# Potty Training my American Eskimo



## daniellemarie54 (Mar 14, 2013)

Hi all,
I'm sure you've read many of these potty training help posts before, and I've been searching online myself trying to find additional information that I keep adding to my puppy's potting training. I'm at my wits end, threatening (jokingly, of course) to turn my puppy into a rug 

Now, I'm a rather impatient person, and I understand that does not mesh well with puppies and potty training, so I'm really trying here. I've had my 3 month old American Eskimo Male puppy for 2 1/2 weeks so far, and it doesn't seem like he's getting any better at recognizing he needs to potty outside, rather than inside, and he CLEARLY prefers pottying inside (this may be due to the fact that I live in Wisconsin where it's, well, cold as heck.) 

Here is what I've been doing-
-Immediately upon getting him, I began crate training him. I would take him out when I wake up, before I left for work (after he's done eating), at lunch before and after he eats, again when I got home, after he eats again, and before bedtime. I would wait outside for around 15 minutes or so for him to go potty (I couldn't really do more than that with my lunch time anyway).
...That didn't work as he would run inside and immediately go on the carpet. So, I started staying outside longer until he went. I stood outside with him 1 hour (he finally went) 1.5, 2, etc..sometimes he would go and sometimes he wouldn't. Of course, i'd be there with a tasty reward and praise. But then he stopped going at all and I would get sick of standing outside for two hours (Wisconsin is cold, guys! And I really don't have the time during the day), so I'd bring him inside and he'd go! It's like he was holding it for the inside. Sigh.
-So, I started doing the same take out routine, but I would take him out for 5 min, put him back in the crate for 15 if he didn't go, repeat. He wouldn't go. I did this all day once on all of the "normal" breaks/schedule he'd been on (and went through a lot of wine to tolerate it) and he still didn't go, so I felt bad for him being in the crate all day so I took him out. Peed and pooped all over, of course, but the dog needs to go and he needs activity. Another time I did this he just peed on himself in the crate (which isn't too big)






even though I was taking him out every 15 minutes.
-I've tethered him to me instead of letting him run free. When I notice he's itching to pee, I'll take him out..but he won't go. So I take him back inside. Then he pees. 
-When he does pee/poop inside, I say a strong "No!" and drag him outside. He doesn't stop peeing when I pick him up as some online sources suggested, so he ends up leaving a lovely trail from the inside to the outside of urine.
-I've brought outside paper toweling that I used to clean up his urine so he can smell himself and realize to go there. He ended up chewing it up. 
-I used a warm wash cloth on his tummy outside to replicate his mom licking his tummy to go potty (read that one online somewhere). That didn't work..and Griffin, my dog, definitely has a thing for chewing paper toweling.
-I don't let him play outside, we stand in the same area on a leash. Usually he just sits down. *facepalm*
-I use Nature's Miracle on all of his accidents, so he's not peeing in the same spot or anything. Just wherever he wants.
I've ordered one of those pee posts but the reviews are mixed so I'm not too hopeful. It's not like he's peeing frequently or repeatedly in 15 minutes or even an hour. He actually seems to have an iron bladder because he won't go for 12 hours if I don't allow him inside my house not in his crate. It's like he's dead set that the house is the spot he wants to go, even though I drag him outside every time he starts going there. 

I really would like some advice here. It seems like nothing is getting better and nothing is clicking in his mind. I understand he's a puppy and he doesn't know any better, but I need to get him to understand in puppy terms that pee and poo are outside things. I'm about to go outside myself and pee in front of him so maybe he gets the hint. I've heard negative things about pee pads inside and I feel like they're just confusing for the puppy. 

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

Just so you know, I've never potty trained a dog. Mine came that way, so I don't really have a lot of advice. But I absolutely could not resist the temptation of photos of an eskie puppy! Seriously, how do you stand all the cuteness?

Just wondering - what kind of surface are you taking him to pee on (I'm assuming grass?). To me it sounds like he just doesn't want to pee outside for some reason...? I do know, though, that potty-training is a long process and that pups that age don't have much control over their bodily functions. It might just be a case of he'll pick it up better as his body matures more and he gains more control? It sounds like you're doing all the right things... some dogs just take longer than others.


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## daniellemarie54 (Mar 14, 2013)

"Seriously, how do you stand all the cuteness?"
Necessary for him to have, otherwise I would have tossed him in the garbage by now 

"Just wondering - what kind of surface are you taking him to pee on (I'm assuming grass?)."

There isn't any grass in Wisconsin in March, unfortunately. I've tried both the sidewalk/low levels of snow. I'm about to cut a chunk of rug out of my carpet and put that outside


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

Several thoughts that might help you:

First, 2.5 weeks isn't long for a puppy to get settled into a new home PLUS get potty trained. There have been a lot of changes in his life, getting used to a new home and new people, then potty training on top of that....well, don't expect so much.

Next, puppies don't gain full physical control of their bladders til 6 months of age, give or take, so you really do have a ways to go. That is just a physical thing, they don't have full development, so they can't control it consistently. Sometimes, they aren't even AWARE they have to pee, because they either don't have, or haven't recognized the "I need to pee" feeling.

Lots of folks here have gone through this, and as frustrating as it is, it's normal. His little brain will be ready for this before his body is.

It seems like most of the things you've tried are ok, with the exception giving him a strong NO and dragging him outside when he's peed or pooped inside. This is definitely not the way to handle it. Dogs don't think like humans. From our human perspective, we think if we say no and drag a dog outside the dog will understand, "ok, I'm not supposed to pee/poop here." But, dogs, as I said, don't think that way. The connection he's likely to make is "wow! This guy sure hates pee/poop! He always freaks out when he sees it." Thus, the dog will find a hiding place to pee/poop so you won't see it, or he will become nervous about peeing and pooping in front of you in the first place, which will REALLY make potty training hard.

I understand that you have tried a good many things, and when you take him out he won't go, so you bring him in, and he goes. In response, you've tried to put him in the crate if he doesn't go, but, if I understand correctly, he peed/pooped in the crate when you did this. So, instead of putting him back in the crate if you take him out and he doesn't go, try tethering him to you when he doesn't go. Alternate, 5 minutes outside to try to potty, then 5 minutes inside with him tethered to you to wait for the next try. Five minutes out, five minutes in. 

Of course, during the 5 minutes in, you have your eyes directly on him, watching for the signs he's about to potty, and if you see those signs, don't wait, rush him out. If nothing, back in for another 5 minutes. Basically, alternate 5 minutes out, 5 minutes in until he potties, then throw a HUGE party with lots of praise, and lots of small yummy treats, given one at a time. We call it a jackpot, he gets lots of treats, to rope him into wanting to potty outside for treats. After he's got the idea, you can cut back on treats, to just one....


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