How to get a dog housebroken?

Long story short, wife picked up a 4 mo unbroken dog. Two months later, still E36 M3s where it feels like. Sick of cleaning up after it. Ready to either shoot dog, wife, or move out.

Next move?

HELP.

It takes constant work, take it out every hour and say some code word every time it goes. eventually it will learn this is where it goes. you also need to watch for clues that it has to go, very subtle sometimes but a clue non the less. I can not emphasize enough the importance of consistency is with this.

good luck its a real pain but they do pick it up, some sooner then others though.

Kennels help.

Feed the dog in the kennel. I've been told they're ready to do their business within about ten minutes of eating. Go from kennel to outside, then back into the house. Try really hard to not make going outside feel like a bad thing.

The pup will get it.

Also, there could be a dominance play here. Is the dog going on another dog's favorite bed or something?

I would not own a dog without one of these, The Bissell Little Green Machine.
Mine stays loaded with fresh water and in the closet to strike at a moments notice.

No. Only dog here. Doesn't want to listen either. Crate? Pfft. Just another place in the house. Biggest problem, dog was thrust unto everyone here. When I get home, I don't want to fool with it after a full day of nursing school and subsequent hours of homework. Now the wife is at work. So guess who has to do anything with it?

I have a year-old, high energy sheppard of the Australian or Boarder variety. I don't want to sound like an expert, since I only bought my clicker Tuesday, but I'm having some really good results with it and some youtube videos.

On the other hand, she figured out that poop belongs outdoors mostly on her own.

Shotgun

Keep the dog outside. Let it in at night. When you let it in for the night, tie it on a short leash to the foot of the bed. Short enough that it can't move around much. Dogs won't poo where they sleep. First thing in the morning, walk the dog outside to go potty. It will learn real fast not to go in the house. Peeing is harder to stop than pooing, but just keep at it.

Or use the shotgun.

just dont use the shotgun in the house, you'll have a bigger mess as well as some carpentry work to do.

Be persistent
Take them out often
Tell them they are bad if they make a mistake
Praise them when they do the right thing

First off, has the dog been to the vet to make sure there are not some intestinal parasites that may be interfering with the dog's ability to control said poopage?

Second, do you leave food down all day or do you have set feeding times?

If you control the feeding times you have more control over the pooping times. Also, you only mentioned poop, is there also an issue with pee?

Do you have any other dogs in the house?

Is the dog getting daily walks outside of your yard?

Is the crate just big enough for the dog to go in and turn around, or is it oversized for the dog? Dogs will (generally) not poop where they sleep, so a smaller crate would possibly help there.

JoeyM wrote: Be persistent Take them out often Tell them they are bad if they make a mistake Praise them when they do the right thing

Do that already. No change in behavior.

EastCoastMojo wrote: First off, has the dog been to the vet to make sure there are not some intestinal parasites that may be interfering with the dog's ability to control said poopage? Second, do you leave food down all day or do you have set feeding times? If you control the feeding times you have more control over the pooping times. Also, you only mentioned poop, is there also an issue with pee? Do you have any other dogs in the house? Is the dog getting daily walks outside of your yard? Is the crate just big enough for the dog to go in and turn around, or is it oversized for the dog? Dogs will (generally) not poop where they sleep, so a smaller crate would possibly help there.

Clean bill of health.
Set times-ish. Or he would be 20# overweight already. But have had a time with eating since losing manhood because he was preoccupied with licking what wasn't there anymore.
Pee, sometimes. But sick of cleaning up that too.
No.
Everytime we go out. Seems like we are out 30 minutes with nothing going on. Come in, I'm cleaning within 10 minutes. And yes, I'm out there watching because he is also a E36 M3 eater.
The crate is as large as you can go and he barely can manuever inside it, 6.5 mo, 65#, and can almost stretch across a king size bed, paw to paw.

For one of mine, the walk was too exciting, and she'd forget to go outside. She'd get back in the house, get bored, then "remember" in a corner of the kitchen. This was before we had a doggie door and a fence. We never really found 100% success, but we knew her favorite spots on the walk, and we'd linger back and forth over those areas enough for her to get bored and remember. Boring for us too, but so is cleaning poop.

After we got the doggie door, we never had any problem.

mmosbey wrote: After we got the doggie door, we never had any problem.

A doggie door is the best thing we ever did for dog ownership.

DILYSI Dave wrote:

mmosbey wrote: After we got the doggie door, we never had any problem.

A doggie door is the best thing we ever did for dog ownership.

This, too

Going out in the yard is not the same as going for a walk. Are you walking or yarding? Yarding gives him the chance to smell around and get the idea, but no real exercise. If he won't "go" while on a walk, spend 15 minutes in the yard after the walk to give him a chance to "go" in the appropriate place. If he does not go, then crate him as soon as you are in the house and take him out again in 10-15 to have another go at it.

Of course you are sick of cleaning up pee and poop. That's not a popular job. I would recommend getting an enzyme based cleaner to go after the favorite areas for pee and poop in the house. Their sense of smell is a lot better than ours, and the smell can entice them to use the spot again when they feel the urge to go. Even if you don't have another dog, there may be residue from a previous owner's dog in your house that you can't see or smell, but your dog can.

What kind of food are you giving, and does he get any human food (table scraps?)

How much are you feeding him, and does he ever have to earn his food? Example, you walk the dog, he pees on something outside, he gets a bit of his dinner kibble. Yes, this does require that you carry a plastic baggie of his dinner portion in your pocket during walks.

If he is a poop-eater, it is possible he has re-infected himself with intestinal parasites. How long ago was the clean bill of health given? A fecal sample taken to the vet can give them a chance to check again without you having to incur another office visit charge. Talk to your vet about that to see what they recommend.

I commend you for your patience thus far. One other thing I can recommend is that you tether the dog to you while you are in the house if he is not going to be in his crate. This eliminates (pun intended) the chance of him sneaking off to do any "business", but allows normal interaction.

Ranger50 wrote: The crate is as large as you can go and he barely can manuever inside it, 6.5 mo, 65#, and can almost stretch across a king size bed, paw to paw.

At this size, Instead of a doggy door just teach him how to use the doorknob and open the door for himself.

EastCoastMojo wrote: Going out in the yard is not the same as going for a walk. Are you walking or yarding? Yarding gives him the chance to smell around and get the idea, but no real exercise. If he won't "go" while on a walk, spend 15 minutes in the yard after the walk to give him a chance to "go" in the appropriate place. If he does not go, then crate him as soon as you are in the house and take him out again in 10-15 to have another go at it. Of course you are sick of cleaning up pee and poop. That's not a popular job. I would recommend getting an enzyme based cleaner to go after the favorite areas for pee and poop in the house. Their sense of smell is a lot better than ours, and the smell can entice them to use the spot again when they feel the urge to go. Even if you don't have another dog, there may be residue from a previous owner's dog in your house that you can't see or smell, but your dog can. What kind of food are you giving, and does he get any human food (table scraps?) How much are you feeding him, and does he ever have to earn his food? Example, you walk the dog, he pees on something outside, he gets a bit of his dinner kibble. Yes, this does require that you carry a plastic baggie of his dinner portion in your pocket during walks. If he is a poop-eater, it is possible he has re-infected himself with intestinal parasites. How long ago was the clean bill of health given? A fecal sample taken to the vet can give them a chance to check again without you having to incur another office visit charge. Talk to your vet about that to see what they recommend. I commend you for your patience thus far.

We sit on roughly an acre and a half city lot in this bottom. No fences, but do have the creek on one side. Can't walk this dog too much or they develop joint problems later on.

Got the cleaners, doesn't help with anything except making it look like nothing happened. Previous dogs were never in the areas were most stooling happens.

No scraps. Just give maybe the infrequent scrambled eggs from breakfast some morning. No filler foods on this one, currently using Blue Buffalo dry food. And nothing remotely associated with China. Amount is about 5 cups.

He does get "bacon" when doing good most times. But normally it has been good behavior and bacon given, 15-20 minutes later we have a bad dog.

Poo is runny and not formed, but it's been that way since day one. Seems more to do it just out of spite. Giving poop determent tablets, but still happens daily. I've looked at the poo and don't see any movement with the naked eye.

My patience ended 2 months ago.

This is the problem child with the other problem child:

First observation: they are both cute as hell. I would keep both.

I have an acre and a half, and that's no replacement for a walk. I call BS on walking causing hip problems. Walking (and swimming) is the best way to strengthen the hip muscles to prevent future problems with hip displaysia. Walking is not running and jumping. Walking is a healthy controlled exercise. Exercise also reduces anxiety, which is a strong component of pooping in the house.

Next, nix the eggs and especially the bacon. Dogs have no idea what spite is, they poop where they feel comfortable and when they need to. Greasy human food gives them less control over it. Dogs don't need bacon.

You cannot see all intestinal parasites with the naked eye, but your vet can with a microscope. Take a fresh stool sample to the vet and ask them to check it again. Ruling out anything that is out of your dog's control will increase the chances that your dog will go where it is appropriate.

It sounds like you have a good food that is protein based and not corn based. Feed at regular times and feed the recommended amount for his weight. If he gets 5 cups a day, divide it into multiple feedings and make the timing consistent every day. If he is not interested in food, cut the food amount back a bit, say to four cups a day and see if there is any change. Pit bulls/Boxers are muscular breeds and muscle fiber is dense, he may not need quite that much food.

Again, I think you need some recognition for your effort, especially since it apparently was not your idea. How much is the wife involved in all this?

Forgot to mention this, a citrus based cleaner may have a strong enough smell to combat the urine/poop odor if the enzyme based cleaners are not cutting it. Most animals don't care for strong citrus odors and will avoid them altogether if the smell is strong enough.

my German Shepherd crapped in the house exactly once when she was a puppy- i did the "shove it's face in the crap and throw the dog outside" trick and that was that.

after that, she didn't even want to go in her cage (outdoors, built into the back of the garage) any more and she only went out to the corners of the yard that never really got used by people.

In reply to novaderrik:

Did that too once. He seems to enjoy eating the poop.

In reply to EastCoastMojo:

Bacon is treat bacon from Tractor Supply's house brand, not real bacon.

Wife has been told to not exercise the dog as this breed, Cane Corso, grows so fast in the first 18 months that if you do exercise them they develop arthritis in all their leg joints at a super early age. Which just leads to a miserable life for all involved.

Wife involvement? Like today, almost none since she will need the rest to go another 12hrs tonight at work. Same for tomorrow.

Why not put the dog outside?