[Dailydrool] Potty Training!!!

[Pam McQuade]

It's been a lot of years since I potty trained a hound, but I still have 
vivid memories of it. Perhaps that's why I always adopt older dogs now. It 
hasn't meant a lack of pee, but at least I don't have much chewing going on!

Bassets are very slow to potty train. Want a quick-training dog? You 
probably need a border collie or lab--something that rushes to obey, unlike 
a basset. But that doesn't mean a basset won't learn. You'll just need a ton 
of patience, because bassets, I think, have to decide that this is their own 
idea. That can take time.

You will need to be patient, very patient. Keep taking your hound out 
frequently. When he does it right, give plenty of praise and even treats. 
Don't yell at Henry for making mistakes, just ignore them. (I know how hard 
this is to do, especially when the hound has just peed on your rug or 
favorite whatever.) You may find that hanging a bell (we used a line of 
sleighbells) on the door may help. In a short time your hound may learn to 
let you know that it's time to go out. Just ring the bells before you take 
the hound out and then show him how to nose the bells. When you respond to 
those bells quickly, he may decide it's worth it. Or maybe he'll just enjoy 
manipulating you, but it will still give you the same benefit!

I actually would feel that a hound Henry's age was doing really well to be 
fully potty trained. Our Jane took nine months before she was perfect. But 
at that point she became absolutely perfect and in many years has almost 
never had mistakes. Don't get me wrong, she was very good long before nine 
months, but we'd still have those hair-pulling events (on my part) when this 
hound who was doing so well would suddenly lose it. I thought I would go 
crazy, but that's because I didn't yet have the Daily Drool to tell me it 
was all normal.

You can expect accidents to happen, but as long as you're making progress, 
just keep doing the right thing. Eventually hounds get it. It's like getting 
the nickel to fall, and when it does, you will be utterly delighted. Be 
persistent and consistent with your training, and it will happen. Just make 
sure everyone in your household is training the same way, with the same 
rules. Inconsistency will confuse Henry and cause trouble.

Many basset slaves have felt that their basset would never be trained, but 
most of them do get the idea eventually. If that does not happen, it's time 
to visit the vet, because something could be wrong. But the good news is 
that males rarely get urinary tract infections, probably the most common 
cause of accidents in a hound that seemed to get the idea of potty training, 
then lost it.

Our Belvedere has never been perfect on his potty training. Most of his 
troubles have been, I believe, related to separation anxiety issues. But if 
you have a well-established, secure dog, you probably don't have to worry 
about that kind of thing. Bel only had a problem when I left him. His recent 
return of incontinence seems to be related to senior issues that should not 
be part of Henry's problems.

Don't give up. Persistency and consistency will win the day--or month, or 
year, or whatever. Just keep in mind the kind of hound you want to have in 
the long run, and train with that in mind.
Pam, food slave of the Dashing Bassets