Why is potty training for puppies so hard? What has been most effective for you?
Posted on Jul 16, 2010 under training puppies | 17 CommentsI have those little pee mats, she never pee’s or poops on them, though! It is driving me crazy, what can I do.
bribe your little pooper 
i have a 1/2 maltese 1/2 shih tzu…the combination of the most stubborn and yet smart dogs.
everytime i’d put him outside (when i’d catch him sniffing around) and he’d do his business i’d give him a BIG treat of his favs (the bones or carrot) and so when he’d finish his business outside i’d open the door and scream "GOOD JOB ASH! LETS GET A BONE!" and he’d run inside. after a week it clicked…..if i go outside and poop/pee i’ll get a treat if i do it inside i get scolded.
from the begining when i’d catch him sniffing i’d say "you need to go outside?"
within 2 months he was potty trained outside and to sit and give paw and give high five(he stands on his hind legs and waves his paws at me)
now i rotate it between treets and praise (kneel down and give him a good rub and pat while saying good job!!!!)
and now i can tell if he needs to go outside or just wants attention bc the times he needs to go and he follows me around or jumps on my leg and barks a little all i say is "you need to go outside?" and if he’s gotta go he RUNS to the back door and scratches.
bribery works with all dogs. i swear!! my sister has an unruly pit bull. he pees inside, jumps on you, slobbers all over. i was there for 2 weeks after a week and a half he would sit when i told him to and get down when i said to with just alternating treats and praise. my sister couldn’t believe it. ofcourse she didn’t continue it so everytime i go to philly i retrain him so that the time i’m there its not total chaos for me. BTW she paid to send him to training school – total waste of money!
July 16th, 2010 at 10:40 am
Most people on here will swear by crate training.
References :
July 16th, 2010 at 10:48 am
Puppies have small bladders and short attention spans. They are also still learning to control their bladders.
Its much like a toddler.. she’s having fun running around and playing.. and not paying attention to her body.. suddunly uh-oh.. she HAS to go!
Personally I dont bother with the pee mats.. they are just confusing. Take the pup outside to potty approx every hour.. before she needs to go.. also after meals and waking up she will need to potty.
References :
July 16th, 2010 at 11:21 am
I don’t think it’s hard. My current puppy was house trained within 2 weeks – not counting the occasional accident. All it means is being super vigilant, keeping the puppy in the room with you at all times so you can watch him and crated when you can’t. If you choose to use those mats, you’ll never get a dog housetrained!
References :
July 16th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
pee mats are not effective- it just teaches them to go in the house. crate training has been fantastic for me.
References :
July 16th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Sometimes the sound of pee on a pee pad bothers some puppies, try a litter box method. The bladder isn’t grown until 6-months-old, and it just takes time. I use a crate* to potty train with, but only for potty training and then I break it down and store it. I put blankets and a small food and water dish in the crate. Dogs don’t potty where they eat and sleep. When they are first little, I only expect them to hold their potty for 4 hours, and then 6 hours, then 8 hours and so on. So when they are first little, I set a timer or alarm clock to wake myself up at night to take them *out. I only allow my puppy in the bedroom* or the living room, only one room at a time. They have to graduate to more space. If I allow them to have full run of the house, it will overwhelm them. I take them out the same door each time. I tie a dinner bell to the door handle. Do not use a jingle bell as they could get their toe caught in it. So when they are little, I ring the bell for them, and then open the door to go *outside to potty. When they get bigger, I take their paw and whack the bell and open the door to go potty. Eventually getting to the place where the puppy will ring the bell and let me know when they need to go potty. Dogs want to please you, so it is your job to let them know what behaviors please you and what doesn’t. So when my puppy goes potty, I give her a treat*, and clap, and make a fuss and praise her. So she learns that going potty outside makes me happy. If she has an accident, make a disgust sound like “tsst” and take her out right away. I never yell* or spank* my puppies. Take them out when they first wake up, after they eat or drink, before nap, finish romping, when their activities change, or when they are sniffing around. Some puppies go pee right away, but may not go poop until 10 minutes later, so wait for the poop. I have a little play time here, because sometimes I think they are done, and they are not. Puppies train at their own pace. While I may have a puppy that hasn’t had an accident in several weeks, I don’t let my guard down. I don’t expect my puppies to be "fully potty trained" until one-year-old. If they have a setback, shake it off, and start over. I only have my puppies in the crate when I am not watching them. When I am sleeping, cooking, ironing, doing chores, basically when I am not watching her. All other times, she is out of the crate practicing being a "big girl." This is the time I train her how to behave in the house. So we are practicing "no barking", ‘no biting", "no jumping", and "don’t eat the furniture." I also have to practice "playing inside" so she doesn’t knock over things. You must keep the puppy in sight when they are little because they don’t know the difference between newspaper and carpet, and you don’t want them sneaking off and getting into trouble. Some puppies can sleep through the night around 3-months-old, but their bladder is grown around 6-months-old.
REVISIONS:
*I use a CRATE to train with. It is the method I prefer, compared to other methods I have tried. I noticed that if they are in the crate, while I am doing chores, they are o.k., because the crate allows them to see me and be re-assured. The crate can also be a comfort when stored in the basement for dogs who live in areas where thunderstorms and tornados are an issue. . However, use the method that works best for you…..a laundry basket, a cardboard box, a woof-woof house, x-pen, child gates, whatever works for you.
*OUTSIDE, pee pad, litter box, whichever method you are using. When the puppy is first little, keep the pee pad, litter box near the food and water dish, so the puppy can eat and drink, and then go potty. You can move it away as they get older. The pee pad has a scent that smells and initiates potty. Sometimes a pee pad makes a sound that scares some puppies, so you might want to use a litter box if that happens. The pee pad allows a puppy to walk around, but a litter box keeps the puppy in one place.
*BEDROOMS, I use the bedroom and living room for training, because it works for me. Choose rooms that work for you, but watch for rooms that are damp, or drafty. While my puppies sleep in the bedroom during training, once they are trained, I let them sleep where they want to. They don’t have to sleep in the bedroom forever.
*TREATS. While I use treats for training, you don’t have to. I like Charlee Bears for training (a little cracker for a little mouth,) I use them for training, but once they are trained, I cut back on them.
*SOME PUPPIES will go potty in the same spot each time. Some puppies have to be told to go potty. A command like "go out" for pee, or "go finish" for poop, might work for you, keep saying “go finish” until the puppy poops. This is a good thing to train if you travel with your dogs. By using commands, the puppy won’t get confused when you are visiting someone, on vacation with you, or when you get to a new
References :
July 16th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
I never used training mats, nor do I ever recommend them because you have to train the puppy twice if you use them; first to go on the mats and then to go outside….its to confusing for a puppy. When I first got my dog, I was fortunate to be on school holiday so I could spend the whole day with him and I could take him outside every hour or so…..he picked up really fast and was trained within the first month
References :
July 16th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Potty training is EASY. Pee mats are a waste of time. When crated I always let my puppy out into the garden before allowing her to run around the house. I always let her out about every 2 hours no mess & everyone is happy. Now that she’s a year old if I go out & leave her in I put newspaper by the back door just in case she cannot wait. Works fine for me. I also have an 8 year old bitch & she is the same.
References :
July 16th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
crate training, honestly trust me, I came on here before I got my puppy 6 weeks ago, and saw that everyone had recommended crate training, so I thought I’d give it a go, IT’S BRILLIANT! My puppy is now fully trained at 14 weeks! It’s been really really easy.
References :
July 16th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
I’ve never been a fan of piddle pads because its making your pup think peeing in the house is acceptable. I will assume that by potty training, you want your dog to pee outside. The hardest part of having a puppy is the dedication it requires for the first few months. My puppy was house trained within the first month and a half, with the occasional accident when it was raining outside. You need to be taking your pup outside every two hours. Even if they aren’t peeing or pooping. When they do poop and pee outside you need to give lots of praise. The more often the are outside and relieving themselves outside, it will click that this is acceptable behaviour. Your other option is to crate it at night, but you are still required to get up 2 – 3 times in the night to take your dog outside to pee and poop. Dogs are denning animals and will not eliminate where they sleep. You can take advantage of that by crate training.
References :
July 16th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
bribe your little pooper
i have a 1/2 maltese 1/2 shih tzu…the combination of the most stubborn and yet smart dogs.
everytime i’d put him outside (when i’d catch him sniffing around) and he’d do his business i’d give him a BIG treat of his favs (the bones or carrot) and so when he’d finish his business outside i’d open the door and scream "GOOD JOB ASH! LETS GET A BONE!" and he’d run inside. after a week it clicked…..if i go outside and poop/pee i’ll get a treat if i do it inside i get scolded.
from the begining when i’d catch him sniffing i’d say "you need to go outside?"
within 2 months he was potty trained outside and to sit and give paw and give high five(he stands on his hind legs and waves his paws at me)
now i rotate it between treets and praise (kneel down and give him a good rub and pat while saying good job!!!!)
and now i can tell if he needs to go outside or just wants attention bc the times he needs to go and he follows me around or jumps on my leg and barks a little all i say is "you need to go outside?" and if he’s gotta go he RUNS to the back door and scratches.
bribery works with all dogs. i swear!! my sister has an unruly pit bull. he pees inside, jumps on you, slobbers all over. i was there for 2 weeks after a week and a half he would sit when i told him to and get down when i said to with just alternating treats and praise. my sister couldn’t believe it. ofcourse she didn’t continue it so everytime i go to philly i retrain him so that the time i’m there its not total chaos for me.
BTW she paid to send him to training school – total waste of money!
References :
July 16th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
well all u have to do is put the pee pads near the door. he will go on that. but if he doesnt and pees somewhere else u cleanit wth that pee pad at first and then put in near the door. so afterhe will smell the pad and pee there leave it there for like 2-3 weeks but of course change the pad. and soon wen u take it out he will realize that he goes near the door and e will go there and u will see and be able to take him out and if while he has the pads and u see him there u can take him out side to go potty and then he will see this is how it is supposed to work
References :
July 16th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
I agree with crate training. I just got my puppy a week ago and already noticed how great it works! Plus, the crate gives the puppy a sense of security. Before I got the crate I was constantly watching the dog 24/7, and with two small boys, it wasnt working. Here is a website that worked for me.
References :
http://www.englishmastiff2.com/id18.html
July 16th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Yes it is very trying isn’t it.
The one thing I can tell you to do, is pay attention to the dog’s behaviour.
When she wakes up, take her immediately outside and put her down on the ground and tell her to go pee or poo (repeat it nicely for as long as you have to) and when she does what your want her to, always always praise her.
The key is YOU have to be consistent, once she understands what you want from her she will then start giving you clues, like a bark or scratch at the door.
Watch behaviour, if they get a little wild it usually indicates they have to do one or the other.
Pups need to do their business at least once every 30 – 45 minutes, so its important that you keep up your end of the bargain.
I had one dog that took us almost a year to train, but her brother had it down in a matter of a week. Every dog is different, just be patient, she needs you. Good luck and I hope I’ve helped.
References :
July 16th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
its simple, don’t feed or give water to your dog just before you go to bed. right after you feed the puppy wait about 15 min then take him outside for a walk, when he pee or poop reward him with praise while he is pooping, say good boy good poopy, or pee pee. everytime he eat or drinks you have to take him out at lest 15 to 20 minutes later when they are very young the food just seems to pass right through them in a matter of minutes. don’t scold her is she has an accident, that accident is your fault for not being vigilant keep her in your sight indoors and learn her cues for needing to go potty. or teach her to let you know by hanging a bell on the door knob, ring it as you go out the door to take her to potty. so she will learn to ring the bell herself when she want to go out. this is how leaders of the blind train their seeing eye dogs to lettheirr blind owners know they have to go outside. again take puppy out minutes after she eat and drinksevery timee and praise her when she poops outside. oh and remember to be patient its a process that takes time.
References :
July 16th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
Walking a dog is a much easier way to house train, the mats just tell them it’s OK to potty in the house. Use a crate for the times you can’t watch them and at bedtime. Walk before and after you have the dog in the crate, always use a potty command like go potty and lots of praise when they go potty. Watch the puppy all the time when not crated, she will act different when she needs to go pee, walking around sniffing the floor and leaving you when y’all have been in a room and going down the hall or something.
References :
July 16th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
Try keeping your dog on a tight schedual, always take him out after meals and when he first wakes up from a nap.
References :
http://www.trainyourdogfast.info/
July 25th, 2010 at 5:18 am
After reading this posting, I pondered the exact same point that I invariably wonder about when scanning new blogs and forums. Just what do I think about this? Precisely how really should it effect me? This and extra posts in your weblog right here certainly give some stuff to think about. I essentially ended up right here by way of Yahoo when I was first doing some internet research for some course function that I have. Usually very good times browsing by way of and I’m hopeful that you’ll keep on writing new posts. Cheers!