Potty training is the BEST -_-

S

Selyk

Forums Novice
Hello everyone!

New to these forums so to start my name's Kyle and I have 2 Shelties. Logan who is just about to turn 8 years old and Harry the pup who is just about 12 weeks old. I previously had 1 sheltie who lived to be 15.

http://screencast.com/t/FD90stbtYN2F

FD90stbtYN2F


We got Harry at 10 weeks. So far he has successfully learned the basics: Sit, lay down, roll over, stand up, stay, come... but he is having an issue with the potty training.

Feed him, let him drink.. wait a little 30 mins to an hour.. take him outside repeating the "harry go potty" mantra as you do.. which 30 mins to an hour goes by with no success.. so bring him inside and he decides the rug is the perfect place to go almost immediately. it's driving me crazy! I know he isn't a slow dog because of how quick he learned everything else was pretty amazing! But he rather run outside and play and come let it go on the carpet... obviously cares about my grass!

I have never had this issue with a sheltie before..

We do have a crate which he sleeps in... and just like other puppies he won't go where he sleeps, which is great..put him on a routine as you do.. but when u take him directly outside in the back yard from the crate onto the grass.. he'll seemingly run and play forever outside deliberately holding it until u bring him inside where again he makes the carpet his throne.

something isn't clicking :gaah help me please!

Summary:

-Have a very nice crate
-Have a room with puppy gate
-Have newspaper(which he rips up instead of peeing on)
-Have a fenced in backyard with plenty of grass
-Have already trained 2 shelties
-By 12 weeks Puppy has learned all basic tricks
-Puppy has a potty routine
-Puppy likes to go on the carpet inside instead of on the grass outside!


Thanks in advance!
 
I have to say that picture of your two just melted my heart, those eyes of Logans oh my they are soulful and sweet. Good luck, I am sure one day it will simply click. Does Logan go outside the same time and show the little guy how he does his business?
 
I don't let my puppies play outside if they haven't peed. I also recommend using a leash so it doesn't become time to chase the puppy around the yard (also a fun game!)

Sounds like you have the routine part down, just need to follow through. So take puppy outside on a leash after playing, after napping, after eating, and walk around for just a few minutes--literally. I used to make it a point to make one big circle around the yard and then go inside (whether the pup peed or not). If he doesn't go to the bathroom, he goes back inside into his crate and I try again in 5 minutes. Keep up with the routine and don't give in. No playing or fun time until he goes.

Once he goes, party central! Treats, rewards and he can play all he wants.
 
Well, you're not alone in the potty training woes, that's for sure. Lerwick was not as fast to pick up on potty training as he was to pick up on other commands, and I was very, VERY envious of all the people on the forum here who seemed to have a very easy time with housebreaking! Like you, I was very consistent and doing all the right things... it just took awhile to "click" for him.

I second Ashley's suggestions. We didn't have a choice about the leash, as we don't have a fenced yard, but it does make it easier anyway, so it's a great training aid. She's also right about not giving the puppy the chance to play until after he's done his business. We'd take Lerwick outside for 5 minutes, and if he didn't go, we'd go back inside and put him back in the crate for 15 minutes. We'd repeat this until he actually went, at which point he not only earned treats and praise, but also play time in the yard and in the house.

Does Harry always potty inside in the same spot? If so, first, make sure that area is thoroughly cleaned with enzymatic cleaner, to remove any trace of his smell (I find BioDog works pretty well, I also hear that Nature's Miracle is pretty good). Secondly, since he does not soil his crate, you might try confining and feeding him on this accident spot (once it's been thoroughly cleaned, if necessary) for naps, and for one of his daily meals for awhile, if possible (with an ex-pen or something, if you have one).

Once we got Lerwick potty trained (he was 6 months old), he was good as gold for 3 months... then we had some trouble with him becoming unreliable about pooing in the house (always poo, and always in the same area, on the landing in front of the front door). It started happening more and more frequently, to the point where he wouldn't even bother to ask to go outside if he had to go #2, he'd just head to the landing. My husband and I had moved our computers into the living room (which overlooks the landing) so that we could spring up and check on him the moment we heard his nails on the wood floor. It seemed that when we were gradually giving him access to the entire house during his puppy housebreaking days, we didn't introduce the landing gradually enough, and he decided it didn't really count as part of the house proper, and therefore was fair game for a makeshift potty spot.

I decided I was sick of living in one room of my house, day in and day out, so we gave the landing a very thorough cleaning, and started feeding Lerwick there. He also spent one night there to sleep, and was confined there when we did our errands a few times. It's been a couple months since we started this (we are still feeding him on the landing), and he hasn't had an accident in the house since. We plan to continue to feed him there, to further reinforce the notion that this area is off-limits for pottying.
 
I think Ashley hit it on the nose. Don't let him run around outside until he potties. When my girl was a puppy, I took her in the yard on a leash. She was not allowed off that leash and run loose until she pottied. If she didn't go within a few minutes then she went inside into her crate and we tried again in 10 minutes. After she finally peed and/or pooped, her reward was a treat and the freedom to run around and play.

Also, don't expect much from a 12 week old puppy. He's just a baby. Odds are he's not going to grasp potty training for a few more months and will probably still have some accidents. Just be as vigilant as you can and don't give him the opportunity to have an accident.
 
I agree the puppers are very cute.

I did not use a leash with my boy when he was a puppy but we had no issues. he would pee very quickly- poo would be about an hour after eating.
I will very likely use the leash with the next puppy just to be sure.
what Corbinam recommended is the way to go:yes:
 
Welcome! I concur with the comments, and I'd add: don't use newspapers if you can avoid it. I hink these little guys figure out that if there's an ok indoor place, all indoor places are ok. Some Sheltie Aristotle thought that up, and now they all believe it.

Picture caption:
"He. Pees. In. The. House."
 
Hold on! You wait 30 minutes to an hour?

When I was training my pups.....once out of crate.....outside immediately. Morning pee.

Then feed, and watch puppy like a hawk. Once that tummy is full, the bladder, bowels are ready to go. Outside again within 5-10 minutes of eating. Morning poo.

And again maybe 20 minutes later for another pee.

My boys are now 4.5 years old. The schedule has stuck

After playing, walking, after a nap.....another pee/poo break. And of course at before bed time. You can encourage a bedtime pee with a little play first. (Also helps tire them out and get a good long sleep)

But most important.....NEVER turn your back for a second! If you see puppy starting to squat, scoop him up and say hold and get outside ASAP. When they finish outside, big praise and treats. (btw - make sure you have treats handy at all times - e.g. in a treat bag or even in your pockets).

If they dribbled all the way to outside and don't finish there pee outside, then no treats, no praise.
 
we had the exact same problem with Gizmo when we got him!!! soooo frustrating!!! but i found this site and got pretty much the same advice you are getting now. put him on a leash as soon as you take him out of the crate, take him outside. give him maybe 5 minutes, if he does not pee, he goes back to the crate for like 20 minutes. repeat until he goes. once he goes then he gets to play. it took Gizmo all of maybe 2 days to catch on! he now goes as soon as we take him outside, when before we did this, we would wait for like half an hour with nothing, bring him inside and immediately he would pee on the floor.
 
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