When will he stop peeing in the crate!

[Pilar, Sophie & Rico]

Hi all, My little Rico is going on 13 weeks and I'm starting to believe that he just isn't getting it!I'm at home most of the day ( lucky puppy) and am constantly taking him out- he's been home for a full month. I'm always proactive because he just doesn't seem to show any interest in going to the door. He'll just pee right in front of us. He loves water and I know what your thinking- too much water? No, I give him limited water throughout the day but can't leave the dish out. When I crate him- ill come back to find him sitting in his puddle- he doesn't seem to mind. Not a bark or whine. He barks only if he needs to poop. Thank goodness for that. Luckily I live in Florida and the weather is great. We practically sit in our patio area waiting for signs that he needs to go. The vet said its normal and he's a boy. What is your experience? My female doodle got it within a week and rings her poochie bells when she needs to go. He thinks the bells are a toy for him to play tug of war. Please advise and let me know if anyone has experienced this and how long before he'll get it.

[Brianna and Rhubarb]

Isn't it frustrating when things that 'should' bother them don't seem to?

Rhubarb is 'crate trained' (she'll naturally keep her crate clean for up to 3 hours at a time), but has no problem looking up at us and happily peeing on the floor, and then wagging her tail through it while I'm making dinner. She frequently carries her pee bell around in her mouth, daring us to try to get it from her.

It helped me when our puppy school trainer told us that for some young (2-3 month) puppies, it's often that the humans are potty trained, but the dogs aren't there yet in their development. Rhubarb is happy to pee in her spot outside, but only if we remember to take her there. If we're late, she hasn't figured out that it's coming and she needs to alert us yet.

It's been helpful for us to make a big hairy deal when she pees outside. We sing and dance and our neighbours probably think we're crazy. Rhu loves it.

Good luck! This too shall pass, and we will barely remember these crazy months!