# 13 week old pup still pees inside... sometimes. Help?



## fusarium (Feb 13, 2012)

Hey!

Pepper has been an absolute treat. She's sweet, soft, and fun. I love this dog!

The only thing that I'm curious about (right now...) is her peeing inside. She goes to the baracade between the living room and kitchen, looks at me, and if I don't catch her glimpse, she pees. If the barracade is down, she'll go to the back door and pees. She WANTS to go outside, but she's not audible. 

A whine, a bark, a grumble, maybe a nose-to-my-leg -- that would help me know she's gotta go! But, she's too quiet to bug me.

We go out after she drinks, goes for good walks daily, gets socialized like a puppy should... but she isn't audible.

Any ideas? What about a jingle bell that she can nose? Any advice on that? Places to get the bell?

Thank you for the help!


- Casey









mrph mrph mrph.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

A good many ADULT dogs don't even make noises to let their owners know they need to go out, so it's completely normal for a 13 week old puppy not to do that either. I have 2 adult dogs and a foster puppy and NONE of them let me know. Well, Harper will come stand in front of me, but he makes no noise. Abby doesn't really do anything, except sometimes go stand in the middle of the kitchen. Same with the foster puppy.

Some people have trained their dogs to jingle a bell by the door. I've never tried it because my dogs LOVE to perform, and I can imagine that they'd be ringing the bell ALL the time. But, I think the idea is that YOU start by ringing the bell every time you take the puppy out to pee, and hopefully, she'll get the idea and do it herself when she needs to go. 

BUT, I wouldn't expect much yet. I mean, she might have some success, but accidents will still be possible, as she won't have complete PHYSICAL control of her bladder til 6 months of age, give or take. She's like a toddler. Mama or daddy say "do you have to go potty?" and the toddler says no, but 30 seconds later they've peed their pants because they just don't have a good handle on what a really full bladder feels like or how long they can hold it.

Right now, it's a safer bet to PREVENT accidents by taking her out on a schedule, and rewarding her for all outside pees/poops. Take her out after she eats/drinks (about 15-40 minutes for pooping, depending on her digestion rate), and after she wakes up (even from naps), and after she plays/exercises. Other than that, set a schedule, like every 2 hours. (Except at night, they can hold it a lot longer at night).Set your alarm or cell phone so that you don't get distracted and forget. The more you can prevent accidents, the quicker she'll get in the habit of ONLY thinking of outside as the right place.


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## fusarium (Feb 13, 2012)

So... adult dogs don't say anything and you need to continue to ask them if they're ready to go out? I guess that sounds about right with my parents dog - we "force" him to go out in the morning and at night, mostly because he's l-a-z-y. He can hold it much longer than my pup.

Anyone have methods for having their dogs tell them it's time?


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

Many dogs will go to the door or ring a bell or whatever. It's just something they pick up with time, and you can certainly try hanging a bell by the door and ringing it every time you go out. The problem, as doxiemommy noted, is that many dogs will start ringing the bell (or going to the door) ALL THE TIME because they want to go outside and have fun. So if you do this, which I really don't recommend, you should make the bell-initiated potty trips as short and boring as possible. Outside, straight to the potty spot, then straight back inside with no fun allowed. 

We've had much better luck taking our dog out on a schedule. You start with a very frequent schedule and then slowly cut back. It's just a lot more convenient. The bells sound awesome, but in practice, you're at your dog's beck and call, which you might not find to be ideal.


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