Toilet Training/Biting Trouble

[Murph]

Hi folks I was hoping for a bit of advice. I have an almost 11 week old husky boy called Odin. He isn't my first husky, my girl Kodi passed away a few months ago and I adore the breed and decided on a boy this time around. I seem to be having problems with him that I never encountered with her so I am a bit stumped. 

Firstly we've been working really hard on toilet training, from the moment we got him we've been taking him outside regularly to do his business and we've also been crate training him. However there are days where I could be outside with him for an age and he won't go to the toilet but will come back inside go straight into the crate and go to the toilet (he has even gone to the toilet in another dog's crate! So he seems to think it is the toilet!). More often than not he waits to go to the toilet in the house despite being outside frequently. Also if I go to put him into his crate while I go to another room to do something he'll usually go to the toilet straight away before the crate door is even bolted. We're at our wits end and I've read lots of things online but none of it seems to work. If I take his vetbed out of the crate he will still go to the toilet and then just lie in it! 😩

Secondly if we try to remove him from somewhere he isn't meant to be, such as on one of our beds (he pees on our bed so we've been trying to not let him up there), he will start trying to bite our hands and arms! He is teething and does the normal mouthing but this seems a little more aggressive than I would like.  

As I say I've had a husky previously but she picked up toilet training very quickly and we never had any major issues. Odin seems to be a whole other kettle of fish lol. Any help is greatly appreciated! 

 

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

Keep a house line on him so u can lead him out rather than grabbing at him to get him down, he's only 11 weeks so you've only had him for 3 weeks so I would give him more time for the toilet training , seems like your doing everything right he just seems a bit more strong willed so might take a bit longer, are u using any kind of puppy pads? Also like u said restricting access will help, I'd get some dog gates/baby gates up , this will also help with the toilet training if he has only got so much of the house so can't sneak off to toilet

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[Murph]

7 minutes ago, BingBlaze n Skyla said:

Keep a house line on him so u can lead him out rather than grabbing at him to get him down, he's only 11 weeks so you've only had him for 3 weeks so I would give him more time for the toilet training , seems like your doing everything right he just seems a bit more strong willed so might take a bit longer, are u using any kind of puppy pads? Also like u said restricting access will help, I'd get some dog gates/baby gates up , this will also help with the toilet training if he has only got so much of the house so can't sneak off to toilet

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Thanks so much for the response! Yeah he is usually just confined to the one room with me at a time to minimise accidents elsewhere. He is most certainly strong willed lol. I'm hoping things will click with him eventually and as you say he is still young, I suppose I'm just worried that the toileting in his crate will become a bad habit and I want him to understand it's his place for sleeping. 

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

How big is his crate ? They usually don't like to toilet where they lie so maybe it's worth getting a divider and giving him a little bit less space

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[Murph]

6 minutes ago, BingBlaze n Skyla said:

How big is his crate ? They usually don't like to toilet where they lie so maybe it's worth getting a divider and giving him a little bit less space

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It's a fairly small one just big enough for him to stand up and lie down comfortably. He seems to be defying all the usual rules, he would literally lie in his own pee if I let him. 🙄

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

Oh lovely boy lol I'm sure in time he'll realise he's being gross and start toileting outside

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[Murph]

Oh lovely boy lol I'm sure in time he'll realise he's being gross and start toileting outside

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I really hope so, for my sanity lol [emoji28]

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[Maz51]

First,  re the biting : remove him quietly, silently on a lead from the room into solitary for a few minutes.  Bring him back in and observe.  If he starts again, repeat the 'removal/rejection'. 

As soon as he starts to be 'nice', and sniff, or lick, reward with praise and a treat. 

Toilet training, when are you feeding him?  What length of time between feeding and relieving himself?  I appreciate if you cannot take him out yet ? Or has he had all his jabs?   If he is ok to go out, walk him, within 10 minutes of eating, and keep going until he goes. And praise big time when he does. 

Catching him in the act of fouling anywhere is better AND removing  him quickly outside AND the poop, into the garden with him, and if you can pull the tray out WITH his pee in it, tip that out too so the ground carrys that smell.   Do this with repeated growling words of No no no no out! 

Clean up inside, disinfect thoroughly to remove all possible scent/smell.  When you've cleaned up, let him back in.  It's hard work. 

I think you both need to work on this and arrange some time scales 'off time' to cover quite a few days in working on this. 

Mothers teach them to be clean by taking them outside, and showing them 'to go'. 

Sadly pups leave far too early, hence the frequent challenges with tiolet training in new homes.

Same applies to the biting/nipping fingers, and the dominant behaviour traits and 'rough' play.  Mum separates the pupsters, bringing them into line, even perhaps nipping them. 

She also shows them how to learn about the world around them, gaining confidence and developing into happy pups. 

It's up to you ... patience, and reward for good behaviour.

Have a look at Successdogs.com and Absolutedogs.com in gaining your pup's attention towards you. 

It really can help you, and he needs to find a focus in wanting to BE with you, a purpose in his life too. 

Good luck!

[chelseafan]

I agree with a long line on him, it’s easier to remove him from a room without him nipping you. Sometimes just going outside for 10 mins in the garden isn’t enough for him to do his business, a short walk will get his bowls moving and when he’s done it outside lots of praise and a treat, same for peeing, they soon realise it’s to be done outside. My red could be awkward and stubborn as a pup, patience and reinforce the training and you’ll get there, no two husky’s are alike when it comes to training, my two are complete opposites.


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[Murph]

Thank you for the responses. I've been away so didn't get a chance to respond. In regards to toilet training things are still much the same. He has all his vaccinations now so we have been able to go for proper walks rather than just the garden. Today we were out and about for about an hour, lots of that time on grass, and he didn't go to the toilet at all. As soon as I put him into his crate in the car to go home he peed and pooped straight away. 

The crate is the issue, he has decided that it is where he goes to the toilet. he waited until we got back to it to do his business. 

At home he is going to the toilet outside in the garden but also still sometimes going in the house. So it's hit and miss really. But the crate training just isn't working at all for some reason. I'm hoping that in time it will just click and he will figure it out! 🤷‍♀️

[Murph]

So this is what I'm dealing with now. He is now going to the toilet under my bed, second time it has happened. He amazingly managed to get it right in a shoe that was in a bag. I'm almost not even mad as it's impressive lol. But really I just feel at a loss, we had been out in the garden for ages a few minutes prior to this incident and he gave no sign that he needed to go. He just isn't making any progress no matter how much time we spend outside he just waits until he is in an inside space. [emoji30]

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[wolfpup]

Possible daft questions  ..........

Do you know where he came from   i.e.  I got Marley at 12 weeks  -  and am his 4th owner    so my answer to that question is no.

Do you know what age he was when taken from mum?   My answer is that Marley was taken at around 6 weeks according to vet comment on his second round of injections  - refused to give them for another 10 days  (I did get vaccination records with him)

He may have gotten used to peeing & pooping in the crate/holding pen as a young pup and not cleaned out regularly.  Just a thought.

It took me nearly 4 months to get Marley to go outside at all  -  and I still had occasional pee issues until around 18 months old.   Anything new in the house got 'marked'.

In the end after all meals he got taken outside in the garden and not let back in the house until he 'went'  -  I think it was easier for me as Marley had Lunar to use as a role model  -  as he got older he used to sniff where Lunar had gone and try to squeeze a few drops afterwards.  -  still does the same today.

 

 

[Murph]

Possible daft questions  ..........
Do you know where he came from   i.e.  I got Marley at 12 weeks  -  and am his 4th owner    so my answer to that question is no.
Do you know what age he was when taken from mum?   My answer is that Marley was taken at around 6 weeks according to vet comment on his second round of injections  - refused to give them for another 10 days  (I did get vaccination records with him)
He may have gotten used to peeing & pooping in the crate/holding pen as a young pup and not cleaned out regularly.  Just a thought.
It took me nearly 4 months to get Marley to go outside at all  -  and I still had occasional pee issues until around 18 months old.   Anything new in the house got 'marked'.
In the end after all meals he got taken outside in the garden and not let back in the house until he 'went'  -  I think it was easier for me as Marley had Lunar to use as a role model  -  as he got older he used to sniff where Lunar had gone and try to squeeze a few drops afterwards.  -  still does the same today.
 
 

Hi thanks for the reply. He came from a very reputable breeder (I was able to follow his progress from birth right up until picking him up) and I went to pick him up myself when he was nine weeks old so I saw the mum and the siblings and the entire set up. He had plenty of outside space there to learn to go outside so I don't know what has triggered this idea that he thinks inside is the toilet.

I know it's something that may just take time. I suppose I just worry that the longer it goes on with no progress the harder it's going to be. It's just frustrating I guess.

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[chelseafan]

Hi, just a thought, is he crated during the night and do you take him out to pee at night? Is it possible for you to remove the crate for a while, at least until he’s going outside regularly. It sounds as tho the crate is his preferred place to go maybe removing it might spur him on to go outside.


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[ARMANI & ALINAH]

Hi Murph!! By any chance did you keep your previous Husky KODI in the same room as where ODIN now stays?? Why I ask is my first Husky puppy layed exactly in the same places as where my previous dog APOLLO would always lay. (We got our Husky two weeks after APOLLO died.) Our Husky went around the entire house and sniffed where APOLLO's favorite places were.
With dogs' incredible scent capabilities, they immediately can snell where other dogs were before them. My thinking for your situation is you could try moving ODIN's crate to a place where KODI didn't enter much. Since KODI is so young, he's probably confused where to go potty because the other dog's scent is in the home.
I would try some subtle changes like moving the crate, moving the food & water bowls, etc. I hope this helps.
[emoji4][emoji169]

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[Murph]

On 9/11/2018 at 10:04 PM, chelseafan said:

Hi, just a thought, is he crated during the night and do you take him out to pee at night? Is it possible for you to remove the crate for a while, at least until he’s going outside regularly. It sounds as tho the crate is his preferred place to go maybe removing it might spur him on to go outside.


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Yeah we have removed the crate and I have blocked off any access to under the bed so he can't get under there now. This has solved the issue of pooping under the bed! We are now just using the crate for travelling in the car and he has had one or two accidents in it but is overall doing better. 

On 9/11/2018 at 11:25 PM, ARMANI & ALINAH said:

Hi Murph!! By any chance did you keep your previous Husky KODI in the same room as where ODIN now stays?? Why I ask is my first Husky puppy layed exactly in the same places as where my previous dog APOLLO would always lay. (We got our Husky two weeks after APOLLO died.) Our Husky went around the entire house and sniffed where APOLLO's favorite places were.
With dogs' incredible scent capabilities, they immediately can snell where other dogs were before them. My thinking for your situation is you could try moving ODIN's crate to a place where KODI didn't enter much. Since KODI is so young, he's probably confused where to go potty because the other dog's scent is in the home.
I would try some subtle changes like moving the crate, moving the food & water bowls, etc. I hope this helps.


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Unfortunately our house is going to be rife with dog smells, I'm staying with my parents at the moment while we get him house trained and they have their own dogs so dog smells will be unavoidable. He primarily spends his time in my room with me and I have washed down the floors to remove any scent of Kodi that may have been there. He's still peeing inside though even with the crate and any kind of bedding removed. He will just pee on any blankets or bedding that is left down for him. It's really hard to catch him in the act because he gives no warning signs at all but he is generally doing a little better than he was. We're really working on bringing him out often and lots of praise/treats when he goes. Hoping it will click with him eventually!  Really appreciate all the advise and insight!