How To Best House Train My Italian Greyhound?
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
I have an Italian Greyhound, 10 months old. She is the sweetest dog but is having trouble 100% mastering outdoor potty training. She definately knows she is supposed to go outside as she does most of the time, but we will still catch a spot inside every few days. When we do catch her and say “No!” she will immediately stop and run outside. It almost seems to be when she gets “upset” she goes inside. Any ideas?
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IG’s are one of the hardest to potty train breeds out there. It’s a HUGE reason that the dogs are dumped at shelters and in rescue.
Basically, you have to realize that she will never be 100% potty trained. You may be able to get to 75%, 90%, or even 99%, but most IG’s still have accidents at some point (especially in yucky weather).
Punishment does not really work with IG’s as they are too sensitive. A ‘no’ during the act may be helpful, but some IG’s then think they are getting in trouble for getting caught and just hide it better.
Your only option is to be more vigilant about taking her out. If that means every 60 minutes, then so be it. And get her fixed, if she’s nto already. IG’s are one of those breeds where the females mark just like males – especially when in heat.
I love my Iggy
They are very hard to potty train. Mine will be 4 on May 5th and still has accidents on occasion. When we are at work he is in a crate during the day (from about 8:10am to 4:30pm). At night he is out and sleeps with us in the bed. He has gotten to the point where he lets us know most of the time now when he has to potty. Persistence and Patience is a key. We stay on a schedule and take him out every few hours. Even at night he will wake me up but then sometimes he will have a accident. Most Iggy owners I have talked to even older ones still have accidents on occasion.
But you can also paper train them or litter train them also. Also remember it is in there personality to be sneaky and get away with things when were not looking
Good Luck with your Iggy
I HAVE AN IG AND SHE ALSO HAS ACCIDENTS WHEN OUT OF HER CRATE. CRATE TRAINING IS THE KEY. LIKE MOST DOGS, SHE DOESN’T WANT TO DIRTY WHERE SHE LIVES. BELIEVE IT OR NOT , AN IG CAN HOLD IT ALL NIGHT. HOWEVER, BE READY TO TAKE THEM OUT FIRST THING. IG’S ARE LITTLE DOGS AND HAVE TO BE WATCHED WHEN INSIDE.SOMETIMES I FORGET THAT SHE IS INSIDE AND THAT’S WHEN SHE HAS HER ACCIDENT. AS LONG AS I AM PAYING ATTENTION, SHE LETS ME KNOW BY GOING TO THE DOOR. THEY ARE TRAINABLE BUT YOU HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION, BE PATIENT WHEN THEY ARE YOUNG, AND GIVE LOTS OF TREATS AND LOVING WHEN THEY GET IT RIGHT.
You have to be 100% consistent with IGs. Additionally, litterbox training them will at least ensure the cold days result in potty functions in one easy to clean spot rather than under the couch or behind the fridge.
Go to http://www.iggyplanet.com and you will be able to get advice from IG owners and breeders, as IGs are NOT like most other breeds.
Have you tried hanging a bell on the door knob? we trained our iggy to do this. when she needs to go out she goes over to the door and shakes the bell. also she gets special treats when she goes potty outside. It is a treat that she doesn’t get at any other time like a piece of cheese. she is 95% trained now.
Having a darling iggy myself, I know the frustration. My mattress still carries the scars of potty training. It is extremely difficult fo iggies to be potty trained — and the theory seems to be that the small bladder size is largely to blame.
Also, whilst my dog is probably the most important thing in my life, I am not particularly impressed with the intelligence of the breed — and I would not attribute a complex reaction like malice or revenge to her. Hence, I would say it is unlikely that your dog being “upset” has anything to do with it.
I live in NYC, which means the streets are cold, windy, and extremely noisy with buses, garbage trucks, and other such activity. So, my dog goes on training mats, which is probably how things will be ’til I move out of the city — don’t know when or if that will ever happen.
The trick, I think, is just to praise your dog profusely when she goes potty outside or on a mat. Food rewards they understand. Probably best to keep a mat or litter box available indoors in case of emergencies. That should pretty much eliminate any “mistakes”.
I can’t claim anything more than personal experience here, but my dog has been 100% on the training mats for several months now (she’s three weeks past her first birthday) — no “accidents”.
The one occasion in recent memory where she peed on the rug was when I threw out her dirty training pads and forgot to put out new ones. So, it may just be that your dog *would* go potty outside, if only she had access. That is, it may be that she just can’t hold it anymore, and there’s nowhere to go but on the carpeting.
Just be persistent and use overwhelming positive reinforcement. They don’t really respond well to negative reinforcement, so that’s unpleasant and pointless in my experience.
I convinced one of my best friends to get an iggy, too, and his experience has been consistent with what I’ve been saying, so that’s a sample set of two.
His dog is also, from all reports, at 100% potty accuracy. Good luck, in any case.