How did you do it and what worked for you? Right now we have the puppy pads and I try to put her on there about every 1/2 hour and she does pretty good, usually going and when we take her outside she almost always goes to the bathroom. We give her alot of praise and a treat. But she still is having alot of accidents. I got this book "How to housebreak your dog in 7 days" but I don't like the technique they use because alot of the day the dog is kept alone confined to a small area of the house or a her crate. I don't want to do that to her for 7 days! Our older dog was already trained so we have not had to deal with this before so any tips, ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.
i think the thing about the crate is they dont want to pee or poop where they eat and sleep so they will hold it till you take them outside. If theres so much room they are allowed to have they can go and still get away from it.
I think the best bet is to do the crate. 7 days is a lot better than accidents in the long run imo
-- Edited by 3s_a_crowd on Thursday 18th of February 2010 06:48:13 AM
We had to to train our dog, or should I say I had to. I don't let my dog all over the house. He is only allowed in the kitchen, but then again he is a very large dog and chews. I would just take him out to use the bathroom on a set schedule and if we were not home, he would be in his crate.
I do know that for a dog to be in a crate is not necessarily a bad thing when they are not supervised and it's not an overly long time.
You also have a small breed puppy so I don't know if they have more difficulty being able to potty train. I think when I was training our dog I read that most dogs are not able to really be trained until around four months.
Just keep at it and your cute puppy will get there.
Here is what i have heard to be the best way. THe puppy spends ALL unsupervised time in the kennel with just enough room to lay down. Every couple of hours you bring puppy outside. If she pees, then she gets play time. After that back in the kennel. If not, then back in the kennel and try again in 15ish minutes.
Really, a kennel is not a punishment. It's a safe place that can be just their's.
That said, my puppy is 10 months old. I tried crate training with her, but after a week of hearing her screech every time I put her in there, I gave up. She had plenty of accidents. Thank goodness we're carpet cleaners!!!!
I just kept bringing her out often. We always went out the same door. By 5 months she had the whole thing figured out. I'm even leaving her alone in the house now if we're only gone for a couple of hours.
Ok I may be in the minority for this comment, but don't use the puppy pads. You are teaching your dog that it is ok to potty in the house. Make sure you are taking her out every time. Even if it is every 15 minutes. And putting her in a kennel/crate is not punishment. Its a space that she can feel safe and have chill out time. Dogs don't look at it as punishment unless you are making it that way...for example if you spanked her or yelled at her and then put her in the crate. But bottom line is that it is her safe haven, where she can totally relax. Potty training a dog is alot like potty training your kids in a sense, its all about repitition and reward. Make a huge deal out of it when she does potty outside, maybe you could boil a chicken breast and cut it into teeny pieces and give her one each time she does potty outside. (I know thats how DogTown people train the dogs and it seems to work great.) Anyway I hope this potty training business goes quickly and that she is minding her p's and q's!
I agree with Nicole about the puppy pads- those are a bad idea if you want to train your pup to go outside. They get used to peeing in the house, which is no bueno, for sure.
We have had several puppies, and all but one was strictly crate trained. They do whine and cry at first, but you can talk to them soothingly, and we put the crate in our room at night so he slept with us. I agree with the rest of the crate info; just big enough for them to turn around in, so there isn't a safe area for them to pee or poo. The key is being able to take them out fequently; at least once an hour, and if it's been an hour and they don't pee outside when you take them, every 15 min. Super excited praise when they go outside; I kept a bag of cut up hotdogs in my pocket, and would give a small piece when they went. Gradually wean off the treat to just praise.
Our crate dogs were trained quickly (less than a week, with accidents few and far between after that). They were also kept in kennels when we were gone, but with more space. The key to making the crate work is to not use it as punishment. Keep a couple of toys in there, and never talk loudly or act angry when using it. It's there den, a safe place, and it will help them.
My mom couldn't go through with crate training, and that little a-hole has no problem peeing or taking a dump in the house. My dad employs the newspaper training routine, which of course I hate. I would say a couple days of listening to whining and crying are worth the benefit of having them be comfortable in their crate.
I also wouldn't use the puppy pads inside anymore. It does give her permission to go inside, and she prolly won't "get" that she whould just go there. But, I would take the pads and move some that she "used" and move them outside. Then she has a spot that she can smell as a place to that she should use.
I don't ever use crates. But, I've almost always had "pound" puppies, and I, personally, don't feel right about making them go from one cage to another. I just can't. But, I am for sure, in the minority about that and am a huge softie. Maybe f I had dogs that weren't abandoned and/or abused I would feel differently. I would say most trainers say to use them to potty train.
Make sure that as soon as the puppy wakes up, always go outside right away and try to pick a word or phrase to always use. Like, Go potty... or whatever. But say it while she's doing it. Tell her "good go potty" while she's peeing. Use lots of praise.
I don't let my dog all over the house. He is only allowed in the kitchen, but then again he is a very large dog and chews. I would just take him out to use the bathroom on a set schedule and if we were not home, he would be in his crate.
