Kennel Training Help

[USAF CAVEMAN]

So my gsp is 9 weeks old and he goes to the bathroom in his kennel almost every night. I have gotten him on a normal eating schedule and take him out all the time. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong he also still whines when I put him in there every night. Any suggestions?

[Brazosvalleyvizslas]

Number 1 or Number 2?

[DoubleBarrel GunDogs]

May need a smaller kennel or install a temporary partition?
Be sure to clean the kennel well to remove all odor.

Nate

[Karen]

We always picked up the water bowl around 2 hours before bedtime. You may also need to get up and take him out in the middle of the night for a few weeks. It stinks, but sometimes they are just not capable of holding it overnight. Make sure when you take him out to do his business, you are taking him on a leash, praising the heck out of him when he goes, and even give him a special treat. If you do take him out at night, straight out, he takes care of his business, straight back inside and in the crate. No playtime.

[ruffbritt4]

We always picked up the water bowl around 2 hours before bedtime. You may also need to get up and take him out in the middle of the night for a few weeks. It stinks, but sometimes they are just not capable of holding it overnight. Make sure when you take him out to do his business, you are taking him on a leash, praising the heck out of him when he goes, and even give him a special treat. If you do take him out at night, straight out, he takes care of his business, straight back inside and in the crate. No playtime.

I used to pick up the bowl 2 hours before bedtime also. It gave him time to go to the bathroom before bedtime.

[ultracarry]

listen to the advice and set an alarm or have the kennel next to your bed (if you are a light sleeper). The dog needs to go out every two hours..... you wait for him to do his business, he gets to come back in. it really does suck having a puppy but if you do it right in 4 weeks he will be good to go. his bladder isnt big enogh and his muscles arent developed enough to hold it all night.

[wems2371]

You say you take him out all the time. Does that mean at night too? I've seen different formulas for this, but they'd all pretty much agree, that a 9 week old pup may not be able to hold it that long. If they do, you're golden, but it's an unrealistic expectation. My husband could sleep through a freight train crashing into the bedroom, so a little whimper means nothing to him, and it always falls on me in the middle of the night.

On average puppy under 8 months old can hold her bladder in hours about equal to her age in months plus one. Once your puppy gets near the one year mark, however, or if you adopt a 1-year-old dog, that rule no longer applies. Consider several factors before determining how often your 1-year-old should go pee.

[Red]

So my gsp is 9 weeks old and he goes to the bathroom in his kennel almost every night.

It's a baby still.
You need to walk him in the middle on the night for a few weeks most likely.

I took a few weeks for mine to sleep all night...

[marysburg]

Something which has worked for us with very young pups is using an ex-pen (freestanding wire exercise pen with 8 hinged panels) with a crate placed inside it. The floor within the ex-pen is covered with newspaper, bedding in the crate, crate door open. Pup wakes up, staggers out of his crate to pee and goes right back to sleep all on his own. It offers the pup the opportunity to keep his bed clean and as the pup ages, they don't need to use the newspapers anymore. When you are home, the pup can go into the ex-pen for a quick pee if he is caught short when no one is right there to take him outdoors.

Of course, when you place clean newspapers in the ex-pen, the pup is compelled to have a confetti party. Don't know what it is about clean bedding which makes pups, lambs, calves, etc. so excited, but it sure is fun to watch. Good luck with your pup.

[Scott Linden]

Many folks also use newspaper as bedding in their crates - a fantastic idea considering your problem ... just in case.

[onuhunter02]

It seems like for every puppy I have had I would have them on a routine during the day and they put me on a routine at night. By that I mean I was getting up every couple hours give or take to let them go to the bathroom usually #1. I don't ever remember doing that for longer than a month.