specific housebreaking question RE: 6 wk old puppy

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thadlo
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specific housebreaking question RE: 6 wk old puppy

Post by thadlo » Wed Mar 19, 2014 4:45 pm

So you may have read my questions regarding my 6 wk old puppy. I have a specific question regarding housetraining/crating at this early age. The puppy has little - zero - control or awareness. I'll take him out every 30 min. and sometimes he'll go, sometimes not but regardless he still will go at other random times - mostly pee - with no warning. No circling, no sniffing, just pause and pee. I get it, he's young.
Right now he is either supervised all the time or in a small crate just big enough to turn around or stand - but that's it. Fortunately I stay at home so I'm around but I do have 5 kids and chores so he is in his crate a bit. He can't seem to hold it more than say 30 min. or so at times in there so he wets and either sits in wet bedding or a wet floor if I withhold bedding. At night I take him out when he whines and put him back in. I wondered if it would be better at this young age to put him instead in a larger crate where he can have a separate potty area or if I should keep him in the little one and keep cleaning it and wait for him to grow up a bit where he can hold it some. I hate that he can't hold it if I'm busy and then sits in wetness. I just really want to do what is best in the long run. Thanks.

RichK
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Re: specific housebreaking question RE: 6 wk old puppy

Post by RichK » Wed Mar 19, 2014 5:46 pm

Take him out every 30 minutes or even every 15-20 minutes. I wouldn't teach him to urinate in a part of his crate.

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Re: specific housebreaking question RE: 6 wk old puppy

Post by fuzznut » Wed Mar 19, 2014 5:51 pm

At 6 wks, I wouldn't expect much. That is young, very very very young to expect a whole lot of holding power. Constant supervision is all I could suggest. No water about 30 min or so before bed time.... but I wouldn't expect him to hold it too long at all at that age.

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Sharon
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Re: specific housebreaking question RE: 6 wk old puppy

Post by Sharon » Wed Mar 19, 2014 7:12 pm

thadlo wrote:So you may have read my questions regarding my 6 wk old puppy. I have a specific question regarding housetraining/crating at this early age. The puppy has little - zero - control or awareness. I'll take him out every 30 min. and sometimes he'll go, sometimes not but regardless he still will go at other random times - mostly pee - with no warning. No circling, no sniffing, just pause and pee. I get it, he's young.
Right now he is either supervised all the time or in a small crate just big enough to turn around or stand - but that's it. Fortunately I stay at home so I'm around but I do have 5 kids and chores so he is in his crate a bit. He can't seem to hold it more than say 30 min. or so at times in there so he wets and either sits in wet bedding or a wet floor if I withhold bedding. At night I take him out when he whines and put him back in. I wondered if it would be better at this young age to put him instead in a larger crate where he can have a separate potty area or if I should keep him in the little one and keep cleaning it and wait for him to grow up a bit where he can hold it some. I hate that he can't hold it if I'm busy and then sits in wetness. I just really want to do what is best in the long run. Thanks.
5 kids and a 6 week old puppy- better you than me. )

You can only do what you can do. You are not going to be able to take him out every 15-20 minutes, so he's going to pee somewhere.
Never had to do this, but if I had to , rather than learning to pee in his crate, I would give him a tiled room - bathroom? - and use pee pads I can throw out. Later when he is some older , transition from the pads to the outdoors. ( Still take him outdoors when you can . )

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Re: specific housebreaking question RE: 6 wk old puppy

Post by cjhills » Wed Mar 19, 2014 9:33 pm

If you have a area where you can put him in a small kennel, maybe 4X6 or whatever. Make about 2X2 sleeping box, with a small opening so he can come and go as he pleases. preferably with a tile or concrete floor that is easy to clean. Better yet would be a raised floor. mesh panels that every thing will go thru. He will very quickly learn to go out of the sleeping area to go to the bathroom and will probably start going in the same place. Actually if you have room this makes a great place to keep him until he is big enough to start learning.
From your first post, just so you know there are many puppies that leave home at six weeks and do fine. It is hard with small children. But if you have a set up like I described, you can take him out for supervised play time and if you have room and a floor that is easy to clean he could spend his time when no one is around in the kennel until he is three or four months and then start crate training. just make sure he gets enough time with the family and exercise. No need to get the whole litter. He very likely will be fine. Make sure to get him around other dogs as soon as he has his shots. Puppies like to bite and kids have a hard time stopping it. He is probably a bit intimidated right now. Good Luck.................Cj

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Re: specific housebreaking question RE: 6 wk old puppy

Post by Brit1432 » Thu Mar 20, 2014 7:58 am

We've had good luck with our 10 week old Brit and crate training. I would get the pup used to a crate ASAP. Make sure you get one with a divider and only give pup enough room to turn around in. He'll be less likely to soil where he has to lay all day. Our Brit has only piddled in his crate once and that was because we couldn't get home in time to let him out. Other than that, he's done amazing. The sooner you crate train him, the better. Dutch is only in his crate when we're at work or at night when we're in bed. Other than that, he's out and we keep a constant eye on him.

When you're with the dog, keep on him and take him out religiously. I've done this and he's at the point that he knows when we're outside (our backyard, walking grass, etc...) he's at least to try. I've given him a "go potty" command since we've started housetraining and lots and lots of praise whenever he does his business in the right area. Me saying this tends to redirect him when he starts to fool around instead of focusing on business. No punishment when he does do it in the house, just take him outside immediately and throw the "go potty" at him again. More praise when he does do it. I've taken him out religiously and he's picked it up rather quickly. Consistency is key!

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Re: specific housebreaking question RE: 6 wk old puppy

Post by cjhills » Thu Mar 20, 2014 9:02 am

Brit1432 wrote:We've had good luck with our 10 week old Brit and crate training. I would get the pup used to a crate ASAP. Make sure you get one with a divider and only give pup enough room to turn around in. He'll be less likely to soil where he has to lay all day. Our Brit has only piddled in his crate once and that was because we couldn't get home in time to let him out. Other than that, he's done amazing. The sooner you crate train him, the better. Dutch is only in his crate when we're at work or at night when we're in bed. Other than that, he's out and we keep a constant eye on him.

When you're with the dog, keep on him and take him out religiously. I've done this and he's at the point that he knows when we're outside (our backyard, walking grass, etc...) he's at least to try. I've given him a "go potty" command since we've started housetraining and lots and lots of praise whenever he does his business in the right area. Me saying this tends to redirect him when he starts to fool around instead of focusing on business. No punishment when he does do it in the house, just take him outside immediately and throw the "go potty" at him again. More praise when he does do it. I've taken him out religiously and he's picked it up rather quickly. Consistency is key!
Six weeks to Ten weeks is almost half a lifetime to a small puppy. Make it easier on yourself and him. Give him a place to sleep separate , but accessible from where he plays and goes to the bathroom. In a normal litter the mother is still cleaning up after him. You will not be able to get him out of the crate all the time. Crate training him now is really wasting your time and trying your patience. Give yourself a break. By ten weeks he will understand that mom is not there to clean up and it is not very comfortable to sleep in your own pee. Also a good chance of UTI if he goes in his sleeping area. He will go in his sleeping area for a little while, so have some way to clean up, but soon he will stop......................good luck CJ

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Re: specific housebreaking question RE: 6 wk old puppy

Post by SubMariner » Thu Mar 20, 2014 1:00 pm

Brit1432 wrote:We've had good luck with our 10 week old Brit and crate training. I would get the pup used to a crate ASAP. Make sure you get one with a divider and only give pup enough room to turn around in. He'll be less likely to soil where he has to lay all day. Our Brit has only piddled in his crate once and that was because we couldn't get home in time to let him out. Other than that, he's done amazing. The sooner you crate train him, the better. Dutch is only in his crate when we're at work or at night when we're in bed. Other than that, he's out and we keep a constant eye on him.

When you're with the dog, keep on him and take him out religiously. I've done this and he's at the point that he knows when we're outside (our backyard, walking grass, etc...) he's at least to try. I've given him a "go potty" command since we've started housetraining and lots and lots of praise whenever he does his business in the right area. Me saying this tends to redirect him when he starts to fool around instead of focusing on business. No punishment when he does do it in the house, just take him outside immediately and throw the "go potty" at him again. More praise when he does do it. I've taken him out religiously and he's picked it up rather quickly. Consistency is key!
+1

I would add that you might want to start keeping a log: when he goes out, what he does, etc. It helps chart progress to help start increasing the time he is crated/holding. Also, it allows you to determine if there are certain times when there are issues when you may need to increase outings to avoid issues. (For example, if the dog has more "accidents" after dinner, increase the number of outings, then gradually increase the timing between outings.)

Remember, he's just a young puppy. But to keep it in perspective, it takes less time to crate train a puppy than toilet train a child! :wink:

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Re: specific housebreaking question RE: 6 wk old puppy

Post by Becassier » Thu Mar 20, 2014 2:27 pm

Your puppy and my litter of 10 are the same age..

This is what we do at night - the black dish is a "rabbit cage liner" 16 x 16, you can actually use the black plastic bottom to a wire crate. We fill it with saw dust pellets (for horses) you can find them at Tractor Supply. Spray them down a bit to somewhat dissolve and they use them like a litter box. The other side is for sleeping they actually have very few accidents in that part, which is made up of an X-pen we clamped on the sides of the whelping box. We have big rolls of craft paper we use on the bottom then place newspapers over that. Just roll it up in the morning, lot less mess than just using newspaper.
Image

This is their play area - made of 2 x-pen which you can buy on amazon for $30 - $40 dollar, cheap piece of linoleum under it / craft paper with newspaper under the litter box.
[URL=http://i774.photobucket.com/albums ... .jpg[/img][/url]

If you have the room to put up a small play area for them and put a small crate with the door propped open or taken off depending on what style you use may save you mess in the crate when they are older. This is the first time we have tried the "litter box" and are very happy with it..

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Sharon
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Re: specific housebreaking question RE: 6 wk old puppy

Post by Sharon » Thu Mar 20, 2014 3:35 pm

Brit1432 wrote:We've had good luck with our 10 week old Brit and crate training. I would get the pup used to a crate ASAP. Make sure you get one with a divider and only give pup enough room to turn around in. He'll be less likely to soil where he has to lay all day. Our Brit has only piddled in his crate once and that was because we couldn't get home in time to let him out. Other than that, he's done amazing. The sooner you crate train him, the better. Dutch is only in his crate when we're at work or at night when we're in bed. Other than that, he's out and we keep a constant eye on him.

When you're with the dog, keep on him and take him out religiously. I've done this and he's at the point that he knows when we're outside (our backyard, walking grass, etc...) he's at least to try. I've given him a "go potty" command since we've started housetraining and lots and lots of praise whenever he does his business in the right area. Me saying this tends to redirect him when he starts to fool around instead of focusing on business. No punishment when he does do it in the house, just take him outside immediately and throw the "go potty" at him again. More praise when he does do it. I've taken him out religiously and he's picked it up rather quickly. Consistency is key!
Good post for an 8+ week old puppy , but this is a 6 week old puppy that has to go out every 20 minutes and the lady has 5 children.
..................

"At 6 wks, I wouldn't expect much. That is young, very very very young to expect a whole lot of holding power. Constant supervision is all I could suggest. No water about 30 min or so before bed time.... but I wouldn't expect him to hold it too long at all at that age." Fuzznut


"Six weeks to Ttn weeks is almost half a lifetime to a small puppy. Make it easier on yourself and him. Give him a place to sleep separate , but accessible from where he plays and goes to the bathroom. In a normal litter the mother is still cleaning up after him. You will not be able to get him out of the crate all the time. Crate training him now is really wasting your time and trying your patience. Give yourself a break. By ten weeks he will understand that mom is not there to clean up and it is not very comfortable to sleep in your own pee. Also a good chance of UTI if he goes in his sleeping area. He will go in his sleeping area for a little while, so have some way to clean up, but soon he will stop."....................good luck CJ
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