puppy potty training tips?

[jayne5787]

hey pet lovers, I'm in need of some help. My puppy has a potty problem. He's about 3 months old and USUALLY does his business outside or on the wee wee pad, but there are the moments when he won't go when we're outside, but when after we get inside he does it randomly in some part of the house and you don't notice it until he already did it or you step in it...like I just did a few minutes ago. ugh. I've read up on potty training and I try to do everything they say, but I want to hear YOUR experiences in puppy potty training. Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance!

 

[M.A.C. head.]

He's still so young, it'll be a while, especially if there's not someone that's home with him all the time. Maybe you could start helping him train by having a pan with newspaper in it that you direct him to pee in when he's in the house. You could have it close to the door and once he understand that he has to pee in the pan, you can stead move it closer to the door to the yard. Every few days move it closer and then finally put it outside. When he has to go pee pee he'll probably paw at the door so he can use his potty.

I don't know if it will really work, but it couldn't hurt to try. Sort of like a kitty little potty training course, where graduation is in the grass LOL

 

[jayne5787]

Yeah, he's young and we've only had him for 2 weeks, so I'm not expecting a potty training miracle...lol. We praise him when he does his thing on the wee wee pad and outside, so hopefully that's helping a little. We unfortunately don't have grass, so when he graduates it'll be on the pebble yard

Quote:

Originally Posted by M.A.C. head. He's still so young, it'll be a while, especially if there's not someone that's home with him all the time. Maybe you could start helping him train by having a pan with newspaper in it that you direct him to pee in when he's in the house. You could have it close to the door and once he understand that he has to pee in the pan, you can stead move it closer to the door to the yard. Every few days move it closer and then finally put it outside. When he has to go pee pee he'll probably paw at the door so he can use his potty. I don't know if it will really work, but it couldn't hurt to try. Sort of like a kitty little potty training course, where graduation is in the grass LOL

 

[SkylarV217]

We kept our puppy in a small space ie the bath tub while we weren't home ( she wouldn't go in there b/c she had such a small space... then we would take her out right when we got home... We also taught her how to ring a bell on the door when she needed to go out , but placing the bell on the door and ringing it every-time we took her out while she was training... after a while she got the hang of it and would ring the bell with her nose and tail until the day that she died.

 

[pink_lily002]

Try to get him used to a schedule too! My dog learned that she had to do her business as soon as someone got up in the morning and as soon as someone came home from work. We used to have some problems too, and while it was annoying, it really just takes time and patience. If the tips you've received and research you've done don't seem to be helping, talk to a vet too. They might have some more ideas!

 

[Dice1233]

Sounds like you are doing a very good job with rewarding him when he goes outside and on his pee-pads. I am fan of the crate training method, the idea being the same as the above post in that, when in a smaller space, the instinct is not to mess the 'den'. Then they go straight outside as soon as they are let out of the crate or small area, and lots of praise/treats after they've gone potty. You can get a larger crate that will fit the pup when he grows up, then make a partition so it is small enough for him now - he should be able to stand up, lay down, and turn around. No interactions outside until after potty.

As far as with going potty inside right after going outside, you can use the 'tether' method - when you come back inside, use an extra long leash and tie the puppy to you. The puppy then has to follow you around and you can catch him as soon as he goes potty and reprimand him while he's in the act, then move him outside and praise him.

Potty training certainly takes patience and there will be accidents, but I think you are off to a good start. Good luck!!

 

[jaclynashley]

My pomeranian used to go potty at least 10 times a day !
I guess she had a bad bladder so whenever she got excited she'd just go on the floor .
I suggest taking the pad and whenever he goes potty clean it with the pad and put it back to his designated "potty area" .
Because he is a male dog he is trying to mark his territory all over your property so I suggest possibly doing a few areas for his potty needs and once he gets the hang of things slowly remove one pad at a time .
And lastly every accident he makes on the ground clean it with a dissinfecting wipe like clorox wipes so you can get rid of most of the smell.
Good luck !

 

[k.a.t]

I got my pup (now adult dog) at 3 months old too. All i done was use those wee wee pads and place them near the backgarden door until he got used to the idea of going outside and peeing there...Sorry if that doesn't help
Good luck!

 

[*KT*]

I second the crate training thing. I pushed for it, and my hubby reluctantly agreed. Now we're both happy we did it. They're safe in their crates when we're not home, not making messes and not eating anything that could hurt them. Especially when we were housebreaking.

Our male goes into his crate when he's tired and wants quiet time. Some mornings, before I even tell them to go to their crates, he'll be laying in there waiting for me to shut the gate and go to work. Like, "Sheesh, get out of here already, I'm too tired to deal with you humans!"

Schedules help a lot and for puppies, taking them out immediately after play indoor play and after naps. We have verbal cues we use as well. When housebreaking, we'd take him out and as SOON as he started got into the position to pee, we'd say "Do your business!" and confirm it with a "Yes! Good boy!" while he was doing it. After a while, we'd tell him "Do your business" and he'd get busy sniffing and pee right away.

BTW, Nature's Miracle works great for all kinds of pet accidents.... including puke. Soak the area and press with paper towel. Repeat until it's just the clear cleaning liquid and let dry. We did this throughout puppy training and when we brought a 2nd dog into the house, she couldn't find his accident spots.... and she was being trained for search and rescue work and has an excellent nose. If they can smell where an accident happened, they're MUCH more likely to use that spot again. Nature's Miracle took care of a puke stain that Resolve Spot Magic didn't even budge.

 

[jayne5787]

I really like the crate training idea, but my fiance is kind of insistent on getting him to do his business outside. Would it confuse my puppy to have him do his thing inside and outside? I'd love if we could crate train him, but I thought they don't "eliminate" in their area? One more question, how big can the crate be? I read that it shouldn't be TOO big, but not too cramped either. Thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by *KT* I second the crate training thing. I pushed for it, and my hubby reluctantly agreed. Now we're both happy we did it. They're safe in their crates when we're not home, not making messes and not eating anything that could hurt them. Especially when we were housebreaking. Our male goes into his crate when he's tired and wants quiet time. Some mornings, before I even tell them to go to their crates, he'll be laying in there waiting for me to shut the gate and go to work. Like, "Sheesh, get out of here already, I'm too tired to deal with you humans!" Schedules help a lot and for puppies, taking them out immediately after play indoor play and after naps. We have verbal cues we use as well. When housebreaking, we'd take him out and as SOON as he started got into the position to pee, we'd say "Do your business!" and confirm it with a "Yes! Good boy!" while he was doing it. After a while, we'd tell him "Do your business" and he'd get busy sniffing and pee right away. BTW, Nature's Miracle works great for all kinds of pet accidents.... including puke. Soak the area and press with paper towel. Repeat until it's just the clear cleaning liquid and let dry. We did this throughout puppy training and when we brought a 2nd dog into the house, she couldn't find his accident spots.... and she was being trained for search and rescue work and has an excellent nose. If they can smell where an accident happened, they're MUCH more likely to use that spot again. Nature's Miracle took care of a puke stain that Resolve Spot Magic didn't even budge.

 

[Beauty Mark]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkylarV217 We kept our puppy in a small space ie the bath tub while we weren't home ( she wouldn't go in there b/c she had such a small space... then we would take her out right when we got home... We also taught her how to ring a bell on the door when she needed to go out , but placing the bell on the door and ringing it every-time we took her out while she was training... after a while she got the hang of it and would ring the bell with her nose and tail until the day that she died.

That's not only cute but also really practical.

I think consistency is the key for puppies. You have to take them outside a certain time, and they get used to it. Your puppy is just a baby, though; human babies take a bit of time to learn to use the toilet, so I imagine a puppy is similar

 

[*KT*]

The whole idea behind crate training is that their crate becomes their den and they do NOT want to soil their den. We never did the weewee pad thing because we didn't want him to think peeing inside was ever something we encourage.

The rule of thumb for "holding it" for puppies is 1 hour per month old. So if they're crated all day, sure, they'll still do what they need to do in their crate. Which is why my hubby and I took turns going home at lunch every day to make sure the fuzzy one had a chance to go outside. He didn't always make it until lunch, but over time he learned the bladder control.

So that our pup wouldn't have to go back into a crate with soiled bedding, I went to a fabric store and bought some inexpensive fleece and cut it into pieces double the size of his crate area (so I could fold it in half and give him a little comfy cushion). This was nice in 2 ways. First, I had a lot of very cheap blankets and only had to do "puppy laundry" every few days and he wouldn't have to be in a soiled crate. Second, if he decided to chew on the edge of it, it wasn't like he was 'destuffing' an expensive pet bed and eating a bunch of polyfil.

Here's a link from the Humane Society: Crate Training | The Humane Society of the United States

 

[*KT*]

Oh, and we don't crate at night. We used to keep his crate in our bedroom and keep the door wedged open against the bed, so he had his whole crate and my hubby's side of the bed to move around. Once we moved the crate out of our bedroom and near the back door, we continued letting him sleep in the bedroom with us and just kept the door shut. Since the housebreaking was complete, we leave our bedroom door open without fear of him going off and finding a spot to pee.

 

[coachkitten]

My family got a golden puppy a few months back and I have to say that crate training really helps. Also a lot of positive comments and treats once they go. Ole still has accidents but he is learning. Good luck!