[im_nice1]

I am going abroad for a couple of months and my husband will be caring alone for our 6 month old puppy. Our house training method till now has been:

During daytime: either she has been in the crate where she can hold it for a couple of hours ; or when she is out of the crate i take her outside for peeing every time she warns me by scratching the kitchen door. (twice every hour generally. if i dont respond to her scratching immediately she pees inside). we have been keeping her out of the crate more and more since she really doesnt like it..and i take her out regularly and it has worked well.

During the night: she gets no water after 9 pm, gets taken out every hour till 11 pm, and since the last week has been allowed to sleep inside or outside the crate. she sleeps outside it the entire night without having an accident, till we wake up early morning to take her out.

Our problem now is: My husband works long hours--9 am to 9 pm...but will come back twice during the day (lunchtime and early evening) to take her out for pee/potty/food/walks. He says it will be cruel to keep her in the crate for so long (except for the breaks), so he plans to cordon off part of the living room so she can move freely.

However we are worried that during daytime, she hasnt learnt to hold her bladder outside the crate and will pee all over the enclosure in the 4 hours...i'm pretty sure she can hold it during that time inside the crate but just hasnt learnt to do it out of it. so that wld mean either crating her from 9-9....or having a peed in room. (she also never took to the pads even when she was little)

any solution to this dilemma? sorry for such a long n complicated mail.

 

[Thracian]

A six month old puppy who needs to go outside twice every hour might have a UTI or other medical cause. Take her to a vet to rule that out. If that's the case, you'll see dramatic improvement in housebreaking once it's resolved. I know whereof I speak.

What's the floor like in your living room? I'd put her in an X-pen or confine her to an area with linoleum or tile, something that cleans easily if she potties. I'm not sure when you leave, but you might do a trial run beforehand (although just for an hour or two) to see how she does in the area you've designated.

 

[FourIsCompany]

After ruling out a UTI...

Start expanding her "den" now. An expen is a great step toward giving her the whole room. Get her used to being in the larger area during the time she's usually confined to a crate. I like your husband's idea. That's what I did with my puppies. They start seeing the whole room as their den and won't soil it (make sure it's puppy-proofed). Eventually, they can be trusted in the whole house. A six month old puppy should be able to hold it for 8 hours.

 

[im_nice1]

Thanks guys...will get her checked for UTI this weekend. also do you think buying an x-pen will work better than just cordoning off a portion of the room? and where does one buy an X-pen ..petsmart? or are there any cheaper alternatives?..they seem to be online on ebay but not sure online is the best option.

 

[FourIsCompany]

I think part of a room would work fine. That's what I did. They went from being in a crate together to being in their own crate to the kitchen, which is BIG. You'll want to watch real closely to make sure there are no accidents at first.

 

[im_nice1]

thanks fouriscomany !

PS--also i forgot to mention to earlier posters who asked. our floor is wood. and re UTI: if she has uti then how could she hold it overnight and inside the crate?

 

[FourIsCompany]

Good point! Also, you might want to relocate her crate into the room (kitchen?) that you're going to put her out into so she'll get used to it for a couple days in the crate. Hopefully you have some time before you leave to accustom her to the changes.

 

[jesirose]

If she has a UTI she will feel the need to go more often, but may still be able to control it when sleeping or contained. Then when she goes into a larger area where she can find a spot to potty, the need to go overpowers the idea of going outside only.

 

[im_nice1]

jesirose..thnks for the info. i didnt know that. will def get her checked for uti now.