Boerboel House Training

[Bruce]

First of all, great to find this forum and other Boerboel owners. Grew up with them in South Africa and am so glad to have our first one here in the U.S. Quick question and I could swear I saw a post on this somewhere in the forums but can't find it, any house training tips for Boerboels. Our pup is 16 weeks, she was 14 when we got her and she does great at night in her cage, all night no problems, but still has the odd accident in the day. So, any tips for house training, been 10 years since I did my last pup and I can't remember all the tricks I used before. We have the bell on the door and she is starting to get that, but just wondering if Boerboels are any different to the other large dogs we have or have had. Thanks

[Bruce]

Okay, so I found it in the new owners group and joined the group, can't wait for my baby to be big enough to be a model for the calendar next year :)

[Marco]

Welcome Bruce, we are glad to have you here.  Glad you found what you were looking for.  We are trying to do two calendars this year, one puppy, and the other adults.  Enjoy the site, and if you have any other questions please let us know.  Would love to see photos of your boerboel!

[jim l.]

Hi Bruce, welcome, the best way i found out about housebreaking is immediately after feeding put her back in her kennel for 20 minutes, then let her out and immediately take her outside to releive herself, after she releives herself give her praise like a pat on the side or if you like a treat, hope this helps. Best of luck.

[Bruce]

Thanks Jim. The issue is not so much after feeding or so, she can go all night in her crate no problem. We let her out and she does her business no problem. It's say an hour or two later when she just goes, but we know she can hold it. We are working on it slowly with regular outdoor trips and we are trying the bell on the door trick too. Any hints would be appreciated. She is 18 weeks old for reference, we got her 3 weeks ago. She is lovely and great with everything else, I guess one question is how long does it take to house train them and do large dogs take longer? At what point in age should we be concerned? Thanks

[Marco]

Hello Bruce, I wish there was a time frame but theres not one due to all pups catch on differently.  I've had couple learn instantly, some take a couple weeks, and others a month or more.  It all depends on the pup, but crate training has always worked best for me when done right.  Another thing to keep in mind is take her out after any excitement or play.  Puppies tend to always need to go after play even if you just came back in from outside before playing.  Its key to stick to a good schedule, and stay positive.  Food, ad drink should never be left out for her to have at anytime.  Good luck, and wish you all the best!  Just be patient :)  Some links below that may be helpful to you.

 

Housebreaking & Crate Training

Housebreaking

Housebreaking Schedules

[Saskia Vermeulen]

Hi Bruce, I found that if I took my boy out to the garden every time he woke up from a nap and just waited with him a minute or two he would go to the toilet, praised him up heaps. I got him at 7 weeks old and only had a couple of accidents inside when I wasn t taking any notice. I also found that when he needed to go he would sniff around the floor, I would straight away take him out and he would do his business, I found that he was the easiest of all the dogs I had to house train, he also learnt as he got older old to push open the back fly screen door if he needed to go to the toilet.  As for night time, he slept outside with my other dogs so i didnt have to worry about that, now if he wants to sleep inside he will just let himself out when he wants. Good luck Bruce, it just takes a bit of patience and learning to recognise the signs when your dog needs to go.

 

all the best

Saskia from Australia

[Bruce]

Thanks Saskia, she has made tons of progress doing what a lot of people here have suggested and we haven't had an accident in almost a month!

[Saskia Vermeulen]

Glad to hear that Bruce.