What Are the Hardest Dogs to Housebreak?

Dog trainers consider some dog breed groups more difficult to housebreak than others. Some breeds are more stubborn than others and refuse to listen to commands, while other breeds, particularly hunting and racing dogs, have an instinct to mark their territory. Owners may benefit from putting their puppy in a special training program, but ultimately, with patience, all dogs are capable of being house trained.

  1. Scent Hounds

    • The difficulty with this breed group is that the dogs are more interested in sniffing out scents of other animals and chasing them. Therefore they have difficulty concentrating on an owner's instructions when outdoors. It is essential to take the puppy, or dog, out on a leash when training breeds in this group. This prevents them from running off and forces them to focus on the task. Also, if a scent hound has an accident in the house, clean it up thoroughly and use an odor eliminator, otherwise the dog easily picks up the smell and uses the same spot again. Dog breeds in this group are the Basset hound, beagle, dachshund and American foxhound.

    Sight Hounds

    • The sight hounds are chasers. Like the scent hounds, they will run after anything that moves and owners need to keep this type of dog on a leash during outdoors training, particularly near traffic. However, sight hounds are very sensitive and owners should not use a choke chain, or similar, to restrain them as they are easily injured. Like scent hounds, they are also easily distracted which presents house training problems, and owners need to be patient and devote extra time to this activity. Breeds in this category are the saluki, whippet, Irish wolfhound, Afghan hound and borzoi.

    Terriers

    • Terrier breeds are territorial and mark their area inside and outside the house. This trait is more prominent in the males. Added to this, they are smart and have a knack of figuring out when they can get away with not obeying orders. It isn't advisable to leave your terrier unaccompanied out in the backyard as part of its training. Many terrier breeds were bred for rat catching, or chasing rabbits in underground warrens, and they love to dig under any obstacle in their way, such as the fence. Firmness and consistency are very important when housebreaking a terrier breed so they know what the rules are. Breeds in this group are the Jack Russell, the West Highland terrier and Cairn terrier.

    Toy Breeds

    • Toy breeds have a reputation for being difficult to train. Because of their size they can sneak behind furniture rather than bother to go outside, and owners need to be extra vigilant and consistent with training. Dogs feel vulnerable during pottying, and owners should ensure that small dogs feel secure in their pottying place. Keep larger dogs away from them, and if owners take them to a grassy place for pottying, make sure the grass is short as they feel threatened in long grass. These breeds appreciate lots of praise when they get pottying right, and this helps correct any stubborn resistance to learning. Breeds in this group are pugs, Italian greyhound, pekingese, Yorkshire terrier and the shih tzu.