Need Help - How do I Potty Train?

[BarbV]

I have to agree with Chris here.

While I do not believe in mixing potty training methods (e.g. pads/newspaper, crate, basic signals) in older dogs, this pup is too young to have any kind of control.

I can only relay what I witnessed my breeder did with the pup that I got at 8 1/2 weeks old.

When I went to visit at 6 weeks, she had all the pups contained in her bedroom in an X-pen, lined with newspaper and a crate with all his siblings. She told me that all the pups peed on the newspaper and all crowded in together into the crate at night or naptime.

When I picked up the pup a couple of weeks later, she had segregated my pup for a few nights on his own - in a crate and a small x-pen.

I brought him home early evening and put him to bed in his crate later and he slept right through till about 5 a.m.

Since then, I get 8 hours a night out of him reliably.

This is a long-winded way of saying: Get a crate and use it right away. Because the pup is so young, it might not yet have the control to hold it in his crate yet so use puppy pads and the crate in a confined area close to your bedside (I guess that's where the x-pen comes in) . And you really don't won't to have him ever have accidents in there. Once that happens, then it starts to go downhill.

Good luck

 

[listarz]

I know this thread is old but I have a related question. My Indy is 3 months old. We've had him for 4 weeks. The weather has been so nice we've spent a great deal of time outside. I have trained him to urinate to "go potty" and he does this 90% of the time. I have him "go potty" before we go inside, when he wakes up from a nap, and if it has been at least 2 hours since he has gone. He is crated at night and will wake me up by whining after up to 9 hours. He is gated in the tiled kitchen during the day for 7-8 hours with no accidents.

Now the question is....how do I get him to let me know he has to go out without me guessing? He has had a few accidents, mostly urinating, because I wasn't on top of his timing. I think he's doing pretty good with getting the idea but how do I take it to the next level so he knows its not okay to go inside and he has to let me know he needs to go out?

Thanks in advance.

 

[BarbV]

Bacca is now 5 months old and fairly reliable when it comes to letting me know if he has to go out.

This has come about about gradually extending his house boundaries when I'm at home. He now has direct access to the back door so that he can whine when he needs to go outside.

Extending the house boundary step by step still requires alot of diligence. You need to keep an eye and ear open at all times.

But if you always use the same exit door to take him outside and keep your diligence for the cues, then you should have success. If he stands at the door and whines, then Good Boy. And when he goes, then even Better Boy!

Bacca isn't perfect but at least he no longer pees indoors. He still seems to think that carpet = grass therefore o.k. That being said, if he goes poo outside, he will run back immediately looking for his treat. (Personally, I think he's messing with me! )

 

[Narmowen]

I know this thread is old but I have a related question. My Indy is 3 months old. We've had him for 4 weeks. The weather has been so nice we've spent a great deal of time outside. I have trained him to urinate to "go potty" and he does this 90% of the time. I have him "go potty" before we go inside, when he wakes up from a nap, and if it has been at least 2 hours since he has gone. He is crated at night and will wake me up by whining after up to 9 hours. He is gated in the tiled kitchen during the day for 7-8 hours with no accidents.

Now the question is....how do I get him to let me know he has to go out without me guessing? He has had a few accidents, mostly urinating, because I wasn't on top of his timing. I think he's doing pretty good with getting the idea but how do I take it to the next level so he knows its not okay to go inside and he has to let me know he needs to go out?

Thanks in advance.

A tip I was taught was to hang a bell on or by the door that you take him out.

Hang it at his level, and every time you take him out to go, ring the bell. (Either you ring it, or you have him touch his nose or paw it). Eventually, he'll get so he'll ring the bell when he needs to go out!