# puppy STILL isn't potty trained! :(



## hoodleehoo (Sep 4, 2011)

Wish I could afford a trainer for this. He's now about 4 months old and still won't try to go outside or let us know when he needs to pee or poop (unless he's in his crate). He'll pee every time we let him outside which is great. We try to wait until he poops to bring him inside but he rarely poops. So, he ends up being locked up all the time which I don't like. We let him out for any length of time and he'll poop or pee inside.

He will pee outside every time, but he won't let us know when he needs to go or try to go outside when he's free in the house. Even if he just peed outside, sometimes he'll pee again 20 or 30 minutes later inside. :-/

I really want him potty trained so he can be out of his cage more!


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

hoodleehoo said:


> He will pee outside every time, but he won't let us know when he needs to go or try to go outside when he's free in the house. Even if he just peed outside, sometimes he'll pee again 20 or 30 minutes later inside. :-/
> 
> I really want him potty trained so he can be out of his cage more!


It sounds like you need to go back to potty training fundamentals. Do you have him on a schedule? Or are you just waiting for him to tell you? Most puppies don't really have full bladder control until six months so if you're waiting for him to tell you he needs to go, you're probably expecting too much. You should put him on a schedule: take him out first thing in the morning, before and after playtime, before and 15-30 min after meals, and before bed -- at a minimum. Give him some supervised playtime (about 15 minutes) after he successfully does his business outside. This will sound funny, but keep a journal so you can know which of his scheduled trips outside are more and less productive...over time you'll notice a pattern and can cut down on the number of trips. 

A lot of dogs need a little exercise to "get things moving," poop-wise. If you walk him around for a few minutes instead of waiting for him to go right away, you might have more luck with that. 

Don't ever let him outside his crate in the house unsupervised until you really trust him. Until then, if you want to take him out of his crate, you can keep him on a leash with the other end of the leash in your hand, or "tethered" to you. It's a good alternative to keeping him in the crate because you can catch him in the act if he tries to go in the house.


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## Poly (Sep 19, 2007)

hoodleehoo said:


> ....I really want him potty trained so he can be out of his cage more....


That's a good wish, but wishing won't make it so. When puppy training goes wrong, it is almost always the trainer and not the puppy.

There is an excellent sticky on housetraining from RedyreRottweilers at the top of this forum. She is an experienced trainer so you can trust what she says. *Please read that!* If you want some specific techniques, do a web search on "errorless housetraining" - basically the same principles as the sticky but you'll get more details to get you started.

Please do the reading and don't give up. One of the main reasons why dogs are surrendered to shelters is lack of housetraining - a sad thing because housetraining a puppy is not really all that difficult if one is willing to put in the time to do it.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

You probably don't want to hear this, but most puppies aren't completely, totally housetrained, no accidents, no setbacks, until about 8 months or so.

Puppies don't gain full physical control of their bladders til about 6 months of age, give or take. So, puppies may understand the concept of not going pee inside, but, sometimes they just can't help it, as they don't have the control necessary.

A sleeping, puppy, however, can usually hold it longer, as when a dog sleeps, their bodily functions slow down, and they don't produce as much urine.

It's definitely not unusual for a 4 month old NOT to tell you he needs to go out. Sometimes, he may not even know how close he is to having an accident!  Imagine a human toddler. Mama says "do you need to go potty?" Toddler says no, but 20 seconds later, they've peed their pants. It's just a developmental thing.

I understand your frustration about him being in the crate alot! I actually am not a big fan of using the crate for potty training. I think the crate is a useful tool, and I know some people love using it for potty training, but I'm not one of them! 

I much prefer to have a puppy out and about in the living area with us, _as long as you are closely supervising._ If we need to do something that will take our eyes off the puppy, then, that's when we crate. Otherwise, they were always out and about with us. We could watch them for the signals that they needed to go (for poop, they do a circling thing), then we'd know to take them out.

Plus, I think it's a great way for them to learn the rules of the house right away, as young puppies.

If they tend to sneak away, or you tend to take your eyes off for a few seconds, it can help to tether them to you with their leash. That way, they're right there with you.

If you are on a feeding schedule with your puppy, it will get easier to know when to take them out to poop. You can keep a journal for a week or so, keeping track of when you feed, and how long it takes them to need to poop after that.

The best advice, IMO, for housetraining:
- take them out on a schedule, more than you think you need to. Too often is better than not enough, because you might end up with a mess!
- supervise, supervise, supervise. If you can't that's when you crate or confine them. 

If you watch them super close when they're out and about with you, and you always take them out on a schedule, and know when they've eaten, you're basically not giving them even a chance to have an accident, which, while they're young, is your job!


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## R.Scott (Sep 18, 2011)

At 4 months old, you can't expect him to be fully potty trained. There will be accidents a lot until he probably is about 6 months old (has a bit more control of his bladder) but you can still expect accidents here and there until about 8 months old. My technique was, let them outside every 10 minutes. (sounds tough and it is) but it beats having to clean up poopoo and peepee from the carpet. You can't get engulfed in TV and forget to let him out or don't feel like getting up, you must let hm out. Everytime I saw my dogs use outside as the potty, I said "Good girls! Go potty!" (sometimes I slipped a bit of cheese to them) But whenever I caught them peeing or pooping in the house, I would gently hold the back of their neck(not hard, just hold them) while they were going in the house and said, "NO." When I was able to pick them up without getting drizzled on (lol!) I placed them outside. For some reason that worked because they put relieving themselves with outside together. 

Never get mad with your pup if he is pottying in the house, because he might think that you are getting mad with him going to the bathroom (no matter where) all together! 

Best of luck!


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## hoodleehoo (Sep 4, 2011)

Great advice! 

A question about tying the leash to your belt. I'm afraid he'll go crazy trying to escape the leash and try to prevent me from moving. Am I supposed to just drag him around against his will?


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## Papa Deuce (Mar 26, 2007)

hoodleehoo said:


> Wish I could afford a trainer for this. He's now about 4 months old and still won't try to go outside or let us know when he needs to pee or poop (unless he's in his crate). He'll pee every time we let him outside which is great. We try to wait until he poops to bring him inside but he rarely poops. So, he ends up being locked up all the time which I don't like. We let him out for any length of time and he'll poop or pee inside.
> 
> He will pee outside every time, but he won't let us know when he needs to go or try to go outside when he's free in the house. Even if he just peed outside, sometimes he'll pee again 20 or 30 minutes later inside. :-/
> 
> I really want him potty trained so he can be out of his cage more!



Did you steal my dog? This is exactly like what mine does.... and mine will pee every 15 moinutes if I let her ( and she has been vet checked ).


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## Papa Deuce (Mar 26, 2007)

Poly said:


> That's a good wish, but wishing won't make it so. When puppy training goes wrong, it is almost always the trainer and not the puppy.
> 
> There is an excellent sticky on housetraining from RedyreRottweilers at the top of this forum. She is an experienced trainer so you can trust what she says. *Please read that!* If you want some specific techniques, do a web search on "errorless housetraining" - basically the same principles as the sticky but you'll get more details to get you started.
> 
> Please do the reading and don't give up. One of the main reasons why dogs are surrendered to shelters is lack of housetraining - a sad thing because housetraining a puppy is not really all that difficult if one is willing to put in the time to do it.



Probably ALL true... and yet I have always been able to train a dog / puppy in a week or less..... I am working on 2 MONTHS now with no noticeable improvement. I have had about a dozen dogs.... this current puppy is the only one I have had issues with. ( I am not the OP )


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## Dezzoi (Sep 19, 2011)

4 months old??? You've got a long way to go, biologically, before he is even able to control his bladder for more than a few hours. You'll probably have him fully potty trained around a year old (if not a little bit longer than that) Just keep him on a strict schedule (taking him out every 30 minutes or less - and yes that means throughout the night too) 
Main times they go to the bathroom is right after playing, right after waking up from naps, a few mins after drinking or eating. 
Obviously, praise your dog a lot when they go potty outside, give treats, love, cuddles, etc etc.
When you catch them in the act (inside) I would recommend a firm, "NO." and gentle (but firmly) scruff them (don't lift them up off the ground) and when they are done, pick them up and put them outside for about 3 minutes. And there's nothing you can do about potties you didn't see them do...


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

Papa Deuce said:


> Probably ALL true... and yet I have always been able to train a dog / puppy in a week or less..... I am working on 2 MONTHS now with no noticeable improvement. I have had about a dozen dogs.... this current puppy is the only one I have had issues with. ( I am not the OP )


Usually, when you have a puppy that has very early success with potty training it's more about the human doing what they need to do successfully, rather than the puppy having control. So, if you have trained a puppy in a week or less, it's probably because you are doing a great job at getting them out when they need to go, and preventing accidents. Know what I mean? It's more of managing the puppy and making sure they don't have as many chances to have accidents....


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## Papa Deuce (Mar 26, 2007)

doxiemommy said:


> Usually, when you have a puppy that has very early success with potty training it's more about the human doing what they need to do successfully, rather than the puppy having control. So, if you have trained a puppy in a week or less*, it's probably because you are doing a great job at getting them out when they need to go, and preventing accidents. * Know what I mean? It's more of managing the puppy and making sure they don't have as many chances to have accidents....


Except when the puppy will pee every 20 - 30 minutes.... I think I know why my dog needs to go so much... it seems like she never really takes the time to empty her bladder. She takes 5 - 8 second pees. I bet she still has a lot in her when she comes back inside.


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## Bones (Sep 11, 2009)

I am fostering a 6 month old puppy who has accidents but infrequently. Although he is consistent with going when he goes out he still hasn't mastered the "holding it in" ability. Just be consistent and you will get there eventually but it will take time and patience. Taking the puppy out every 3-4 hours will help and picking him up and taking him outside may also help.


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## osdbmom (Feb 15, 2011)

I just wanted to pop in and tell you that you are not alone in this. I have a dog thats 15 months old now, and I would say has only been "reliably" trained for probably 4-5 months, she has learned to come get me by jumping up and barking loud when she needs to go out. I think she took so long to train bc she was my first dog and I screwed up at the beginning. I have another dog who is 9 months old now. I did everything the "right" way with her, she has still taken forever to train, at this point I just take her out every 2 hours whether she seems to need it or not, she does NOT ever come to get me (although sometimes she might run around fast and snif the ground which is a sign to go), and right now I think it may always be this way.
All dogs are different, you just need to be patient and get to know your dog and the signs, dont wait for the dog to tell you, bc she may never do it.


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## osdbmom (Feb 15, 2011)

Papa Deuce said:


> Did you steal my dog? This is exactly like what mine does.... and mine will pee every 15 moinutes if I let her ( and she has been vet checked ).


papa duece--this is how my zoey was, for the longest time. so frustrating!! sometimes, she would even just stand there and pee, or lay on the couch and pee without getting up. it was awful and very frustrating. I cant tell you what happened, but as she got older, at some point it all just stopped, and now she does really well. sometimes still, on a walk, she will pee every 10 feet for some reason, but it just took her a really long time to learn to hold it. she's 15 months now and does really well....I would say it started getting better around 10-11 months old. just lots of consistency...every time I let her out of the crate, every time after she ate/drank, every time after she woke up, at some point I had to set a timer to remind me to take her out every hour, all day long. 
looking back, probably one of the biggest mistakes I made, was thinking...she cant possibly need to go out AGAIN, she just peed 15 minutes ago!! when she really did, for whatever reason. 

good luck and I hope it gets better soon!


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

Papa Deuce said:


> Except when the puppy will pee every 20 - 30 minutes.... I think I know why my dog needs to go so much... it seems like she never really takes the time to empty her bladder. She takes 5 - 8 second pees. I bet she still has a lot in her when she comes back inside.


Lol! Yes, it's super easy for puppies to get distracted outside, and not finish the job! Heck, even my older dogs do that sometimes, especially when they see squirrles in the yard! The dreaded "double pee"! We usually stay out an extra few minutes after they pee to see if they'll pee again, and it usually works...


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## jaguarundi (Oct 7, 2011)

Constant vigilance! She needs to associate peeing with a certain OUTDOOR place.

While she is inside, always be watching her from the corner of your eye. This will allow you to notice if she stands up and acts restless or starts sniffing around looking for a place to go (and will also help you correct inappropriate chewing and other behaviors). If she looks like she's gotta take a whiz, take her to her special outdoor place. When she starts to pee or poop in the right place, say a command ("Go Pee," or whatever). Then REWARD PRODIGIOUSLY with praise and her favorite treat. 

If you catch her in the act, interrupt her and lead her outside immediately to finish up. Then reward. I let my dog stay outside and try to finish her business for the length of time it takes me to clean up the mess (2-3 min).

If you find the mess afterwards, too late. Just clean it up without communicating anything to the dog.

*Something I've noticed: it will seem like you aren't making any progress with housebreaking. She will seem to randomly go on the carpet despite your efforts. Then, suddenly, something will click. She will make an effort to go outside 90% of the time. She will start standing by the door when she's gotta go. Later she will start whining and scratching to go out. But there will still be accidents. As others have said, it can take up to 8 months to be accident-free.

Good luck!!


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