How to Potty Train a Stubborn Basset Hound

How to Potty Train a Stubborn Basset Hound
Medium difficulty iconMedium
Time icon3-6 Months
General training category iconGeneral

Introduction

Basset Hounds make a great family dog. They are excellent with kids and other animals, but when it comes to potty training, they can be pretty darn stubborn. One thing is certain, you will never get anywhere with your pup if you try to use any form of negative reinforcement or punishment training method. Bassett Hounds do not respond well to it and are more likely to dig in their heels and refuse to do what is being asked of them. Another issue you have to deal with during training is that their acute sense of smell tends to distract them quite easily. 

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Defining Tasks

Your mission, should you accept it, is to teach your stubborn Basset Hound that not only are you the more stubborn one, but that yes, he can learn to do his business outside. This is the important part, you need to let your pup know in no uncertain terms that you are the "Alpha" of the pack. Once you establish this relationship, training him will be a lot easier. The hardest parts of potty training your pup are cleaning up the messes from his little "accidents", and the number of times you will be taking him out every day for a long time. 

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Getting Started

Since your pup is being stubborn, you should already be familiar with his signs that he needs to go potty. If not, you need to start paying more attention to your dog when he is in the house. These signs include sniffing at the floor or door, scratching at the door or maybe even your leg, or possibly squatting or lifting his leg. Beyond this, you need a few things:

  • A Leash – To take him outside to go potty
  • A Crate – For when you can't be there to watch him
  • Treats – You will need an ample supply of these

Along with all of these, you will need plenty of time and patience and a healthy supply of cleaning supplies for those accidents. Be sure you clean the floor thoroughly using an enzymatic cleaner to completely remove any odor. Traces of his scent are likely to draw your pooch back to the same spot to relieve himself.

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The I Said No Method

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1

Start with a pocket full of treats

Start out filling a pocket with plenty of your pup's favorite treats. You will be using them to reward your pup for going potty outside.

2

Keep a close eye on your pup

Whenever your pup is not in his crate, you should be keeping a very close eye on him.

3

I said 'no'

The moment you see your pup act like he is getting ready to go potty, say "NO!" in a firm, but not angry, voice. Say "Let's go outside" and take him outside to the spot in the yard where he can go potty.

4

He may not go

He may not go right away since you interrupted him. That's okay. Give him a little time to get over the interruption and when he does finally go potty, give him a treat and praise him.

5

Work, work, work

Keep working with your pup on this training, adding more time between trips until your pup finally gives up and starts holding on and letting you know when he needs to go potty.

The 20-Minute Run Method

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Create your schedule

Sit down with a piece of paper or a white board and create a potty schedule for your pup that starts by taking him out every 20 minutes. On the schedule have one column for time, one for pee, and one for poop. This will help you track his eliminations to make sure all is well.

2

Start your pup off right

Take your pup outside at the designated time. If he goes potty, praise him and give him a treat. If not, take him back inside and reset the timer. Also mark what he did if he went potty.

3

Off-schedule times

There are a few times when you need to take your pup outside, no matter where you are on the schedule. These include first thing in the morning, last thing at night, after meals, after a large drink, and after playtime.

4

Introduce your cue

Choose a cue phrase like "Let's go potty!" and then make sure you use the same phrase each time you go to take your pup outside. Before long you should be able to say to your pup "Let's go outside" and he will head to the door.

5

Add to the time

Start extending the time between outings until he can hold himself for as long as needed and he starts coming to you and lets you know he needs to go potty. Reaching this point is going to take some time and effort, but stick to your guns and he will eventually figure it all out.

The Early Start Method

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Pick a spot

Choose a spot in your backyard for your pup to use as his potty. Try to choose one that your pup can easily reach and that will be easy to clean up.

2

An early start

You can start training your stubborn Basset hound as soon as you bring him home. Do so by taking him to the spot to go potty before you take him in the house for the first time. Keep him on a leash the whole time.

3

Body language

Bassett hounds tend to display very specific behaviors that indicate they need to go potty. Among these are; walking around in circles, scratching at the floor, and sniffing around. The moment you see any of these behaviors take him out to his "spot" to go potty.

4

The cue

Create you cue, such as "go potty" and start using it every time you have to take him out. The idea is to teach your pup to associate the phrase with the action.

5

By the hour

If your Basset is a puppy, he will need to go out at least once every hour at first. Set a timer to remind you to take him out. Follow your schedule religiously and when he goes potty, be sure to praise him and give him a treat. Slowly add more time between outings until your pup can hold it for longer times or starts to let you know when he needs to go.

Written by PB Getz

Veterinary reviewed by:

Published: 03/02/2018, edited: 01/08/2021

Training Questions

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Training Questions and Answers

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Sam and Billy females

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Bassett Hound

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Both are about 1 and 3/4 years old

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I've had 8 basset homes in my life. These 2 unfortunately have had to move several times duringThey're growing.They poop and pee even though I take them out a lot sometimes I'll come in and and poop right after right after I thoughtI knew how to train difficult bass and houndsBut I'm at a loss I've pulled up all the Persian runs cause I smell so bad I've tried treatsCan you help me in training them in a proper humane way

Aug. 30, 2022

Sam and Billy females's Owner

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Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer

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Hello, First, if you aren't already using a crate, I would crate train for potty training. They need to have pottying outside as their only option by limiting freedom to times when their bladders are empty. Take the outside to go potty on leash one at a time, telling them to "Go Potty", walk around to encourage sniffing but keep them focused, praise and give a treat if they go potty. After they pee, if they haven't pooped during that part of the day (morning, afternoon, evening) then walk around for another 10 minutes, repeating the process to see if they also need to poop - most dogs start out doing both separate and many will hold the poop even if they pee because it's more convenient to go poop when its calm inside - whereas pee is harder to hold for many. If they don't go potty when you take them, crate that dog when you come back inside. Crate for one hour, taking them back outside to try again when the hour is up, repeating the walking on leash, go potty and reward if they go potty. If they still don't go potty, keep repeating the crating and waiting an hour until they finally go while outside. Basset Hounds can be prone to getting distracted while outside, so the leash helps redirect attention and keep them slowly moving if they start to sniff too much instead of focusing on pottying. The Go Potty command, once taught, can help them remember why they are out there to begin with and keep them on track also. Make sure that the crates don't have anything absorbent in them - including a soft bed or towel. Crate the dogs separately, not in one large crate. Check out www.primopads.com if you need a non-absorbent bed option for them. Make sure the crate is only big enough for each dog to turn around, lie down and stand up, and not so big that they can potty in one end and stand in the opposite end to avoid it. Dogs have a natural desire to keep a confined space clean so it needs to be the right size to encourage that natural desire. Use a cleaner that contains enzymes to clean any previous or current accidents - only enzymes will remove the small and remaining smells encourage the dog to potty in the same location again later. Check out the Crate Training article linked below.. You will adjust those times to potty trips every 3 hours, instead of 1 hour, and taking back outside every hour if they don't go potty, instead of every 30 minutes, since your dogs are almost adults. When you need to be gone off, they should be able to hold bladders for longer if they went potty beforehand, but only if they are in the crates to motivate them. At first, don't expect longer than 5 hours. Once they are used to holding it, the maximum will be 8 hours. Any longer during the daytime and they will be forced to have an accident - enough accidents and they can loose their desire to keep even the right size crate without something absorbent in it clean. Crate Training method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside If you are still struggling after applying the above suggestions and using a crate, then unfortunately pups may have already lost their desire to hold it while in a confined space. This commonly happens when someone accidentally teaches pup to do so by placing something like a puppy pad on one end of a larger crate or confining a puppy in a cage where they are forced to pee through wired flooring - like at a pet store and some shelters. There are rare puppies who simply do it anyway, even though nothing happened to teach that. In those cases you can try feeding pup their meals in there crates to discourage it but most of the time you simply have to switch potty training methods until the dog is fully potty trained - at which point you might be able to use a crate for travel again later in life. Check out the Tethering method from the article linked below. Whenever you are home use the Tethering method. Also, set up an exercise pen (the study thick kind that pet stores often use for hosting classes due to pup's size, then tether is to something secure like the corner of the wall in the room where its located) in a room that you can close off access to later on (pup will learn it's okay to potty in this room so choose accordingly), or choose a small room without any rugs and carpet that you can use in place of the exercise pen, that can be a temporary "potty room". Sometimes a mud room, laundry room with appliances turned off, or small bathroom can work - if pup is a chewer, choose accordingly to avoid access to baseboards and anything in the room (make sure there are no wires they could get to. Don't set the exercise up in a main area of the house like the den or kitchen. Tethering method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside Use the Exercise Pen method from the article linked below, and instead of a litter box like the article mentions, use real grass pads to stay consistent with teaching pup to potty on grass outside - which is far less confusing than pee pads (Don't use pee pads if the end goal is pottying outside!). Since your goal is pottying outside only use the Exercise Pen at night and when you are not home, and tether when you are home. When pups will hold their bladder while in the rest of the house consistently and can hold it for as long as you are gone for during the day and overnight, then remove the exercise pen and grass pad completely, close off access to the room that the pen was in so they won't go into there looking to pee, and take them potty outside only. Since they may still chew longer even after potty training, when you leave them alone, be sure to leave them in a safe area that's been puppy proofed, like a cordoned off area of the kitchen with chew toys - until they are out of the destructive chewing phases too - which typically happens between 1-2 years for most dogs with the right training. Exercise Pen method: https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Real grass pad brands - Also found on Amazon www.freshpatch.com www.doggielawn.com You can also make your own out of a piece of grass sod cut up and a large, shallow plastic storage container. Since you say you have tried everything; if you have already tried this or you try it and pup isn't improving, I would consider a trip to your vet to see if something is causing incontinence. If pup is healthy and there is not incontinence, then I would work in person with a private trainer who specializes in behavior issues and has a lot of puppy experience and rescue experience (this is often an issue with rescues even if your dogs aren't rescues) so they can ask more questions and do a bit of trial and error to help you make progress. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Aug. 31, 2022

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Minnie

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Basset Hound

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1 Year

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Constantly pees when she's excited or scared what should I do because she doesn't seem to understand that she cannot be potting in the house

May 11, 2022

Minnie's Owner

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Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer

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Hello Terrilynn, First, is pup potty trained in general? If not, check out the article I have linked below and the crate training or tethering method. Since pup is an adult, you can add 2 hours to the times listed there. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside For the submissive peeing, check out this article: https://wagwalking.com/training/stop-submissive-peeing Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

May 11, 2022


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