Advice for Potty Training a Young Basenji in the Winter

[bjenkins33]

Thank you so much for all the advice! It's good to hear about other experiences and also that it's still early days for this.

To update, he is already making progress - we're spending about 2 hours with him in our garden everyday in 20-30 minute increments when we sense he has to go, and also to continue getting him comfortable with being outside. We walk around with him and let him sniff and explore as he wants to, and have been giving him lots of praise and nice treats when he pees outside (he hasn't peed in the house in 3 days now so he's doing so well on that front!) or hunches as though he needs to poo.

We've followed @RugosaB's advice and planted some of his poo around for him to discover at his leisure as well so he hopefully starts to build up an association with doing his business there :). While he still hasn't pooed outside yet despite all the time we're spending outside when it's clear he needs to go, he has stopped going in the area of the house we spend most of our time in and is instead going on in the long hallway that leads to our front door so feels like he's getting it slowly but surely. We've learned his body language and can now identify when he needs to go very easily, so it's just about incentivising him to go where we'd like him to! We'll keep working with him and will update as he progresses :).

[Zande]

@bjenkins33 said in Advice for Potty Training a Young Basenji in the Winter:

While he still hasn't pooed outside yet despite all the time we're spending outside when it's clear he needs to go,

Some Basenjis are very discreet ! Mku hates to be watched. In the woods, he disappears up into a thicket of brambles as soon as he gets out of the car and in the garden here he disappears into the shrubbery.

Kito spends a few minutes racing to and fro and finding exactly the right place. But he has been doing it outside, and in the rain, since a couple of days after we got him. You'll get there. I'm surprised its taking this long.

Let yours go and find his own space. It biodegrades far quicker than does a poo-bag !

[aprilk]

I agree with Sally, both my boys were shy poopers, they kinda hide in weeds or plants and don't want me to watch, but in poor weather (I'm in Ohio so there is a lot of that) I do need to be outside with my girl and boy to get them to go-its kinda like, "if I have to be in this you do too!" It was much easier to train my boy as a pup because I had my girl who was two and knew what to do. You definitely want to make sure he gets what to do and eventually that inside is not an option. My girl has been a bit harder about accidents, as I got her as a two-year old and she spent a lot of time in a crate and she has a sensitive stomach-sometimes she can't help it. If the weather is bad, she won't go and then will sneak somewhere in the house to go later. For her, especially, because I know her routine and usually you can tell if they have to go, she has to stay out till she goes. I usually get her to go pretty quick now, she knows I'll make her but sometimes we have to wait it out. They are super smart, so beware they are not playing you. My boy will even fake-it sometimes in bad weather. Fortunately he is not very good at it so I can tell...he looks at me like "are you buying this?"

Also a routine helps, both of mine are pretty predictable and as long as you follow the basenji rules (out before leaving, out after dinner) we have very few problems. Keep at it you'll get there. My boy is rock solid now, he really only took about a month to get there, mostly I think because my girl totally helped train him!

[aprilk]

I just thought about this too- if you see him starting to poo try to get him outside asap, you want to make sure he knows that its supposed to happen outside. I had to rush my little man out a few times mid-poo and we didn't get far out but he got the idea, and then praise the heck out of him!

Also, (not sure if this will help-I'll be curious to see what others say) but my two both go way easier when they are excited- so maybe some running around and playing while your outside might help the process!

[bjenkins33]

@Zande and @aprilk I've been wondering if he's just really shy and doesn't want us to see him poo, so now that you both mention it I suspect that's exactly what's going on for him! We're going to spend some extra time with him outside tomorrow (just so long it's not pouring here) now that we've made it to the weekend and let him explore as long as he likes without watching him too closely. Even though we have a securely-fenced in garden we've been super cautious about him being loose in our garden while we're still living in London, so perhaps we're being helicopter parents and he's thinking 'mom, dad', please let me find a place to do my private business without hovering'!

@aprilk When you rushed your little guy outside the first time was he able to finish going that time around? We've tried once with Juno but it made him so anxious that he literally sucked it back up and held it for another few hours! It was so soon after he joined us, though, so he may have responded that way because he was still acclimating. That said, it sounds like if we do it a couple more times with lots of treats and praise he'll get the idea :).

[tanza]

@bjenkins33 - It helps to tell him to "go potty" while not staring at him... if you see him start to go, tell him "good puppy, go potty"... especially after he eats his meal.... try to catch him in the act in your hall way, pick him up and put him out with "go Potty"... they get the hint.. and of course treat him and praise him when he goes. Even if his has gone, he will get the message that pooing outside is what he needs to do. And if he sucks it back up, leave him out... can you watch him from inside?

[Heather G Y]

When we adopted Heather, she was 2-3month old, didn’t get potty training. She pooped 6-8 times every day! We put dogs pad close to the sofa, which she sleeps on. Every night before we go upstairs to sleep, my husband and I would point to the pad and repeated the same words to let her to poop or pee on the pad. Of course she always disappointed us with pooping and peeing outside of the pad for a long time. If she accidentally pooped on the pad, we just gave her some treats and praise her . Eventually she can learn how to pee and poop on the pad at night. When she grows up, she always hold herself without pooping or peeing whole night and wait until morning walking . I don’t know other dogs, but my dog still poops 5 or 6 times a day even she is 1 and half years old now.

[Zande]

@aprilk said in Advice for Potty Training a Young Basenji in the Winter:

he really only took about a month to get there, mostly I think because my girl totally helped train him!

I hadn't thought of that angle, but yes, Mku had Hoover to help train him (took all of 4 days, during which time he only pooped indoors once or twice) and now Kito is being trained by Mku.

When Mku goes out - he takes Kito with him. Although, once outside, he tries to shake off his wee follower so he can empty in private !

I just dread the puppy also choosing to use the shrubbery as his spot - it is along and down a bank and under it, about twice the length of the old tennis court, and I can't manage to get into the depths if he should get lost !

(But re-call training has started with 'Kito, THIS way !' and he does come back to Mom !)

[tanza]

@heather-g-y - What are you feeding her? That is a lot of pooping!

[Zande]

@tanza Agree there ! My first thought was - whatever is she eating ?

[Heather G Y]

@tanza twice per day . Dogs dry food with wet chicken or pork. She always picks up meat first and finishes dry food later when she is starving...

[tanza]

@heather-g-y - Really better to teach them to eat what is given to them in 10 minutes or less, you should remove the food if not eaten in one sitting (again that is my opinion) and not leaving food to free feed... that would lead to pooping more... How much are you feeding? I can tell you that in all the years I have had/raised Basenjis they eat in less than 2 minutes...if not gone in 10 minutes it is removed until the next meal time. They really do not have to eat all day long...

[tanza]

@bjenkins33 - What did his breeder use for potty? Newspaper/potty pads? Litter box? I would say also try putting him on a leash and walking him... and re-enforce the "go potty" command and don't bring him in till he goes... LOL however you need to make sure you are dressed warm also!

[Scooper3571]

I am new to this forum, but I am learning a lot. I don’t have any advice to offer, but I do have a question. We are picking up our pup next month and our breeder suggested litter box training. This sounds like a great way to train the pup during the winter months, but I am wondering if it confuses the pup when he is old enough to take walks. Any opinions/thoughts?

[Zande]

Personally, I have never used either pee-pads OR litter boxes. Except the one time, and I found I had litter all over the place, not in the box and the pups would use it once, one pup, and the rest would say 'yuck ! not going THERE ! its dirty !' So I gave it up within a couple of days.

My pups were always semi potty trained before they left me - so new owners had them totally clean within a week or so.

OUT ! immediately after food, sleep, playtime. No if, no buts. And back in when you have been clean doggie. Lots of praise and they catch on very soon.

At many of our indoor shows in this country, there are several areas, roped off, with sawdust quite thick on the ground. The intention is that your dog, whatever breed, relieves him/herself in this patch. They are euphemistically called Exercise Areas.

NOT for Basenjis ! I have had them hold it for hours rather than set foot in the filthy sawdust. They really hated it and would NOT use it, which is why I'm surprised they would use litter.

One year at Crufts, Plessy was desperate, we were not allowed to leave until 5 and it was about 3 minutes to. I begged the little Hitler on the door to let me take her outside, but no. So my little angel unleashed the floodgates - all over his shoes !

Lavish praise from Mom !!

[bjenkins33]

Just wanted to share that we had a breakthrough with Juno this morning We finally had a break in the rain so we all went out to the garden just after his breakfast, put him down and within a couple of minutes he went in the tall grass along our fence! We clicked, gave him lots of treats and praise, and he's since gone outside twice more today

@tanza HIs breeder used potty pads, but funny enough he didn't seem to associate them with pooing as much as with peeing! Have been using the 'go potty' command per your suggestion and seems to be working very well And good call on the warm clothes for sure It's been one cold January here!

Thanks so much for all the advice everyone. He's still really young so expecting it to be touch and go for a while, but feels like we're well on our way!

[tanza]

@scooper3571 - I have always litter box trained my litters and there was never any issue with the transition to going outside. Takes some time for them to get the hint and some faster than others. Did your breeder litter box them as babies? And I always used more than one box. In fact I used vari kennels for the litter as they come in two pieces. Take each half and put in pellets enough to cover the bottom. Sides are high enough to prevent most of the pellets to stay in and it was easy in/out since there is the cut out for the door

[Heather G Y]

@tanza thanks for your opinions. I know we spoil her especially my husband. He always feeds Heather a lot of human snacks and food like cheese or chips or whatever he likes

[tanza]

@heather-g-y - Best to keep with snacks that are good for them... I make chicken in the dehydrator... I pound them thin and cook them for 12 hours... great homemade snacks cut them up in smallish pieces... I keep a dish on the kitchen counter for mine... and cheese is OK but not to much, I would stay away from the chips.. LOL. The reason I went to litter box training with my litters is that if you use pee pads or newspaper, anything that looks like they they believe is OK for them to pee/poop on... can't blame them... paper is paper....LOL

[Banner098]

My pup is 8 weeks old had him for about 3 days now. He peed outside but doesn't poop outside.