HouseTraining

[Capt'nMorgan]

I have had my new pup (14wks) for a week and she is not getting the hang of peeing outside. She pees almost everytime I take her out, but just a little. Then 15mins later she pees inside. what to do?

[TylerS]

I have had my new pup (14wks) for a week and she is not getting the hang of peeing outside. She pees almost everytime I take her out, but just a little. Then 15mins later she pees inside. what to do?

Well, I have a 11 week-old male GWP that we've had for two weeks, but I'm right there with you.

I'd say the first three or four days he peed literally every 15 to 30 minutes. Just couldn't help it. What we've done (and it seems to be working little by little) is catch him in the act and give a firm "no." Then carry him outside and tell them "go potty." He picked the command up right away. As of now, "go potty" results in him doing his business nearly on the spot.

Also, we've picked up on his nuances. That is, when he starts to sniff around or whimpers for no apparent reason, we take him out. Before and after every meal, he goes out. If it has been a long time between doing his business, he goes out. He also has surprised us a couple times and sat at the door and whined.

Yesterday he didn't have an accident until about 5:30 p.m. and I put the blame on my wife and myself for not noticing him before. I have no clue how long it will take before he actually his "housebroken" but so far, so good.

[Ralph Wiggum]

A firm "NO" when you catch her and then straight outside. The key is that you need to catch her in the act. If she's already peed, then you are SOL. So needless to say, keep her close by and never let her out of your site. If you're not paying attention to her, put her in a crate. And take her out very often, like mentioned.

You guys with young pups should look into bell training your dogs. Hang a bell by the door and teach the dog to ring it when he/she needs to go potty. It works pretty slick!

[Capt'nMorgan]

I have only been able to catch her in the act one time, and did just as you mentioned. I try to take her out about every 30-40 minutes now hoping that she will get a clue,(is it to offten?)tell her to go "potty" and praise her when she does.

[Hookmaster]

We got a female yellow lab last Labor Day. For the first 3 months, she was either in the kitchen with gates, outside or in her kennel. Anytime we took her out of her kennel, outside we go and said "Go potty" until she went. After drinking water, wait 10-15 minutes and outside again. They'll learn the command fairly quickly. She only pee-ed twice in the kitchen. Yes she did go in the kennel, but they learn pretty fast to not pee in their den.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I have only been able to catch her in the act one time, and did just as you mentioned. I try to take her out about every 30-40 minutes now hoping that she will get a clue,(is it to offten?)tell her to go "potty" and praise her when she does.

Can't take em out too often at that age. Like you mentioned, praise her when she goes outside. Praise the heck out of her. Make it a really big deal and get super excited so she gets excited. Even play with her a bit after she pees. That way, she'll associate peeing outside with great things.

[MuleShack]

I have only been able to catch her in the act one time, and did just as you mentioned. I try to take her out about every 30-40 minutes now hoping that she will get a clue,(is it to offten?)tell her to go "potty" and praise her when she does.

You may want to take a sample of pee into the vet. Last year our chocolate pup had a series of urinary infections which caused her to go frequently. A puppy should be able to hold it for 2-3 hours atleast. I believe with the infection they cant control their bladder as well.

We just picked up a GSP male, 7 weeks old on saturdsy. We put one of those pee pads in front of his crate as a back up. We take him out at least every 2 hours, and then watch for any "odd" behavior and then say lets go outside. He runs out with us and goes in the grass. So far the pad was used 3 times and no "accidents" in the house. He is good for about 4 hours in the crate over night before stirring up the house.

[hanson]

You guys with young pups should look into bell training your dogs. Hang a bell by the door and teach the dog to ring it when he/she needs to go potty. It works pretty slick!

While I didn't do the bell, my door knob makes a noise when its bumped. Morgan now just nudges the door knob with his nose and I know what he wants to do.

Really can't say too much more than whats been said. They will figure it out if you keep at it. Those first few months we were going outside all the time, seamed like every hour through the night as well. My lab figured it out, now he absolutely will not go inside the house at all. I think he's had 1 or 2 accidents in the last 6 months and one of them was right after getting neutered.

Not sure if it has been mentioned but they can pretty much hold their potty (in hours) for their age (in months). Not sure if that makes sense but 1 month old puppy would be 1 hour max, 2 month old puppy is 2 hours, etc, etc. I was coming home to let him out at lunch for quite awhile before I let him stay home alone all day. Now its not a big deal and when I do come home at lunch, I've interrupted nap time.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Now its not a big deal and when I do come home at lunch, I've interrupted nap time.

LOL, if I come home at lunch, Floyd lifts his head and looks at me like, "What in the hell are you doing here?"

[hulapopper]

It always sounded strange to me to put a bell on the door for the dog to ring. It seems to me that the dog is training you that when He rings the bell you have to quit what ever you are doing and go let him out. Seems to me the dog should learn to hold it until I let him out.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Seems to me the dog should learn to hold it until I let him out.

Sorry, but puppies can't hold it. When they need to go, they need to go. I'd rather have the dog tell me it needs to go out than pee on my floor because it couldn't hold it till it was convenient for me.

Once the dog is older, you shouldn't have a problem (I can't remember the last time my dog rang the bell--we're out more often than he needs to pee). But the fact of the matter with a puppy is that you either take them out often or clean up pee in your house.

[hulapopper]

I just figured if the puppy is old enough or smart enough to learn to ring the bell. He is smart enough or old enough to learn to hold it.

I just picture the puppy laying on a bed with silk sheets and a servant waving a fan over him and he reaches over and pulls a silk rope and says something along the lines of "Rochester I need to go out now "

Just strikes me funny

[Ralph Wiggum]

Got ours at 11 weeks. Took about a week or two and he was reliably ringing the bell when he needed to go out.

[TylerS]

You guys with young pups should look into bell training your dogs. Hang a bell by the door and teach the dog to ring it when he/she needs to go potty. It works pretty slick!

I thought about that...unless they make titanium bells, my pup would DESTROY it before he ever actually learned how to USE it.

[Capt'nMorgan]

She will pee in porta kennel at night, I didn't think they would pee where they sleep? Its a mid size kennel so she has lots of room in there with her, Is the kennel to big? I was just told from a friend to have her checked maybe she has kidney infection,or a bladder infection like mentioned earlier.

[Hookmaster]

Mine pee ed in her kennel at night until she was old (big) enough to hold it.

[harvey lee]

I just got another cocker pup a month ago.

I take her out as soon as she gets up and right after she eats. Then rabout every hour of the day for the fiest week. Then again at night after I feed her and before she goes to her keenel in the house for the night.

Its a pain to take her out all the time but now dhe lets me know when it is time.

I have had her fo a month with 1 accident.

She will rattle the door on her kennel if she needs to go out or run to me and pester me until I take her out.

I had used treats in the past but they then play games and want to go out when they do not need to just to get a treat. Stay away from the tyreats if you can.

No treats this time and she is doing great.

I am lucky enough to be home all day and that really helps.

[Ralph Wiggum]

She will pee in porta kennel at night, I didn't think they would pee where they sleep? Its a mid size kennel so she has lots of room in there with her, Is the kennel to big? I was just told from a friend to have her checked maybe she has kidney infection,or a bladder infection like mentioned earlier.

Kennel's too big. She just needs enough room to stand up and turn around. In a correctly-sized kennel, they won't pee where they sleep unless they absolutely can't hold it any longer. With a young pup, this will likely mean several trips out over night for a while.

Wouldn't hurt to have her checked for a bladder infection, especially if you have a trip to the vet for a rabies vaccine or something else coming up.

[CrazyLabs]

The first week we had our younger lab, we made sure he wasn't in his kennel for more than 4 hours during the work week. I even took a long lunch every day to make sure he was able to get outside to do his thing. The second week, I had vacation planned and it was Operation:Potty Train. We let him out after eating, drinking, playing and sleeping. It worked out to be nearly once every 30 minutes during the day, but he slept through the night. He was reliably going to the door in just a couple of days. He would stand there for about a minute. If we didn't get there in time, he's give up and sneak somewhere to go. That happened twice. We ended up bell training him by the end of the week.

As a little guy it worked out well. As he got older, though, he'd ring it constantly because he'd see something in the yard that he wanted to chase. It's still hanging by the door, but he only rings it once in a while. He realized that he can get better results by standing in front of us and jumping in the air...pretty funny dog.