Need some encouragement ... new puppy woes

E

Emily Pucker

Forums Novice
Hi, all! This is my first post on this site, though I've been reading it for advice for a while.

Our puppy is ten weeks old; he's our first puppy, though not our first Sheltie. I'm wondering if his behavior is normal or if I am doing something wrong.

We take Sage out a lot, but he still pees in the house often - sometimes he poops too! I've started giving him "super premium" treats when he potties outside, a bit of peanut butter, but just now after being outside for ten or fifteen minutes with no action, he came inside and immediately peed on the carpet. Ugh. He's getting the hang of "come" and "shake" so I know he can learn, but this is starting to really drive us up the wall.

I've been using Nature's Miracle as much as I can, but in the rush to get him out the door mid-stream I can't always find the exact spot he peed on. I've also been using the carpet cleaner with pet specific shampoo to spot clean as much as possible. It just seems like he's not getting any better on his own, and the only way to control the pee is to keep him contained in a playpen - but if he's always contained, how will he be able to learn how to behave when he's not contained? Also, it makes me sad not to be able to play with him all the time because he's in a playpen.

I guess I just want to know if I'm doing things right, if his behavior is age-appropriate, and whether this problem is ever going to get better. Thank you for reading!
 
Welcome to the forum! Your little Sage is a baby at 10 weeks. It's not surprising he's having lots of accidents! Be patient. You'll have better results if you crate him when you can't watch him, overnight or when you go out. Puppies will avoid soiling in their "den" which is what a crate is to them. The playpen may give him too much room. I find puppies that young need to go out every 30 minutes to an hour, right after they eat and right after they wake up from sleeping. Sometimes you won't get anything. Their muscles that control elimination aren't developed until they're six months old.

That said, 8 week old puppies are able to hold it overnight in a crate. But those same puppies will go every 15 minutes if they're loose in your house...go figure. So it's not you. It sounds like you're doing most everything right. Lots of praise and reward when he does perform. He'll figure it out, but it's a process. Enjoy him and post some pictures for us!
 
Ann said:
Welcome to the forum! Your little Sage is a baby at 10 weeks. It's not surprising he's having lots of accidents! Be patient. You'll have better results if you crate him when you can't watch him, overnight or when you go out. Puppies will avoid soiling in their "den" which is what a crate is to them. The playpen may give him too much room. I find puppies that young need to go out every 30 minutes to an hour, right after they eat and right after they wake up from sleeping. Sometimes you won't get anything. Their muscles that control elimination aren't developed until they're six months old.

That said, 8 week old puppies are able to hold it overnight in a crate. But those same puppies will go every 15 minutes if they're loose in your house...go figure. So it's not you. It sounds like you're doing most everything right. Lots of praise and reward when he does perform. He'll figure it out, but it's a process. Enjoy him and post some pictures for us!
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Ann, THANK YOU so much for replying! He sleeps in a crate when we're gone and at night in our room, but during the day when I'm home I want him with me. He's not really cool with the leash (ideas on that???) so tethering him to me isn't a good option, so playpen it is. Yet I can't help but wish I could just have him around with me doing stuff, instead of peering at me from behind bars. He doesn't go potty in there but I feel so separated from him!
 
I will respond more later but yea thisis normal for such a young pup. Once they get it (and can physically hold it) shelties tend to be a breed that is reliable in potty training othwr than a potential teen regression that is temporary.

My current smaller sheltie i got at 12 weeks and after a month was almost perfectly trained. He struggled with figuring out how to notify me without a window to look through. My first was weird and unusually fast at training. 1-2 months of training seems pretty normal to me..... and they get better at it and can hold it longer each week.
 
Hello and congratulations on the new puppy! Take lots of pictures because the time goes so fast.

Ann gave you great advice on potty training. To follow up on your leash question, one of the best ways to teach the leash is to just let them drag it around. You may have to start with just attaching it to the collar, rewarding him, then taking it off. Once your pup is accepting you putting the leash on, leave it attached and let him drag it around. Once he's use to a weight, pick it up and hold it lightly in your hand so he gets use to it being in your hand. He's a smart dog and will figure it out fast.

I, personally, love Lupine brand leashes and collars. They are a little more expensive than your typical store brand BUT they come with a lifetime guarantee, even if your dog chews through it. You just go on their website and submit your claim with picture of damaged item and they will send you a replacement pretty quickly. It came in handy when my now two-year-old was a puppy and chewed through his leash.

One other thing, you should consider looking around for a puppy class for Sage. It will help him learn general manners as well as you learning to work with him for basics like walking, grooming, etc. It will really help to start form a bond between you.
 
Emily Pucker said:
Ann, THANK YOU so much for replying! He sleeps in a crate when we're gone and at night in our room, but during the day when I'm home I want him with me. He's not really cool with the leash (ideas on that???) so tethering him to me isn't a good option, so playpen it is. Yet I can't help but wish I could just have him around with me doing stuff, instead of peering at me from behind bars. He doesn't go potty in there but I feel so separated from him!
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Hi again, Emily! If you're already using a crate and the playpen as backup, you're doing all the right things. Silaria gave you good advice on leash training. Just stick with it...the light bulb will go off in his little head all of a sudden and he'll walk like a champ on leash.

I understand your wanting Sage to be with you in the house. The price you pay though is that he'll go at will. I know it's hard, but you're better off taking him out of his pen for play time and whisking him outside before and after to perform. Then give him a bit of free time when you can watch him. If you catch him "in the act," a stern NO while you pick him up and take him outside will quickly teach him what to do. This only works if you catch him actually going. After the fact reprimands are not effective. Patience...he'll be following you everywhere before you know it!

One other suggestion. I know some people swear by Nature's Miracle. I used to use it too, until they changed their formula some years back and it didn't seem as effective. I found a product called Fizzion which you can get on Amazon that is amazing. It's like Alka Seltzer. You drop a tablet that fizzes in the bottle that comes with it and make the liquid which is all natural and uses oxygen to remove stains like you can't believe, plus the scent of accidents. Here's a link if you want to try it. It's taken out some very nasty stains from my carpets!
https://www.amazon.com/Fizzion-Remo...499783357&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=fizzion&psc=1
 
Emily Pucker said:
Hi, all! This is my first post on this site, though I've been reading it for advice for a while.

Our puppy is ten weeks old; he's our first puppy, though not our first Sheltie. I'm wondering if his behavior is normal or if I am doing something wrong.

We take Sage out a lot, but he still pees in the house often - sometimes he poops too! I've started giving him "super premium" treats when he potties outside, a bit of peanut butter, but just now after being outside for ten or fifteen minutes with no action, he came inside and immediately peed on the carpet. Ugh. He's getting the hang of "come" and "shake" so I know he can learn, but this is starting to really drive us up the wall.

I've been using Nature's Miracle as much as I can, but in the rush to get him out the door mid-stream I can't always find the exact spot he peed on. I've also been using the carpet cleaner with pet specific shampoo to spot clean as much as possible. It just seems like he's not getting any better on his own, and the only way to control the pee is to keep him contained in a playpen - but if he's always contained, how will he be able to learn how to behave when he's not contained? Also, it makes me sad not to be able to play with him all the time because he's in a playpen.

I guess I just want to know if I'm doing things right, if his behavior is age-appropriate, and whether this problem is ever going to get better. Thank you for reading!
Click to expand...

Fret not-there were days I thought Savannah would NEVER be trustworthy, she had accidents up until 6 mths, doing all those things you gotta do. I even told my breeder I thought she was defective for a sheltie-ha. My other girls were EASY, and spoiled me because they didn't have the many accidents she did and it all clicked right away. They got potty training quick-she had days were she could care less about it. :banghead: finally it clicked. She would go outside, perform and come in and save a bit for the throw rug just inside the door. Which made NO sense to me. HANG IN THERE, be consistent, and one day, the light does turn on. Just know puppyhood goes FAST, enjoy the other parts of it, because soon it will be a memory.
 
Everyone, thank you so very much for the wisdom and encouragement! The playpen is really helping; Sage has only had one accident yet today (knock on wood!) because he's been contained most of the time, except for playing with me, and we've been going outside about once an hour and especially after he wakes up from a nap. Peanut butter also seems to get his attention, which is lovely. I will start working more with his leash in the next couple of days. He's the very sweetest baby when he's being good; even the constant biting is endearing, in an annoying way. I'm looking forward to the day when he's reliable and can be allowed to roam around the house without constant surveillance. For me, having a little shadow is the best part of having a dog around. Thanks again, all, for the kind words!
 
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Honestly, Deska took months to house train, so it just takes a long time with some dogs (Tully came house trained). It really helped to keep a timetable of his toileting and have him on a strict schedule, and also knowing when he was going to pee meant I could teach him to toilet on command. And of course, always toilet after puppy wakes up, eats and plays.
 
Chip and Laddie will do either poop and/or pee on command, IF they need to.
Chip took several months to be totally free of any mishaps. Laddie was a dream come true. I don't think he made a mess more than once or twice. Chip wasn't fond of the soft enclosed bed, Laddie would have none of it from the beginning. At a little over a year Chip decided he was having none of the enclosed bit.

Time and much patience which I don't have. Mama took care of this part of the training.

Cheer up! Your puppy will become sooooooo---- proud when he learns what you wish him to do.

ferg
 
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