Will puppy "hold it" until she hurts herself?

chabuchie · 01-21-2008, 06:35 PM

Hi. I'm trying to train my eight-month Westie puppy on puppy pads. A trainer recommended crating her and only letting her out for ten minute periods. I'm supposed to hold the leash tight so that she can't leave the pad during those ten minutes. After about fourteen hours she urinated half on/ half off the pad. She still hasn't defecated, and she's spent all day in the crate. Is she going to do any harm to herself here? I really want her to acclimate herself to this because she's been using the house as a bathroom whenever it rains or snows.

BoxMeIn21 · 01-21-2008, 06:43 PM

Yikes! I wouldn't make her do that. Why not take her outside? You are going to be in for more problems down the road if you teach her to eliminate in the house.

chabuchie · 01-21-2008, 07:01 PM

I completely agree that outside would be great, but my new schedule for the semester has me out of the house fourteen hours twice a week. My mother has been watching her during the day for the past six months, but she's decided that making her "an indoor dog" is the only way that this is going to work. She'll still be going outside for exercise when the weather's okay, but she needs to have the option of using the pad inside on days when it's just too cold for the two of them.

Quick update: She peed on the pad! I took the pad outside and then made her stand on it for a few minutes. The plan is to eventually keep the pads on the deck and just let her run out there. She's perfectly willing to pee directly on the deck, but we have downstairs neighbors. I'm in a third floor condo and she's not great with stairs. The neighbors all want her to use the woods on the far end of the parking lot, but sometimes by the time she runs down all those stairs she just can't make it that far.

Now, does anyone know if she's going to constipate herself? She hasn't defecated in over twenty-four hours. She usually goes every twelve hours, so this is very different for her.

Matte · 01-22-2008, 06:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chabuchie

The neighbors all want her to use the woods on the far end of the parking lot, but sometimes by the time she runs down all those stairs she just can't make it that far.

Now, does anyone know if she's going to constipate herself? She hasn't defecated in over twenty-four hours. She usually goes every twelve hours, so this is very different for her.

Very strange about your neighbors. If you pick up her poo, what is the problem? If it's peeing they worry about, just take a bottle of water outside with you and rinse the pavement when she's done.

Rub her belly clockwise (from her point of view) if you're worried about constipation. Sometimes a dog just doesn't poop for a day, it doesn't mean that anything is wrong.

chabuchie · 01-22-2008, 03:22 PM

Thanks for the reply. The problem neighbors don't want to know that she exists. They're just cranky old ladies.
She did finally poop - just not on the pad. I know she'll get it eventually.

ChrissyBz · 01-22-2008, 04:37 PM

That's the right attitude anyway. Our almost 2 yo JRT still has the OCCASIONAL "accident" in the house. Small dogs take a long time.