Originally Posted by tweetee
He doesnt do it when I am around, nor when I am awake, its like he knows he shouldnt be doing it, but still does.
This is the key. There are two types of training. Training a dog TO DO something (sit, stay etc), and training a dog NOT TO DO something (eat garbage, pee in the house). You can no more expect to train a dog to sit if your not present than you can train a dog NOT to something if your not present. Dogs are not capable of abstract thinking, they live 'in the moment'. Say sit, he sits, he gets a treat and he understands it was for sitting when you said sit. Say sit, the dog wanders off somewhere then sits - if you gave him a treat at this point he'd think "cool - I get a treat for wandering off". Get it?
I've trained ummm ... well lots of dogs to housebreak and a few for competition obedience.
The key is that you have to watch them, constantly. You can't let them out of your sight. Seriously.
With puppies it's actually easier because it's not a "behaviorial" issue (as I think might be the case with your Staffie). It's not like they sneaked off, or waited until you were in the other room - if a puppy has to go he'll sit in front of you and go. Puppies poop and pee at pretty predictable times (after eating, after waking, and after playing) so it's easy to scoop them up and take them out for potty at these times. With an older dog, their schedules are not so predictable anymore - but those same moments could still be key.
When your dog is in the house, give him two options. He is either within your sight at all times (I've even attached foster adults to my ankle with a long line so I know when they've moved), or confined to a crate where he most likely will not soil (providing the crate is the correct size). When he's in your site you have to be vigilant in watching him. You need to know the "signs" of when he's about to eliminate and once you've learned these signs you need to catch him when he's thinking about doing it, but hasn't yet committed the act (go back to the first pararagraph of "thinking in the moment"). Barring the second before the offensive act, you must at least catch him IN the act. Any later than that and the moment is lost.
Lastly, once you've mastered the timing of catching him, the punishment needs to be swift and memorable (to the dog). I DON'T condone hitting, kicking or swatting with other objects. I will however throw an object (keys are great) in the DIRECTION of the dog to get their attention and at the same time yell "NO" or whatever you use. You need to make this NO sound as if Satan himself has emoted from your own bowels through your voice - make the windows rattle. If your dog RUNS - you've done it right. Yeah ... scare the *bleep* out of him. And once you've picked a word (no, stop, leave it), stick with THAT WORD.
Voice inflection is your most important tool in training dogs. If you use your happy voice and tell the dog he's a bad boy, he'll wiggle. If you use your angry voice and tell him he's a bad boy, he'll sulk. Learn to use the full volume and spectrum of your voice, when you want your dog TO do something speak with authority - good volume and steady tone. When you want your dog to STOP doing something make it sound angry. With my very young puppies (2 weeks and up). I will actually growl at them because that is a sound they associate with their mother telling them something is wrong so STOP (even before they could open their eyes).
I will often 'set my dogs up' to teach them NOT to do something, especially my puppies. I'll leave the garbage can open in the middle of the kitchen and hide around the corner with my set of keys and wait for the puppy to walk toward the can looking at and sniffing - when he's about 1' away - I sling the keys at the can and yell "LEAVE IT" at the same time. Puppy now thinks the garbage can is posessed, mission accomplished.
It is FAR easier to teach a dog NOT to do something before he's had an opportunity to ever get away with it, which is why I set my dogs up - I want to make sure I'm there when the "opportunity" presents itself. It's far more difficult for a dog to UNLEARN a behavior, but it can be done. It takes vigilance, consistancy, and tons of patience - and it will take longer.
Hope this helps.
Sue