Potty Training

[JANET YOUNG]

My MGD will be 5 mos at the 26th and is having a hard time giving me signals that she has to go.  She has had a UTI and is still on medication but get no signal at all - today we figured out she gets excited and wants to jump or play.  Sometimes a bark and sometimes not.  The poop side is OK - no accidents in the house lately but the other is making me aggravated and don't know how to fix it. She hates the tell bell - I ring it on the way out - but she wants to play with it.  Any hints???

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

My first thought: if she wants to play with the bells, she doesn't hate them. Consistency is the key. When training Enzo with the bells, we took her paw, each and every time going out, and hit the bells( with her paw). She is now completely bell trained and hadn't has an accident in weeks. ( I hope I didn't just jinx us! :). ).
I would not wait for a signal from her, but continue yo get her out every hr or so...having HER hit the bells on the way out.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Something I just thought of, since Enz just hit her bells to go out.....I have never done this with other pups, but decided to see if we could speed up the process with Enzo. With other pups, after they did "did their thing" outdoors, I always praised the hell out of them. With Enzo, I do the same, but decided to treat as well. She knows when we come back indoors she gets a very small training treat. Might be worth a try with your girl.

[Robin & Josie]

The treat thing worked for us too - but consider giving the treat right when she pees (with lots of praise). If you give it when you get inside, she may think she's being rewarded for coming inside rather than peeing outside. Our trainer suggested doing this til she's gone about three - four weeks without an accident.

[Robin & Josie]

Hi Janet-
Your pup is really just over 4 months. Today is only the 10th. In my opinion and experience, for what it's worth, you may be expecting a bit too much! A UTI will certainly throw a wrench into potty training, but even if she's over it, as Ro said, you really need to be the one determining her potty needs right now. You should still be taking her out pretty frequently and maybe write down when she goes.

Our puppy is 7 months now and hasn't had an accident in quite a while. She still doesn't give a clear signal. We just take her out every few hours or so, and she holds it until we do. We have the bells but she never took to them except to play, so we stopped using them. Not all dogs take to them.

Just give it some more time. Our trainer says they're not REALLY reliable before a year...I'm sure that's a general across the board rule, but it shows how high our expectations are for these little smarties!

[Susan and Bentley]

I agree with Rosemary - exactly what I did.

[Bug <3]

When potty training Bug we went through a rough spell… During that time I made sure that I took him out on a schedule and every time he did I would make him ring his poochie bells with his paw or nose (physically I would move his nose or paw to ring the bells).  When we went out and he pottied I would give him a treat while he was actually doing his business and give him lots of praise.  Some people suggested that you do separate treats for the potty training too.  Super important that you don't treat when she rings the bells… you can praise (I did) but NO TREAT… you don't want her to associate ringing the bells with getting a treat.  When she does have an accident in the house do not punish her… if you can try and take her outside if you are able to stop her by picking her up and carrying her out or one of my friends suggested on making a noise to distract the dog and take them outside to finish.  This never really worked with my lil Bug but when I first got him and he was real little I could pick him up and move him outside.. he would stop and then he'd finish outside.  Take her outside right when you let her out of her crate (if you are crate training) and know that she will need to go if she plays real hard … this is where Bug would have some accidents.  The more consistent you are the better.  When I did the pooch bells like i described above and paid attention to my consistency with it… he was potty trained in about 2 weeks… Good Luck! and know that you are doing great :o) 

[JANET YOUNG]

Sophie doing better. I think drugs have kicked in. When we take her out she used to go right away - now a little wait whiich is a good sign. Definitely not interested in the bells although I try to use her paw to ring or her nose. Wants to eat it. Thanks for your help!