[iSaidNoSprinkles]

Ok, so I've been pretty good at catching my 11 week old pup sniffing and getting him outside in time. Also taking him out every so often see if he had to go (although he's pretty good at holding it). He's had many more successful trips outside than accidents inside. Today he pooped when I wasn't looking. I cleaned it up. Later, he starting peeing in the corner, so I rolled up a newspaper and whacked myself in the forehead.

Don't worry, there's a question for discussion. A.) Does bringing them outside mid-pee and then praising them and treating them actually teach them where NOT to pee, and B.) should he have a few "accidents" where he doesn't get treated or praised but ignored for that method to work? Or am I not thinking like a dog?

Any thoughts? I feel like if I don't give him a chance to screw up that he won't get it.

I mean look at that face... how could I whack THAT???

-Bryan

(PS, it's so nice to have a place where I can discuss and get advice about this stuff. I can't express how helpful this has been and I haven't even had a dog for a full week yet)

 

[trumpetjock]

A.) Does bringing them outside mid-pee and then praising them and treating them actually teach them where NOT to pee

It's incredibly difficult to teach dogs to NOT do something. What you're trying to do is make it so that he associates really good things with peeing outside. If you establish this connection well enough, they will want to wait to pee outside because they don't get the same feeling of relief.

I imagine it's something sort of like this: Try sitting there and peeing your pants. No matter how hard you try, your body just will NOT let you. There's no physical reason you can't do it. If you had to pee bad enough eventually you would, but except in extreme circumstances your body won't let you.

 

[TooneyDogs]

Catching in mid-pee prevents the huge self-reward of emptying the bladder. That doesn't teach him that's it wrong to go in the house. Ignoring won't work...again, he gets self-rewarded.
Praise and treats for going in the right potty area are sometimes enough for the dog to make the connection that outside is right...inside is wrong. Some dogs just don't make that connection. I'm pretty firm about mistakes in the house. I interrupt them with a sharp hand clap or slap a wall, tell them OUTSIDE! and then quickly herd them to the door. If they try to run off to a bedroom, I take them by the scruff and walk them out.

 

[iSaidNoSprinkles]

That all makes a lot of sense (esp the pee in pant metaphor). I feel a bit more reassure with it.

Catching in mid-pee prevents the huge self-reward of emptying the bladder. That doesn't teach him that's it wrong to go in the house. Ignoring won't work...again, he gets self-rewarded.
Praise and treats for going in the right potty area are sometimes enough for the dog to make the connection that outside is right...inside is wrong. Some dogs just don't make that connection. I'm pretty firm about mistakes in the house. I interrupt them with a sharp hand clap or slap a wall, tell them OUTSIDE! and then quickly herd them to the door. If they try to run off to a bedroom, I take them by the scruff and walk them out.

I've been doing the same thing. He likes to run to my roommate sitting on the couch which kinda bums me out cause i feel he's mad at me. Do I just need to get over that and let him be mad? Frustrating when you're trying to get a new pup to bond. He's still skiddish about leash walking and coming to me.

 

[nikelodeon79]

I did not interrupt Luna if she peed in the house. IMO, there's too much risk of her starting to think "Peeing in front of mom is BAD!" rather than "Peeing in the HOUSE is bad."

I think concentrating on trying to prevent accidents in the first place makes more sense. Learn to read your pup's body language so you can tell when he has to go. Praise him like crazy when he goes outside. He'll eventually get it.

If your pup is already skittish/fearful, I think yelling at him when he's just doing his business will only make it worse.

 

[Inga]

Hey I am just glad you used the newspaper on yourself and not the puppy. Those puppy potty training days seem like they will never end. Looking back it is always such a short time though. Keep up the good work.

 

[iSaidNoSprinkles]

I did not interrupt Luna if she peed in the house. IMO, there's too much risk of her starting to think "Peeing in front of mom is BAD!" rather than "Peeing in the HOUSE is bad."

I think concentrating on trying to prevent accidents in the first place makes more sense. Learn to read your pup's body language so you can tell when he has to go. Praise him like crazy when he goes outside. He'll eventually get it.

If your pup is already skittish/fearful, I think yelling at him when he's just doing his business will only make it worse.

I don't yell at him. I'll give him a stern NO or OUTSIDE and pick him up and bring him. It's actually been working pretty well. When I bring him out on schedule, he'll go on cue. I need to figure out how to teach him to tell me to go outside. Any thoughts?

Hey I am just glad you used the newspaper on yourself and not the puppy. Those puppy potty training days seem like they will never end. Looking back it is always such a short time though. Keep up the good work.

Yea I could never hit him. He's doing really well in potty training for just 1 week home. If I can just get play under control (as far as biting) we'll be set. Any thoughts on that? I know it's off topic but if you have some suggestions I'm all ears. We'll be starting puppy kindergarden at petsmart next week.

 

[Best*In*Show]

Ruby is late training due to her history -- and it's hard. I've been keeping her in her crate if I'm not directly watching her. We praise like crazy. I don't pick her up if she's going, I herd her to the door. She stops then finishes outside on her own volition. I don't yell, but I have started saying no. We give commands for pee and poop. If she doesn't go after 5 mintues, and she's on a schedule, so we know when she has to go, she goes in a carrier next to the door for 5 mintues and then we try it again. If NOTHING happens, then either I tether her to me, or she goes in the kennel if I can't keep a direct and watchful eye on her. The only time she goes inside is when I'm not watching, and it can take just a second, she's fast, lol. Lately, we've been super positive and so she's been taking some "constructive critisism" like a firm "NO" very well. She actually seems to enjoy knowing what is good and bad. I'm seeing a much happier dog than the one we got from her fosters --she's blossoming under her training (finally).

 

[nikelodeon79]

I need to figure out how to teach him to tell me to go outside. Any thoughts?

Have you tried the bell training system?

 

[jesirose]

I prefer barking to the bell, because I can tell the difference between a potty bark and a play bark.

When they have to go potty, encourage them to make noise, and immediately let them out. A spaghetti sauce jar with a few pennies in it works great to encourage barking (or stop it. It's weird.)

 

[nikelodeon79]

When they have to go potty, encourage them to make noise, and immediately let them out. A spaghetti sauce jar with a few pennies in it works great to encourage barking (or stop it. It's weird.)

How exactly do you use a jar with pennies to encourage barking? I'm not quite comprehending...

Some dogs just WON'T bark to get let out... and mine is one of them. She sits quietly in the corner by the gate (the stairs that lead down to the door are gated off) until someone notices and lets her out, LOL! That's why I've decided to bell train her... plus I'd rather have her ring a bell than bark, anyway. Just personal preference.

 

[jesirose]

When you shake it, they often bark. I've found it makes them bark if they're not, and if they are they stop. *shrug*

 

[deege39]

I'm kind of thankful that Donatello is so much on a schedule I don't have to worry about him telling me he has to go outside. Right before I take him outside, I still ask him if he has to go out and he'll get all wound up and bounce over to the door, look at, then bounce back to me, then back to the door as if he's trying to hurry me up.

However, the couple days he had a belly ache and had diarrhea, he would stare at me and whine, so pitiful like, I'd say, "What? Do you have to go outside?" and usually that gets him so excited, but I guess he felt if he got excited he'd poo everywhere on accident, so his eyes would light up and he'd start breathing heavy and whining as if he's trying to say "yes". lol! I felt bad for him, but he knew enough to let me know he had to go outside instead of just having runny poo everywhere! : (

 

[HyperFerret]

For Tj, he was only allowed in the front yard to do his business, which wasn't fenced, so I always stood out there with him. Now my problem was the fact that Tj was an extremely hyper playful pup. So anytime we went outside he would forget about going potty and just wanted to play or visit my other dogs, who were in the back yard, at the fence

So I would take his toy out with me and stand in a very boring position. (Standing straight up, arms crossed, toy tucked under arm.) He still wanted to play - with anything - and wouldn't focus on actually potting. I then started having him go on cue. To get him to focus I would say "Go Potty!" and then once he did that I'd give him a little praise and then I would tell him, "Go Finish!". (Lol, I didn't want to stand in my front yard broadcasting "go #2" or "go poopy", so "go finish" worked.) After he finished, I got super hyper with praise and threw his toy for him. He is very toy driven so the toy, I think, is what pulled it all together.

As far as knowing when any of them need to go out: They're kinda on a time schedule and they just wait. But if they can't wait: Dutchess will quietly stand at the door, the others will actually come to me and take me to the door. Except Camillia, she'll just wait till one of the other dogs needs to go out or until I force her to go out.

 

[Inga]

I don't yell at him. I'll give him a stern NO or OUTSIDE and pick him up and bring him. It's actually been working pretty well. When I bring him out on schedule, he'll go on cue. I need to figure out how to teach him to tell me to go outside. Any thoughts?

Actually in my house my dogs just know that when they go to the door they go outside. How do you train that? Well, every time they sniff around the door they go out. Once in awhile my dogs are just simply looking out the door (it is mostly glass) but their body language is different. I guess it works for me best because I do NOT like a barking dog or a bell ringing dog. For me simply going to the door and looking at me works well. If I am not in the room they will walk from door to door and I know what that means. You just have to be aware of your dogs to have that work. No accidents ever in my house so for me it works.
QUOTE]

Yea I could never hit him. He's doing really well in potty training for just 1 week home. If I can just get play under control (as far as biting) we'll be set. Any thoughts on that? I know it's off topic but if you have some suggestions I'm all ears. We'll be starting puppy kindergarden at petsmart next week.[/

What has always worked for me is to redirect puppy to an appropriate toy or activity for his teeth. Teething is a rough time. The whole chewing thing is difficult be once the puppy teeth are out, it is so much easier to deal with. Hang in there it is a short time. Once you begin working basic obedience puppy will be focused on other things. You just need to make sure there are enough appropriate chew toys to help sore puppy teeth and gums. I found that a wet towel rolled and frozen makes a great puppy teether. Make sure it is not a towel you want, of course. LOL

 

[ara28]

I got my dog when he was about 6 months old and it didn't seem to take very long to potty train him, he only peed and pooed in the house just a hand full of times. I think potty training was easier because I was there all the time so we were outside a lot anyway.

He's now about 3 yrs old and he wont go anywhere except for outside (which is good), unless he's sick and can't help it, which isn't often.

The other day it was pouring down rain and he needed to potty but he wouldn't go in the rain so i tried taking him under the carport and laid a pee pad down and told him "go potty", which he responds to in the grass, but he just stared at me. I even encouraged him to go under the house to potty since that's dirt and it wouldn't be raining on him. He won't stand on cement and pee. Then after about 10 minutes of sitting under the carport he ran into the rain and peed and pooed extremely quickly and then came back.

I have a schedule of when I take him out so he doesn't really have to let me know that he needs to be let out. He gets let out in the morning after we wake up. then around lunch time, then around dinner time, then before bed.
On the rare occassion that he does need to let me know that he has to go, which is usually in the middle of the night while I'm sleeping, he'll put his chin on the edge of the bed right by my face and whine and huff then walk to the bedroom door and repeat. I figure, that's good enough notification.

So, I didn't have much experience with potty training but in my opinion, having a schedule of when to let your dog out rather than relying on him/her to tell you they need to go out is a lot easier.

 

[iSaidNoSprinkles]

He's not much of a barker right now (knocks on wood). So I don't think I can really rely on a barking method atm. He's still at the stage where he'll sniff around inside, but I know to take him out. We live on the 3rd floor of an apt so it might be taking a little longer to make the outside connection because of the distracting walk to go down and outside. I do have him on somewhat of a schedule (it will be more regulated when I go back to class next week), but alot of it is just predicting when he does or might have to go.

How does the bell training method work? This would be a good one so my roommate would know when if has to go if i'm not home and they have him out.

 

[nikelodeon79]

How does the bell training method work? This would be a good one so my roommate would know when if has to go if i'm not home and they have him out.

It's actually fairly simple. Before you take puppy out, you ring the bell with his nose or paw (I'd recommend nose, because otherwise you might get scratches on the door). He'll soon associate ringing the bell with going outside.

There's also a bell called the "Tell Bell" that is one of those plunger bells you see at receptionist desks and store counters. It comes with a training DVD, but I would imagine it's the same concept.

 

[iSaidNoSprinkles]

If anyone can answer this I'd be really grateful. I know it's a long process, and I'm being very patient. So i don't want anything to think I'm not being reasonable in terms of his house training. Just curious how long it typically takes before a puppy is housetrained.

 

[nikelodeon79]

It depends on the puppy. With Luna, she showed a lot of progress in just a few weeks, but I didn't consider her housebroken until she was around 4.5 months old (we got her at 10 weeks).

I still don't trust that she wouldn't go on the floor if she was uncrated alone during the day, though.