How do we get our puppy Basenji to stop pooping in the Kitchen and Bathroom?


  • Both the kitchen and bathroom have the same tiles (only areas in the house with those tiles) so I assume that she just likes those tiles?

    In her crate and in other rooms she uses faux grass or plastic pee pads. We take her outside every morning to potty (our dog always goes potty on the pads I mentioned).


  • @keimau Would you be willing to share more information? Your pups age, general food, and toileting schedule could provide valuable clues. (thanks)

  • Banned

    @keimau - what are you doing with potty training? Taking them out only in the morning... is not enough... but you have not really indicated what the general potty training is?... because you have been using faux grass or pee pads... and are going to continue to use them, you will need to put them in those areas that she is pooping... however, the better choice would be to teach her to potty outdoors


  • I had a friend raised a puppy using only pee pads. The poor dog grew up to be rather neurotic. For good mental health, a dog (any breed, but especially a basenji) needs to be able to go outside for walks at least 2 times a day (and puppies need more walks!).

    Methinks your pup is trying to tell you something...


  • A lot depends on their age. They have to be sufficiently self aware to know what they're doing. Also some are able to hold it longer than others at an earlier age. Also depends on how they were trained. If they were trained that it was OK to go on tile, or that they should go on tile, which is a possibility, then to some extent you're fighting history.

    All that said, if they're old enough to understand, you need to catch them in the act and then make a huge deal of it. Act as if the world is coming to an end. If they do it and you find it later then just clean it up. They won't make the connection.


  • I have never used pee-pads. Pups need to go OUT after food, as soon as they wake up, and whenever you think about it !

    Basenjis are very clean and easy to train. But a pup can't hold it for very long and needs the chance to be clean in the right place. Inordinate praise when he gets is right is essential.


  • Observation is your most important tool. Keep an eye on your pup and take outside whenever any signs of restlessness, looking for "the spot", etc. happen. House training can happen very quickly when the pup doesn't practice "getting it wrong", but every "mistake" in the house works against you and you don't want it to become a habit!


  • Our first basenji back in ‘96 lived with us in an apartment. I, too, used pee pads for those occasional ‘accidents’. BUT, she wasn’t getting potty trained, even though we were taking her outside. It was ME. I was sending mixed signals to her. I picked up the pee pads, and she was taken out, immediately upon waking, after eating, after naps, after play. She was trained within a week. I also had another female that when she got older, decided she hated the rain SO much, she did her business on the floor, BUT it was the bathroom floor. She was so smart she made the connection that, that’s where her pack ‘goes’.


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  • @malik said in How do we get our puppy Basenji to stop pooping in the Kitchen and Bathroom?:

    Puppies can't hold it long, so if they pee inside, it's really not the puppies fault but the owners. It's our job to anticipate when they might need to potty, and take them outside.

    Absolutely! And they learn very quickly if there is consistency in taking them outside. My girl Tamu learned in less than two weeks, and she was very young when we got her (7 weeks, which is not recommended, but my 7 year old girl, Lady, pretty much adopted her and taught her manners).

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