I'm still in the middle of housebreaking Ferris, and whenever he has an accident, I don't know how to tell him that he did something wrong. Most people tell me to ignore him for a few minutes and stop playing with him, but I find that it doesn't work for me. Is there anything else useful that I can do?  

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I think just a stern "no" will work. But ONLY if you catch him soon enough-- otherwise he simply forgets he did it, and is confused as to why you are upset. The best way to prevent accidents is to confine him in his crate, or gate off a small section of play room for him, if you let him loose without a hawk-eye on him, he will most likely have an accident at some point. When I let the pups run free in the house, I make sure I can see them at all times. Be aware of his signals. And if you catch him squatting to pee, snatch him up faster than lightning, and directly go outside, and place him in the grass... eventually he will understand. I think those "caught" accidents actually speed up the process bc it's a teaching moment for them!!

If he's still having accidents, then I am afraid that it's almost always the PERSON doing something wrong, not the dog. You are giving him too much space/time to himself to wander off and eliminate when and where he chooses. Ignoring the dog doesn't make sense in the case of an accident. That approach is more for over-excited pups or dogs who get mouthy or too vocal during play. In your case, you want to try and set him up for complete success - that means NO chances of accidents.

Check the FAQ link on the top of the site to see the most common mistakes made by humans during housetraining. I can guarantee that once your pup realizes that ONLY outside elimination = good, the process quickens exponentially. Right now, every time he goes inside, he is reinforcing the behavior on his own. You need to curb that.

What confuses me about "keep them crated" when will they ever learn how to tell you they have to potty?  If they are always in a crate and taught not to potty in their crate, how will they learn to not potty while having some freedom?

you keep them crated only when you need to. otherwise as Allie says, if you let your dogs roam, you gotta watch. Dogs will tell you that they need to potty when they sniff the ground, walk in circles, whine, sit there at a door that may lead to potty, bark, etc. They will find a way to tell you, just be on the look out for it. Juno used to sniff then he went to barking then he went to whining and now he will sniff, whine & sit facing you with a "i need to potty" look. If you're worried about your dog not giving signals, try the potty bell. Hang a bell from the door and everytime you bring you pup to go potty show him/her how to ring the bell with nose or paw then open the door and go potty. they will soon learn that bell=potty

 

I do watch him like a hawk , he will tell me when he has to poop by "the look" or sometimes a bark...however, just yesterday he pooped right on the carpet, I was watching him and he gave ZERO signals....it's such a set back feeling, he was doing so well and then blam..he blatently poops on the carpet.

Not all puppies tell you they need to go out. It took us months to figure out Henry's signals...just keep taking him out consistently, he'll get it eventually. Remember sometimes it can take up to a year for a dog to be totally potty trained.

 

And yes as Juno said you don't keep them in the crate all the time, just when you're sleeping or can't be watching him. I personally like an xpen in the kitchen so they can move around a bit if you're busy.

I live in a studio apartment so a pin seems un necessary.  He does sleep in his crate, luckily he loves it (although it's too small now, were getting a new one tonight)

 

Ace did not start telling me he had to go, for either pee or poo, until he was roughly 10 months old. I'm not kidding - it took THAT long. I remember when we decided to give him some freedom in the flat about 2 weeks after arriving. He peed as soon as we looked the other way.

And it isn't about a pup who's forced to be crated when he's not out on a walk. Keeping him leashed to you when you're in the flat, but can't afford him all your attention, is the best way to prevent accidents AND build a working relationship with your pup. It's not cruel or undesirable to the puppy. After all, the sooner he's housetrained, the sooner you can let him have full roam of the place without being stressed and frustrated over finding an accident. The dog DOES pick up on when we are in a bad mood. A little bit of restriction now goes a long way for the rest of his happy life. :-)

They will have success then accidents. It happened with Juno when he was younger...he'd be good one day then the next he pottys in the house...i got frustrated but i tried not to yell at him...You just gotta trust your instincts when you think they will go. Also, try keeping a potty schedule. For a few days write down on a paper the time everytime he goes potty whether it's inside or outside...after a few days you'll be able to see how ofte he needs to go potty. Also if you routinely take him potty at specific times of the day, it will also help with the process...like everyhour on the clock you bring him out etc. As Jane said, an xpen def. helps.

That is what is working (just for today!) with us. I take her out every 2 hours during the day, right after she eats, (or when I suspect she has to go),  when I am home and I reward her when she goes outside.

My dog will stand up in his crate and make little noises....then he bullets to the door for me to let him out for potty.

-I understand how you're feeling. Tucker did that once...just pooped for no reason...the only way to stop this is to catch them in the act and say "No"...scoop them up and take them outside....the first 6 days felt like hell...why doesn't he get it!!! ugh!!!....On the 7th day I noticed he went to the door to let me know he wanted outside...it was the most glorious day ever LOL....he would also grab my sandals I would wear when we would go outside....I didn't know at the time that by "grabbing my sandals" that meant potty for him....he pee'd 5 mins after lol....since then we haven't had any potty mistakes in 2 weeks...I was getting tired of rubbing out the pee stains LOL....don't worry just be consistent and your corgi will understand.....Oh! also when they potty in the desired area make sure you give them a treat :)

watch Ferris at all times when you're letting him roam around the house knowing that he's not potty trained. however, if you're unable to keep at eye on him everywhere he goes in the house, then confine him in an area in the same room as you & look for potty signals such as sniffing, barking, sitting and facing the direction where the potty door is, whining, squatting. If you see him in action or about to, make a noise to distract him. SOme poeple clap(but not too loud because you don't want to scare him to the point where he will no longer potty when you're watchin) just a noise enough to distract and stop his pee'ing and quickly pick him out..go outside say "potty" and if he does his business...praise praise praise & reward. You dog will provide you with a potty signal w/ age. but for now, you just gotta be the one paying attention..if you really want a clear potty signal now, get the potty bell. hang it on the door and show him how to ring the bell with his nose or paw when he needs to go out then door opens and it's potty time.

What I found really helpful for Juno was writing down a potty schedule. Everytime he pottys I would write it down...after a few days, you can pinpoint a routine...how many times and how often he goes.

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