Please share Housebreaking 101 for Dummies with me...
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Sun Mar 04, 2007 8:05 pm

Hi bkkgirl,

I don't know if there is a foolproof method to housebreak puppies but I can tell you what worked for me in training my two little monsters.

Firstly it's easiest when they are little to keep them confined to one section of the house rather than letting them roam around. That way you can keep an eye on them and hopefully prevent any little accidents.

It sounds like you have picked a place for your pup to do her business which is great. Keep an eye on her and whenever she starts to look agitated like she needs to go take her to the area and give a command, for instance "go potty" but it can be whatever you are comfortable using. Give her 2-3 minutes to do her thing. If she goes praise, praise, praise! Make a big fuss so she knows she has done something good. It won't take her long to make the connection. If she doesn't go just take her back to the confinement area and try a bit later.

If you do catch her peeing on the floor in the rest of the house you can tell her "ah ah" in a cross voice and take her to the toilet area (even if it means picking her up half way through!). If she's already finished it's too late to do anything, just ignore it and clean up.

I hope this helps Smile

Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:53 pm

I have just had a look at your other thread with the photos - your puppy is sooooo cute!

Personally I would choose one area of the house to use for toileting and stick with it (I assume you don't have a yard since you are putting down papers inside?). Is there somewhere like a laundry area that you could use for that? Just thinking that having pee and poop in the kitchen wouldn't be all that hygenic with food around Shock

Maybe wherever you choose for her to go put down heaps of newspaper so she has more chance of peeing on that, then when she gets the hang of it you could gradually reduce the area of the newspaper. I don't know how much luck I would have had trying to get my golden retriever puppy to go in a box, he was very stubborn too Laughing

In terms of the crate training I think (I might be wrong) that the idea is to make the crate a really pleasant and safe place for the dog to be. Does she have access to the crate during the day or just at night time? You could try getting her used to it by putting some food treats or her favourite toys in there for her. It breaks your heart when they cry like that doesn't it Crying or Very sad

Good luck, hopefully she will get the idea real soon!

free skin care · Sun Mar 04, 2007 10:01 pm

Maybe I missed it - but how old is the new puppy? If she's still very young, you can't expect very much from her...

Small dogs are notoriously hard to housebreak. Females are usually easier than males, but they're still difficult (probably because there is SO little pee, not a lot of time and you often can't tell that they're squatting because they're so little).

The advice to keep the little one confined is a good one - but you also mentioned that she'd peed on her blankets... Usually dogs won't relieve themselves where they sleep - that's the main point behind confining them. If that doesn't matter to her, then confining won't help.

You can also try putting some of the newspaper she's already used in the box that you want her to potty in. Her own scent should draw her back to the same area. And maybe a little piece of doo-doo too (that's what my husband's dog's commands are - make a wee-wee & a doo-doo Rolling Eyes

- I use "hurry up" with my dogs).

If you're willing to use a crate, there's a book called "How to Housebreak Your Dog in Seven Days" that's very good on explaining a routine using confinement that has the pup "getting" the whole idea in a short time.

Good luck!

free skin care · Sun Mar 04, 2007 11:12 pm

The Wee Wee Pads brand pads did not work for my two Cavaliers either --- they would SHRED them into little pieces and scatter them everywhere! However, I tried "Clean Go Pet" brand wee wee pads and they will use those like they are supposed to. Don't know if the scent is different or what, but maybe your puppy would like the Clean Go Pet pads too.

http://www.petedge.com/sdx/139608.jsp

free skin care · Mon Mar 05, 2007 8:38 am

Hi bkkgirl,

I've had a lot of puppies ... I raise dogs and currently have 12 Jack Russell Terriers ... and one very large crossbred sighthound. Seven of these 13 dogs are in the house ... and all 10 of the 13 were born here.

There are a few "house training rules" that I always tell my puppy people.

1. Crate training is the single best thing you can do for your puppy. I know that when people see dog crates they think it's cruel ... but in point of fact, it's not. The crate isn't for punishment ... and should never be used as such. In the wild a dog will select a small cave or a small hollowed out tree as his/her den. That's where they sleep and feel safe. It's also the area where they don't eliminate their wastes. There's lots of good information about crate training on the web and it's worth its weight in gold in terms of house training.

2. If you control when food and water is given ... you also control when it comes out. In short ... don't "free feed" [leaving food in a dish all day long] and don't leave water down all the time ... at least not until the dog is an adult. Puppies, like children, love routine and need to recognize "meal time". I generally feed puppies three times a day ... until they are about 6 months old. Each breed is different ... but in the early months, when their tummies are smaller, they need smaller, more frequent meals. Put the food down and after 15 minutes pick the bowl up off the floor. That's plenty of time for a puppy to eat and drink all that he/she needs until the next meal.

3. As you get to know your puppy, you'll be able to recognize how long after a meal he/she needs before he/she needs to eliminate ... but bank on 10 to 20 minutes. So ... after he/she has eaten his/her meal ... within that timeframe ... get him/her outside.

4. If you want to help your puppy hold his/her water overnight ... HELP him/her. Don't give him/her any water after 7:30 or 8:00 pm.

5. Take the puppy outside last thing before you yourself go to bed.

6. Note: This is not an "overnight" thing. Most pups are completely and reliably house trained by the age of 6 months. However, during teething, some puppies regress a bit. Teething happens between 4 and 7 months ... and during that time, depending upon how upset his/her system is by the process, house training may become hit and miss for a while.

7. Under no circumstances rub your puppy's nose in his/her urine or feces. Besides being a barbaric behaviour on the owner's part ... it does absolutely no good. Puppies have a very short memory so that if you don't catch the pup "in the act" ... showing him/her the place where he/she has eliminated won't register. All getting angry about a "found" spot will accomplish is to confuse your pup. He/she will only understand that you're angry ... and that the result of your anger is a urine-soaked nose.

8. If you catch your puppy "in the act" say a firm "NO!" and immediately take the dog outside.

9. If your puppy has an accident in the house, it's your fault ... not the pup's. You'll learn to read his/her body language ... and you have to supervise your pup any time he/she is out of his/her crate. Take your puppy outside at regular intervals during the day when he/she has been playing. Take your puppy ouside as soon as he/she wakes up from a nap. [If the pup is small enough, carrying them outside is a good idea at least at first.] Puppies need to learn to recognize their own body's signals in order to know when they need to eliminate ... and it's up to you to help them learn this.

Hopefully this helps you ... I know these rules helped us with house training ... and I know they helped our puppy people with their own puppies.

Mary

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