Offer me your puppy potty training tips...

[The Franchise]

Back story:

We have a 6 month old chihuahua/dachsund mix that we adopted from someone off of Craigslist. We've had the dog now for a couple of months and yeah....it's been our fault that we never really potty trained the dog. So I'm looking for tips and tricks to potty train the dog so that she'll go outside.

Around 50% of the time she'll pee on the puppy pads.....but the other 50% of the time...she'll pee right in front of you around 2 inches off of the pad. And the whole pooping thing.....she hardly ever goes on the pad. We take her outside all of the time and she'll go outside.....but then 45 minutes later she'll come back in and poop 2 inches from the pad.

So yeah....what are some suggestions/tips/tricks or training methods that I can use?


Rep

[Sofa King]

get a real dog... now where's my rep?


but seriously, my buddy had a problem with a little lap dog that always crapped 2 inches from the pad. he divorced the wife, and she took the dog.. that seemed to take care of the problem... true story...

[beach tribe]

Good luck. I have an 8 mo old min pin, and I'm about to beat the living shit out of him.

[Bill Lundberg]

Throw away the puppy pads. You're just teaching your dog it's ok to piss and shit in the house. Be diligent and follow a set schedule of every 2 hours. Praise and reward when dog does the deed outside.

Hang a bell on the door you use to put the dog out. Jingle the bell everytime you take it out. Eventually it will start ringing the bell to let you know it's time.

[DeezNutz]

Repetition and staying on the dog's ass.

Take the dog outside every couple of hours, especially after meals, lots of positive reinforcement when it does its thing outside.

Reprimanding sternly but not physically striking when the dog ****s up inside.

Unfortunately, there's no magic trick except a lot of work. I love dogs, but puppies are cool for about 30 seconds. And I know, since I have one now myself.

Oh, and I'd throw away the pads. Those can be potentially confusing, since, from the dog's perspective, it seems like it's cool to shit/piss inside.

[The Franchise]

Good luck. I have an 8 mo old min pin, and I'm about to beat the living shit out of him.

That's where my wife is at.

She's pregnant and she knows that it's going to be a pain in the ass when the new baby comes if the dog keeps pissing and shitting everywhere.

[bevischief]

The amazing Bag of Boar Goo.

[Mr. Laz]

http://www.billfoundation.org/news/Antifreeze3.jpg

[jspchief]

Come to Iowa for the next 2 months. Nothing teaches a dog how to get the job done outside quickly like -10 windchill.

[Param]

Hang a bell on the door you use to put the dog out. Jingle the bell everytime you take it out. Eventually it will start ringing the bell to let you know it's time.

Yep, was about the write that. Or if the bell drives you nuts, train the dog to stand by the door or paw @door to go out.

[RAWR]

I think it has alot to do with the feeding time of the dog. Once that is consistant and you figure out the normal poop/pee times, you will see progress. Just think, some guys wake up and take a dump while some take it after their first cup of coffee(me). Just depends on the animal.

[Brock]

Crate training works.

[Delano]

Crate the thing. Most dogs won't foul up their crate. Whenever you remove the dog from the crate, take it outside first thing.
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[The Franchise]

Ok...so with crate training. How long do you keep it in the crate before taking it out? I'm dumb when it comes to training animals....so any links to training websites?

[Demonpenz]

i would message googlegoogle

[Brock]

Ok...so with crate training. How long do you keep it in the crate before taking it out? I'm dumb when it comes to training animals....so any links to training websites?

Every hour or two, the key thing is go straight from the crate to the door. No lollygagging around.

[The Franchise]

Every hour or two, the key thing is go straight from the crate to the door. No lollygagging around.

So you just stick the dog in the crate for 1-2 hours and then take it outside? Does it ever spend any time outside of the crate...but still in the house?

[Dayze]

i had my dog trained in about 2 days; I couldn't believe it. he was only about 13 weeks old or so; but the lady at the store said the trick is to watch him like a hawk; keep him in the same room with you and jsut as he's 'starting' to think about going, distract him (witch a clap or something), and go outside immediately. Tons of praise afterwards.


and as others have said, crate training.
I would put him in for an hour, then take him outside; then come inside and hangout with him for an hour; back outside ...repeat.

he's only had 2 or 3 'accidents' in 7 years; of the #1 variety.

[Brock]

So you just stick the dog in the crate for 1-2 hours and then take it outside? Does it ever spend any time outside of the crate...but still in the house?

It lives in the crate until it's got the "no shitting in the house" thing figured out.

[Delano]

So you just stick the dog in the crate for 1-2 hours and then take it outside? Does it ever spend any time outside of the crate...but still in the house?

After the initial training, you'll use the crate only while you are gone or don't want to be bothered. When you want the dog out of the crate, you can take it outside to crap at regular intervals or shortly after eating.

Remember to praise and reward when they wait at the door and/or pee outside.

Also, if you decide to crate train, never use the crate as a cage for punishment. You want them to think of the crate as their personal den.
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[KC native]

Good luck. I have an 8 mo old min pin, and I'm about to beat the living shit out of him.

Yea, that won't do much for it. Min pins are notoriously difficult to housebreak. I have one and we didn't get her properly trained until she was a year old and she still has accidents every now and then.

[CoMoChief]

This usually works with bigger dogs, so I don't know if this would help.

Usually after a dog messes in the house, I usually go up to it, slap it a few times, then rock bottom him on the couch, (obviously the Rock's theme song is blaring in the background) then while he's stunned, I give him the people's elbow.

A few rounds of that, the dog quit messing in the house. after a while dogs get really tired of being rock bottom'ed. Because after a while they know when that music hits...IF YA SMELLLLLLLLLLLLLL, the dog usually knows whats coming after that.

[NewChief]

Crate training. Not sure that you can crate train this late, though. It's very effective if you start right when you get the pup and separate it from its mother, though.

[The Franchise]

Alright.....so I'll try the crate training method.

Is it a good idea to keep the crate in the living room while we're in there? Or should it be in a quieter area of the house?

I'll keep it in the crate and let it out every hour to two hours to go outside. Is it best to stay out there with the dog to make sure that it actually goes...?? and then give it a treat when it does?

Then....back inside and back into the crate.

[The Franchise]

It lives in the crate until it's got the "no shitting in the house" thing figured out.

Gotcha.

[The Franchise]

Any reasonable expectations on how long it takes? I know it differs with every dog....but are we looking a month? a couple of months?

And also is the fact that we're gone 8 hours out of the day going to hinder the training?

[btlook1]

Crate the thing. Most dogs won't foul up their crate. Whenever you remove the dog from the crate, take it outside first thing.
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Well said!! We have 6 labs and everyone has been crate trained. No problems at all.

[philfree]

With any tips comes common sense. Pay attention! It 's to easy to get comfortable with a pup and not tend to it properly. You need to watch and learn it's mannerisms so you'll be able to tell when the pup needs out. Also common sense says that if the pup just ate he's probably gonna need out soon. Or if he just lapped up a bunch of water he's gonna need out. And then crate thing is a good start too.

I have a new pup. Miss Lori a.k.a. 'Missy'.


PhilFree:arrow:

[NewChief]

Well said!! We have 6 labs and everyone has been crate trained. No problems at all.

The crate training is also a savior with labs for getting them out of the destructive chewing phase. Our lab, when he was in that stage, was supervised at all times unless he was in his crate. None of that mischievous wandering the house, looking for something to destroy.

[Radar Chief]

Crate at night and when at work, let it out to play when home just keep an eye on it.
Throw the pads out or use them exclusively, using pads and going outside is confusing it as to where it should do its business. Of course IMO letting a dog shit in the house, even on a pad meant for it, is just flat nasty.

[The Franchise]

Crate at night and when at work, let it out to play when home just keep an eye on it.
Throw the pads out or use them exclusively, using pads and going outside is confusing it as to where it should do its business. Of course IMO letting a dog shit in the house, even on a pad meant for it, is just flat nasty.

We crate it when we're gone for work.....and we also crate it at night.

I'm going to be getting rid of the puppy pads tonight when I get home....and crating it for the entire time. I'll take it outside around every hour and sit out there with it until it goes.

[Chief Faithful]

I feed my Havaneese in a caged area then do not give it free reign until it does her business (both types) outside. If she does not do both I return her to the cage until she crys (usually 20 minutes) then try again. I repeat until I get what I want from her. It is important that she is fed only twice a day for 20 minutes and taken outside after eating. Never leave a full bowl all day and give her run of the house after eating without successfully going outside.

Second, she never gets full run of the house. She is allowed only down stairs during the day and my bedroom at night. She is never allowed in the dining room or the kids bedrooms. The Havaneese is one of the most difficult breeds to potty train and keep trained so we do not let up.

We always give treats when she goes outside and she is taken to the cage if she does not. We keep track of the time of day she does certain things and will cage her when that time approaches repeating the method above of waiting for her to cry then taking her outside.

Anytime she does mess in the house we take the mess and the dog outside and place it in the same place in the yard. We never yell or punish only celebrate otherwise the dog will not want to go to the bathroom infront of you. Currently our dog thinks going outside is fun time and will not go out without us.

Use enzymes on the spot to remove the sent. If the dog keeps going in the same spot that is good news meaning the dog is trainable, but block off that room to the dog for at least 60 days if possible to break bad habits.

We only use puppy pads when we are leaving for the day and she has to stay caged all day long.

[Radar Chief]

We crate it when we're gone for work.....and we also crate it at night.

I'm going to be getting rid of the puppy pads tonight when I get home....and crating it for the entire time. I'll take it outside around every hour and sit out there with it until it goes.

Sounds like a reasonable plan to me. :thumb:

[The Franchise]

So.....do you keep the crate trained puppy in the living room with you?

[Delano]

We crate it when we're gone for work.....and we also crate it at night.

I'm going to be getting rid of the puppy pads tonight when I get home....and crating it for the entire time. I'll take it outside around every hour and sit out there with it until it goes.

It really sucks to have your little buddy locked up and you or your ol' lady might want to give up, but it's worth it in the long run. I would assume having the dog crate-trained will be very helpful when you bring your child into the world.
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[The Franchise]

It really sucks to have your little buddy locked up and you or your ol' lady might want to give up, but it's worth it in the long run. I would assume having the dog crate-trained will be very helpful when you bring your child into the world.
Posted via Mobile Device

I'm sure it won't be fun.....but it's more fun than cleaning up piss and shit all of the time.

[MOhillbilly]

quit giving them liquids. Its the only sure fire way.

[NewChief]

So.....do you keep the crate trained puppy in the living room with you?

Back when we crate trained, we had the dog's crate in the room we all hung out in, yes. We actually just left the crate open for him when we were there, and he'd go in and out. When he wasn't actively engaging with us, he'd choose to go lay in his crate. They basically see it as their den.

[The Franchise]

Back when we crate trained, we had the dog's crate in the room we all hung out in, yes. We actually just left the crate open for him when we were there, and he'd go in and out. When he wasn't actively engaging with us, he'd choose to go lay in his crate. They basically see it as their den.

I think that in the beginning....we'll just keep her in the crate until we take her out. Once she's proven that she can be in the house without using it as a bathroom.....we'll leave it open for her to wander in and out.

[MOhillbilly]

it must suck(wow brain dead) to owna dog in the city.

[MTG#10]

Good luck. I have an 8 mo old min pin, and I'm about to beat the living shit out of him.

Min pins are great dogs but they are hard as fuck to house break. I think I finally did have to beat mine into it.

[Molitoth]

I know it sucks, but leave the puppy in a small room or kennel for the first few weeks of ownership. Take it outside on a regular basis to let it do its business. Reward the dog when it does and then put it right back in the kennel.

It seems harsh, but the dog will learn really fast that outside is the place to do the poo.

If it does pee or poop in the house, put its nose down into it and tell it "bad" or whatever.

It sucks for a couple weeks, but you wont have to worry about it for the rest of your life after that and.... NO MORE KENNEL!

[dtebbe]

We crate it when we're gone for work.....and we also crate it at night.

I'm going to be getting rid of the puppy pads tonight when I get home....and crating it for the entire time. I'll take it outside around every hour and sit out there with it until it goes.

Crate training FTW!

We've done this with all our dogs. Very effective and once you are done with the potty training the dogs will still consider the crate their little piece of the world. Our current dog naps in her crate and trots right in there at night when we all go to bed. It's especially nice when you travel, as that piece of "normal" can go along and keep your established routines in place. I 2nd the potty pads, they have no place in housebreaking. The dogs have to learn that outside is the only option.

This may have been said before but IMHO:
When they go outside, praise them and bring them inside a play with them until it's time to go out again. Take them out if they go, keep playing, if not to the crate. Once they figure out that going outside=fun time outside the crate.. you've got it licked, especially if you have a dog that loves to play.

DT

[Delano]

So.....do you keep the crate trained puppy in the living room with you?

We tried to keep our boxer in a quiet area of the house but he inevitably wanted to keep an eye on us. Put it in an area where it will feel safe (in a corner) and try not to move it. Our crate was in the dining room where the kitchen and living room were visible.

When our boxer sat at the door waiting to go outside and pee for the first time, I felt an awesome wave of accomplishment.
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[MTG#10]

I know it sucks, but leave the puppy in a small room or kennel for the first few weeks of ownership. Take it outside on a regular basis to let it do its business. Reward the dog when it does and then put it right back in the kennel.

It seems harsh, but the dog will learn really fast that outside is the place to do the poo.

If it does pee or poop in the house, put its nose down into it and tell it "bad" or whatever.

It sucks for a couple weeks, but you wont have to worry about it for the rest of your life after that and.... NO MORE KENNEL!

Interesting you say that, most people say this is wrong and a bad method...its worked for every dog Ive ever had though.

[The Franchise]

How long did it take everyone to crate/potty train their dogs?

[Calcountry]

Crate training works.Best post so far.

[Molitoth]

I trained my Fox Terrier and my Jack Russel in about 2 weeks.

You feel sorry for the puppy sitting in a kennel for that time, but it really does work. Then after that, they get the run of the house until they are dead.

There is nothing worse than the smell of pee soaked carpet.

[NewChief]

How long did it take everyone to crate/potty train their dogs?

Our dog peed/pooped in his crate maybe.... twice the whole time. And that was within the first few days. That being said, this was at a time when our lives pretty much revolved around our dog (pre-kids, wife was in grad. school and at home to oversee the pup a lot). As for how long we kept the crate: we had a crate up for the first 14 months or so of the dog's life, then we just took it down and put it away. By that point, he was out of the chewing phase and could be trusted to have the run of the house.

[Molitoth]

By that point, he was out of the chewing phase

Oh, now chewing is another story! lol

My Jack chewed the damn wall when she was teething. Crazy little shit.

[The Franchise]

Oh, now chewing is another story! lol

My Jack chewed the damn wall when she was teething. Crazy little shit.

Yet another thing this dog does. We can't leave anything laying on the ground....she chews the shit out of it.

That and licking. This dog licks more than any other dog I've ever seen.

[Calcountry]

Crate the thing. Most dogs won't foul up their crate. Whenever you remove the dog from the crate, take it outside first thing.
Posted via Mobile DeviceHere is what I reccommend to my customers: Get a training crate that has a partition in it, so that as the dog grows, you can up his/her square footage. This is true, dogs don't like to shit in their own bed, so they will learn how to hold it. The other good thing about training crates as apposed to vari kennels, which are used primarily for transporting animals, is that they are open and that allows the dog to still feel a connection to the home while maintaining their own "myspace" account within the house. They will come to love their space. This can also be usefull for giving the dog/puppy a time out if you notice them doing something about the house that is undesirable, such as chewing on the sofa leg, or sniffing around the kitchen for scraps etc.

I always give this tip when potty training. Put yourself in your dogs shoes. When you have to take a pee, put the dog outside, then be a voyer and watch. If you notice the dog taking a pee, when they are done, let them in and be all positive after they come back in with the alphas(this is how your dog sees you, and it is good for their status to be near or eat with the alphas). Now, I dont' know about all of you, but now you are in sinc with your dog, so when your bladder refills, the odds are, the dogs bladder has refilled as well, so hint hint, I need to take a pee, the dog needs to pee as well. A self reminder that it is time to put the dog out. repeat the process as often as you need to take a pee. Before you know it, the dog will be potty trained.

[Calcountry]

Yet another thing this dog does. We can't leave anything laying on the ground....she chews the shit out of it.

That and licking. This dog licks more than any other dog I've ever seen.Yet another reason for the training crate. This, and be patient with your pup, they are cutting teeth. This is why the need to constantly be chewing, their gums are sore.

Get a good nylabone chew that has nubs on it, the dog will love you for it.
:D

[Calcountry]

Our dog peed/pooped in his crate maybe.... twice the whole time. And that was within the first few days. That being said, this was at a time when our lives pretty much revolved around our dog (pre-kids, wife was in grad. school and at home to oversee the pup a lot). As for how long we kept the crate: we had a crate up for the first 14 months or so of the dog's life, then we just took it down and put it away. By that point, he was out of the chewing phase and could be trusted to have the run of the house.My dog, can never be trusted anywhere near a comfortor, toillette paper, pillows, or any other thing that has soft fluffy stuffing in it.

[Delano]

Here is what I reccommend to my customers: Get a training crate that has a partition in it, so that as the dog grows, you can up his/her square footage. This is true, dogs don't like to shit in their own bed, so they will learn how to hold it. The other good thing about training crates as apposed to vari kennels, which are used primarily for transporting animals, is that they are open and that allows the dog to still feel a connection to the home while maintaining their own "myspace" account within the house. They will come to love their space. This can also be usefull for giving the dog/puppy a time out if you notice them doing something about the house that is undesirable, such as chewing on the sofa leg, or sniffing around the kitchen for scraps etc.

I always give this tip when potty training. Put yourself in your dogs shoes. When you have to take a pee, put the dog outside, then be a voyer and watch. If you notice the dog taking a pee, when they are done, let them in and be all positive after they come back in with the alphas(this is how your dog sees you, and it is good for their status to be near or eat with the alphas). Now, I dont' know about all of you, but now you are in sinc with your dog, so when your bladder refills, the odds are, the dogs bladder has refilled as well, so hint hint, I need to take a pee, the dog needs to pee as well. A self reminder that it is time to put the dog out. repeat the process as often as you need to take a pee. Before you know it, the dog will be potty trained.

Good stuff. We had a partitioned crate for our boxer but in Pestilence's case, the dog is probably close to full size ATM.

I like your syncing idea. I half remember some theory that connected the dogs age with how long they could hold their bladders. Each month gave an hour of hold time maybe?
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[The Franchise]

Good stuff. We had a partitioned crate for our boxer but in Pestilence's case, the dog is probably close to full size ATM.

I like your syncing idea. I half remember some theory that connected the dogs age with how long they could hold their bladders. Each month gave an hour of hold time maybe?
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Yeah....the dog is only about 10 lbs and from everywhere that I've read....she really won't grow anymore. The crate that we have for right now has more than enough room for her to move around and lay down in.

Everywhere I've read it says that it's the dog's age in months plus one. She usually does pretty good when we're at work. She really has to go when we come back...which is understandable.

[bevischief]

Yet another thing this dog does. We can't leave anything laying on the ground....she chews the shit out of it.

That and licking. This dog licks more than any other dog I've ever seen.

For the licking add Sea Salt to their water and food.

[NewChief]

Yet another thing this dog does. We can't leave anything laying on the ground....she chews the shit out of it.

That and licking. This dog licks more than any other dog I've ever seen.

That's another great thing about the crate training. Get lots of appropriate toys for them to chew on (nylabones, kongs, etc..). When they're chewing on something they shouldn't be, redirect to the other thing. Also, put a chew toy in the kennel with them.

[FAX]

1. Purchase pistol.
2. Acquire several dogs from shelter.
3. Whenever one of the shelter dogs poops in house, shoot shelter dog in front of puppy.

FAX