Aww... P**P!

[Frank and Pippa]

Now that I am starting an obedience training course for Pippa on Sunday, I need to tackle a very.. very difficult (or not?) problem. I started crate training the first night that we brought Pippa home. After research, I know the importance of starting early. It has been 9 days and it is still rough. The nights are getting better but the housebreaking during the day are not. In the beginning, Pippa would have an accident right in front of me and as much as that is not preferable, at least I knew to correct her, get her outside and clean it as soon as it happened. Since then she seems to control her urinating inside quite a bit. There is a big BUT here... but.. she located a very shag rug in our sitting room that she has found to be quite similar to the grass out back and she poops on it on a regular basis. I am on a schedule to take her out to do her business and for peeing it works quite well. However, I can stay out there for 2 hours, bring her in and while I am not looking, sneak in the other room and go. I use Natures Miracle to clean it up and the smell but that hasn't stopped her. It is a rather big rug so it wouldn't help placing something over the spot. It was easier in the beginning because she had quite solid poop but it has gotten soft due to the change in diet. This is making it hard to clean because it easily gets smooshed in the shag.

So, I need your help. I need to find a way to correct Pippa.. or myself.. to get a solution to this problem. I have searched here on previous DK discussions but could not find a similiar situation. If you have any questions that might help you help me (or others), feel free to ask.

 

[Diane D]

Block off the room or roll up the rug

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Have you ever caught her in the act?

[Amelia & Ruby]

We have a new puppy too, so I am right there with ya.

The way we've prevented accidents is by 1) pulling up all the rugs before she got home (if thats an option), and 2) I don't EVER let her wander around the house without me. She is either in her crate, playing or training under direct supervision, tied to my desk while I'm working, or if I'm wandering around doing house stuff I put her leash around my belt so she has to stay close.

Catching her in the act may or may not help, because if you punish her it may just teach her to hide from you to do her business. Better to avoid the situation completely if at all possible.

[Beth & Cheddar]

We have a big area rug in the front room and after reading about other people having issues with their puppy targeting rugs, I just plan on rolling it up for a while until potty training is more established.

[Nancy & Echo]

I agree with Amelia and Beth.  Echo targeted rugs (bathroom rug, rug in hall, rug just inside the back door) for either peeing, pooping, or chewing up things (in this case paper shredder oil) on the rug.  She's much better now (at 5 1/2 months), but all the rugs are up until I can be more confident about her.  When she's made a mistake, I just calmly put her outside and clean up the mess.

I've had to use potty pads inside because of the situation she's in, though she does also have access to a doggy door and a fenced-in backyard.  She's been quite good at my house; when I go to unfamiliar places with her, it can be another story.

Like Leslie (below), I've made sure to close doors if there's a room with sensitive objects in it, or objects where she's done 'lightening peeing'.

I'm not looking forward to the slow and painful process of training her off of potty pads, but I like to praise  and treat Echo like mad when I catch her peeing or pooping outside.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

I wonder if you can put up a baby gate to just keep her out of the room?

[Judith and Addie]

First off - what a cutie and those puppy dog eyes!

Now onto your comments and questions. First Amelia and Ruby have given some very good advice. Just to add my two cents.

You mentioned that if she goofs, you correct her. A puppy should not be "corrected" unless by that you mean you quickly pick her up and move her  to her potty area. If she potties there, praise her to high heaven. If you use punishment, she may start hiding when she potties, or develop an aversion to potty-ing when you are around.

A good resource on potty training is Ian Dunbar. If I remember correctly, he recommends having a crate that is small enough that the puppy is not comfortable using part of it as a potty, and also having a larger confined area with a potty area for when the pup is not crated, generally placed around the crate. The potty area in the confined space should be of a material similar to the outside area where you want her to learn to go potty. Do not give her free reign of the house until she is trained. I used an ex-pen around my puppy's crate. You can also put her crate and potty area in a small space like a bathroom, part of a hallway, blocking with a baby-gate, etc.

Using the crate to potty train: take her out of the crate every hour and bring her to her potty area for 5 minutes or until she goes, whichever is less. If she doesn't potty, put her back in her crate for 15 minutes and then try again for 5 minutes. Repeat until she potties and then praise her, praise her, praise her! 

When she is not in her crate, she should be in her confined space. If you see her using her potty area in her confined space, praise, praise, praise. Do not let her roam free. Some people will tether their puppies to them. It often only takes one - three days of doing this (although sometimes quite a bit longer).

The best way to prevent her from potty-ing in a place where she should not is to prevent it in the first place. The more she does, the harder it will be to stop.

Good luck. These doodles of ours are generally pretty smart and catch on quickly.

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Awww- what a cutie!! How can you be mad at a sweet face like that?!  :-)

First- just double checking- do you have her on a feeding schedule, or are you "free feeding?" A schedule makes the timing of poops a lot more predictable.

Second- if she is not in her kennel, she should be on a leash tied to your belt and going wherever you go.

Good luck- it WILL get better!

[Frank and Pippa]

First of all thank you for everyone's input.. I am jotting everything down. Any tips help! Second.. Don't misunderstand me.. When I say I "correct" her that didn't mean I scolded her or anything negative. That would never help! So far I am making changes with keeping her on a leash while inside, put her on a feeding schedule (I was going to do that in the beginning but she didn't eat for the first two days she was here), and rolling up the rug until her training is rock solid. I welcome anymore advice. Thanks again!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Put an ex-pen across the doorway into that room thus blocking its accessibility. 

[Frank and Pippa]

I wish it was that easy.. The room is rather large with many entrances. I am keeping her close to me at all times and rolling up the rug as far as that is concerned. Thanks though!