# Am I potty training new puppy correctly?



## Varulv (Oct 19, 2010)

Hey, all. A few weeks ago I got an 8 week old border collie/lab puppy from a local rancher. I've owned dogs in the past, though the last time I had a puppy I still lived at home, so I had my dad to help me potty train her. I'm just curious if I'm doing things right...

My boyfriend and I both work weekdays and unfortunately we can't come home during the day on a regular basis as we live 20 minutes out of town. My boyfriend can sometimes come home during the day if he's in the area for his job, but it's not a routine thing. I've began getting up an hour earlier so I have more time to play with and love him before I leave. My boyfriend leaves 30 minutes later than I do, so he lets him out again, etc. We set up a gated "bedroom" for the puppy (Nero) in the basement. It's quite a large room, full of toys, his bed, water, food, a radio, and a pee pad. We don't have any flooring down yet, so it's bare concrete; perfect for any accidents. Nero uses the pee pads 100% of the time. I didn't even have to train him to go there... he just did. He also has the 2 cats home with him during the day and the one often goes in his "bedroom" to play.

When we get home from work, I take him outside immediately, feed him, then take him out again to poop (which he always does). Through out the evening I take him to pee every few hours, but there's the odd time that I'm not quick enough or turned my back and he goes on the floor. I've caught him in the act every time, scruffed him, scolded him, then took him outside to finish, then given him praise like he'd just done the best thing ever.

At night, he sleeps in a crate beside our bed. I take him out around 10ish and he sleeps right through the night until 5:30-6 when he wakes up and has to go outside. He very rarely wakes up during the night (he only did the first week we had him), which, from what I've read isn't a normal thing for an 11 week old puppy, but anyway...

It's been 3 weeks since we got him and he can pee and poop on command the vast majority of the time, however he doesn't let me know that he has to go out so if I'm not watching him like a hawk, he'll pop a squat and do his thing wherever.

But, back to my question, do I seem pretty much on track? Am I confusing him with the pee pads in his room? should I take the pad out and then if he has an accident act unhappy, clean it up, and repeat until he can hold it and understands that going outside gets him praise? Or is it okay to have it in there to make clean up easier? He doesn't get any praise for using his pad either (just thought i should add that).

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

I wouldn't scruff him and punish him for accidents. It's your fault if he has an accident inside, it means you weren't watching him, and seeing as he doesn't have much bladder control, he can hardly be blamed for that.

I would just say 'no' and then quickly pick him up and put him outside. When he does go outside, don't just praise him, also offer at least one treat (but several is good too). That way peeing outside is far more rewarding than peeing inside.

When you can't watch him, put him in his crate or play area, to avoid accidents.

And I wouldn't use pee pads, they have a similar texture to carpet, so you could possibly be training him to go on carpet. Either use newspaper, or if you want to be elaborate, put some grass down. For example, get a cheapy litter box and put some turf or plant some fast growing grass seeds in it. That teaches him to only use grass.


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## Varulv (Oct 19, 2010)

Thanks for the insight. I was always under the impression that rewarding with treats is a no no because they'll come to expect treats all the time. I will give it a try though and see how it goes. He seemed to respond pretty well this morning/afternoon... the only tricky thing is getting the treat without him knowing, otherwise he won't leave me alone since he knows I have something he wants.

As far as the pee pads go, is that the only negative? I don't have any carpet in my house to worry about (hardwood and tile upstairs, bare concrete in the basement) aside from the area rug in the living room where he likes to play with his toys (but there's a huge ottoman that takes up 80% of it, so he only has maybe a foot and a half to play on). If he starts peeing on the rug, I will use newspaper instead. I'm fond of the pee pads since the bottom is 'leak proof', so there's minimal mess to clean up (and I won't have to mop the floor every time he's peed on newspaper). I've seen those artificial grass patches though, so perhaps I'll look into it if it isn't too expensive.

Good news is he only peed once on the pad today (there's been less and less pee spots every week) so hopefully he's learning bladder control.


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## beverley (Oct 7, 2010)

our pup is 13 weeks and does most of his business outside unless that is like you, you take your eyes off him, or you think, well he went out 15 mins ago surely he wont go now? then he goes! but he has improved, he only does it by the back door but he hasnt yet learnt to give a signal that he wants to go. i guess his signal is being by the back door!


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

Pee pads work for some, but, I agree with lil_fuzzy. We used them with our first puppy because we were in an apartment waiting for our house to be finished, and it was hard to get him out to go. They were great, EXCEPT that he started to pee on the door mat, the kitchen rug in front of the sink, the bath mat, anything remotely similar to a pad! 
I also second the don't scold or punish thought. When you catch your puppy in the act it's absolutely right to interrupt him and take him out to finish. BUT, you want to make sure all you do is interrupt him NOT scare him! In his puppy mind he doesn't know pottying is icky inside. They think it's a completely natural thing. Which it is, but that doesn't mean we want to live with puppy messes in our homes!  So, when you yell or scold when you catch him in the act, he thinks poop/pee makes you angry. And, he will try harder to hide it from you!
And, like the other poster said, it's really not his fault, at this point, it's you're job to get him out when he needs to go....


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## 12stones (Feb 4, 2011)

I'm going to jump in on this thread so I don't clutter the board with another "potty" thread.

My fiancee and I just got a 19 week old Bichon Frise (Rhiannon - RiRi for short) that we're in the middle of crate training. So far we're doing okay and have had a couple accidents that, of course, were our fault for taking eyes off for a second. We've corrected ourselves and will hopefully not see any more accidents inside, but we're not sure if we're doing everything correctly and have some questions.

How long should we wait outside to see if she goes?

So far, she'll take up to 1hr15min just to go pee after I take her outside though it's usually between 15-30min. I've tried taking her for walks to help stimulate to no avail. I've also tried taking her to the same place and it doesn't seem to be working either. I do know that if she doesn't eliminate then she goes back into the crate until we try again, which on the weekend is fine, but during the work week I don't want to create a situation where she can't hold it. I take her out as soon as I wake up after she's eaten, before I go to work, during lunch, as soon as I get home after she's eaten, before I go to bed, and once in the middle of the night. I think I'm providing enough opportunity and I'm definitely praising when it happens, but it's difficult to spend so much time just waiting for her to go to the bathroom. Last night I was out in the freezing cold for at least two hours collectively trying to get her to go.

Should we walk the yard or take to the same spot? I've seen arguments for both. Is there a best method?

What about the rain?

It's been very cold and rainy lately. I don't want to paper/pad train as I don't ever want to make it okay to eliminate inside, but she doesn't like the rain and I really hate standing out in it (especially in the middle of the night). What's the solution here?

Thanks for any help.


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## Labmom4 (Feb 1, 2011)

I have never used pee pads; but I'd worry it might confuse him. However, there's no way, IMO, he can hold his bladder all day, so he needs some way to relieve himself. Is there a neighbor or someone that could take him out during the day? As for accidents when you're home, keep him crated, tied, or with you until he's fully housebroken. That wont be for awhile. I love tie-downs and, when they're that young, I often hook their leash to my belt to keep them with me. I've always felt, the less accidents, the easier the housebreaking goes.


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## 12stones (Feb 4, 2011)

Thanks Labmom4. Like I said, pads aren't an option. I do come home during the day to take her out, but I can't spend over an hour waiting for her to go. Here are my questions:

How long should I wait each time I take her out?
Is it better to walk around outside or use the same spot to house train?
What's the secret to house training when it's raining outside?


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

You shouldn't spend that long outside waiting for her to go. Puppies often get distracted outside, there are lots of sights, sounds, and smells, so sometimes, they just wander and check stuff out, and forget they're supposed to be going potty.

Take her out on a leash so she can't wander around the whole yard, just the small area she can reach with the leash. If she doesn't go in 5 minutes or so, take her back in. I never put them back in the crate when they didn't go outside, I just watched mine like a hawk, then took them back out in 5 minutes to try again. 
Basically, it's out for 5, back in for 5, then out for 5 to try again, then in for 5, etc.

This way, she gets the idea that there is potty time, when she needs to go out and do her business. That is different from play time outside, and walks outside. Potty time should be all about business, if you let her wander and spend hours outside she isn't really trying to find a good spot, she's just messing around..... 

Use the same method when it's raining. If your dog doesn't like the rain, she'll learn to go out, pee, and come back in in a hurry!


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## Labmom4 (Feb 1, 2011)

I second that, doxiemommy.
I teach 'get busy' on a leash and dont let them wander around much at all. I take the pup to the same spot and repeat 'get busy' over and over til they go. Then we immediately go back inside. After lots of praise, of course. The potty area is not used as a play area either, until they figure it out.


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## AmandasPuppy (Feb 8, 2011)

Wow! your dog seems pretty smart. I remember when my little Joe was that young. All he ever did was sleep and play. He still can't pee and poop on command.

Well, on my dog's case puppy pads worked for me. I have it lined in his litter box. It was useful somehow because when it rains outside, he goes there and pee. I just put them on the same spot so that he could associate the location whenever he wants to pee. I just get read of the stains and odor whenever he pees on the floor. We must understand that they are just puppies and accidents do happen most of the time.


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

Nero's person:
Accident's are the human's fault, only punishment should be wacking yourself with a newspaper and cleaning up the mess. Keep an eye on time when pup is loose and understand that rewarding the dog for going outside is not going to make him dependent on treats..neither is proper reward based training..dogs who will only work with food in front of their face are created by bad trainers, not the food itself. 
It is useful in housetraining because going to the bathroom is INHERENTLY rewarding, no matter where it happens, they call it 'relieving' for a reason. If you reward handsomely for going outside it becomes "worth more" to the dog to go outside then it is to go inside. It's the contrast that is important. 
Pup needs to go outside before and after naps, play, training sessions, meals etc..the more opportunities he has to go where he's supposed to the better the training will happen. It's also important to remember that when young dogs do not have very much warning in their bodies that they need to go...it's like got to go NOW. So anticipating the need is really important. As for the pads, if someone can't be home during the daytime to let him out, that's fine. But it's important to realize that dogs don't generalize well and your pup is likely understanding "pee on pads in basement"but not associating that with the upstairs of the house. This is part of the reason people think their dog is housetrained and then have it pee in someone ELSE'S house, because they havent' generalized the behaviour. Restricting freedom unless totally supervised and having the dog gradually have access to other areas on his own helps.

To the second poster:
Go out in leash, wait five minutes being BORING. No luck, go back inside for five/ten and try again (supervising or crating the entire time inside)...try again. Repeat. ONCE the pee has happened, reward it and then let the dog have a play or a walk (if pup finds that fun) so pup learns that pee/poo makes good stuff happen..not just going back inside.


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## 12stones (Feb 4, 2011)

Cracker said:


> To the second poster:
> Go out in leash, wait five minutes being BORING. No luck, go back inside for five/ten and try again (supervising or crating the entire time inside)...try again. Repeat. ONCE the pee has happened, reward it and then let the dog have a play or a walk (if pup finds that fun) so pup learns that pee/poo makes good stuff happen..not just going back inside.


Guess we just have to stick with it. We've been lucky and haven't had an accident in about a week. She's really able to hold it for a long time. I took her out this morning at 2:30am and she peed. It's now past noon and she hasn't gone again and I can't get her to go. I fed her this morning, took her out, took her out before going to work, and have now been trying on my lunch hour going out for 5 then coming in for 10 then going back out. Still nothing. 

She gets rewarded with praise and/or a treat when she goes and we come back in and play after she goes. If she doesn't, then it's usually back in the crate if I can't supervise. I do repeat "Go pee" and "Go to the bathroom" when she pees and poops respectively. Am I doing something wrong or is it just a matter of sticking with it?


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

She hasn't peed in ten hours? That is not normal, nor healthy. This is a concern. 

So a couple of questions: 
How much water is she given daily? Do you track how much she drinks at all?
When you take her out (assuming on a leash) what is her BEHAVIOUR like? Does she sniff around? Sit and stare at you? What is her body language like? Tail up? Tail down? Does she avoid eye contact? When she DOES pee where is she in relation to you? Facing away at the far end of the leash? Does she come happily to you to get her treat?

You got her at nineteen weeks, do you know at all about what sort of housetraining was done at her breeder/previous home?


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## ItsMrDog2U (Feb 9, 2011)

12stones said:


> Guess we just have to stick with it. We've been lucky and haven't had an accident in about a week. She's really able to hold it for a long time. I took her out this morning at 2:30am and she peed. It's now past noon and she hasn't gone again and I can't get her to go. I fed her this morning, took her out, took her out before going to work, and have now been trying on my lunch hour going out for 5 then coming in for 10 then going back out. Still nothing.
> 
> She gets rewarded with praise and/or a treat when she goes and we come back in and play after she goes. If she doesn't, then it's usually back in the crate if I can't supervise. I do repeat "Go pee" and "Go to the bathroom" when she pees and poops respectively. Am I doing something wrong or is it just a matter of sticking with it?


It sounds like you are doing it right. If you have the time to watch her then you might want to try filling up her water bowl when she's locked in the crate. Do not leave her alone for hours on end like that. But if you are home and you can keep a little bit of an eye on her then keep her water full in the crate and that should increase her peeing frequency and help with the reinforcement.

I felt what you are going through. I just recently finished housebreaking my puppy and he sometimes held it for a really long time too. But after some persistence, he is now very good about going outside and he goes on command and on a schedule.

-ItsMrDog2U
check out my blog: http://begood2yourdog.blogspot.com/


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## 12stones (Feb 4, 2011)

Thanks for the responses. I think we're on the right track. She peed immediately when we got home and took her out. I didn't have any more problems yesterday and she's done well today too. We've just got to keep on keepin' on.


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## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

@12stones Congratulations!! I just got a Bichon Frise last week and share your initial frustrations with housebreaking her though it seems she's doing great now!. With my older maltipoo though I find if you take them to the same spot outside, they'll go immediately because they smell the pee from the last time they did it + any other dogs that went there too! It's great because you're conditioning them to pee right away as they recognize that spot as the place to go! And always treat them like they won a noble prize within a millisecond after they go. If he doesn't start sniffing the ground and walking around in circles, then I know he doesn't really have to go, but with a routine schedule they know when they are let out, and that they might 'miss their chance' if they don't go when you take them outside.

Also, once you see her squatting, and RIGHT before she pees/poos, say the command "Go Potty" or "Go pee pee" - that's how they associate it 

My maltipoo was housebroken AMAZINGLY from crate training and the above methods...above all, when they have an accident clean it up REALLY REALLY GOOD, or else they'll smell it and will want to go there again...


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