Potty Training/House Training Australian Shepherd

by Susan
(Big Sky Country)

I am a long time dog owner with an acreage and livestock... I have had Border Collies, Golden Retrievers, Great Pyrs and one Aussie in the past. Currently have two Border Collies, and I now have a beautiful red merle standard female Australian Shepherd that is 5 3/4’s months old and have never had such a hard time potty training any other dog that we’ve had.

She is bright and responsive in all other ways but for some reason she isn’t getting the potty training thing 100%. I think I have her at times almost there but then she will go into what we call “pee mode” where she will pee in the house for a few days at a time. Pee spots are chosen randomly. We have been using a crate but is also allowed to be with us in the house without crating.

She goes outside with us to do chores, is out playing with the other dogs and when indoors with us, is allowed out every hour or less if she indicates she wants to go out. Sometimes she will be out for an hour or more with us or playing with the other dogs. We tell her to “go potty” before entering the house and does but then when she comes in, within 10 minutes she will pee in the house.

We will go to the door to let her out to go potty and as we are sliding the door open, she will squat and pee on the floor. She is not a timid pup, has a great degree of confidence, is intelligent and is probably middle of the road between alpha and subservient. I have never had any pup take this long to potty train.

She has also been checked for a UTI by our vet and is negative for that. I do not know what else to do at this point. We have tried everything we know and wrap it in consistency and positive reinforcement yet still she pees at times.

Has anybody experienced this with their Aussie pup? If so, what did you do to facilitate a successful outcome? What am I missing here? Will she ever be house trained or is this going to be life long behavior? It’s super frustrating.

I am not willing to give up on her as she is part of the family but I really need to see some success somewhere along the line.

Thanks, Susan

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