Stressing a little

[Ruby Goldendoodle]

Ok, I am pretty sure this is just first time puppy owner jitters. We picked up our puppy yesterday and she is SO sweet. I love her and she is precious. I have a 5 year old and this is just the 2nd day. She has had several accidents today even though I have been taking her out every 40 minutes or so. I feel a little bit that I am neglecting my daughter. Again, I know this is just the 2nd day. Just can you guys reassure me that she will get potty trained. That eventually, she will be more like a member of the family that I don't have to watch all the time. I want to do what is right with this puppy, but even after reading etc... I just feel a little clueless. :) 

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I think looking back at training Riley that the more you take them out and avoid them having accidents the faster you will get them trained.  When you are in the middle of it you think it will never end.  I looked on every accident he had as my fault but the best was when I caught him mid-flow (so to speak) and I lifted him and brought him right outside to finish.  The crate is really good and it becomes a safe place for both the dog and for you when they are older.  Riley is 10 and a half months old now and loves his crate and goes in during the day often just to have a sleep.  I think at this stage I was taking Riley out every 20 minutes and treating him every time he went.  I would say 'get busy' in my most enthusiastic voice and heap lavish praise on him when he went. I used the clicker method in the early days but he got very smart and used to pretend to do a wee for the treat LOL !!!  At night I would lift his water at 7ish and lift him during the night for the first week and bring him out at about 2am and then up at 5 or 6.  He has not had an accident since he was 12 weeks old. The best advise is on this great site so just search and ask if you need any help. Good luck

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

We also took our dogs out like every 20 minutes and made a big deal about saying potty or outside and we also used the potty bells. It takes time and not all dogs are the same. It'll be ok with lots of effort and maybe your daughter could be your 'helper" maybe set a timer for the potty times and your daughter can help you know it's time!

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

I was going to say that same thing.  Include your daughter in the potty training and even if you aren't focusing directly on her she will feel like she is part of this and not feel like she is pushed aside for the puppy.  Maybe have her give the puppy a treat after she sucessfully potties outside and I'm sure a 5 year old would be good at making a "party" and congratulating the puppy for going outside.  Your daughter will be excited and the puppy will learn that she gets lots of praise and treats for going outside.  Just be sure to teach your daughter to be super gentle with the pup even if she is excited and praising her.  If some of the treats and praise are coming from your daughter, it might also help to teach the puppy that she needs to listen to all members of the family, even the little ones.

[Phoebe's Mom]

We got Phoebe when my youngest was 5 years old, too.  The good thing was that he was able to keep an extra set of eyes on her while I was in the room with them, the bad thing was that we were totally overhwelmed with how many times she needed to go out and just how many  accidents she did have inside despite going out every  20 minutes or so.  Phoebe was also plagued by UTI's which was part of the problem as well.  I know it is easy for me to say now, but things will get better with time.  I never thought that Phoebe would get potty trained either.  Now, at 3 years old, she can 'hold it' so long it is amazing.

Take a breath, definitely crate train and know that with a little time, you will have an amazing and loving family member whom your daughter will adore!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I would add also that if you or your daughter are having a big play session with the puppy, always stop mid session and take the puppy out.  She will never want to stop what she is doing to let you know she has to potty.  The other thing that we did, even though we did crate train is we bought an exercise pen and we put that up in the kitchen/dining room area right at the back door and that is where the puppies stayed when I wasn't able to completely keep my eyes on them.   That way there wasn't anything they could get into that could hurt them, they couldn't destroy anything, and they didn't have to be crated as much.   I placed it on top of rubber backed rugs that I could just toss in the washer.  They had a little more room to move around and some water and their toys.  I could scoop them up take them out to potty and put them back in there. 

[Adina P]

I have a 2 y.o. and a 5 month old so I can empathize with how quickly new tasks can make you feel like you are neglecting your child.  But really this is a good thing for your 5 y.o..  She can help with a lot of tasks and you can set an alarm and have her participate in "It's Doggy's Potty Time!"  It is a LOT like having/adding a second child--a baby.  They are constantly requiring something.

Not to make things worse, but some pups have to go potty more often than every 40 minutes initially.  So if she is having accidents, reduce the time to every 20 minutes.  Make it a game for your 5 y.o. and give her rewards for doing something helpful when the alarm dings.  But that 20 minute rule is ONLY if puppy is running around freely.  Pups have to pee and poo more often when they are playing and running freely.  You can also give yourself and your daughter a break by crating your pup for an hour or so every now and then during the day as most pups will NOT soil their crate if it is free of fabric and small enough. 
So for instance a schedule could work like this:

7am -- out with puppy for potty

7:10 - Puppy breakfast and hang out

7:30 - Puppy potty break

7:40-8:00 -- Play with puppy

8:00 -- Puppy potty break

8:10-9:30 -- Puppy crate time

9:30 -- Puppy potty

9:40 -- Play with puppy

10:00 -- Puppy potty and outside play time

10:30 -- Puppy inside but tethered to your waist while you wash dishes or tethered to a couch leg while you have a tea party with your daughter

10:50 -- Puppy potty time

11-12 -- puppy crated

12:00 -- puppy lunch then potty break

12:20 puppy crated through your lunch and some free Mommy and daughter time

2:00 -- Puppy potty

and so on where you crate puppy for an hour or two at different times of day so you can eat, play, clean, whatever. 

However, even without potty training worries, it's still a GOOD idea to keep puppy within your supervision because while she may not have accidents at 5 or 6 months old, she may still get into trouble if left alone to explore parts of the house without you there.  Again just think about your kids and at what age they were able to be left responsible to be alone in the house...it took a while!

[Becka]

I stuck to a similar schedule with Sadie for the first three or four weeks and I think it saved my sanity. I had it posted on the fridge. She had very few accidents after the first two weeks, and when she did I really felt like they were my fault for not picking up immediately on the signs that she needed to go out. Even a month from now you'll be amazed by how much better things will be, but I know how hard it is to believe that when you're right in the middle of it.

[Ruby Goldendoodle]

Thanks so much for all the great replies. I love the idea of the timer. She does well in the crate, cries if she sees us. Knowing that crating will help with the training I will use it more. Ruby is not that interested in treats, at least not the kind I got her. I might try some cheese (is that ok for dogs)? She is doing great with poops. I take her out about 15 minutes after she eats and she goes. She is peeing in the same spot outside. We have her in our kitchen area. I had area rugs, but pulled them up because she keeps peeing on them. I assume wood floors will be easier to clean. Is the Nature's Miracle ok for hard woods? She is a lot of fun and very sweet. 

[Linda, Webber and Seda]

I put in on my hardwood floor but didn't let it stay there to dry.  I just kind of wiped the floor with it.  I would read the label.  You can get it at PetCo.

[Katie and Sophie]

You are doing fine! You will get into a routine with the pup soon and know when she has to go potty. It will help immensely when you know when she is going to have to go before it happens. I have found that as a general rule she is going to have to go right after she wakes up (before her feet even touch the ground you have to pick her up and take her out. If she walks chances are good she will go on the way before you make it out.), right after she is done playing for any length of time, right after she eats or drinks ( it goes right through them at that age), and again about 15 minutes after she eats or drinks. I know it sounds like a lot, and it is, but it wont be like this for long! Once she gets the hang of going outside to go it will get so much easier. The more you stay on top of it and anticipate her having to go the quicker she will figure it out. And include your daughter in it, i am sure she would love to be your helper! The dog will be her best friend as she grows up, so dont feel guilty about providing her with that. There is a lifetime of unconditional love in that little puppy! Enjoy it! You are doing great!

[Jena ~ Dublin]

Oh, this is a hard stage.  Dublin was so easy to train.  We got him home and we took him out every hour.  We ( I mean my DD and DH) slept downstairs the first week he was home and set an alarm to take him out every 2 hours.  It worked, NOT WITHOUT accidents though.  Yes, you WILL get through this.  Include your daughter in taking Ruby out, have her help and be apart of the process.  Talk to her as to why they have accidents, why we wash our hands after cleaning up...etc.  You will get through this, I PROMISE.  You will look back and remember how hard it is, but you will smile and enjoy your daughter playing with Ruby and enjoying it all as you take it in.

[Moe]

For the entire first week that we got our puppy I was convinced that I couldn't do it another day and would have to give her away in the morning. Every morning I would say to myself I'll just try to make it through today. It was so draining. We took her out every 20 minutes. She only had about 1 accident in the house per day but it was so much work. She never wanted to be put down. By the time she was 10-11 weeks it was so much easier. Now at 5mo she is a joy.

We had great success with a doggy bell. Keep at it, things will get easier.