Poochie bells - puppy lying?

[Heavenly]

We started using the Poochie Bells on the door 2 days ago. Today he has had no accidents in the house, he has rung the bell every time! BUT - he keeps ringing the bell every 5 minutes because he just wants to go outside. I don't have the time to be taking the dog out every 5 minutes. What should I do when he says he has to go but actually doesn't? I have been taking him out and then if he doesn't go I've been putting him in his crate for a 15 minute "time-out."

[Alyantavid]

I don't know if he's associating the time out with the bell ringing. Our pup does that sometimes, but I take her out anyways. I need her to know that she goes out every time she rings them so while it is annoying, I still do it.

How long do you keep him out when he does this? I don't remember how old your pup is but he's still pretty young right?

[Heavenly]

He's allowed 5 minutes for potty breaks. If he doesn't go he goes in the crate. I'm following the crate training method of housetraining. I really want him to be trained to NOT just ring the bell for the hell of it because I really cannot take him out every 5 minutes.

ETA: I forgot to add that he'll be 12 weeks this Friday.

[Ola_]

Are you taking him out on leash? If not, I would maybe try that, and if he DOES potty then let him have some playtime in the yard. Otherwise, back inside, i.e. no fun outside if he's ringing the bells for non-potty outings.

[Heavenly]

Okay I am losing my mind! I took the damn bells off the door because he is ringing them constantly. Some of the times he does have to go but the rest of the time he just wants outside. Yes, I am taking him out on a leash. I am not kidding, he literally rings the bells constantly every time he is out of his crate. I don't know what to do with this dog. We have had him almost 4 weeks and he has made ZERO progress in house training. I don't know how much more of this I can take, I am really starting to resent this animal.

ETA: I have a fenced yard - can I just send him out there by himself a few times a day to satiate his desire for outdoor time? I have fibromyalgia and cannot stand out there with him for any length of time. Should I get a dog run so he is contained in a smaller space? I need to figure out a way to handle this dog because right now I wish I could just get rid of him.

[ChristyMarie]

Of course you can let him out in the yard to play, dogs need some outside time.

Um, is he getting any walks? Any play time? Fetch? Or is his only outside activity the 5 minutes you give him when he rings a bell? If so, I think that's your problem. He's asking for play/outside time, not necessarily just to go potty. Puppies have a LOT of energy and he needs an opportunity to burn it off or he's going to drive you insane.

[Oubliette8]

I've heard of dogs doing this too, one internet friends dogs rings the bells so he can go outside and chase lizards
I'm afraid short of taking the bells away, I dont have any good ideas.

As far as letting him out and leaving him out, I'd be careful. Coyotes have been known to scale fences to eat small dogs, and hawks and eagles will also sometimes carry off a small puppy. I recently heard of someone who's 15-20lb dog was carried off by an owl. Also, in many areas Pug puppies are very much in demand, so theft could be another concern. And of course, even if your neighborhood is predator and thief-free, you'll still want to check on him regularly. Puppies are escape artists- he can dig under or climb over. And they don't have much common sense. He could get into all sorts of things- eat rocks or sticks, poisonous vegetation etc. I had a friend whose pup ate a benign looking mushroom in the yard while she was supervising (couldn't get to the puppy before she swallowed it) and the dog ended up reacting badly, and being rushed to the vet for charcoal, then spent the night at the emergency vet. I'd be more inclined to wait until he's older, and not so into mischief before I'd consider leaving him out alone. And, even when my dog is outside and I'm not, I'm still watching from the window most of the time.

[nomadmom]

Originally Posted by Oubliette8

I've heard of dogs doing this too, one internet friends dogs rings the bells so he can go outside and chase lizards

I'm sorry, but this visual is so funny to me! Smart dogs. I had never heard of these bells, and thought, "What a cool idea!" I can see how they could backfire and become a total nuisance.

Heavenly, I share your frustration. Our puppy is 12 weeks today and just pees and pees and pees in the house. It's seriously ridiculous the amount he goes. One thing we hadn't tried was tethering. It seemed like more trouble than it's worth, and I was worried about the dog becoming overly dependant on being with us all the time. However, I am over the constant clean-up and decided tonight to try the tether. After only a few hours, I feel hopeful!

We'd normally be mopping up puddles literally every 15 minutes or so. Tonight, not a single one in the space of 2-3 hours. I'm not sure if you've tried this yet, but maybe it will work for you.

Hang in there.

[K1329]

I feel your pain! I posted awhile back about housetraining our two puppies - they're now about 14 weeks old. Got some great tips, too! We're crate training - in the crates at night, and, either outside, or, inside and totally supervised during the day.
I can't supervise the puppies all day long... and don't feel right keeping them in their crates all day, either. The solution for us has been to "puppy proof" the back yard and leave them outside. They have shelter, an area to play, and absolutely love it. It's a great compromise.
Also, I read that most puppies aren't developed enough to learn to go outside until 14 to 20 weeks of age. Maybe your pup is still a little young?

Good luck!

[Mirzam]

I let Oscar (15 weeks) outside by himself for short periods of time -- we have a very secluded, secure backyard that is far from the street. I do keep checking on him through the window and if I can't see him I call to him and he will always come.

I am feeling very lucky with our dog, I had one pee accident and a few poo accidents during his first week home at 9 to 10 weeks old and since then he has always gone outside. He will wee on command and if he needs to poop, he will go to the door to be let out. I wonder if this is because he is a big dog and can hold more in his bladder. Oscar can go through the night no problem, he isn't even in a rush to get out the door first thing in the morning, although I make him go out right away.

Shawna, I would have ditched the bells too. I really understand the resentment towards the puppy, I felt that way the first week, I can't imagine going through four weeks and counting. He will learn, but hanging in there must be getting a tad old.

[greenmagick]

Honestly, he is being a puppy. Some puppies get it very fast, some don't. Again the key is not giving them the chance to have an accident which means constant supervision. Is it a pain, well it can be, but that is kind of what you sign up for when getting a pup, especially a breed that is notoriously hard to potty train. What is his breeder saying?

Personally I would not do too much outside time alone, really isn't going to do much except give him the opportunity to develop bad habits and you won't know if he pottied or not. He needs outside playtime with people, playing, romping around, etc.

[Ola_]

I feel for you, puppies can really drive you crazy. I think almost every puppy owner goes through a phase when they feel so frustrated they could just blow up. Depending on puppy it may happen many times. Heck, I think that phase happens if you get an adult dog too, there's always adjustments and things that drive you crazy. You are teaching your puppy important life skills, and it will take a while, but it will pay off for the rest of his life.

[treeoflife3]

think of your puppy like a baby or toddler. It takes TIME to learn things. practice over and over for long periods of time.

Also, I agree with the pp who says he needs more than just 5 minutes for a potty break as his exercise. Puppies need LOTS of play time and energy burning. Again, just like a toddler.

Instead of looking at him as a machine who should figure it out quickly, you might have more patience if you think of this as potty training a kiddo.... sometimes it takes a long time. sometimes there are setbacks. He IS just a little one after all.

[Heavenly]

Originally Posted by greenmagick

Honestly, he is being a puppy. Some puppies get it very fast, some don't. Again the key is not giving them the chance to have an accident which means constant supervision. Is it a pain, well it can be, but that is kind of what you sign up for when getting a pup, especially a breed that is notoriously hard to potty train. What is his breeder saying?

Personally I would not do too much outside time alone, really isn't going to do much except give him the opportunity to develop bad habits and you won't know if he pottied or not. He needs outside playtime with people, playing, romping around, etc.

I AM supervising him constantly. We are partitioned off in a 12' X 15' room. I am right there with him. When I am not with him he is in his crate. He goes potty outside so I am supposed to give him free time in the room. We 10 minutes after just going he will all of a sudden squat and go again. I am literally right there with him but he still does it.
And if I were to give him outdoor time I would only do it after I took him out on the leash to potty (and I always take him on the leash to potty).
Oh and the breeder recommends paper training, but I disagree.

[Heavenly]

Originally Posted by treeoflife3

think of your puppy like a baby or toddler. It takes TIME to learn things. practice over and over for long periods of time.

Also, I agree with the pp who says he needs more than just 5 minutes for a potty break as his exercise. Puppies need LOTS of play time and energy burning. Again, just like a toddler.

Instead of looking at him as a machine who should figure it out quickly, you might have more patience if you think of this as potty training a kiddo.... sometimes it takes a long time. sometimes there are setbacks. He IS just a little one after all.

He is not fully vaccinated yet so we are not allowed to take him for walks. My DH and the kids run him around the yard in the evenings/weekends but I have fibromyalgia and it is not possible for me to stand outside in the cold. That is not a choice it is a fact. Which is why I am considering the outdoor dog run so he can at least get some running time a couple of times during the day when I am alone with him.

[greenmagick]

The problem is puppies need play time during the day and sticking them in an outdoor run doesn't work. They need interaction. You can do plenty of games inside out of the cold. Clicker training is awesome for this. Freeshaping burns a lot of mental as well as physical energy.

[ChristyMarie]

Originally Posted by Heavenly

He is not fully vaccinated yet so we are not allowed to take him for walks. My DH and the kids run him around the yard in the evenings/weekends but I have fibromyalgia and it is not possible for me to stand outside in the cold. That is not a choice it is a fact. Which is why I am considering the outdoor dog run so he can at least get some running time a couple of times during the day when I am alone with him.

Um...????

I've never heard not to take a puppy for walks even if they aren't fully vaccinated. Puppies NEED exercise and interaction and play time.

Running in the yard is one thing but it won't tire a puppy out like a walk will.

It sounds like you are thinking maybe it wasn't a good time for you to get a dog, especially a puppy. If your DH and/or children cannot help out during the day can you hire someone to play with him? If not, maybe contact the breeder and see if they had anyone on a waiting list. The puppy needs play time and outdoor time and walks.

I understand getting frustrated with a puppy. They are a royal PITA. Some more than others. But if your household can't give him the outlet for puppy energy he needs, you need to either bring in someone who can or rehome the puppy. It sounds like your little guy is either in his crate, on a leash outside for 5 minutes or in a 12x15 enclosure. He's gotta be frustrated and bored! Those two things add up to destructive and annoying puppy behavior.

[Heavenly]

We were told by both the breeder and our vet not to take him for walks until he has had all his shots (16 weeks). I'm pretty confident in taking their advice. There are a lot of dogs in our neighbourhood and they both said the risk of parvo is too high (Cesar Millan's puppy book says the same thing). He is not in a 12' x 15' "enclosure", it is called a living room. And again, the breeder and the puppy books I've read said to only have the dog in one section of the house until they are potty trained. Yes, the dog is stressful but getting rid of him is NOT an option, we have no intention of doing that. And where did I ever say I am not interacting with him or playing with him inside the house during the day? I am constantly interacting with him. He is only in his crate when I cannot watch him, which again is called crate training and was recommended by the breeder.

[greenmagick]

Yeah i am really surprised by no walks til 16 weeks too! The critical socialization window is closing by 16 weeks, they need to be exposed to all sorts of things before the hit 16 weeks! I would not recommend visiting petsmart type places or goingto dog parks but walks around the neighborhood are a very important thing. Are you doing puppy classes with him?

[nomadmom]

Our vet also said no walks until fully vaccinated, but our pup was complete at 11.5 weeks (maybe the vaxes are different here). However, from the first week we had him, we took him for in-arms walks and car trips so he could get used to sights/sounds. The mental stimulation also chills him out. You could try that.

Our puppy and situation is similar to yours -- peeing constantly even if he's just come in from a potty break. He's gated in the kitchen (it's quite big, so not terribly restricting), and in his pen when not being supervised. He has a very regular routine, with frequent trips outside alternating with active play/quiet time. Still, the peeing everywhere was out of control...

Until I decided to tether him. I cannot emphasize enough the difference this has made. People had suggested it earlier when I posted about pee issues. I thought it would be a pain and that I'd be tripping all over him, and I didn't want him to get too dependent on constantly being with me. However, I couldn't take another second of mopping up pee, so decided to give it a try. It's going on 48 hours since I started tethering, and *he hasn't peed in the house a single time*!!! This is practically miraculous, as he had been going on the floor 5+ times per hour. Another advantage is that he is no longer confined to the kitchen, so is learning how to behave properly no matter what room he's in.

About the socializing/training, the place we go allows very young/not fully vaxed puppies to come and remain in-arms for a very small fee so that they can get used to the sight/sound of other dogs. The humans interact with each other's pets, so the in-arms pups can get used to being touched/handled by strange people. Maybe there's something like this near you.

I know it can sound trite to tell you to hang in there, but that's meant as encouragement. All the knowledgeable people I've spoken to (on here, our vet, the trainer) have been completely unconcerned about the peeing, saying it's annoying, but totally normal at this age. I hope you find a way to cope, and I strongly recommend trying tethering!