Puppy Housetraining Help Needed... Please!

[Mom2Scamp]

:!: Puppy Training Advice, PLEASE!

Hi.... you'd think I'd know how to handle this after having Gretta and Annabelle, but I'm having a stressful time with little Scamp! Right now I have him in a play yard in my kitchen so he can be confined yet still move around. I also keep my Doxie (Gretta) in there with him, so he isn't lonely. When he's lonely he is a "screamin' demon"!!! Of course, he still screams some even when she is in there too!!! But anyway, he will go outside and potty when Gretta does, but he is peeing and pooping like crazy still in his play pen. (Which again is my kitchen floor) Needless to say the smell is horrible and the mess (sticky) is nasty. I know I had crate trained both Gretta and AnnaBelle, but Scamp screamed right away when I crated him. So..... I was hoping to give him more freedom by buying this play pen for him, but it just gives him more room to potty, and still have room to lie down. Is it too late to go back to the crate training idea ... I KNOW he will scream bloody murder if I do ... but what is the best suggestion! HEEEEEELP!!!

[bradl]

I've heard of many people having success with Beth Ann Daye's style of housetraining. It builds on the kind of arrangement you have with Scamp (a restricted area). http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows...sebreaking.html. Bascially, just cover the floor in the pen with newspaper until he makes more progress.

The screaming noise is the sound of Scamp training you to obey his every command. Maybe earplugs will help

[Mom2Scamp]

Ok... I will check out that link! THanks so much!

Yes, I know that is Scamp's purpose for screaming, but right now I'm not buying it!!! hehe

[wags]

This is sort of about the same thing- but a little different. Wes sometimes picks up his leg to do his duty. It's hard for him to balance on three legs and sometimes he needs a bath. He did this on a trip to the market, so we had to buy baby wipes.

[Guest tototoo]

We have a 13 week old puppy and we are going through the same thing with him. I take him out on a leash every hour sometimes every half hour. He comes in and pees on the floor I got so tired of keeping him in his cage or wiping up the floor. He was from a pet shop (I know I know - he was a gift) so he didn't mind laying in it. Its getting better, but still aggravating. This is what I did - His cage is about 18in by 3 foot long so I put a box for him to sleep in and a cat litter box for him to pee in with litter in it. Once he was convinced that I didn't hide a toy in the bottom of it he pees in and poos in over night - even that has slowed up some. The big thing is not to give him too much room but let him figure out its nicer not to lay in in. The worst that will happen is that my dog is litter trained, but it sure saves the carpet.

[kayharley]

I have a 5 month old Cairn (along with a 10 year old) who I had problems training too. We did the "kitchen" routine with newspapers and although most of the time Madison would go on them, other times she would just go wherever she wanted. I had her urine checked because she was urinating all the time and found out she had a bladder infection. Ten days on antibiotics but I didn't really notice any change in her pattern. After the course of medicine was over I decided to train her to go outside instead of the papers. I would take her out every 30 minutes and praise her big time when she went. It was not pleasant when the temp got to -4 degrees out but I stuck to it. Now she will stand at the door when she wants to go out. There are accidents but the important thing is that she knows where to go. It took a good month of consistancy but the reward is worth it.

As far as the crate goes, I think if you take your dog out whenever it causes a fuss, you're giving it the message that whenever it barks it will be let out. I'd put the favorite toys in there and as hard as it is, IGNORE the fuss. When the dog gets quiet, then praise it. Hang in there.

[Guest minpinmommy]

I have a 4 month old Min Pin name Zeus. He is currently trained to go on the potty pads which I keep in the bathroom. He has full run of my apartment during the day and he only pottys on the pad. I want to train him to go outside now and I don't know where to begin. I am also afraid that he cant hold it all day while I am at work because he does urinate a lot. This is my first puppy, please help!!!

[wags]

Well, if I had the problem, I'd keep moving the pad, little by little, closer to the door. Eventually, the pad would be on the outside of the door. Then I'd take the pad away altogether.

This is what happened to me: About 6 months ago, the only place Wes would go would be out back. He wouldn't go outside anywhere else- not on trips even. He would hold it for home.

Then one day, we had to travel far away. Wes didn't pee for hours and hours! Finally after many songs and dances, he went in the motel back yard.

(On the way back inside, he also pooped in the hallway in front of the elevators.

On the way back to our room to get cleaning supplies, we passed a barefoot guest jogging towards the elevator with his head held high.)

[Guest minpinmommy]

Thank you for the advice. I will try moving the pad closer, hopefully he wont miss!! When I am home I take him out a lot hoping he will go outside. We usually will be out there for twenty minutes and he won't do anything. As soon as we come inside he goes straight to the potty pad and does his business. What is the average age where they are able to hold there potty for a long period of time?

[kayharley]

It's funny....Madison is now just 6 months and she can go from 8:00 at night till 6 or 7:00 in the morning, no problem. But during the day she wants to go out every hour or so. Sometimes I wonder if she just likes dragging me out in the freezing cold and snow

Is she housebroken? No way...still has accidents but what's important is that she knows she did a "bad thing" when she goes in the house. I figure it will be awhile before I can trust her completely.

[CarCarDawn]

Hi! Riley is now 10 months old and pretty much housebroken. He has a miss once in a while - - maybe once a week - - but I think it is more defiance than anything else!!! I started him out by taking him outside every half an hour - - it was hard on me but it has had good results. His potty training was interrupted by 3 hospital stays - - he was born with a liver shunt - - but he has managed to understand the concept of going outside. He will go overnite 8-9 hours without an accident - - so I know he can hold it - - it is just a matter of wanting to please me!!!!

[ollie]

My Ollie is now almost 14 weeks. He really knows where to go because his older pal, a 2 year old Westie, has taught him alot, along with going outside every hour on the hour and using the crate. However..............there are times when he just squats and pees right there in fromt of us as if this is the most normal thing in the world. Anyways, is this a boy thing or a Cairn thin? Our Westie is a girl and although she wasn't EASY to train, she didn't seem so defient. Whats the vertict?? Good Luck everyone with your training and if you have insights, let me know.

[kropos1]

Holly is now 4 and 1/2 mo old. We go 3-4 days with no accidents and then oops! Her signal is just too subtle. She basically looks at the door and lays down. If I don't catch her looking she has an accident. I have to blame most of them on me. Except when she comes in from a long potty walk and poops on the floor. I just don't get that? Kate

[Guest lindalou]

My Maggie is 16 months old, and she still has accidents. I let her out side often, but she is so hyper, she will not take time to do her business. Most of the time she will after about 15 minutes, but if she catches a glimpse of the cats, its off to never never land. She knows shes isn't supposed to pee in the house. If she does I can look at her and she gives me this I Sorry look. I know it's time for me to start looking around... Does anyone have any suggestions about this problem.

[wags]

Maybe she can still smell the scent of her past mistakes. I used to think I just needed to disinfect the area, but I was wrong. I needed to use a special doggy deodorant.

Wes still smells the rug before he finally asks to go outside.

[ladybroc]

If your 16 month old cairn is still wetting in the house, what I would advise is

keep her crated when she's in the house; let her out to go potty and watch her to see that she goes; if it takes 2 hours leave her out 2 hours (of course, you cannot watch her that entire time). If you see her go, go outside and immediately praise her. Then when you bring her back in the house, put her back in the crate. About two to three days of this should do the job. Also, if you are not crating her at night, this is a must. Normally, a dog never soils its den but given a large area to roam in is an enticement for them to do their job where they are not sleeping.

Joyce