Potty training Tessa

[DemiSheep]

Ok, well we're on the verge of having Tessa, one week from today actually. (Yaaaay!! ). I did some searching on the forum and I went through my old posts asking about potty training Attila looking for an answer to a potty training question. btw, he is definitely potty trained, we haven't had an accident in forever with him. I guess that should be no surprise.

The question is this: Is there any kind of time table for a puppy needing to go potty based on its age?

We were taking Attila outside every 4 hours when we first got him, and there is the thing with taking them to go potty based on how many months old they are.

I'll never forget taking Attila to the vet for shots one point and telling the vet we were taking him out in the middle of the night and she looked at me surprised and said "oh he can make it through the night fine at this age.."

So it obviously doesn't seem to be a linear curve.. It seems as they get older the curve turns exponential... In other words as they get older they can go longer and longer without pottying and there being certain jumps in the age versus number of hours.

So is there any kind of chart or more accurate information on this?

[Lynn in TN]

I am sure there is a chart somewhere, not that it would do any good. In my experience dogs are like children in this respect some can hold it longer than others, and you never know what you are going to get. Kelly could hold hers for 6 to 7 hours at 9 weeks (at night). In the daytime anywhere from hour and a half to 4 depending on what was going on. Since I have 2 sons that were so happy to have such a little cutie they wouldn't leave her alone so I had to take her out every 2 hours in the daytime until she was 11 or 12 weeks old. I hope your little Tessa is easy to train! Good Luck!

[DemiSheep]

Well I think Tessa is starting to figure out pottying in her playpen and crate makes us unhappy. She hasn't had a potty accident for a couple of days. She's 5 months, I would think she'd be much further than this, but my wife and I believe we are the ones at fault for thinking it would be easy to potty train her with how easy Attila was, and we were not as careful as we should have been.

The next real challenge will be to get her to stop doing happy pee when she see's her big brother Attila. I would think with them playing outside so much together than this would have reduced more by now, but I guess it's just too exciting when you're being allowed to run around on the carpet in the house exploring new areas and then there's big brother chasing you! Maybe we should allow her to explore without Attila in the room until she gets bored and then bring Attila in. . .

[Hillscreek]

Those two are just so cute together. What a great pic.

Angus was six months and a bit before I was sure of him in the house.

Since he's the only dog can't offer much help re the happy pee situation.

[Dempsy's Mom]

Yes, they really are quite a special pair. No advice on potting either - I am sure you will do fine. Yes, the happy peepee's would be the hard ones. ?

[_whits_]

Addie had an issue with the happy peeing. Still does occasionally (she's 1 year now and it's - oddly - usually only when she sees men she's really attached to). For her, it was whenever she got to see family members she doesn't usually see. I taught the family to completely ignore her until she had calmed down.

I'm guessing it would be difficult to get Atilla to ignore Tessa. I think you have a good idea though. The excitement of having both new places to explore and a friend to play with is probably too much to keep it in.

My suggestion for when it's time for the two of them to play in the house:

1) take her potty (she'll always have pee in her, but at least this makes sure she doesn't really need to go).

2) Bring her into the house and let her calm down a bit about the carpet and such.

3) Then bring Atilla in.

Or maybe you could bring Atilla into Tessa's playpen, and then send both of them out into the house together. You said she knows not to go in her playpen, so maybe getting to catch up with Atilla there first she'll be less likely to pee, and then the two of them can take off and play in the house after a couple minutes.

[_whits_]

Sidenote: those two are so cute together I almost can't handle it.

[DemiSheep]

Great suggestions. I think we'll have to definitely try the playpen idea, starting them out in there (after taking Tessa out to potty) and then letting them out together into the basement from the playpen.

We need to trim the hairs out of Tessa's eyes! She might not recognize Attila after we do that!

[_whits_]

We need to trim the hairs out of Tessa's eyes! She might not recognize Attila after we do that!

A bit off topic, but when Addie gets hairs like that I gently pull them out. Gets her used to the idea of stripping. Also less likely for her clumsy mom (me) to poke her eye out with scissors.

[Idaho Cairns]

We have an eight year old Cairn who still has excitement induced urination so I don't know how to advise you on "training" a dog not to do the "happy pee" thing. Over the years Sammi has gotten much better but certain situations always induce the peeing--she gets very excited when my middle daughter comes to the house (fortunately she lives in California so that isn't often) and when some company arrives. The amount of the discharge has decreased significantly over the years but there is still enough to be annoying. I think certain dogs are just wired to lose control of their bladder under some circumstances and not much can be done. In the case of your puppy, I would expect that the peeing when confronting the other dog will decrease over time as the "alpha" rules get worked out and understood by both dogs.

As far as training is concerned we tried to discipline Sammi when she was young for the peeing and those attempts just increased the flow--made her more nervous and thus.....! Let your dog mature a bit more before you judge this behavior to be a problem--it will probably go away as she ages.

[Dempsy's Mom]

Posted Yesterday, 05:27 PM

Sidenote: those two are so cute together I almost can't handle it.

Haha .... I almost have a happy pee?! ........ Yup, sometimes you're just to happy. Isn't that a horrible problem to have?

[DemiSheep]

They need a happy pee smiley...!

[DemiSheep]

Tessa hasn't peed in her crate or playpen for days now! Yaaay! One step closer...

[DemiSheep]

Tessa has been doing sooo well with her potty training and telling us when she has to go potty, until today. She decided to stop asking to go out and use the carpet as the grass. Back to the playpen with her for a day or so... She has been loose in the basement all day long for the past week or more, having an occassionaly accident. She sometimes just seems to forget she has to pee and then oops, there it comes. She's almost 8 months old...

[PLGD]

Max was doing awesome with rarely an accident until he turned 8 mo. Then he stood at my feet in the kitchen, looked me in the eye and peed! After 2 of these incidents, we put him back on a long tether anchored to a chair in the kitchen for a month (length 16 ft for 2 wks switching to 30 ft the last 2 wks ). It was amazing how just having the tether reminded him to ask to go out. The 2nd month, we reduced tether time to only when we couldn't/didn't want to keep an eye on him (so mostly free to roam). He'll be 10.5 mo. soon and hasn't had an 'accident' since the tethered months. I didn't see how just tethering (he could reach everywhere he had previously by the end of the 1st mo.) could make a difference but it did. Someone in a previous post said they long tethered theirs for almost a yr. which is why we figured to give it a try.

[DemiSheep]

Thankfully Tessa went back to asking to go out the next day... She hasn't had any accidents for a couple of days now. That does not include happy pee issues though.....

(null)

[PLGD]

Happy Pees, though definitely annoying, are never included!

[DemiSheep]

Off to the pet store to buy a third 1.5gallon jug of enzym spray... *sigh*

Tessa is mostly potty trained... Happy pee is the biggest issue.

Tessa chewed a hole though the carpet in her playpen today...

Does this look like a guilty cairn?? (She likes sleeping on her back more than Attila)

(null)

[Idaho Cairns]

You will adjust to the "happy pee", which in the case of our older dog, has never completely gone away in eight years. Nervous urination seems impossible for the dog to control so we anticipate those times when this is liable to happen and adjust accordingly. We ask guests to let us know when they are coming, put the dog out before they arrive and then make sure we meet them in the driveway with the dog so the damage is limited. The problem has lessened somewhat over the years but particular stimuli are a given--one of my daughters has always so excited Sammi that she just can't "get it"--fortunately that daughter lives out of state so the situation is rare.

I wish I could assure you that the "happy pee" would go away but.....! Try to work around the problem by identifying the circumstances and then make sure, as much as you can, that you don't put the dog in that circumstance. Best advice I can give you from my limited experience with the problem. I am sure many if not most dogs eventually outgrow the matter.

[DemiSheep]

Thanks Idaho, I already know (pretty sure) that Tessa will stop doing happy pee at least MOSTLY (ie when only Attila my wife and I are around her no happy pee, but guests I have no idea yet how long it'll last). The reason I know this (pretty sure) is because for a couple of weeks we had Tessa out of her play pen lose in the basement with Attila during the day and she pretty much completely stopped the happy pee. When we put her back in the playpen during the day the happy pee returned. We had to return to using the playpen because she was just messing with too many things. So I am almost positive happy pee will go away eventually...she just needs to grow up some more... Now we have a total of 3 carpet holes to have repaired, all 2 inches in diameter. First two were Attila's doing. . .

[DemiSheep]

Tessa is growing up. She's almost "potty trained." And her happy pee is getting to be under control. She'll be a year old in January, sheesh!!!

[Sam I Am]

Just a quick note...have you had her urine tested for a bladder infection?

[DemiSheep]

We tossed around the idea a while ago, but didn't really feel it was necessary as she doesn't do the happy pee with me EVER, unless I scare her accidentally. She went to being "potty trained" similar to Attila, but twice the length of time(!!). Where they both were having accidents every day and then *POOF* no more accidents - offically potty trained. She still has not had any accidents and is not loose in the whole house while we're home. Now she just has to stop destroying stuff so she can be free in the house when we're not here!

[DemiSheep]

So much for that idea - Rain and more rain and Tessa pooed in the house twice in two days.

*SIGH* One month and some days till she's 1 year old and still not potty trained. Good news is we are letting her loose in the house while we're home. no more confining her to where we are. She's still destroying stuff sometimes so she won't get free with Attila while we're gone just yet. . .