Gun Dog Forum

Hi again all - well, my was "6 wk old puppy" is now well into his 9th week and he is doing well but man am I struggling with the housetraining. I'll tell you what I've been doing and then I would love advice and input. So "Dobie" is crated when I can't keep an eye on him as well as at night. Sometimes he'll cry at night to go out 2 or 3 times - and he will go out, other times he'll go from 10 - 5 or so. Night time is fine. Day is another thing. He is taken out regularly - after meals, after naps, after playing, and other random times when he starts wandering. However there is no rhyme or reason to his peeing schedule. I'll take him out, he'll pee, then 10 min. later pee again on the floor. He gives NO warning signs. No sniffing, circling, etc. Just walk and squat. Sometimes he'll go hrs. without having to go in spite of being taken out. Then there is his crate. Ugh. I will take him out every time before crating him. Many times when I take him out of the crate he will have peed in it. Whether I am home and just fixing dinner, laundry, whatever or esp. when we've been gone. No matter how long or short he will pee in it. He's never been crated longer than 3 hrs. except nighttime and usually it is only 30 min - 1 hr. Sometimes he will have a dry crate, but usually wet. Sometimes if he's in it while I'm home he'll whine to get out, sometimes he's quiet.
I'm at a loss. I sometimes put a towel in there with him, sometimes nothing - it doesn't seem to matter to him. Vet checked his urine 2 weeks ago and no infection. He gets played with both in and outside throughout the day plus a long walk at night. I don't know what else to do - he is having accidents a couple times a day - right in front of me - it isn't as if my eyes are off of him. HELP!

The way I do pups is to crate them, take them out to pee....if he pee's outside he gets some fun time loose but then back in the crate....then repeat....peeing outside = fun time. You can also restrict water some during the day and before bed time. He goes outside to pee he gets some water and free playtime inside...consistency....

What is your reaction when he pees in the house, what do you do. Puppies are all different and he is very young yet, it takes time for there bladder to develop. Start trying to give a command every time he goes potty outside, and really praise him when he does, watch his tail, you will know when he is happy and proud. If he goes in the house in front of you, don't say a word, just pick him up and take him outside right away then praise him for doing good, he will get it. My last pup was up every hour at night, and it went on for about 2 weeks, I was so tired by the time he was house broke.

All sounds pretty normal to me , for a 9 week old puppy. Just keep at keeping at it. (He's SO cute.):)

birddog1968 wrote:The way I do pups is to crate them, take them out to pee....if he pee's outside he gets some fun time loose but then back in the crate....then repeat....peeing outside = fun time. You can also restrict water some during the day and before bed time. He goes outside to pee he gets some water and free playtime inside...consistency....

This is the method I used, by the time mine was 11 weeks we pretty much ended the peeing in the house. Also how are you cleaning up after he pees? If you are using any kind of cleaning product with ammonia in it you're defeating the purpose of cleaning. I use natures miracle to clean up the area where my pup made the mistake so he doesn't smell it and try to go there again.

Crating is the best way for me, puppies like to sleep a lot anyway so I would give mine lots of toys to chew on while in the crate (no rawhide ever) and keep him there for a couple hours at a time, then let him out to play outside for a while, then right back in the crate. It may take a while. This pup got it in 11 weeks, I have had pups that took months to get it. Just be patient and consistent and it will pay off eventually. Also make sure everyone in the house is using the same program.

I agree with Sharon. Just because you brought him home at 6 weeks old doesn't mean he was capable of learning anything at that young age.

I had one that peed in her crate overnight EVERY stinking night until she was 6 months old (she didn't pee in the house, she used the doggie door consistently), but every morning she was standing there in a puddle in her crate. At 6 months of age, a switch went on (or off) and she never did it again.

My take is still the same as it was on the earlier post. If you put the pup in a area where he can get out of the crate to go to the bathroom, on his own, he will soon learn that it is more comfortable to sleep in a dry crate. Once he learns that you are well on your way. My puppies have a sleeping box In their litter kennel. They learn to go out of their box to go to the bathroom. By the time they go home they are going out of their sleeping area and by nine weeks are sleeping all night in their crate without using it for a bathroom. We never get up at night to let them out...........Cj

I think that cjhills' idea might work with your pup. We have a method which has worked really well with winter pups when they are tiny and the snow is deep. We set up an exercise pen in the kitchen. We use the freestanding wire kind which are available in any pet supply store, but get it taller than you think you will need. We use 40" one for Britts, Lab, etc.

Line the entire floor area inside the ex pen with newspapers. Put a small crate into the ex pen. I put bedding in the crate, but take the door off. The pup can keep its bed dry, and isn't peeing all over the house. Toys are in the ex pen, but I don't leave food and water in the pen. I offer water frequently, but it will help the pup to stay dry if you co-ordinate the feeding, watering, play and outings.

The advantage to using the ex pen is that you can leave the room, or go to town for an hour and not come home to a wet crate and pup. There are some pups who don't have much of a clue about peeing until they are 5 or 6 months old, just as Karen described. Good luck with your pup. Marysburg.

To answer some questions - my reaction when he pees in the house - if I see him doing it I shout "no" and pick him up and take him outside where he can finish, then he gets praises and a treat. If I don't actually see him doing it I just clean it up and take him out. I use Nature's Miracle as well to clean up.
We bought an x pen for him and had a terrible time with it. He immediately got out underneath so we weighted it down, then he climbed over and out, so we covered it, then he just made such a mess with poop and pee and paper all over himself and the floor that we gave that up.
We have a doggie door that he uses to go in/out everytime and he will in fact go out on his own once in a while to explore but he hasn't yet correlated potty time and going out. Even though we have the doggie door I still go out with him every time to encourage "go potty" and reward when he does.
I guess we'll just keep doing what we're doing and hope he figures it out sooner rather than later!

He WILL get it....trust me. Most start to make the connection somewhere between 11-14 weeks....so a few more weeks to go before you should start to see a steady improvement.

GmanHawaii wrote:

birddog1968 wrote:The way I do pups is to crate them, take them out to pee....if he pee's outside he gets some fun time loose but then back in the crate....then repeat....peeing outside = fun time. You can also restrict water some during the day and before bed time. He goes outside to pee he gets some water and free playtime inside...consistency....

This is the method I used, by the time mine was 11 weeks we pretty much ended the peeing in the house. Also how are you cleaning up after he pees? If you are using any kind of cleaning product with ammonia in it you're defeating the purpose of cleaning. I use natures miracle to clean up the area where my pup made the mistake so he doesn't smell it and try to go there again.

Crating is the best way for me, puppies like to sleep a lot anyway so I would give mine lots of toys to chew on while in the crate (no rawhide ever) and keep him there for a couple hours at a time, then let him out to play outside for a while, then right back in the crate. It may take a while. This pup got it in 11 weeks, I have had pups that took months to get it. Just be patient and consistent and it will pay off eventually. Also make sure everyone in the house is using the same program.

Natures miracle works for human noses, but doesn't even begin to work for dog noses. We use stuff that costs 300 dollars a bottle for oriental rugs, and we have a disclaimer that if the people still own the dog we cant guarantee the dog wont remark his spots. And we treat rugs after they get completely submerged and agitated and then rinsed out, urine is still there.

He'll get it. As I used to say to parents , "How many kids are in diapers in kindergarten ?"

LOL Sharon - you don't know my household! My 2 girls are both 4 and both still wear diapers! Although they do have disabilities... but still, with my luck...

deke wrote:

GmanHawaii wrote:

birddog1968 wrote:The way I do pups is to crate them, take them out to pee....if he pee's outside he gets some fun time loose but then back in the crate....then repeat....peeing outside = fun time. You can also restrict water some during the day and before bed time. He goes outside to pee he gets some water and free playtime inside...consistency....

This is the method I used, by the time mine was 11 weeks we pretty much ended the peeing in the house. Also how are you cleaning up after he pees? If you are using any kind of cleaning product with ammonia in it you're defeating the purpose of cleaning. I use natures miracle to clean up the area where my pup made the mistake so he doesn't smell it and try to go there again.

Crating is the best way for me, puppies like to sleep a lot anyway so I would give mine lots of toys to chew on while in the crate (no rawhide ever) and keep him there for a couple hours at a time, then let him out to play outside for a while, then right back in the crate. It may take a while. This pup got it in 11 weeks, I have had pups that took months to get it. Just be patient and consistent and it will pay off eventually. Also make sure everyone in the house is using the same program.

Natures miracle works for human noses, but doesn't even begin to work for dog noses. We use stuff that costs 300 dollars a bottle for oriental rugs, and we have a disclaimer that if the people still own the dog we cant guarantee the dog wont remark his spots. And we treat rugs after they get completely submerged and agitated and then rinsed out, urine is still there.

This is your opinion and you are entitled to it, but this has worked fine for me on three different dogs.
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I know the initial response to saying "no" and getting after him might seem to make sense to you. My take on it is that the dog then learns how to go quickly and silently where you can't see him - he doesn't understand anything at this point. He'll get it with consistency though. I'd be taking him out as frequently as is possible and just working until he can really control his bladder. It will be a while. Housetraining seems to take me about a month or two (usually), but I do prefer picking up a puppy and taking it from the litter at about 10 weeks old. It seems to me like when my pups have reached about 4 months or so, they're usually starting to understand the whole potty training deal.

Natures miracle works for human noses, but doesn't even begin to work for dog noses. We use stuff that costs 300 dollars a bottle for oriental rugs, and we have a disclaimer that if the people still own the dog we cant guarantee the dog wont remark his spots. And we treat rugs after they get completely submerged and agitated and then rinsed out, urine is still there.[/quote]

This is your opinion and you are entitled to it, but this has worked fine for me on three different dogs.
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It is a fact, not an opinion. I actually had to go to school for urine damage, and I deal with it daily. Did you happen to go to school for it also, and you know of some huge breakthrough that they didn't teach me?

What does work for urine for dogs? I've always used (and thought) that Nature's Miracle was as good as it got. What is the product that we ought to be using? I've got a 14 year old pointer that is incontinent now and we're constantly cleaning up after her. If there's a good product out there - I want in on it!

Thanks in advance,

Elsa

RoostersMom wrote:What does work for urine for dogs? I've always used (and thought) that Nature's Miracle was as good as it got. What is the product that we ought to be using? I've got a 14 year old pointer that is incontinent now and we're constantly cleaning up after her. If there's a good product out there - I want in on it!

Thanks in advance,

Elsa

There is no magic bullet when it comes to urine, that being said there are a few products that work well for eliminating stains and odors. Stains we use a product called Odor Rescue. and for urine odor we use microban and let it soak then clean with odorcide. You can also inject microban and odorcide into the carpet pad, microban kills the bacteria that cause most of the urine smells, odorcide is injected later to control any remaining smell. The best way to eliminate urine is catching it while it is still wet, you can use a shop vac, and you will need a water extractor ( google water claw). If the urine is wet all you need to do is put the extractor over the urine spot, hook up the shop vac and dump water around the head. The water forces the urine up and into the shopvac, leaving the carpet with just a small amount of water in it. If the urine has been there for a "little" while you can add some microban and odorcide to the mix.

thadlo,

I have some questions.

When you take him from his crate to go outside does he use the doggie door to get outside or do you carry him, or open the door for him? How do you do it? Do you do it the same way every time? If you want him to use the doggie door then always make him go out the doggie door then you go out the regular door. Consistancy is your best training tool.

I am a firm believer that if the pup pees and completely relieves himself in doors it doesn't do much good to take him outside if his bladder is already empty. If you catch him in the act and he stops ... ok then take him outside to finish. You don't want him to teach you if he pees in the house he gets taken outside to run around and play.
You also must praise and or treat right at the spot where he pees. Not if he runs back to the door if your are waiting there. If you praise at the door then you are teaching him to run back to the door and he gets a treat not that he pees outside.

I agree with teaching him a potty cue words like "Go Potty" or "Get Busy" or "Go Pee". The cue words are used for both pee and poop. Say the cue words as he is smelling the ground outside. When he pees praise after not during.

Hope this helps,
MikeB
E-mail --- thedogtrainer@yahoo.com

Haven't read the earlier replies, so some of this may be a repeat.

1) 9 weeks is still a tiny, tiny puppy. Keep at it. My dog did not "get it" until much later. It takes time. the bladder and the brain are not developed yet.
2) Don't scold, rather, distract. Many times he'll give no warning, but sometimes he will. Watch for that. If you see the warning, distract him with high pitched calls. If he is in trouble, he'll hide to pee. If you can scoop him up and shuttle him out while peeing, it'll help.
3) Give him a bell. He may not have a good way to tell you he wants to go out. hang a bell by the back door. Everytime you take him out, hit the bell with his paw. If he hits the bell, even just to play, scoop him up and take him out. If you accidentally bump the bell, take him out. Bell means out.
4) Clickers are nice for this, if you can front load a clicker and click while peeing outside, then give the treat once he's finished. the time elapsed between an event and a reward has to be small or the pup may forget why he gets the reward.


Rick