Help potty training please!!!

L

Lakethoreau

Forums Regular
My furball is now 5½ months old - got her at 4 months. I've been crate training her but... She's fine in the crate. Did do pee pads inside on the heavy snow and ice days though but she uses intermittently.

Still can't get her to pee/poop outside consistently. Can spend an hour or two with her outside, she might pee or poop (not always though) but then as soon as she gets inside she lets loose!

Any suggestions please!!!
 
Hi! Welcome to the forums.

Everyone will have a different opinion, but I am not a fan of potty pads. It tells the dog it is ok to go inside. Dogs do not understand the difference between inside on a pad and inside on the floor. It is very difficult for a puppy to understand that yes it is ok to go inside during certain times and in certain places, but not all the time, and definitely not on the rug, etc. Pads are enticing places to go, so they go there (sometimes), but it still sends the signal that inside peeing/pooping = ok, good. It is somewhat difficult to undo the that training and try to tell them that no, it actually isn't ok to go inside. I am personally of the opinion that pottying is only outside. Never inside. Just so I am clear and simple with the dog.

Everyone who crate trains does so differently. When I crate trained Cookie, he would spend time in the crate even when I was at home. He would be crated in the living room while I did homework, crated when he slept, crated occasionally in the kitchen while I made dinner, crated while I was gone. Every single time I took him out of his crate, we would go *immediately* outside and try to potty. When he pottied, I made a really big deal about it, "Yayyyyyyyy GOOD BOY yayyyyyy!!!!" Eventually he got the idea. I crate trained him consistently for months. By the time he was six months old he had it down, but it required consistency and commitment.

But that is just my case :wink2: Others will have other advice to contribute. :smile2:
 
I totally agree with Cookie's Mom on the use of potty pads inside. We live in upstate NY where the winter's can be bitter cold, deep snow cover and often icy...and even my little Yorkie goes outside to do her business in any weather. I think it takes a lot longer to train a pup who uses inside pads...the message is really confusing...sometimes it is OK to go inside, sometimes not.

Have consistent times you go outside...always right after your pup wakes even from a very short daytime nap, after eating, after playing, etc. Huge praise when they do their business outside...no scolding when an accident happens inside (unless you catch in the act and then just a "no") since usually it is our fault for not paying close enough attention and getting them out when they needed to go.

If you have spent a lot of time outside with no business done, then back into the crate once inside...and try outside again in a little bit. If they have done their business outside then they get "free time" inside...but until a pup is fully housebroken I never give them run of the entire house...they only get to be in whatever room I am in so I can keep track of them and rush them outside the instant I see signs that they are thinking of eliminating.

When outside at potty time...no play until AFTER business is done...then make sure you make time for some really happy upbeat play...the reward for doing their business. If you play before potty, they often forget what they are out there for...make it boring so they are not distracted until after they have done what they are outside to do.

Trini
 
I crate trained my 3 Shelties over the years and I agree with you both. If they were in the crate we went outside....if they went, they could stay out of the crate under supervision for a while. If NOT...back in the crate for a while and do,it all over again. It worked for me and my 3 but might work for all.
 
Thank you, all.

I only resorted to the pads because at times the snow was deeper than she was tall - not to mention the ice affecting her paws. I do crate her and she's great at night. I just have to be forceful about her being in the crate if she doesn't finish her business outside. I feel bad about the amount of time she has to be crated and leashed. Don't remember it being this difficult with my golden.

Time to walk the pup.
 
Hi there, welcome.

My Sammy's is trained to go inside on a UGODOG, and since she's always crated when we cannot give her 100% attention, she has learned to go on schedule as well (morning, afternoon, evening). We never have to go outside for business, and I am very glad about that, I wouldn't want to go out 3 - 4 times a day in the type of nasty weather we had this last winter. When we do go out, it's for play or jogging, we even try to encourage her to do her business (inside) before we go out. We haven't had any accident since she has learned to go to her specific spot, other than when she has diarrhea over night.

I am sure that method is not for everyone, just giving an example that it is possible.

Sammy's Daddy
https://www.google.ca/search?client...a=X&ei=LlIuU-GgE6mqyAHLm4GQAw&ved=0CCkQvwUoAA
 
Gavin has one of those, too. He NEVER uses it if I am home. If I am home we go outside for potty breaks. Sometimes I wish he would at 3AM, but no luck. I do have to say, though, that since it was always in my bathroom he now will do his business in my bathroom even if the puppy potty isn't there- I tried moving it to the guest bathroom and he won't use it there and will leave a present for me in my bathroom instead!
 
I, too, am having a very hard time getting my 12 week old male mix foster puppy potty trained.

He keeps his crate dry (even overnight), but is a peeing machine during the day.

I don't use puppy pads, for the reasons that others have mentioned.(Plus my experience with puppy pads is that the dogs will chew them up!) But I do keep him in a belly band when he is out in the house. I guess that is not much different than putting pee pads down, but at least it protects my floors.
 
Sheltie4 said:
But I do keep him in a belly band when he is out in the house.
Click to expand...

Had never heard of belly bands nor ugodog. Interesting.

Just let her out of the bathroom, and have her glued to me and tonight for the second night in a row she actually peed on my blanket on my lounge sitting next to me. No hint she needed to go, she'd just peed about 15 minutes prior. :confused2:
 
Lakethoreau said:
Had never heard of belly bands nor ugodog. Interesting.

Just let her out of the bathroom, and have her glued to me and tonight for the second night in a row she actually peed on my blanket on my lounge sitting next to me. No hint she needed to go, she'd just peed about 15 minutes prior. :confused2:
Click to expand...

Have you had her urine checked for an infection? It sounds like something more than just not being housebroken may be going on.

Trini
 
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