How do I train an adult Maltese to not urinate on the carpets?
Jake
There are sprays to discourage a dog from peeing. Make sure he is not sick with a bladder condition. When the dog pees in an inappropriate place, pick him up right then and say "let's go potty" and take him outside. Sound as if it is very urgent and you excited and happy to go out; make it like you are going to a fire. When and if he does it, say "good, you went to the potty".
I like clicker training. Start a good attitude toward training by using a clicker or your mouth to make a clicking sound when the dog does something he is supposed to. One of my dogs comes to me on a clicking sound I make with my mouth, because he gets rewarded. Now he just gets petted and told he's a good boy, the minute he responds to the noise.
Ignore all mistakes (the only way to do this in potty training is to keep him crated and take him out every so often, maybe every thirty minutes or so until you know his schedule. Dogs usually will not go in their crates. Praise, and more praise.)
When the dog goes to potty outside, just as he is through doing his business, click and reward with a treat he likes. This can't be boring old dog biscuits. Make it hot dog pieces or bacon like treats torn up into little bits.
Teach him to sit and come this way. Hold up a treat by the top of his nose. When he looks at it pull it backwards over his head so he will have to look more upward. This usually causes his butt to sit. Then click and reward, and say "sit". Learning to learn is a good first step in getting a dog to learn something more complicated like house training.
Let me know how it goes.
Robyn (02/05/2009)
By Robyn Fed
Step one. Keep him off the carpets unless he is on the leash with you in the room. Completely clean any area with cleaner from the pet store that will get rid of the smell where he has gone. Buy some baby gates and keep him in an area of the house where there is no carpet when you cannot supervise him. Make sure that you take him out every 3 hours or so. Try to take him out within 20 minutes of him getting a big drink.
Did this problem just start? If so, take him to the vet immediately. My dear dog started urinating where she had not before because she was very ill. Reward him every time he goes outside for at least 1 month with great praise and a small dog treat. My new dog loves just 1 Cheerio as a treat. Best of luck to you. (02/05/2009)
By Jazzylazzy
We crate trained our dog as a puppy, but don't see why it wouldn't work with a adult dog. We got a cage that we could put her food and water in with toys and a small bed. She will not go in her a crate. Take her out about every 3 hours to the same place and tell her to go potty. Let her out of the crate for a while after going to the potty. After a while it will learn only to go outside to potty. Our dog will now bark and go to the door when she wants to potty. It is good to walk them when they are in the crate for a long time. (02/05/2009)
By Pat
It doesn't make a difference what age or size the dog is. Housebreaking is housebreaking.
First, if the dog isn't spayed or neutered; do it now. Unfixed animals are 100 times more likely to mark their territory and pee in small spots all around your home.
Second, it requires a very regular feeding schedule. I do a smaller am meal and slightly larger pm meal followed by long 30-45 minute minimum brisk walks/jogs.
You must walk the dog and not just let them out in your yard or stand with them in one small area. The walk is about the physical movement and the sights, sounds, and smells. If you walk the dog adequately they will mark enough outside so they have no need or have no urine to mark inside. Make certain you provide adequate shorter "quick pee walks" at least 3-4 times a day.
Third, thoroughly clean your entire carpets throughout with an enzyme based cleaner to rid your home of the scent. If the dog has been urinating in your home for a long time I recommend replacing the carpet altogether, because the urine has already saturated through the padding underneath and possibly deeper.
Do NOT scold the dog for urinating inside. Simply give upbeat praise whenever they do their business outside. They do not know what they did wrong.
Finally, since you say it's a Maltese, we can take it there's a 95% probability that the dog was puppy-milled within one generation. Even backyard home breeders will continue to breed genetic defects, but puppy-milling is obviously worse. Thus you should make certain the dog is relatively free of genetic defects, inbred allergies, etc. If the dog needs to be spayed or neutered; you should be getting an exam for the dog anyway and make sure the shots are up to date as well. (02/05/2009)
By Shelter Worker
I also have a Maltese and even though all dogs are created equal, Maltese have a different character to them and are known to be very smart, but very stubborn so I feel your pain. I also had a similar problem except he would only do it on carpet and only if we left the bedroom door open, otherwise, he never messed in the house. I can get him to pee and even poop on command outside which amazes everyone. Not sure where your dog is doing its business, but if it is in a specific room or in my case on carpet, then my tip might just work. It worked for me in one night.
Place newspaper everywhere you don't want the dog to pee. Make sure you crinkle up the paper in places especially at the entrances in the rooms and the dog is watching (if your dog is like mine, he follows me everywhere). Then you give the dog the command, "Stay out", whatever. It's important that it doesn't walk on the papers or go in the room after the paper is down. Then in the morning, in my case, I would pick up the papers before he was allowed to go in that room. Immediately I would let him outside and praise him. He would be so pleased he would get a special treat.
Be warned he will expect a treat every time he goes, but that is okay until he does it automatically then decrease the treats. Tip: I use Kibble and Bits dog food for training treats; it's just the right size, really cheap and you'll find it takes a long time to go through a bag.
The idea is the dog doesn't like the noise of the paper when it walks on it, therefore in my case he won't do his business. I know it's crazy, my husband thought so, but it worked. I did continue to lay down the papers for a week. But the problem is solved. I hope this works for you. Good luck. (06/26/2009)
By Scarlett
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