venus_smrf
I have a new puppy, and I'm having a little trouble with her potty training. My last dogs never did their business inside their crates, but this one does on occasion. She won't pee in her crate, but yesterday, I took her outside to let her do her business, and she peed almost immediately. She hadn't eaten recently, so I thought it would be okay to put her in her crate for five minutes while I did a chore. Her crate is fairly large compared to her, but I've partitioned a space in the front of the cage that's only big enough for her to rest comfortably. That used to be enough for my other dogs to keep them from messing in their crates, but in those few minutes, she did a "number two." This is the third time she's done this, so there's obviously something going on. I need to figure out what I'm doing wrong with her training before she decides her crate is her bathroom (though I think she might already have). What am I doing wrong, and how do I fix this?
I suppose I should add the details for which everyone has been asking.
The puppy is 13 weeks and is mostly poodle. She also weighs less than a pound and a half and gets hypoglycemia very, very easily, which presents a few more problems. Since she's so small, I wouldn't give her the run of the house anyway. I have a pen for her in the living room, though of course I keep an eye on her even then, and she's only allowed in the living room and next to me on the bed at night before I actually go to sleep (she sleeps in her crate next to the bed, where I can check on her easily).
As for potty training, it poured for two weeks after I brought her home, so we started out on the pee pads anyway. I kept them by the back door, on which I hung a bell (not the jingle kind). She's already learned to ring it when she wants to go out, and getting her to pee outside is never an issue. She's very good about it, especially since I give her vitamins as a treat each time (she has to have them anyway to prevent the hypoglycemia, and this means that I don't have to mess with her diet as much). I've never had a problem with her peeing in the crate--just "finishing," as one of you put it. She seems to need to do that in the morning, right after I get her up, but she doesn't have a schedule otherwise.
Thanks for the advice so far!
Answer
I have the largest size crates for my puppies and they do just fine, I don't partition them off. You don't mention her age, so, the bladder isn't grown until 6-months-old, and they are not fully potty trained until 1-year-old. All puppies train at their own pace, so it really doesn't matter what your other dogs did, only what this puppy will do. Since you don't mention the age, or the breed, I am going to suggest you rule out something medical, bladder, kidney, urinary issue, maybe incontinence and a med like Proin could help build the bladder. I had a puppy that would hold his poop all day long until my husband came home and then he would poop. I am wondering if you are taking her potty enough. Here are some tips, use what helps. I use a crate* to potty train with, but only for potty training and then I break it down and store it. I put blankets and a small food and water dish in the crate. Dogs don't potty where they eat and sleep. When they are first little, I only expect them to hold their potty for 4 hours, and then 6 hours, then 8 hours and so on. So when they are first little, I set a timer or alarm clock to wake myself up at night to take them *out. I only allow my puppy in the bedroom* or the living room, only one room at a time. They have to graduate to more space. If I allow them to have full run of the house, it will overwhelm them. I take them out the same door each time. I tie a dinner bell to the door handle. Do not use a jingle bell as they could get their toe caught in it. So when they are little, I ring the bell for them, and then open the door to go *outside to potty. When they get bigger, I take their paw and whack the bell and open the door to go potty. Eventually getting to the place where the puppy will ring the bell and let me know when they need to go potty. Dogs want to please you, so it is your job to let them know what behaviors please you and what doesn't. So when my puppy goes potty, I give her a treat*, and clap, and make a fuss and praise her. So she learns that going potty outside makes me happy. If she has an accident, make a disgust sound like âtsstâ and take her out right away. I never yell* or spank* my puppies. Take them out when they first wake up, after they eat or drink, before nap, finish romping, when their activities change, or when they are sniffing around. Some puppies go pee right away, but may not go poop until 10 minutes later, so wait for the poop. I have a little play time here, because sometimes I think they are done, and they are not. Puppies train at their own pace. While I may have a puppy that hasn't had an accident in several weeks, I don't let my guard down. I don't expect my puppies to be "fully potty trained" until one-year-old. If they have a setback, shake it off, and start over. I only have my puppies in the crate when I am not watching them. When I am sleeping, cooking, ironing, doing chores, basically when I am not watching her. All other times, she is out of the crate practicing being a "big girl." This is the time I train her how to behave in the house. So we are practicing "no barking", 'no biting", "no jumping", and "don't eat the furniture." I also have to practice "playing inside" so she doesn't knock over things. You must keep the puppy in sight when they are little because they donât know the difference between newspaper and carpet, and you donât want them sneaking off and getting into trouble. Some puppies can sleep through the night around 3-months-old, but their bladder is grown around 6-months-old.
REVISIONS:
*I use a CRATE to train with. It is the method I prefer, compared to other methods I have tried. I noticed that if they are in the crate, while I am doing chores, they are o.k., because the crate allows them to see me and be re-assured. The crate can also be a comfort when stored in the basement for dogs who live in areas where thunderstorms and tornados are an issue. . However, use the method that works best for you.....a laundry basket, a cardboard box, a woof-woof house, x-pen, child gates, whatever works for you.
*OUTSIDE, pee pad, litter box, whichever method you are using. When the puppy is first little, keep the pee pad, litter box near the food and water dish, so the puppy can eat and drink, and then go potty. You can move it away as they get older. The pee pad has a scent that smells and initiates potty. Sometimes a pee pad makes a sound that scares some puppies, so you might want to use a litter box if that happens. The pee pad allows a puppy to walk around, but a litter box keeps the puppy in one place.
*BEDROOMS, I use the bedroom and living room for training, because it works for me. Choose rooms that work for you, but watch for rooms that are damp, or drafty. While my puppies sleep in the bedroom during training, once they are trained, I let them sleep where they want to. They don't have to sleep in the bedroom forever.
*TREATS. While I use treats for training, you don't have to. I like Charlee Bears for training (a little cracker for a little mouth,) I use them for training, but once they are trained, I cut back on them.
*SOME PUPPIES will go potty in the same spot each time. Some puppies have to be told to go potty. A command like "go out" for pee, or "go finish" for poop, might work for you, keep saying âgo finishâ until the puppy poops. This is a good thing to train if you travel with your dogs. By using commands, the puppy won't get confused when you are visiting someone, on vacation with you, or when you get to a new home. The command will tell them what you want them to do in an unfamiliar place. You might also want to use a leash method, so the puppy doesnât sneak off, or for strange places.
*YELLING. It is not a good idea to "yell" or "spank" your puppy and then take them outside when they have an accident. They may get confused and think that going outside is punishment. While you want to correct them, if you are extreme, they may not want to go outside again. Shake it off, and resume your schedule. You have to keep it real. Puppies train at their own pace, but a puppy can only hold their potty for a few hours. A guide would be 1 hour for each month of age, plus 1 hour, so a three-month-old puppy should only be expected to hold their potty for 4 hours at most.
SOURCE: These tips, tricks, and ideas were contributed from many brilliant minds. Thanks for your help!
help on over sized dog crate!!?
Victoria N
hi, i am about to get a puppy and i need a crate. my dog is a lab. i found this one crate and it is a bit big even if the dog is fully grown. but would it still be okay?
i know that you have to block parts off when a puppy, and while house training.
but after it is fully house trained is it okay for the dog to have a bit of an oversized crate??
Answer
Too big is MUCH better than too small!
You can always partition off bits.
I brought a crate when I was house training my yorkie and went for one big enough to put my Border collie in (well you never know if you might need one!). What I did was put a cat carrier in it and covered the rest with newspaper so if he had an accident it wasn't onhis bedding (small dogs can't go overnight to start!) what you can do is gradually increase the size of the bedded area until you have done away with the papered section all together.
Good luck with your new pup
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