still defacating in the house at 6mths

[firefly]

hi, my sheltie is nearly 6 mths old and when it rains he sneakily craps in the house.its infuriating what can we do to stop him please ? we never can catch him at it and he will go anywhere, not even in one spot.he doesnt give any indication he wants to go.weve tried odour removers and nomarking sprays, all waste of money. he plays in the rain and walks fine on the wet grass, doesnt seem to bother him.he wees outside though regardless of the rain.we are at our wits end with this and may rehome if we cant fix this issue.any advice will be very appreciated. thanks

[~Anne~]

if it only happens when it’s raining then it’s linked to the wet weather. He has to squat to go so maybe he doesn’t like the wet grass tickling his bum.
 

Is there a specific time he usually needs to defecate? If there is, encourage him outside at this time - take him for a walk around the backyard or feed him something outside and leave him out for 30 minutes. 

 

I’d be considering crate training as well, if he isn’t already. Keep him in the crate when you can’t supervise him or restrict the area of the house he can access. 
 

Just remember - showing any anger at him about it will only make it worse. He’ll simply become frightened to toilet in front of you anywhere. 
 

I personally think you need to learn some resilience. I get it’s frustrating for you but geebus - your dog is only 6 months old and you’re threatening to rehome it over it crapping in your house when it rains! Although we’ve had a lot of rain, it doesn’t rain everyday nor will it ever in the future. At 6 months it is still a baby. It has many things to learn and as a human you should be able help it to learn and resolve the issue. Get to Bunnings and buy a bag of cement and harden up! 

[firefly]

i tried leaving him outside but he will just hang on.our lawn is always short.he does it when we're home but hasnt when we're not there. i have to close all the doors off to the carpeted rooms all the time on rainy days which is annoying as it doesnt teach him why we do that. if i knew how to help him and resolve the issue, as you say, i wouldve done it! thats why im trying to get advice as it is not a problem ive had with any other dog. i guess i'll just have to hope we have no rain 

[Amazetl]

Tether him to you with a lead that goes around your waist or clips onto your pants. Don’t let him away from you unless he’s already gone toilet. That way you can catch him in the act if need be and he’ll learn to not go inside. I know it’s not easy but he is still a puppy and should grow out of it in time. 

 

Also, in the rain, go out with him. He may need you to be there to know he’s done a good job. Raincoat on and tough it out and he should get into the habit pretty quick. 

Edited October 9, 2022 by Amazetl

[coneye]

I would stop him having the run of the house , only in rooms with me , so i can catch him ,, when i'm not there  in the laundry with a doggy door  and leave a bit of his poo on the grass  in the spot i want him to go .

[Amazetl]

I know it will take some effort and can be an inconvenience, so much easier when they can just go outside themselves, but it should only take a short while for him to get into the new routine. They catch on pretty quick and dogs love routine, they love to know what to do and they love to please. They just sometimes don’t understand what it is exactly they should do. 

[_PL_]

15 hours ago, firefly said:

i tried leaving him outside but he will just hang on.our lawn is always short.he does it when we're home but hasnt when we're not there. i have to close all the doors off to the carpeted rooms all the time on rainy days which is annoying as it doesnt teach him why we do that. if i knew how to help him and resolve the issue, as you say, i wouldve done it! thats why im trying to get advice as it is not a problem ive had with any other dog. i guess i'll just have to hope we have no rain 

 

You have to go outside with him and wait, even in the rain! Take treats and praise him to the skies when he does his toilet. I think you've thrown your hands in the air and given up way too soon. 6 month olds aren't 100% reliable ever. 

[firefly]

thanks all, yes im probably being unreasonable about it.he is improving in many other things that were annoying too so theres hope for him,but for me, i dont know lol 

[Deeds]

Some puppies are harder work than others.  Even when you get the same breed over many years.  There's always one that takes more patience and training than the others.  

 

I know because I've got one of those at the moment.  Very hard work.  Unlike his predecessors who were easy going and easy to train.

 

 

[ellz]

You need to go back to basics.

 

Firstly, have the carpets cleaned so that no deep odours remain.  Dogs tend to be creatures of habit and if they can smell where toileting has occurred before, they’ll head to that area to empty.

 

Then it’s back to basics of toilet training and it’s an endeavour that will require you to put in a bit of effort if you’re going to succeed.

 

Keep the dog within eye sight at all times. Crate or pen it when you’re not able to do that. After sleep, play or car rides, physically TAKE the dog to the designated outdoor toilet area and stay with it until it has accomplished the objective. Keep it on lead so that it cannot wander off or get distracted. Consider using a phrase such as “wees and poos” or “go potty” or whatever so that it becomes a trigger command. After the deed has been accomplished…get excited. Make a big happy production to show how pleased you are. 
Take note of the body language of the dog before it toilets. This can be useful inside to help you perfect the timing of your dashes outdoors.

 

If there are accidents indoors, don’t chastise the dog after the event. It simply won’t understand and you run the risk of creating a sneaky toileter.  Clean the area properly, give yourself an uppercut for botching the timing or body language and go back to basics.