need housetraining tips!!!!!

[K1329]

We have two adorable female pups! They're poodle mixes and 9 weeks old. Currently, when they are unattended, we keep them in our kitchen. We're waking up to a stinky mess every morning. And whenever they're left in the kitchen too long, same thing.

Our current plan seems to involve bringing them outside regularly throughout the day and praising them when they go outside. When they're in the kitchen, we hope that they use newspaper/potty pad instead of play with it and shred it into pieces. Usually it's the hot "toy" of the afternoon and the pee soaked potty pad is shredded all over. It's really not going well.

I really want to integrate these dogs into our entire home and have them as inside/outside pets for years to come. How can we get there? Am I expecting too much at such a young age? Please help!

[Oubliette8]

9 weeks is very young. I'd be bringing them outside every hour to start. And supervise them in between outings- learn their potty signs- circling or excessive sniffing is often a sign they are about to go, so you should rush them out before they start. They may go more often than once an hour right now, or less. Once you get a feel for it, you can adjust the schedule. As they grow, they'll be able to hold it longer.

Do they potty in their crate? If you can't directly supervise them, they should be crated. Each should get their own crate, for safety reasons. It should be small- only big enough for them to stand up, turn around, and lie down. Otherwise they can go in a corner and sleep in another. Most dogs will not soil their crate.

I wouldn't allow them to run in the kitchen unsupervised, they'll just learn that the kitchen is an ok place to potty. I also wouldn't train them with newspapers or a pee pad unless you plan to use this method for their whole lives- it can be difficult to transition them to outside only if they are pad trained.

Are you using an enzymatic cleaner? Simple Solution and Nature's Miracle are common brands. You can find them in any petstore. Even if you clean with conventional cleaners, it can leave behind pheremones that your puppies will detect, and they'll return to that spot again and again. An enzymatic cleaner removes these.

[ouo434]

9 weeks is very young for them to be fully potty trained, our puppy is about 16 weeks and she is getting better but still has accidents every now and then. We just started puppy classes with her and were told to take puppy out ever 30 min. if possible and take a treat follow the dog to a spot outside you want them to potty in then use a command like "go potty" and keep saying it over and over then if/when they potty where you want them to go right away give them the treat and praise them for going where you want them to we always waited to give her a treat til she was done and got to the back door but were told dogs have a very short term memory and dont know what you are rewarding them for so when we started following her out to her potty spot and giving her a treat right away we noticed alot less accidents right away.

[Alyantavid]

At that age, we took our pup out constantly. Every time she ate, every time she woke up, if she started getting restless. Once outside, we told her to "go potty" and praised her alot when she did.

During the night, she stays in her crate and she goes out as soon as she wakes up in the morning. We did start her out in her crate with a dog bed, but she'd just pee in that constantly, so once we took that out, she never has accidents in her crate. And I never left her unattended. She's 7 months old now and she still isn't every unattended. When we're gone or in bed, she's in her crate.

I never understood how dogs are supposed to understand that it's ok to pee inside sometimes, but not always. I'd forget that whole thing and just have them go outside. But they're still really young to be housetrained, it's you who has to be trained right now.

[K1329]

I think you all are right... the paper training method is sending the wrong signals. Outside only makes more sense to me, too. We are gone 3 days a week for extended periods. We have a fenced yard with a large covered area for shelter. What do you think about leaving them outside when we're gone at such a young age? My dh joked that they might get beat up by a squirrel, lol, but they are really small.

Also, we haven't been crating them at night, or ever, but, I think we might have to start.

Thanks! I think we just have to give it more time.

ETA: I'm heading out to buy crates now.... jeesh, these pups are getting expensive, too!

[Doodlebugsmom]

I agree with the pps who suggest taking them outside very frequently (I'd do this as frequently as possible. Even every 15-20 minutes if the pups are active.) and using a "potty" command. Crate-training is a must and will help with potty training. Just make sure the crates are not too big or the pup will go in its crate. I would definitely not leave them outside unattended at all at this point. They could get hurt or eat something dangerous. I would actually never leave one of my dogs outside while we are not home, and one of them is 15 years old. I don't believe that dogs raised indoors should be left out while their owners are gone.

[just_lily]

My dog that we adopted as a puppy (at 4mo) didn't "sleep through the night" until he was 8 or 9 months old. He just couldn't make it, and would wake us up once or twice a night whining to go potty. So you may want to consider getting up a couple of times to let your puppies out throughout the night.

It is definitely a lot of work. They are babies after all.

[Doodlebugsmom]

Originally Posted by just_lily

So you may want to consider getting up a couple of times to let your puppies out throughout the night.

For sure. My 5 month-old puppy sleeps through the night most nights, but there are some nights when she whines to go out to potty. At 9 weeks, they definitely need to go out at least once/night.

[Oubliette8]

I would NOT leave them unattended outside. Coyotes have been known to scale fences and eat peoples pets, and large hawks have been known to carry off puppies and small dogs. There is also the issue of theft and escape- even if you think your yard is secure, some dogs will find their way out. If your meter is in your yard, there's also the issue of meter readers accidentally letting them out etc. Beyond that, it can encourage behavior issues like digging, pacing, barking, fence running, and territorial behaviors. And it leaves them exposed to unsavory neighbors and teasing from passers by, which can have quite the negative effective on a dog.

If you are gone for large stretches of time, you need to arrange for someone to come by and let them out until they are potty trained and old enough to hold it (I think the guideline is 1 hour for every month of age)

[zebra15]

I agree with the PP. I have a 5 mos old 'puppy' and she is never alone. I'm probably a bit obsessive on this part but someone is always in the room w. her or she is in her 'crate'. I just dont want to deal with the possible damage. So Charlie gets alot of attention. She is not left 'in the kitchen' and NEVER alone outside, and never for a couple days.
I could never leave her for days outside,what about food and water. Other animals could get in and 'steal' your dogs food/water etc... then what?? Its just not safe for the pup... What if your puppy starts to dig and gets out...

I know here the Petsmart has a 'pethotel' for about $30/day that provides full petcare.

Yes puppies and pets in general are expensive... Let me tell you ,it only goes up LOL

[K1329]

I could never leave her for days outside,what about food and water.

I think I must have phrased it poorly... I work part time outside of the home 3 days per week and am gone for about 7 hours at a time. I, too, would never leave a dog unattended, or alone, for 3 days! That, actually, was part of the reasoning behind getting two pups. I realize that they are pack animals and need "a pack". And they are definitely already part of our pack!

I bought the crates and we've had great success for the past two nights. I've gotten up once or twice each night and let them out. We've had no "accidents" in the crate, so, they seem to instinctually be holding it.

I have left them outside while I've been at work, too, but have come home on my break to check on them and feed them. While not ideal, I can't stand the thought of them being crated at night and then during the day, too. That's got to be too much confinement for any living creature! We did a total "safety check" of the yard and decided to give it a go. We do have a LARGE covered patio - maybe 700+ square feet - and a privacy fence - so I'm not too worried about the elements or passers by. The weather has been mild,too.

I really appreciate the crating tips - it seems to be working! At least, so far, so good. That and total supervision while they're inside. Not waking up to wall to wall dog mess has been fantastic!

Thanks again! If anyone else has any puppy tips... please pass them along!