Potty Training A Boston?

[newman'sown]

So about two months ago, I purchased a 6 month old female Boston Terrier to provide some company for my Jack Russel Terrier. Everything is going great with both the dog's. The BT is the complete opposite of the JRT, but they get along great. The only problem that I am currently having is that the Boston keeps having problems with potty training. She does it in the most strange way as well. She will just be running along in the house, and while she is running, waste will just come out. It isn't like most dogs where they find a corner to hide it in, she just does it while she is playing. It doesn't matter how many times I take her out to the bathroom, it still happens. I have all of her feeding and crate time closely monitored. 15 minutes after she eats I take her out to the bathroom. She goes to the bathroom outside unless it is cold or wet, and then she will again just do the whole "look at me I am going to the bathroom while I run around" kind of deal. I am thinking that the problem is that she dislikes the idea of going outside in the cold/rain so much that she would rather just stay inside and go to the bathroom. Has anyone had this experience before? This is my first BT, it is pretty frustrating as I had my Jack Russell trained in less than 4 weeks and he was much younger when I purchased him. Any advice/tips are appreciated. :tup:

[wikedgolf]

maybe she doesnt like real grass.. and needs this https://www.pottypatch.tv/?gclid=CMGTwPyft6ECFQtKgwodF1cv_A

[danielface]

does she go when you bring her out? try bringing her in the front. my dog used to do that when we brought her on play dates at the parents house. eventually we had to bring her out walking because she was so distracted in the backyard to even go.

[CALL AAA]

You have the right idea with holding the schedule. Just hold her to it, even if it's raining. Feed her, take her out and don't let her back in until she goes. Coming back inside is the reward for going potty. Of course, you have to know that she HAS to go, or you'll both be waiting for nothing.

[karmakid]

interesting.....

[bugzy]

puppies cant hold it, they might not even know they are pee'n

their blader control is not in control

also, a dog is a dog in terms of training ... some are easier some are harder .. but the same techniques hold true

and top of that, as CALL AAA said, you gotta be consistent ... dont give up ... just keep on your schedule ... one day, it'll click and they'll be good

[CALL AAA]

If you think she needs to go, bring the paper, a cup of coffee and treats outside with you. It might be a while, but when he does go, praise and treats will help her to remember the even.

[CALL AAA]

Any luck with her? Is she coming around?

[newman'sown]

Totally forgot about this thread. I followed the suggestions in this thread, and it worked out great. :tup: I created a small patch of area in the backyard from the fake grass material for her, and she uses that to do her business on. (the funny part is that she is so accustomed to using it she won't go anywhere else.:D :ha:)

I have had one hiccup though that I am still working on with her. She has always been a bit on the submissive side which is great behavior wise, but when she gets really excited (i.e. me coming home from work/trips) or she gets scared, she tends to urinate. I've tried various techniques to try and fix it, but nothing so far seems to work. (FWIW I never yell/use any physical discipline on the dogs, not even water, so I know that isn't the problem) Has anyone else had experience with this kind of problem before? She has been getting better with positive reinforcement, but it still happens more frequently than I would like.

[Ajackz]

Dude my Boston used to litteraly shit on me. I would be hold him I my lap and boom. I know it doesn't help but now you see it could be worse. I also had a mutt that would stress pee when I came home from work but hers was due to excitement. I ended up using a laminated floor for the door area. I could never calm her Down

[Monster8V]

I have had one hiccup though that I am still working on with her. She has always been a bit on the submissive side which is great behavior wise, but when she gets really excited (i.e. me coming home from work/trips) or she gets scared, she tends to urinate. I've tried various techniques to try and fix it, but nothing so far seems to work. (FWIW I never yell/use any physical discipline on the dogs, not even water, so I know that isn't the problem) Has anyone else had experience with this kind of problem before? She has been getting better with positive reinforcement, but it still happens more frequently than I would like.


You have to not acknowledge her when you first get home. You just need to be the alpha male and walk in, dont reinforce the behavior by giving her attention. She does this because when most people first see a dog, they go up to it ect. It enhances the excitement.

Another technique is, if she is really hyper, you basically put them on their side and hold them there until she calms. (sometimes it takes a while the first few times.) This is a technique that parents do to unruly puppies and tells the dog, calm down. be calm submissive.

The best way to train a dog is to speak their language. Ive had dogs my whole life and have trained all of them. Its not easy when they are puppies but the quality and personality really shine when they are adults. Stick with it, dont get frustrated. As someone mentioned before, at some point, it clicks and they behave.

BTW, Its hard to hide the remote when you have 2 Great Danes. Eventually I trained them out of the "eat the remote" fetish they had.

[newman'sown]

^ thanks for the tips, I will be sure to try them out and report back. That seems like a great idea to try. :tup:

[CALL AAA]

Ignoring them really does work, but only if they haven't already learned to go insane when you come in. Our Bichon jumps and spins, because he has done that all his life. We kind of reinforced it when he was little, and now it's really tough to train it out of him. It's tough to completely ignore him, because we really don't want him to spin, so we stay NO SPINNING. Of course, negative attention is attention.

[Monster8V]

Ignoring them really does work, but only if they haven't already learned to go insane when you come in. Our Bichon jumps and spins, because he has done that all his life. We kind of reinforced it when he was little, and now it's really tough to train it out of him. It's tough to completely ignore him, because we really don't want him to spin, so we stay NO SPINNING. Of course, negative attention is attention.

OK, here is how you fix that. Itsa going to sound mean, but it isnt.

When you come in and he is doing his spinning, grab him and hold him down on his side until he becomes calm. (I wait for that deep exhale, it will come.) Just hold him down on his side, do not let him up, do not let him move around. It might take 10 minutes the first time you do it.

Then everytime you come in the room, repeat. Eventually he will learn to be calm when you come home. This works, ive done it. You just need patience.

[CALL AAA]

Nah, it doesn't sound mean. I put him on his side for other things. Since his spinning is getting a bit worse, I might try it. One of the few things that does calm him down is that we will not let our other dog out of the crate until he stops being crazy. He has to sit, or his buddy doesn't come out of the crate.

[Monster8V]

If the other dog is calm, it might be good to get him out sooner than later. Often, the mood of one can influence the other. Especially if you are holding topspin down and giving the calm one attention.

[CALL AAA]

The little one does calm down, but really it's just so that we will let his big brother out. But it takes a bit to get him to sit while I open the crate door. (the big calm one is crated during the day, the little spinner is not)