Dogs that are Hard to Housebreak

Some breeds are easy to potty train as they don’t like for their living quarters to be messy or smelly or they really like to please their owners.

Whereas, other breeds are more difficult to housebreak. Such breeds may need a special type of training. However, with patience and persistence, nearly every dog can be housetrained.

It is particularly difficult to potty train some types of dogs such as Scent Hounds, Sight Hounds, Pointers & Setters and Terriers. Types like Retrievers and most Toy Breeds can be potty trained with ease.

If you are having sleepless nights over your puppy's housebreaking habits and tired of cleaning the mess and removing odor, sign-up for a Free Course on Housebreaking Dogs

Different breed groups have different potty training difficulties. Some are prone to marking, while some are quite stubborn to follow your instructions and commands. You need to understand the dog himself and his body language and behavior and act accordingly.

Scent Hounds

Scent Hounds have a one track mind. They forget all about eliminating as soon as they pick up the scent of a squirrel or a rabbit and never stop chasing until and unless they have got their prey.

Fencing is a must for such types if they are taken in the backyard for elimination. Besides, while walking them outdoors to their potty spot, it is important to use a leash and hold on to it tightly to prevent them from running away or being distracted.

If you own a scent hound you have to be very thorough about cleaning up the mess if your dog has an 'accident' at a wrong spot. Use enzymatic odor eliminator for this purpose and play with your dog or feed it near that area afterwards.

This is because, scent hounds have a very strong sense of smell. Therefore, next time when he will want to eliminate, you might find your dog going to the same wrong spot where he had accidentally eliminated earlier.

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Sight Hounds

Sight Hounds are mostly racing dogs as they can be made to run by putting a rabbit, squirrel etc as `baits' before them. These dogs chase anything which moves and run fast and far to catch it. A firm leash bonding is absolutely essential as far as these dogs are concerned as they might start running after a car during outdoor potty training.

Sight hounds include the following: Afghan Hound, Basenji, Borzoi, Irish Wolfhound, Norwegian Elkhound, Saluki, and the Whippet. The sight hound category also includes many hunting dogs like pointers, setters, retrievers, and coondogs as well as any dog whose breed name ends in “hund.”

A fenced area is absolutely necessary with these dogs. Many of them are very long-legged and can easily jump 8-10 feet straight up – and over the fence – so you may also need to keep them on a leash inside the fence – or, at least, install an invisible fence system along with the 6-foot fence.

Keep your puppy on a leash every time you go outside and hold on tightly to the leash! These dogs will chase anything that moves, including cars. Be very careful with your puppy and even grown dog anywhere there is traffic. They will dart out into the road, even pulling the leash out of your hand (or taking you with them), to chase the cat or squirrel they have seen on the other side of the street.

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Pointers & Setters

They share similar features as the Scent and Sight Hounds. They are basically hunting dogs and you should follow the respective directions already mentioned above while housetraining such breeds.

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Terriers

Terriers are very territorial and are quite prone to marking behavior. You also need to be very careful while housetraining Terriers because they have independent minds and often are unwilling to take commands. You need to be firm and patient while housetraining them as they are very clever and realize when they can get away without obeying orders.

So, not only is a fence a necessity, but making sure it is secure at the bottom is a daily duty for you. Otherwise, you will lose your dog when you let him out to go potty.

Terriers are extremely intelligent, independent, and inquisitive. They are quick to learn, but they may only obey when it suits them. Firmness and consistency are important in housetraining when you own a Terrier as they quickly learn exactly where and under what circumstances they can get away with not obeying.

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Toy Breeds

Toy breeds can have special problems in housetraining. Think of your toy breed as a dog and NOT as a baby or as part human. Have the same expectations of your dog as you would if it were a Golden Retriever or Great Dane.

Be consistent with it in training. Refuse to accept “accidents” – which means you must be vigilant in watching your dog and catching him just before the act or in the act and getting him immediately to his potty place and using your cue word.

Realize that pottying is done when the dog cannot protect himself, so your dog must feel safe in his potty place. Especially if he is less than 12 pounds, it is important for him to feel secure when taken or sent to his potty place.

Make sure he cannot see or be seen by a large dog or other “threatening” animals when he is in his potty place. A Toy cannot wade through tall grass, so the grass on the way to his potty place as well as in his potty place must be kept very short.

Keep your dog right with you (attach his leash to you if necessary) when he is out of the crate and you are home and avoid punishing accidents. Use a schedule – and stick to it. Be consistent. Praise lavishly – they love it and will do the right thing to please you and receive praise. Be vigilant in watching your dog.

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Late Maturers

Some specific breeds are Late Maturers, both physically and mentally. They may take long to develop control over their urination and potty system. The larger the breed is, the more acute the problem becomes. These dogs keep confusing their potty places because they think that it hardly matters where they potty.

Late maturers include Irish Wolfhounds, all Mastiffs, Great Dane, Chinese Shar-Pei.

Some medium sized-dogs like the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier are also late maturers.

If your dog is a late maturer, you may have more than 18 months of watching it closely and sometimes cleaning up an accident. Most likely your dog will be 3 years old before you can fully trust him to not have an accident.

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Other Dog Breeds

Some other dog breeds that are difficult to potty train include dogs from the Working, Non-Sporting, Sporting and Herding breeds.

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Ensure that you know the best possible ways to handle such Stubborn Dog Breeds.

If you are having sleepless nights over your puppy's housebreaking habits and tired of cleaning the mess and removing odor, sign-up for a Free Course on Housebreaking Dogs