Apartment Potty Training: Puppy Apartment, training pads.. etc.

L

LilyThePuppy

Forums Novice
Hello,

I am expecting a sweet 8 week old girl pup, Lily, in October. Luckily, I work from home (unless I have errands or night class) and will be be with Lily 85% of the time. However, I was curious to know how other owners train pups/dogs to use the bathroom correctly while living in the apartment. I would like to train her to use house pads and also have her crate trained when I am away. My last Sheltie LOVED her crate... it was like her second home and if anyone touched her crate (just for even a wash) she became very territorial!!! It was the cutest. Therefore, I would like Lily to be crate trained as well.

I've heard some friends complain that their dogs have become ill from using the bathroom at their apartment complex due to neighbors leaving droppings. Basically, my friends did not realize their dogs sniffed these droppings and then later caught bacterial infections (it made me very nervous). I was told from a vet that this is not that uncommon for dogs that live in apartment or loft units, especially when your dog does its business in designated bathroom areas.

Of course, when Lily gets older, she will go on walks, visit parks...etc... She will enjoy the outdoors!!! However, if I can avoid her getting sick here and there.. that would be great!

I have learned about the puppy apartment and became highly interested in making Lily her own (with a larger bedroom space). Have any of you heard or used a puppy apartment? If so, what are your reviews?

Also, for those who live in apartments... what did you learn worked best when potty training? Did you decide to continue using house pads? or does your dog go outside?

Any feedback helps! Thank you! :)
 
I currently live in an apartment with a 9 yr old sheltie and a soon to be 8 mos old sheltie. For my pup (ruutu) we pottied trained him just like it was a house. If we saw him circling around, sniffing, after eating, drinking, playing we took him outside. Eventually (4 mons or so) he learned that if he needs to go outside he stands by the door. We did crate train him, best thing ever! He sleeps in it at night and also is in it while both my Fiance and I are at work. I highly recommend not doing the pads. It confuses the dog and later down the road will have issues going outside. You're basically telling her it's okay to go in my house, when it's not. I understand being worried about things in the yard more than most people. My 9 yr old must of eaten a tree leaf thing which made her extremely ill to where she spent two nights in the emergency vets... $600 later, and she's fine. That being said, I now don't take either one of them over to that location to potty. I also watch constantly to make sure they don't eat anything as I've found wrappers, cigs, beer bottle caps, dead bird, mushrooms all in my backyard. I think if you know it is there, then you'll be fine, but you have to make yourself aware as well. As far as the droppings, the owners should be cleaning up after their dogs and I would almost say something to the apartment manager.
 
Hi Lily the Puppy, welcome to Sheltie Nation. Can't wait to see pics of your new baby. I agree with all the melbell said, I too live in an apartment and had my baby here for over 6 years. As stated, you just have to watch for obstacles where you walk. Some people are not as responsible as pet parents as they should be, picking up poop . . . ew-w-w, no way, not me! It just comes with the territory of having and enjoying our babies. I also agree that the indoor potty pads are a bad idea. The first reason, when someone walks in your house, it's like the "bad litter box smell", that is what they smell and it is not pleasant. Secondly, it teaches your dog there are no boundaries as far as your house. The people that live above me used the pee-pee pads, they have 2 dogs and they are now in diapers when the humans are away. Now unnatural that must be for the dogs, but that was their only solution to keep the dogs, (ages 5 years and 2 years), from soiling the house and it is hard, hard, hard to break them from this habit, they have a very hard time transitioning from inside to outside. Having said all that, I do wish you good luck with your new baby, with some experimenting, you will find what works best for you and Lily.
 
I agree with both of the previous posters. I currently have a 20 month old dog in an apartment, and she's been here since she was 9-10 weeks old. I did crate training and potty training just like I was in a house. Took her out on a regular schedule and kept her in a crate when I wasn't actively watching her or playing with her. I did use puppy pads at first, but only because that's what the breeder used. I quickly stopped using them because it seemed to prolong the process. I'm not sure what a puppy apartment is.. brief google search showed some sort of divided crate with a puppy pad it in. I would not recommend this. You do not want your puppy to soil her crate. That defeats the purpose of crate training. You are lucky to be working from home because that means you can have more potty breaks during the day, where I had to come home during lunch to take mine potty for a couple months.
 
Both my dogs are indoor trained (now 3 and 5 years) - they do their business on pee pads. The pee pads are now in a bathroom (their bathroom). I never have to worry about coming home late to take them out, or having to head outdoors in a thunderstorm, or worrying about their bladders for keeping it in so long, or forming bad habits if I can't take them out in time and they end up making a mistake.

They are very independent with regards to doing their business. When they need to go, they will, and they know where to head to! No accidents. No diapers. Even if I'm out of the house for 12 hours or more. Never had a problem with boundaries - in fact that's just what I'm doing, training them where it is ok and where it is not ok to eliminate! It's ok to do it in the house, IN THE RIGHT PLACE. Just like kids learning to potty. My dogs know where to pee and poop. The pads are changed every day so there is no smell. They also do their business outside when we go on walks (peeing is put on verbal cue). They have been trained from young. The key I've found is to always always REWARD when your pup does it properly, and keep at it for a few months. Then reward less, but still do occasionally, and even when your dog is doing great, throw in a reward now and then.

I have actually found that it is easier for a dog that has learnt to do its business indoors, to then do it outdoors, rather than vice versa (ie. dogs already outdoor trained, but owners now what to train them to do it indoors). This I have found is largely due to the fact that the outdoors reeks of pee and poop from other dogs, and if you take the dog to a dog run and stay there for a few hours, the dog will drink and all that activity will make it want to go. Reward that BIG time, and after a few more rounds of that, you have a dog that will go outside as well.
 
Just to reinforce what was already said.....I strongly recommend against using puppy pads. Crate and pee outdoors always.

I know too many people who could not get dogs off the pads, so don't start!
 
I was in an apartment with Brodie. I did crate training and walks on a leash. I watched what he was sniffing, taught him "Leave IT!" very early, and he never got sick.
 
Oh, and he trained a year quicker and had about five accidents his whole life. Annabelle's breeder used puppy pads, she wasn't fully housebroken until she was two, and rarely went a day without an accident.
 
So funny story about this post. When I came back to work from lunch today, one of my co-workers stopped me and said, "you have a sheltie right?" and asked me a few questions about when to start training and such because her son and girlfriend recently got a Sheltie puppy. I think I started rambling about potty training and she mentioned the puppy pad stuff and I told her almost verbatim what I said in this thread, and she mentioned the whole, using puppy pads permanently thing. It rang a bell and I remembered this person was from Houston, so I read it again, went back and asked her if the puppy's name was Lily and she said "yes, how did you know?" and I told her about the thread. So we're pretty sure the OP is her son's girlfriend. Small world! I gave my co-worker (to pass along) some recommendations for trainers close to them and my personal email address if they had any questions or wanted a play date, so we'll see what comes of it.
 
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