please tell me I am not alone. Potty training...ACK!

[NewfoundlandNic]

Hey guys, little Georgia has totally wrapped us around her fuzzy little pants. What a sweetheart of a dog and very, very smart. She is 10 weeks old and we have had her for 10 days, she already knows sit and sits before being fed and before we open the door. She is a delightful doodle.

 

BUT...despite the crate being changed to the perfect size, being super sanitized each time and having the opportunity to go outside just prior to being crated, she is still peeing in the crate!!! Twice a day usually, and not often at night. I am home with her most of the time, so she is not being overly crated at all. I take her out about every 45 minutes and watch her like a hawk - I swear every time she tries to sit I am bringing her outside and driving her crazy. It feels like I am torturing her, I bring her outside so much. She just tries to lie on my shoes in the front porch and looks at me like, "Really, outside again? Please let me sleep." Her accidents in the house are much less frequent and she is really getting the idea that outside = pees and poops. I have her tethered to me most of the time when she is loose in the house, or if she is completely exhausted and I am in the kitchen, I'll tether her to a cupboard door so she can stay in one spot.

 

Her day usually goes like this:

6:00 am - out of crate and outside. Back inside for quiet time with me until rest of family wakes up.

7:00 am - breakfast

7:20 - outside poop and pee, ten minute walk

8:20 back outside

9:00 back outside, then crated for 90 minutes (while I am putting baby to sleep and cleaning up kitchen)

10:30 outside, ten minute walk

11:30 outside

12:15 outside

1:30 outside, then crate for 90 minutes

3:00 outside

4:00 outside

4:30 outside, then crate for half an hour

5:15 outside, then dinner

5:30 outside

6:00 outside

6:30 outside

7:00 outside, then crate for 45 minutes (while we get kids to bed)

8:00 outside, ten minute walk. Water taken up.

9:00 outside

10:00 outside

11:00 outside, then crate

 

It is exhausting bathing a dog twice a day and sanitizing a crate twice a day. I know it'll get better, but I just don't get it!

 

Sorry, had to vent. We do love her, it is just frustraing. My previous dog maybe peed in her crate once the entire time we trained her...oh well.

 

 UPDATE: What a difference a week makes, and some hope for those reading this looking for assurance in the future.

 

So, a few things that I have done differently. Georgia's crate was clearly stressing her out, so for two days I kept her out of the crate during the day. She spent a lot of time outside. I removed the barriers from the crate and began feeding her meals in there, with the door open. I make it a challenge for her to get to her treats/food in there. She sees me laying it in the crate, but I hold her back, saying, "Wow, your house is pretty cool now, isn't it? Look at all those great/yummy things in there. Bet you'd love to get in..." etc. By this time, she is pushing and squirming in my arms, trying to get IN her crate. For two nights I let her sleep in her undivided crate with no blanket, just the hard floor, then I laid her favourite blanket in there. Now it is a place of food and delightful comfort. She goes in there at night with no arguments and settles right down and hasn't had an accident in there since I removed the dividers. She does not like small spaces at all, I think it stresses her out. I know this goes against conventional wisdom, but it seems to be working. I'll take it! Whatever eliminates the need for me sanitizing that crate and scrubbing my poor pup, I will do.

 

Her age is obviously working for her too, because she can go longer periods of time without a need to pee/poop. She has had two pee accidents in the house since Wednesday, so I think we are doing well. She is sleeping through the night, from 11:00 until 6:00ish, but we still have to pick her up when she greets us in the morning and hustle outside, otherwise she will widdle a little as soon as exiting the crate.

 

I will test her this week with crating during the day, but she passed with flying colors when we crated her Thursday evening for two and a half hours when we went out to dinner.

 

Thanks for all your tips/advice. If nothing else, I have learnt that every dog is different. We love our little Georgia girl very much, and her days of being a poopy pants seem to be numbered, Yay!

 

 

 

 

[Bonnie and Kona]

I'm so sorry you are having this trouble. We took the puppy out every 20 minutes for the first week then every half hour for another two weeks at least. It was exhausting but not as tiring as having to bathe a pup and sanitize the crate. I think you mentioned in an earlier post that you have a blanket in the crate. Maybe take that out completely. It turns out that Owen prefers to sleep on the crate floor than on the blanket we have for him. go figure. He drags it out every morning and then sleeps in the crate all day long without it. I still think he would want it so I put it back in at night. haha. I need to get a clue! Good luck with little Georgia. She sure is a cutie.

[NewfoundlandNic]

Thanks Bonnie. Georgia hasn't had a blanket/pee pad or anything soft for over a week. I feel horrible, but thems the breaks at this point!

[Bonnie and Kona]

I am sooo sorry for you. This would be too hard especially when you have little children too. You must be so fed up with potty training. Don't feel bad about not having a blanket in the crate, as I mentioned, Owen prefers it that way.

[Molly Doodle Went to Town]

You are not alone. I can certainly relate. Molly is 12 weeks old, and we have had her for a week.  The first two days she did the exact same thing, but I almost died when I read Bonnie's reply.  As soon as we took her blanket out of her crate (it just happened to be in the wash), she hasn't peed in it since. We just put a small, flat carpet sample in there, and now she is doing so much better.  (Actually, we could take the carpet out, too, because she slides it under the crate divider.) We, too, take her out VERY often. It's a good preventative measure. I look forward to days when she can go long stretches in between going out, but just like having a newborn, you have to try to just live in and enjoy the moment!  Hope things get better very soon.

[NewfoundlandNic]

Absolutely, enjoying the moment. Thank god they are so adorable! They totally have the "survival of the cutest" factor going for them. Molly is adorable, by the way! It is just comforting to hear from others that have been a little crate challenged. My Lab never, ever messed her crate. Like children, I know I shouldn't compare...

[Molly Doodle Went to Town]

Thank you. Georgia is so cute as well! (love the name, too.)  Puppy time is so tough. It's like having a newborn. After that time is through, it's hard to remember the details and how tough it is, but when you're in the throes of it, it's so challenging and seemingly never-ending. We are away for the weekend now, and we don't have a yard here, so we have been up and down the steps so many times with Molly to try to get her to go. I have no idea how people in the city have dogs. I miss our easy access yard!

[Phoebe's Mom]

No consolation right now but this, too, shall pass.  My Phoebe is just over 2 years old and we had a very rough go with potty training.  I felt as though I was outside with her more than I was in--and it was in the winter in MN brrrr, not fun. My Phoebe had a lot of UTI's which slowed/confused the training but after we passed 6 months, she was awesome.  During our initial training, I took Phoebe out every half hour!  You will get through this and it will be wonderful once it is behind you :) 

[NewfoundlandNic]

I so hear you on the weather! It has been cold, rainy and super windy here for the last wo weeks. Georgia hides behind my legs much of the time when we are outside. I will get her checked for UTIs. Thanks!

[NewfoundlandNic]

Thanks very much for the tips Lisa. I am going to increase the crate time, it's just that she hates it so much, sometimes I wonder if it is the stress of being in there that makes her pee in the first place.

 

And I will up the yummy factor on the treats - the Zukes don't seem to thrill her.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

We took Peri out every 15 minutes while at home, we put up water after 7pm, etc...

Literally the first few weeks I wondered "what have I done?, will this ever end???", etc....

Trust me, it will get better.  Have a PARTY when she goes outside - "yay, good girl!!!" - think high-pitched squeal!  When she goes inside, give a VERY FIRM NO.  She will start to recognize good vs. bad and what she gets from it (treats and praise for outside, No in a low, meaner voice for inside).

We did this consistantly for a month or so and she was potty trained by 4 months.  She has had maybe one accident since and she is 2 :) 

[NewfoundlandNic]

Thanks for the tips Lisa. We are trying to ignore the barking and crying, but it seems despite a successful outside visit just prior to cratingm, she pees in the crate within twenty mintues or so (crying the entire time). Not sure how to handle that.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Try to find Plato's "Thinkers" - they look like long beef jerky. Try the salmon kind (you can cut them up) - they smell so terrible, but I have never seen a dog resist them...I trained Peri for canine good citizen using them.