Get him on a feeding schedule. Don't "free-feed" while training. (Most dogs shouldn't be free-fed ever.)

Take him out on a schedule and after naps and playtimes.

Take him to the same spot and give him a verbal command to go potty - the same command at the same place at the same time - same, same, same.

If he doesn't potty, you know he'll need to go potty that day. If he doesn't potty all day - well he'll be doing it at night, LOL! Keep taking him out to the potty spot until he does the deed - then loudly praise him and give him a small treat.

The crate may be too large.

He is too young to hold it all night. Each dog is an individual so don't compare him to the other dog. If you don't want to take him out in the middle of the night - put him in a larger pen or in the bathroom with newspaper or "wee-wee-pads."

I agree with Gina's post. I'll just add a few.

You, and lots of others, fail in the potty department because of three major reasons.

First. You don't have a system that your dog can count on. This is simply a must for your dog because they are creatures of habit. They depend on a repetitive schedule every day of the week, month and year. Without this, they have nothing to depend on. With it, they know that their needs are going to be met. Having a system will let you know what is going on and what progress is being made.

Second. You have proceeded way to fast without success to build on. There are three basic behavior needs that need to happen before you can even think about allowing the dog to be un- crated and have unsupervised freedom.

1. Teething must be done.
2. Chewing must be under control.
3. No accidents in crate or anywhere else for at least 9 months.

All of this is a basic foundation for the dogs training and future freedom. You put it very well when you said you cannot trust the dogs. Trust must be earned by their good behavior which will come from your training.

I posted a system on another thread labeled "housebreaking puppy". This is a very easy system that has been successful for lots of dogs and their humans.

You are also making other major mistakes and expecting way to much from your dogs. House training them properly is the only way you will get a good start on correcting everything.

Let me know if you would like further help.

Good luck!

SG

I do need more help. We don't have consistent schedules are probably never will b/c we are both in the food industry. Though I know a couple that have 2 dobermans that are the most well behaved dogs I have ever seen in my whole life and they have never had consistent schedules either.
Tonight I pulled up his food at 7:00, so I am hoping this will help a little. I was at home all day so we have been going out a lot, he only peed in the house once today and pooped once in the house. The other two times he went out b/c I caught him ready to go in the corner. Maybe I thought b/c Truman was much easier, I expected it again and it's all so overwhelming with the baby on the way. Sampson chews on his toys and pretty much nothing else. But he always has accidents, every night. They are always crated at night and he now refuses to use it puppy pads (we put in the same room as the crates). Should we put one in the crate at night?

michelleandchad

do you leash walk your dogs - how much and what kind of exercise do they get.

Once being in the food industry, I feel your pain. That said. It is the MAJOR reason I never had a dog until I got out of it.

You are wanting something from your dogs that you are just not going to get unless you are fully committed to their needs. Your statement "he only peed in the house once today and pooped once in the house" indicates to me that you have not fully decided to fix this problem. Your word "only" should never be considered when dealing with this problem. If you really wanted to get on a successful path to fixing this mess, you would already have started using the system I have posted.

Sorry to be blunt, but that is just the way I see it. I also see your situation as only getting worse.

You also need to keep in mind that when dogs do something that they shouldnÂt, it is the fault of the human in charge, not the dogs.

Good luck! I really have nothing else to add.

SG

How old is the youngest dog??

I'd recommend putting him on a feeding schedule and take the bowl up when he's thru eating. If he chooses not to eat, remove the bowl until the next feeding time.

Are you always working at night.......which I assume means you're sleeping part of the day? I think since the dog is sleeping while you're at work (at night) you're then expecting him to continue doing the same during the day when you're asleep. Correct me if I'm wrong.
If you need to sleep during the day, take him out for a long walk and then give him some toys and chew toys to play with while you sleep. If he tolerates it, I'd keep him in a small room with a dog bed while you sleep during the day.
I have a feeling this dog needs more exercise, and a schedule of going out every 2 hours during the day to work on his potty schedule.
Controlling when and how often he eats will help with the potty training.

BTW, you can't compare your dogs to dobermans........it's like comparing apples to oranges.

how much leash walking do you do with your dog.

I just would like to do a couple of follow ups to the questions people have had for me. I am hoping this helps answer mine as well.
One- they both get leash walked, however, Sampson doesn't go very far and he doesn't care for the cold much (thank God, it's starting to warm up). Truman goes on a lease and a harness b/c he's about 100 lbs and he does so much better with his harness. The puppy goes for a couple of short walks a day and Truman goes for a lengthy walk each day (usually when we get home from work).
Second- I used the word "only" to describe where we were at that day, purely so that people could see that he has gone outside to potty. Using the word "only" doesn't mean I don't want to fix the problem, it means it's not fixed yet.
Third- Usually my fiance and I are off by 10:00 every night, so we certainly aren't sleeping during the day. I am up , among other times to clean the crate, by 8:00 am at the latest every day. The dogs are taken out to potty and then fed right then. The second time we feed them is at around lunch time, although sometimes they decide not to eat...annz, I think you are right, if he decides to skip it, then I should too. That is where I have messed up, b/c I feel bad and so I want to feed him later b/c he ate his lunch later...We do have a gal that comes by when we are both at work to let them both out and wet their whistle. Usually neither of them eat at that time.
The youngest dog is about 16 weeks old.
I am certainly not comparing my dogs to dobermans by any means. I was just making the point that some dogs, even the ones who haven't been on schedules their whole lives can be very well behaved and trained. I am so trying to find better ways so that my dogs are happy and so are we. We love them dearly and just want to find a way for all of us to make our new house a home.
Thanks for everyone's advice. If anyone has anything to add, please feel free. I know there isn't a magical pill to fix things- I will try anything (but neither of us can quit our jobs. Our schedules are just backwards from most...when others are working during the day we are home, when they are at home in the evening, we are working. Plus, we do have the gal come over to let them out (which Truman doesn't need but likes her coming over anyway).
Michelle

Do you leash walk your dog or take him outside in the yard to do its business might I suggest you start leash walking your dog at least three times a day and for at least 15 minutes each walk - this will help stimulate your dogs bowels, incourage him to go more outside because of all the smells. Leash walking is an important part of dog ownership and many dog owners dont do it enough. SOmetimes we get lucky with dogs who are not as active, but most dogs will benefit tremendously from leash walking - it can also help with any number of behavioral issues

One more thought for you. All the pups I've ever raised could hold it through the night at 8 weeks. A few times I've had one who wanted to wake me up before I wanted to get up. What I've done entails some risk -- I pushed them just a few minutes forward each time until they were sleeping till the designated wakeup time. That means they cried, and I didn't respond to them immediately. I made them wait 5-10 minutes. Of course, the danger is that they'll go in the crate if you do this, but if you push gradually, I've found they don't. Eventually you'll get to them waiting until alarm time.

Another thing... if you do get up in the middle of the night with them, don't make it fun for them. Just be extremely businesslike about the whole thing. They can get into the habit of waking you up in the middle of the night because they like the attention. At other times, they get tons of attention for going outside... but in the middle of when I wanted to sleep, no way. I'm not rewarding them for waking me up.

Hope that helps.