Housebreaking a puppy

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 10:05pm

What worked best for you?

My sister got a 17 week old Yorkie a week ago. He can't go outside because he hasn't had all his shots yet, but he has a litterbox type thing to use instead. He seems to have no qualms about peeing in his bed, so crate training may be too advanced at this point.

We keep catching him as soon as he starts, but I don't think he understands we want him to stop peeing on the floor, not stop peeing completely. Four years of human psychology, but I can't figure out basic reinforcement for a dog.

[cello_dude]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 10:09pm

Having worked in a pet store I can tell you that the litter box is best when the dog is allready trained. You will have a hard time trying to train him in a litterbox first

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 10:13pm

I just sent you an e-mail.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 10:16pm

I thought so. He doesn't understand what it's for at all and just sits in it.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 10:31pm

A firm (one) NO! (do not use its name) when you catch him, and immediately put him where you want him to go. When he goes there, praise him with "good puppy" etc in a high pitched voice and lots of praise. 17 weeks is a little old, but should be ok.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/16/08 at 10:32pm

I got Kringas when he was two years old and I had to housebreak him, so it can be done.

Have you tried the puppy pads that have a scent in them? I put them on the floor in the bathroom and every time he'd have an accident in the house I'd bring him to the pads and eventually he made the connection.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 3:16am

I think she might end up shifting from newspaper to pads. When we keep him confined to the tile floor, he won't go. He held it for four hours. As soon as my sister brought him into another room, he found the one patch of carpet not covered in newspaper and peed there. Is it crazy to assume he prefers the soft surface underfoot? He's not smart enough to be doing it out of spite.

[danmag]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 6:21am

I got a puppy in September (he was 8 weeks old then) and I literally just took him outside every 2 hours (during the day). He was just in the yard so he wasn't in contact with any other dogs (so I guess it was ok he didn't have all his shots yet). He was potty trained in about a week. It was a drag - I truly barely left his side for that whole time, but he's been excellent since. We did put him in the crate at night and he never went to the bathroom in it. I think his breeder had crated him so he was used to it. Good luck to your sister - it's a lot of work, but so worth it in the end :o)
Also every single time he went to the bathroom outside I said "good boy! Prince went potty!" So dumb, I know, but it reenforces them (I still say it all the time! I can't help myself)

Updated On: 12/17/08 at 06:21 AM

[kelzama]

Posted: 12/17/08 at 8:49am

check with the vet again. Pups can go outside, you just want to limit contact with other dogs (and other dogs' byproducts) til their vaccinations are complete. Perhaps the reason he's hesitant to go inside is because (before you got him) he's used to going outside? Just a thought. We got a pup and 4 months and he was fully housebroken.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 2:23am

Nope, the breeder used puppy pads. And the neighbors all have dogs as well, so limiting his contact with other dogs' byproducts is the problem.

For the sake of the carpet we got puppy pads, so that combined with copious praise has made today more successful. Thanks for the suggestions- I hope they continue to work.

Updated On: 12/18/08 at 02:23 AM

[LaurenB]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 5:09am

Danmag - I'm glad you posted. I did a similar thing with my 8-week puppy, and she too was housebroken in a week. My schedule was this:

Wake up - she went out
Before every meal - she went out (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
After every meal - she went out
After every nap - she went out
Before bed - she went out
2am - she went out (I set the alarm clock)

When she went out, I was with her to watch and see if she did anything. She had no contact with other animals, and I did not leave her out by herself. As soon as she did her business, we went back in (after the praise, LOL). It was a lot of work, but well worth the effort. I was living in a residential area, so it was relatively easy to limit her contact with other animals' byproducts, LOL.

I used newspaper only in the bedroom where she slept with me, and every day I would reduce the amount of paper until finally it was just in one area near her bed. She learned to go to the paper very quickly, in between being taken outdoors. But once she was fully trained, the paper was eventually removed.

Taking the dog outdoors repeatedly throughout the day is the quickest way to train them, and my opinion is that using newspapers and pads for a prolonged period just extends the problem of them going indoors, rather than helping solve the problem.

Good luck skittles, and post a picture. We love to see puppies and kittens.

[misschung]

Posted: 12/18/08 at 10:24am

Good points, LaurenB.

If she starts taking to the pads, you can start bringing them outside to a designated area (maybe one where the other dogs don't go much) and she'll learn to associate eliminating with being outside.

The most important thing really is consistency, and reducing her opportunities for going inside.