Madness Potty Training

[Sabrina & Savannah]

I have an almost 10 week old, Savannah, she has been with me for almost 3 weeks.  I have been temporarily unemployed since I got her.  I start work Monday and was hoping we would somewhat have this down at least to some degree.  I have tried to be so dilligent in potty training.  The mornings seems to be the worst.  I need to tell you all the details to see if you can help me figure this one out.  At night I take the water at about 9 pm.  Go to the bathroom at least 2X's sometimes 3X's before bed.  Crate her,  At about 2-2:30 am she whines, I take her out she pees.  I really think its the fact that our min pin gets up and goes to her pad at this time, when I do take her outside at this time she goes thru the 'squat' but hardly any comes out.  Back to bed, I know this is bad, but I put her in the bed, because hubby has to get up at 4:45.  She sleeps till he gets up and then she's on!!  We get up eat and I put the water back out about 5:30 go out an do #1 & 2. She  I take her out a again about 6:30. By this time she has consumed about a cup of water.  Time for my nap! I get her on the couch with me, so hopefully I will know when she gets off so we can go out again.  For the last three mornings, she has gotten up and peed FOUR times in 2 hours!!   I have been trying the bells for a week, nothing.  She will nose them when I hold them out before leashing her to 'go out'.  (our word).  She won't ever ring them or let me know when she needs to go, I just have to watch for her to go towards the door any time she has to go.

I have raised 5 Dobermans in the last 20 years and never had such problems or had it take this long, with this much attention to potty training.   

So two problems:

1.  Can't get her to tell me she needs to go, ever.

2.  Peeing four times in 2 hours.  Not as upset about the accidents since I was asleep, but the frequency since she can hold it for 3-4 hours at night, as well as if I play pen her if I have to leave home. The urine does not seem 'strong' like it usually does with a UTI....

She's smart!  I started using treats when she would do her business outside last week.  Sometimes she will even 'squat' and not pee outside and look to me for a treat!!  I always look to see if she has really gone to avoid accidents.....

Sorry such a long post....HELP!

[Erin & Maizey]

Congratulations on your new puppy!  Savannah is super cute. I think that potty training just takes time.  Maizey never got the bells concept.  She thought they were a fun chew toy and would rip them down and chew them, so finally I gave up.  During the first month, when she was a tiny puppy I would take her out pretty much every 30 - 60 minutes when I was home - lots of praise and I would announce at the back door and kind of get really excited about it - 'time to go potty' - basically just to make noise so she would start to get excited too.  When she would go potty outside I got super excited, gave her lots of treats and I'm pretty sure my neighbors thought I was a little crazy.  She had LOTS of peeing accidents during the first month (and I went through two bottles of Nature's Miracles and lots of paper towels) but after a little while the accidents got fewer and fewer in between. I can't really remember the last accident she had in my house.  She did have one or two peeing accidents in July at my parents house but I think she got confused by carpet (I have all hardwoods) and didn't know what door to go too.  I noticed too that she would pee ALL the time when she was little and out playing and running around, but could stay in her crate w/o accidents for a couple of hours at a time.  I think part of it is that they forget to hold it when they are so little and are just so excited about everything.   

She just one day started barking at the back door to go out.  She started to associate going out with treats.  Anyways, she's 8 months now and is fabulous.  It just takes time - I don't think there are any quick solutions.  It really does sound like Savannah is on the right track - 10 weeks is just still very young.  I read lots of posts about puppies getting it right away and got sort of worried that I was doing something wrong when it seemed to be taking a little while but it all worked out.  Just hang in there, it will get better and quickly.  Savannah is super smart and will grow up really, really fast! 

[Vivian & Mojo]

What a beautiful puppy Savannah is. I think 10 weeks is very young to be potty trained and find it amazing that your Dobermans  accomplished it so early. Perhaps if your Mini Pin slept away from Savannah she may sleep through the night. However your training, with or without the bells stay consistent. Mojo is six months old and just really getting it, when he was younger he was startled by the bells I had (they were too big) so I put them away and just bought smaller ones and I'm about to start using them now. He goes to the door and paces when he wants to go out but if I don't see will eventually do his business there so I'm keeping him in his create when I can't watch I'm every minute. It takes time and every dog is different. Wishing you the best of luck.

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Congratulations on your new Doodle!  She is adorable and I'm sure she already has your heart!  When we got Libby she was ten weeks old and I decided to clear my claendar for at least two weeks and devote my attention to her potty training.  I took her out every thirty mintues for the first week to the same door each time and went with her to the grass.  Little by little she got the "picture" and we always praised her and sometimes gave her a treat.  It was not an over night success and we did have some accidents in the house, but you just have to be consistant and remind them all the time.  At night we crated her and from the first night home until today (she is eighteen mos.) and she has never once had to go out at night. I think we really are fortunate on the night time thing and don't know how we lucked out on that one.  She loves her crate at night, but I will be honest at times I feel bad we put her in it and we go to our bed.  She learned very quickly to go to "the" door and she sits very nicely and waits for us to open it up.  If we are not in that room she will come and get us and go to a sit and gives us a "certain" bark that tells us she needs to go outside.  I hope this helps somewhat and I know every Doodle is different and every situation is not the same, but most important is to be consistant.  Have fun with Savannah and enjoy Doodle Kisses!

[Chelsie]

Savannah sounds like she is doing great, and is too cute. I remember the morning nap since they get up so early and were ready! No matter what time Sam gets up, I don't feed him until 7:30, my usual wake up time. Now he sleeps until I wake him up! Puppies pee a lot! I agree with everyone else that you have to remain consistent for her to catch on. I would take Sam out every 30 mins when I first brought him home, which was around 10 weeks. The same door, ring the bells, "go potty" and lots and lots of praise for going. He quickly learned to ring the bells. If you use the bells make sure they are ringing them before going out, not you making the noise. However, he now thinks of them as toys so who knows if we will keep them! Now Sam just goes out when I let him out. Sometimes I do hear him ring the bells to be let out, but I also think he would bark or something to let me know if he didn't have bells there. I quickly realized that he could hold it longer so after a few days it was every hour and gradually increased it. We would have accidents every once in awhile, puppies do that, so don't get discouraged. I was lucky that for the first two weeks were the only times I had to take him out at night, and I think he cried more to get out of the crate than to potty. He never learned to love his crate and as soon as I let him sleep on his bed next to mine he slept the whole night, peeing outside at 11 and then again at 7:30...silly puppy. We haven't had an accident in the house, knock on wood, since he was 14 weeks and he is now almost 19 weeks. So it will get better and use lots of Natures Miracle!

[Amy & Cosmo]

I feel your pain. We potty trained a dachshund and lab within a few days, but not our doodle. Hang in there..take out often and be consistent and eventually they get it. Cosmo has not had an accident since he was about 4-5 months old. It seems like forever, but they do get it.