# Puppy holding in pee/poop



## acrawford (Dec 18, 2009)

My boyfriend and I just got a 13 wk old Cavalier King Charles and he seems to be holding in his pee/poo. It's making it very difficult to potty train him. It seems as though he knows he needs to go (he runs around the house and whines) but won't because he doesn't know where. He relieves himself max 3 times a day (he usually pees/poos 1 after the other) and typically goes a lot each time. We've tried paper training in the bathroom, but he just sits at the door and whines. We've tried taking him outside, but he just wants to go back inside right away.
The breeder we got him from just let him outside and waited for him to go and then let him back in. Our pup is a bit particular about things so I'm wondering if it's the difference in terrain that's confusing him.
Basically, we have no idea what to do. Should we continue with indoor or outdoor training? He doesn't go often, so it's difficult to train him to even understand where to go. He won't go when I take him, even when I know he needs to go. What's the best route to take with our pup?
Note: We're on the 3rd floor of an apartment building, so taking him out often is not easy to do.


----------



## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

Take it out on leash. Walk around. They can only walk and hold it so long. When it finally has to go, lavish praise on it.


----------



## acrawford (Dec 18, 2009)

He still hasn't gone outside. He seems completely oblivious as to what we're supposed to do out there. Even when I know he needs to go and we spend 20+ minutes out there, nothing happens. It's loud and scary for him outside (I live near an airport), so do you think he's just too scared to go outside? I take him out after each accident, but I really don't think it's clicking. He went potty twice (one of each) last night and I took him out after each one, but he didn't finish going outside.


----------



## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

What happens if you leave him out by himself? You can use a tether. Nothing wrong with tethering a dog long enough to relieve itself.


----------



## FaithFurMom09 (Oct 24, 2009)

Labsnothers said:


> What happens if you leave him out by himself? You can use a tether. Nothing wrong with tethering a dog long enough to relieve itself.


I would NEVER do that at an apartment! Anyone can walk by and take your dog. You only have to be turned around a few minutes.


----------



## Terrie (Sep 11, 2009)

FaithFurMom09 said:


> I would NEVER do that at an apartment! Anyone can walk by and take your dog. You only have to be turned around a few minutes.


Yea I wouldn't do that anywhere. You could try to exercise him as much as possible. They usually have to go after a run.

My dog is the same though. I have to stand outside and walk back and forth for 30 minutes before she decides to go. If it's in the day time, I usually take her for a walk around the block. I walk fast too so that she's almost jogging and soon after the walk, she'll usually go pretty quick. At night, I just stand there, don't like to walk around at night.

Good luck!


----------



## Binkalette (Dec 16, 2008)

acrawford said:


> He still hasn't gone outside. He seems completely oblivious as to what we're supposed to do out there. Even when I know he needs to go and we spend 20+ minutes out there, nothing happens. It's loud and scary for him outside (I live near an airport), so do you think he's just too scared to go outside? I take him out *after each accident*, but I really don't think it's clicking. He went potty twice (one of each) last night and I took him out after each one, but he didn't finish going outside.


There's a big part of your problem. You can't allow him to have any accidents, it only reinforces going to the bathroom inside. To get it to click you -must- be sure he holds so that when he is outside, and he has to go so bad that he will just go, and that's when you lavish and praise! 

When Zoey was a puppy, she would soil her crate, no problem, but absolutely would not go if she was up on the couch. So I kept her up on the couch next to me, and she would start getting antsy, and start trying to get down, and that's when I knew she had to go potty.. I'd take her out, walk, and if she didn't go, I'd bring her back and put her right back in her spot on the couch. After she did finally go and got all kinds of praise, she knew that when she would go outside she would get a treat, so she always went as soon as we got outside. (she actually started to fake pee just so she could get another treat LOL) That was a little bit of a problem in the winter because she would go potty in the snow on the driveway on the way to where she was -supposed- to be going.. so I actually had to carry her across the drive way to the area she was supposed to go so she learned -where- to go outside as well. 

Anyway, stick with it, and do everything you can to keep him from going inside so that he has the chance to go outside.  Good luck!


----------

