Potty training troubles! Need help!

[Peter Oprisko]

My wife and I got our miniature goldendoodle "Buddy" from a reputable breeder on February 21(when he was 8 weeks old).  We started with the potty traing from the getgo, but unfortunately there has been very little progress.  Indeed, Buddy is content doing his business randomly in his crate(which is located in a fenced-in area 5 feet from the back door of our house leading outside to the yard where we try to get him to do his business).  When he IS outside(in our back yard surrounded by a privacy fence), he is SO distracted, it is EXTREMELY difficult to get him to pee or poop.  When he does go outside, it is usually after a long while(10-20 minutes).  More often than not, he will not go outside, and then when we return him to his crate inside, he'll go within a few minutes(in the crate).

 

    We have tried the "bell-on-the doorknob" training method, but he only thinks it is a toy and will ring it relentlessly.  He WILL NOT signal us that he needs to go out, but barks AFTER he has done his business in his crate.  My wife and I work at home, so we are able to provide more attention and care to Buddy than most owners might be able to.  Despite this seeming advantage, we can barely take our eyes off of him for fear he will go in his crate(yes, he's that fast).  We NEVER know when it's going to happen(even though we have had him on a regular eating schedule since the beginning).

 

   At night,  we are now setting the alarm to wake us up every hour between Midnight and 6:AM to take him out.  Unfortunately, even with this frequency, he often slips through the cracks(and we discover his mess when we go to take him out).  The other night, he deficated 4 times in his crate(sometimes eating it, although we are hopeful that he is learning not do that because of our use of pineapple in his food as well as the product FOR-BID).

 

  This is our first adventure with a puppy(and it is wearing heavily on us).  We have had dogs before(different breeds from 9 months up), and have NEVER experienced such exhausting and exasperating issues.  So, doodle-lovers, when does the FUN of having this type of dog actually begin???  Will he outgrow this behavior???  If so, any idea how long it may take??? Another month?  Another year?  Is this housebreaking difficulty a common experience?  Any advice(or empathy) would be helpful!

                          Sincerely,

                          Sleepless sh*t cleaners in Chicago

[Melissa]

I am Peter's wife and we had Buddy at the vet on Monday for his 12 week shots. The vet told us that at this age he should be able to hold his pee for 4 hours. Well, this afternoon I had some work I HAD to do so I took Buddy out at 2pm. Then I put him in his crate. He barked at 3:25pm I went to him right away and he was standing in his pee. Not even an hour and a half and NO warnings other than barking when he was finished.

[Eva (Lilo and Rocky)]

I just thought of something: was he neutered really early? Early neutering can cause urinary incontinence in dogs. See for example:

http://www.caninesports.com/SpayNeuter.html

http://www.medi-vet.com/UrinaryIncontinence.html

- just a thought... you can ask your vet to test Buddy for this problem if you think it's a possible cause of his frequent urination. I think treatment involves drugs or possibly surgery depending on the exact problem.

[Melissa]

Thanks but he is not neutered yet...we are doing that at 6 months.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

It may be true that at 12 weeks they should be able to hold it for 4 hours, but my 12 week old can't make it that long during the day. He goes all night fine (we take up his water around 7:30). During the day when he's drinking and playing more is another story. He has to go out every hour in order to avoid accidents.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I've had many 8-9 week old puppies who could go 8 hours at night.

[Donna K & Quincy]

Try not putting him in his crate in the daytime but rather tether him to you. Take him outside every hour or so. Give treats when he goes potty. Give his crate a really thorough cleaning with a cleaner that has no amonia in it. If the crate is very big, at night use something to fill up the space so he has just enough room to stand up and turn around (I used a large plastic storage container).Our pup pooped in his crate the first couple of nights but after that no problems. He was 12 weeks when we got him and it took about 6 weeks to housetrain him. He would not bark to go out so we took him out on a regular schedule and if he went to the door we would take him out.Good luck and in case nobody told you, having a puppy is like having a newborn babe, just as much work but totally worth it.

[Kim]

lol to your Sincerely, Sleepless sh*t cleaners in Chicago.

[Nugget's Family]

Wow! I'm really sorry that this has been so tough for all of you. I don't have much experience with this....our breeder offered (for a price) holding the pup for 10 weeks and started crate training betw 8-10 weeks. Worked great. She had about 3 accidents in the house. I tethered her, too, while I was at home and that worked for us as well. The accidents she had in the house always happened when our very good friend came over. He was starting to get a complex. But our trainer told us this was pretty common with pups when they got very excited to see someone. She has gotten over it and our friend plays with her to his heart's content now when he comes over.

As long as there are no medical issues, have you thought about seeking the assistance of a trainer to help you with this very specific issue? Our neighbors hired a trainer to just work on pottying with the owners and the dog and it worked like a charm. Your vet may have recommendations. Their trainer is a very gentle soul who seemed to be the perfect fit for them all. They are no longer having any problems. They have a one year old Bull Mastiff and you can imagine, the clean-up was not fun!