[Dailydrool] Housebreaking your basset boy

[Opal-Deitering, Gaylene]

Dear Cristy, 

 

When trying to housebreak a male dog, particularly a basset hound, there
are some things you should keep in mind.

 

1.      Every dog is different, but generally male dogs (and children)
housebreak slower than females.

 

2.      At 4 months old, he is still a baby.  It takes time for his
bladder to grow, and it takes time to develop those muscles which
control his whizzing.  Rule of thumb is that he can only hold it for as
many hours as he is months old.  At 4 months, he should be able to hold
it for 4 hours.  Not true with all dogs, but a pretty good estimate.
Continue to be patient, but firm.  

 

3.      Get someone to come home and take him out in the middle of the
day.  It is only fair. You get to pee during the day don't you?
Otherwise, invest in piddle pads or some other way that he can relieve
himself during the day.  If you have a kitchen or utility room that has
locks on all the cabinets and nothing harmful or chewable, give him some
more freedom so that he can play with appropriate toys and pee as
needed.  Helps prevent separation anxiety too.  Bored dogs become
neurotic and destructive.

 

4.      All babies need a consistent schedule.  'nuff said!

 

5.      What goes in must come out.  If you pay attention to his water
intake and his output, you can get a pretty good feel for how much he
can hold and for how long.  Then you can control his intake so that he
gets more at times when you are there to pay attention to his needs, and
less when you are not home.  Eventually you will not have to do this.

 

6.      "Holding it" is not natural.  In nature animals go when they
need to.  Usually they don't mess where they sleep, but pretty much
every place else is fair game.  You have to put the idea in his head,
and reinforce it constantly. He just doesn't understand what to do, and
like a child, when he gets the urge he just goes.  

 

7.      You can't correct what you can't see! If you are home and it
seems that he is sneaking away to pee, then he already has some
comprehension of what you want him to do, but doesn't have the tools to
communicate that he needs to pee.  That is YOUR FAULT, because he should
not be allowed to sneak off.  If he is doing it in front of you, the
following technique will still work.  I had a female Aussie Lilli (atb)
who wouldn't housebreak.  She was 3 before I finally figured out what to
do.  I kept her on a leash by my side for about a month, and every time
she would squat, she got a yank and a "NO", and was taken outside.  Then
praise praise praise when she went outside. It only took a month for her
to be reliable. Until her dying day, she stayed by my side whenever she
was in the house, even though we had retired the leash after a month.

 

8.      Hang a bell at the door.  Some kind of bell that he can reach
with his nose.  When you take him out to piddle, make sure you ring the
bell.  If he sniffs at the bell and it rings, immediately put him out
EVERY TIME for a while.  It will save you from having scratch marks on
the wall and excessively dirty glass.  Also, you can hear it from
another room, so he isn't waiting without you listening.

 

9.      Clean up spots with vinegar, then follow up with enzymes.  The
vinegar counteracts the ammonia in urine, but doesn't remove it.  That
is why you need to follow up with enzymes.

 

10.   You may have to retrain him periodically until he is 2yrs old.
Sometimes they forget and need to be reminded about what is ok and what
isn't.

 

11.   Quitters never win, winners never quit.  You took him on and now
you have a responsibility to see it through.  He will have claws that
need trimming, ears that need cleaning, injuries that need medical care.
He may run away, eat your purse, shoes, rocks, dead things, and chew on
your antique chair that grandma brought from the old country.  DEAL WITH
IT!  14 years is a good estimate of basset life expectancy, and 14 years
of unconditional love and devotion is worth every penny you spend, every
grey hair you get, every sleepless night you spend, and every boyfriend
you dump because he doesn't like your dog.  

 

Good luck, and have faith that he is yours for a reason.

 

Gaylene Opal-Deitering

 

My passions do not replace my relationship with God, but are instead a
reflection of it!

 

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