Pottty training not going well

[beachdogz]

 

 

 

 

 

Once again, I am guilty of skimming through these posts. I was in a hurry before and saw this picture and didn't read the post. I really and truly thought it was some sort of mural. Top left I thought was a border collie and sheep. Middle right I saw a lady holding a border collie. Bottom three I thought were sheep. Seriously!! I howled when I actually read the post and found out it was damaged dry-wall. Guess it's a good thing that I went to the eye dr. this afternoon!!

Rorschach test, anybody???

[bcnewe2]

I couldn't figure out what you were talking about. Now on my phone and you explain I see it too! Very strange...

[dsmbc]

I echo everything folks have said. I have a 12 week old puppy right now and he is crated, tethered or in an ex-pen and we go out a lot. I would

also highly recommend not using the news paper at night, just crating and getting up when your pup has to go. it reduces confusion. My pup also gets very very distracted outside, especially when ot comes to pooping. I just take him back in and put him in crate and take him out just a little bit later. Eliminates accidents. I also keep a pair of garden clogs next to the door for easy on at night.

[Gloria Atwater]

Hi there ~

 

I think you've gotten a lot of good advice, so I'll just echo all the above, particularly crate training AND making sure that potty time outside is NOT play time.

 

Plus, I think paper training a puppy is not a good way to teach him to go outside. It's fine when they are babies in a whelping box, but at 3 months, it's time to do all his business outside, not indoors on a paper. It's very confusing for him to understand why some places in the house are "okay" and others are not.

 

Also, I want to ask, are you sure you're paying attention to WHEN he needs to potty? Puppies always have to potty:

 

A) When they wake up

B ) After they eat

C) After they play

 

The last one could be a problem if he's playing when you take him out to potty. If he's easily distracted by things in the yard, blowing leaves, etc ... ignore him. Just stand there and wait for him to do the deed, and do NOT engage him or play with him or accept any of his advances to play.

 

Then if he doesn't potty, bring him back in the house and either crate him or tether him to you. Then take him BACK outside in about 10 minutes. Give him another chance to do it.

 

But you really can't expect a 3 month old pup to have full run of the house and not make mistakes. He doesn't KNOW better, and he's not sneaking off, he's just having the sudden thought, "Oh, time to potty," and there he goes.

 

So, it's on YOU to stay on top of him and not give him the chance to make those mistakes. He can't help himself, so you have to help him.

 

Last but not least, I can't say enough that crates are not a bad thing, once a pup is trained to them. Make the crate a GOOD thing, give him his meals, his treats, his toys in there. Start him off with short periods in the crate, and praise him and give him goodies when he's quiet in there. Do not let him out when he's throwing a fuss. Only let him out when he's being good - and again, bribe with a treat or goodie.

 

My two BCs are definitely den-dogs, and though Nick is coming 4 and Gael is 2-1/2, each night, they both sleep in their crates every night, even though the crate doors are always open.

 

Good luck with your little one!

 

~ Gloria

[rushdoggie]

Tons of good advice re: crates, schedules, etc, just want to add that teaching puppy to go on command is imo one of the lynch pin that holds all the pieces together. When the puppy learns that going when he is told gets him rewarded, then he is less likely to sneak off because he is afraid of going in front of you, he will go potty when given the opportunity and won't have the urge off schedule, will be less likely to get distracted and forget what he is doing, and will develop a huge reward history for going where you want him to, cementing the idea of where he goes is outside.

[Star]

I got all of the same advice as above when I posted about Star's potty training woes. Very useful. She would potty in her crate, so crating was not helping us. The things I think worked best for us were: tethering her and blocking off the room she preferred to use.

 

Also, if you take her on a leash, you can lead her to the area in the yard where you want her to potty and she will learn to potty there all the time, eventually.

 

I'll echo the value of teaching them to potty on command. This has come in handy for us so many times--when camping, traveling in the car, during bad weather, and when I have to rush out of the house and I can't remember the last time they pottied!