she stays to sleep, or goes in when we pop out. I clean the mess using disinfectant so leaving no smells. She will also go and pee in a different room to that in which we are sitting.I have a toddler so find it quite difficult to keep my eye on her all the time. I could not give her free run of the house when we go out or at night as she would go anywhere and I am worried my daughter would find the mess before me.Thanks anyway, i will research more and hopefully find the solution

I think it's biological washing powder that it's recommended you should use to wash pee away. I think there is something in disinfectant that will make them want to pee on the area even more (although I may have that confused with something else!). I also recently heard that disinfectant that turns cloudy in water is very toxic to dogs - anyone else heard this?

ETA: Google only finds articles about disinfectant being toxic to cats, birds, and reptiles, so seems that dogs are ok with it.

My boys beds are in the washing machine as we speak. And I can sympathise, they only do it the room they sleep in (used to be the hall too but finally cracked that one!).

Keep at it gal, you'll get there!

P.s try Simple Solution stain and odour remover spray, as recommended to me by this lot on here, its really good!

The way to get early success takes up time - but then puppies do!!  Take her out every hour, on the hour.  Don't leave her by herself, because if she goes to wee, it will be just because she wants to, not because she knows what is right.  Stay with her, if she doesn't go, no big deal.  But back outside in an hour.  When she goes, huge excited praise, that will excite her.  She doesn't know she is doing it right until you confirm it - go over the top with your praise.  Your consistency is what is needed. 

It is biological washing powder (its the enzymes that work on both the stain and the odour). Disinfectant has an ammonia smell that is similar to urine so don't use it.
I was given this advise by the Cats Protection when I had a pair of aging cats whos litter box training had 'gone out the window' and can say it does work (raised a large litter of working breed using this to clean down house)

I don't have personal experience of Bichons but my mil has 2 girls and they are fine with house training so keep your chin up with perseverance you will get there. :-)

one of my friends had a bichon that used to do its business every where in the house she gave it away eventually as she couldnt cope with it anymore

Put her on a leash and every where you go so does she, back to basic puppy training- it also helps with the basic obedience as well- When she has to go out go to the door and say outside and you go with her- take her to the same spot every time and use a command word like hurry up, go pee but the same word- when done praise her, teat, play ect and allow sometime off leash- eventually you won't need the leash anymore... I found this to work great with my dog when he was a puppy and he's still intact and has never lifted in my house once- I have 4 in total 2 bitches and 2 dogs- best of luck :)

I would never say a dog is hard to train its all in how you train your dog and with a puppy you have to be on it all the time, just like potty training a child it takes a good 6 months to a year to have a puppy fully house trained.

totally agree with "Mudmops"  Use bio washing powder in water to clean wee or the odour/stain remover from pet stores. Other disinfectants leave the ammonia smell .Any trace of smells will lead them to mark over. I have a 4 year old bichon.
Deb

I have a colleague with a Bichon aged 4 now, and she still has the odd accident, she solved it by just keeping her crated on a night and whenever she could not be around to quickly let her out, she would be in the crate or kitchen where easily cleaned up.

I don't understand why they are so difficult to train, I would be one of those who says every dog can be housetrained, as I have never found any other breed difficult, I don't understand how normal techniques don't seem to work, but I do read more and more how difficult this particular breed can be.

You may be in for a rough time, I have my fingers crossed for you. :-)

No I can't understand it either because they are intelligent little dogs.  Mine will not do anything in the house at all even in the middle of the night he will wake me up to tell me he wants to go out.

I have a Giant Schunazer he is about 11 weeks old. thank you for the post. it sure is going to help me. I think I was going about it all wrong.
I have been just telling him and his other dog family to go peepee poo poo.they are older and know what it means. He would go out with the others then come right in and pee in the floor. I wasn't watching him. i am going to put him on the leash, and keep him by my side all the time. Until he stops peeing in the house?? any way my husband is discouraged and i am doing my best and failing. I am hopeing this method will work. I have a fenced in yard that my dogs play in for a hour or two every morning and night. so he has play time with out me. can i keep doing the play time. and lease him all other times? I know that some of the things i ask are just comon sence .....but you never know somtimes the smallest things are wrong..you never know.))

After he has done his business you can allow some free time off the leash in the house when you are able to give him 100% of you watching him- this is how I house trained Junior and he is still intact and no accidents at all. At 11 weeks they just start feeling their bladder at 3 months so you really can't expect him to no yet, he is far too young. I always believed it takes a good 6 months to a year to have a puppy fully house trained. Just remember upon waking up, after eating, playing the lil squirt will have to go to the bathroom but always use the word go outside go pee and go to the same spot everytime and use the same command word and always praise, you'll find that he will continue to go to the same area when he is older- tell him he's a good boy go pee and give a treat, praise, play off leash with you for a bit, do something different each time so its always something knew for him- when you notice him sniffing in circles is usually a good sign that he has to go out. You don't want to keep him on the leash all the time in the house, do allow sometime off but make sure he's done his business first and watch him like a hawk so no room for accidents. Oya for sure you can allow play time outside with the other dogs, if they all play good together he prob have fun :)  if he is playing in the house off leash  have a shake can nearby and if you see him about to make a pee shake the can this usually stops them and just pick him up and say go outside go pee and go with him. When you clean up his mess don't let him see you and don't make a fuss about him messying all that will do is discourage him from going in front of you and he will hide or just try a different spot...

best of luck :)