A few days ago I adopted a 7 month old havanese/pomeranian mix (Mr. Dog). When I adopted him, the adoption agency lent me a play pen, and told me to set up his pad and bed in there. He's pretty much pad trained already (one or two accidents which were more my fault than anything) but I'm curious about housebreaking him.
I've been reading "How to Housebreak Your Dog in 7 days" by Shirlee Kalstone. However, I'm not sure how her advice applies to my particular situation.
I work about 10 minutes away, and I'm gone for ~9 hours a day. I'm fine with coming home for lunch but it's not something I'd like to do forever, and I also don't want Mr. Dog to get used to me coming home at lunch and then expect it.
Ideally I'd like to housebreak him (because I live in an apartment and it's not that big so the whole thing is sort of starting to smell like pee), but I don't know if that's "fair" to expect from him. In her book, Shirlee Kalstone mentions that pad training is good if you have a little dog and an apartment (yep) or you're gone for a long time during the day (also yep).
He's really good with the pads so far. Even when the pad isn't in his crate. He gets that's where he's supposed to pee (which he usually does a few times a day and once overnight), and he's pooped there the few times he hasn't pooped when I walked him in the morning.
Is this still a circumstance where it would be ok to try and housebreak him? Or since he's often going to be alone for so long during the day is a pad just better? Especially since he already knows how to use it. I have a feeling if I took the pad away he'd just pee on the floor, then go back to his side of the play pen, where his bed is. So it seems the only way to regulate his potty times would be to only give him his food and water for a limited time (as of now he has them both at all times). Is that ok to do with a dog that's alone all day?
This is the first time I've owned a dog of my own (we had a family dog for many years that my father mostly trained) and I'm sort of going a little cuckoo about what's "best." I'm projecting human emotions onto him ("He's all alone all day and he's probably SO SAD!") and I'm afraid taking away the pads would be even "meaner."
I hope that wasn't too much info. Any help would be super appreciated!
I've been reading "How to Housebreak Your Dog in 7 days" by Shirlee Kalstone. However, I'm not sure how her advice applies to my particular situation.
I work about 10 minutes away, and I'm gone for ~9 hours a day. I'm fine with coming home for lunch but it's not something I'd like to do forever, and I also don't want Mr. Dog to get used to me coming home at lunch and then expect it.
Ideally I'd like to housebreak him (because I live in an apartment and it's not that big so the whole thing is sort of starting to smell like pee), but I don't know if that's "fair" to expect from him. In her book, Shirlee Kalstone mentions that pad training is good if you have a little dog and an apartment (yep) or you're gone for a long time during the day (also yep).
He's really good with the pads so far. Even when the pad isn't in his crate. He gets that's where he's supposed to pee (which he usually does a few times a day and once overnight), and he's pooped there the few times he hasn't pooped when I walked him in the morning.
Is this still a circumstance where it would be ok to try and housebreak him? Or since he's often going to be alone for so long during the day is a pad just better? Especially since he already knows how to use it. I have a feeling if I took the pad away he'd just pee on the floor, then go back to his side of the play pen, where his bed is. So it seems the only way to regulate his potty times would be to only give him his food and water for a limited time (as of now he has them both at all times). Is that ok to do with a dog that's alone all day?
This is the first time I've owned a dog of my own (we had a family dog for many years that my father mostly trained) and I'm sort of going a little cuckoo about what's "best." I'm projecting human emotions onto him ("He's all alone all day and he's probably SO SAD!") and I'm afraid taking away the pads would be even "meaner."
I hope that wasn't too much info. Any help would be super appreciated!