Help with house training

[Raghu]

Happy New Year to my DK family.

We finally got our fluffy fur ball Remy on Dec 17th. Its been fun and true test of patience since then. He is almost 9.5 weeks old now. We have been doing the standard house training exercise since we got him (i.e. ringing the bell when we take him out, reward him when he does his business outside etc). He still has accidents with in 30 mins of him peeing outside. So, we have started crating him again with in 15 mins of returning from his pee/potty walk. He cries for a while and then sleeps for the next 3 hrs before we take him out to do his business again. He never fails to ring the bell before we go out. However, he still pee's in the house if left outside the crate for more than 30mins. after his walk.

On the bright side, he now sleeps for a good 5 hrs at night.

How long do puppies generally take to get the hang of it? Am I doing anything wrong ?

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Welcome!  I encourage you to join the Puppy Madness group on here - wealth of information and you will find that everyone is going through what you are going through.  I swear, Peri used to have to go outside every 15 minutes, especially when we were home and playing with her.  It just takes a while. 

[Doris, Knox & Flash]

I am definitely not an expert on training, but I really think 9.5 weeks is WAY too early to expect much in the way of house-training.  I have been "puppy-sitting" for a mini GD who just turned 5 months, and while he is doing well in that area and will ring the bell occasionally, he is not reliable at all.  I take him out every 20 to 30 minutes during waking hours, and he still has had a couple of accidents. Consistency and LOTS of patience are the keys!

[Bonnie and Kona]

The Puppy Madness will be a great place to get ideas. 9.5 weeks is way to early to expect anything as far as potty training from my experience. It takes a long time. I confined my most recent pup (now a little over a year) in a small area until he was a few months old. He was not reliable until almost 5 months. I had to slowly increase the area he could roam because once I gave him a bit more room he would pee in the "new" area. argh. Lots of patience and lots of confinement. Oh, I took him out every 20 minutes for a long time (except at night).

[Raghu]

Thanks all for the input... I like taking him out for walks.. wish it wasn't so cold tho'

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

In the beginning, it seemed like I was taking my two dogs out every 15-30 minutes. If they played hard, napped, ate anything, drank anything..out we went. I always said, "go potty" and made a big deal when they did. It just takes time and consistency. Good luck!

[Adina P]

I just think he needs to go out MORE frequently while free in the house.  My Rosco would go every 10-15 min if we gave him the opportunity.  In the crate they will hold it much longer, as you can see.  But outside the crate he just needs out more often.  

[Rich and Sandy Adams]

Boy oh boy, does that sound like us a few years ago.  Our first golden doodle took forever to potty train; at least three months whereas our second one took about three weeks!   If a puppy has another dog to watch things can go much faster, but if they are the only dog in the house, you are the pack leader and will need to show them.

As they say, patience is a virtue and with potty training you may need a lot of it!  Some puppies get the hang of house training more quickly than others.   

The rule of thumb is that a puppy can/should be able to "hold it" about an hour for each month of age.  Asking anything more may be asking too much.  If your puppy is 9.5 weeks old, it will probably need to go at least every two to three hours.  Making it hold it longer could cause discomfort and possible urinary problems.  You have a baby and as with any baby you shouldn't expect to sleep through the night until its older.  

Crate training is fine as long as it's not used as punishment.  If your puppy has already had an accident, putting them in a crate afterward won't help.

Puppy "accidents" in the house are normal and to be expected.  If they return to the same area to do their business do your best to block it off.  It can be difficult, but keep an eye on your puppy as much as possible.  They will almost always give you clues as to when they want to or are going to potty.  Usually they will circle an area and sniff the ground repeatedly.  This is a good time to take them out and encourage them to go outside. 

If/when an accident happens avoid scolding them to any great extent as it will attach a negative to what should be a positive experience.  If you can catch them in the act promptly but gently pick them up and take them outside to the area where they are allowed to do their business…even if they're already done it.  Association is very important.  Eventually your puppy will put two and two together.  

Have patience outside as well.  It's tough with the winter weather but it's worth it.  Wait with your puppy outside and try to corral it in the area where you want it to potty.  If you don't have a specific area, it's best to create one.  Mopping up some urine and spreading it on the location you want them to use is a good way to "identify" it for your puppy.  They need to know that it's "okay here" but not "okay there"…in a positive manner.  Taking your puppy out on a leash for a while is a good way to ensure that it will stay within the designated area.

As others have said, praise and treats are in order when your puppy does what you would like.  There can never be too much praise when things go right!

Take your time, know that your puppy will get it eventually, they all do.  Try to make the best of the lousy weather.

BTW, here's some advice I wish someone would have given us about raising a puppy during the winter months.  Socialize your puppy as much as possible.  Our first doodle, Abby, was born in March and we enjoyed taking her to the dog parks and letting her interact with other dogs in the summer and fall…great weather!  She gets along and plays with other dogs quite well.  We were in the same boat as you with our other doodle, Joey (Abby's half-brother).  He was born in September and of course when he was old enough to go to the dog parks they were muddy messes…so he only went on walks with his sister.  He didn't get to play much with other dogs and now that he's a couple of years old his favorite thing to do is chase the ball (or really anything).  He gets along with other dogs, but doesn't really doesn't like to play with them and that saddens us.  We should have taken him to doggy daycare once or twice a week at least to get him socialized but we didn't know any better.  So be sure your puppy gets plenty of "face time" with other puppies, dogs, kids, etc.  

Enjoy your new "baby" and remember we've all gone through this…and it's worth it!

[Raghu]

Love DK!!!

Thank you for all the advise. I adore my fluffy fur ball.... will be more patient and help him figure it out.

[Rich and Sandy Adams]

Just checking in to see how your puppy is getting along with his potty training...and everything else. Hope all is going well!

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

Its normal puppy thing, I went thru it with both doodles.  Your baby is still very young and they do get the hang of it.  When I was training my doodles I would limit the water consumtion (what goes in must come out) before bedtime.  I would actually pick up the water about 9 pm and would take them out for the last time about 11 pm and never had any problems at night.  Oliver I would call my pee-pee dog, I would take him out, he would do his business and he would be inside about 20 minutes and pee on the floor !!!!  As they mature they learn to have more control, I would say Sasha  was completely trained at about 7 months and Oliver was about 8 months.

[Angela, Wheeler & Wicket]

I agree with Adina, we took Wheeler out (while active, such as playing free out of his crate) about every 10 - 15 min! Our trainer strongly recommended to say what he was doing when he was doing it but not in a excited manner cause they will stop, ex. If he was peeing we said pee pee if he was well you know we said that at time of him doing it & he knows the difference of the words to. I also lived in my hoodie & always had his training treats in a sandwich bag in my pocket & as soon as he was done that's when you give him the big praise & a treat, if you wait to you get inside he forgets what it's for. Also, we picked Wheeler up at 8 weeks & at 9 weeks (the night before Easter) we would let him out & he would pee & as soon as he came in he would pee again! He had more accidents in 1 night than he did the week we owned him! We took him to the emergency vet & he had a screaming UTI, which the vet said was common when changing foods (even gradually) in puppies it sometimes throws the balance off in their systems! Good luck!