Potty Training and Anxiety Peeing

[Heather and Wendell]

Wendell is here and I couldn't be happier. Today is his 8 week birthday. I'm working from home for this first week to bond with him and also try to get a routine for potty training. Monday I decided to take him out every 2 hours, but I noticed he was going before then, so I decided to start taking him out every hour and a half. Well that seems to be working a little better, but I noticed I wasn't able to catch him when he pees because I wasn't using a pen. Well, now he's in a pen, but he HATES it. I figured he would because he's only okay with being in his crate when he's sleepy. It's so hard for me to hear him howl and cry in the pen. He can see me, but he typically cries until he falls asleep for a nap. I've noticed though that when he really gets himself worked up, he pees A LOT. I honestly don't know what to do. I don't know if I should discipline him for peeing in the pen while he's worked up. I don't know if I should remove him completely. I don't know how to keep him calm. As you can see, I don't know much here, but I do know I don't want him panicking when I go back to work next week. Can anyone with experience in this area help me out? Thank you in advance.

[Heather and Wendell]

We do after we eat, drink and slept. Sleeping and playing is also a good suggestion. We may have to do an hour, though. I am able to work from home twice a week, but if I'm going outside every 30 minutes, I'll never get any work done! I know we'll get there, but it's just so frustrating. Thanks for your suggestions, Sue!

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

I also agree with your response, Sue. I took Wally and Charlotte out every 30 minutes, just as you described. One added suggestion is to pick up Wendell when you're taking him out of the crate, so that he doesn't have a chance to eliminate on the floor on the way to the door. 

In terms of him complaining when he's in the crate, I remember sneaking up behind Charlotte's crate and shaking it when she made barked and whined in protest. Since the back and sides of the crate were covered with a sheet, she couldn't see that it was me who was rattling it. My thinking was that she'd associate protesting with the crate having a mini earthquake and quiet down.  Who knows, she probably smelled me back there, but it did seem to work.

How long are you planning on leaving him crated when you go back to work? I'm sure you know that a young puppy simply cannot hold it for very long, so you might need to have someone come in several times each day to let him out. Best of luck!

[Heather and Wendell]

We definitely scoop him up so he can't go potty before we get outside. It's probably going to have to be about 6-8 hours. BF and I both commute 45 minutes to work so no coming home during lunch :( I'm going to see if we can have someone come let him out during the day. We probably will have his crate set up in his pen and have it in our garage with some newspaper. It's not ideal, but I don't want him to have to hold it all day.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

8 hours in a crate is too long for a young puppy. Please do try to hire someone to come in during the day to take him out. 

Why does he have to be in the garage and not in the house?

[Heather and Wendell]

It was either the house or the garage, but he's not staying in either of them now. He's going to stay at the daycare offered by our vet. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

In the beginning, I had to take both Fudge and Vern out at least every 30 minutes. I took them out when they first got up, after any activity, after eating or drinking....it was like a full time job, but that is what you have to do to house train a puppy. Having the puppy go outside when it is convenient for you is going to make the process so much harder. Puppies pee a lot in the beginning, but it does get better. 6-8 hours in a crate without potty breaks is too long for your little pup. I sure hope you can hire someone to come in and let him out. I was also wondering why he would have to stay in the garage.

[Heather and Wendell]

I think the problem was the schedule was a little too loose. We're doing much much better today. I am choosing not to leave water out all day. He drinks as much as he wants every couple hours and he's not as afraid of being in his pen today. We still have a little wimpering, but not as loud or as long. After he wakes up, eats, drinks, or plays it's about every 30 minutes, but he sleeps for about an hour to an hour and a half in his crate, so I think it averages out to about every 45 minutes to an hour that we go outside.

As I told Karen in the above post, it could've been the house or the garage. The garage is just what my bf did with his puppy. However he's going to stay at our vet's daycare on the days I work in the office until he's old enough (and had all his booster shots) to go to doggy daycare.  I think this is our best option for now. The biggest problem was just finding a place that he could go despite his shots situation. 

[Kris and Sawyer]

It's been said but, we took Sawyer out every 20-30 minutes and he didn't even come home until 11 1/2 weeks. I never let him leave my sight. He was attached to me if he wasn't in his crate. He was around 4 months old when he had his last accident...

[Carol Bordwell]

I would never scold for an accident. I took mine out every hour, kept her on a leash by my side. Reward praise good behavior. Good info here!!!!