Help with new aussiedoodle pup =)

[Valerie]

We have a sweet little aussiedoodle pup whom we named Di Vinci. He is a great pup but we are new to the puppy phase lol. Are there any pointers that you can give me to make the transition smooth for both of us? lol 

He will potty anywhere given the chance. I bought puppy pads thinking that would entice him but ummm no he doesn't care for them. Has never once used them. I use them as pee soaker uppers lol. I do use natures miracle on all spots he pees on. 

When I do take him out we go to the same spot, we make a big deal of him going potty and he gets a treat. I can bring him in and 20 min later he is going poo. So we have learned that he needs to go out about 10-20 minutes after peeing. Never fails. 

He is about 14 weeks old now. He is a RUNNER!! I will assume that is the aussie coming out in him. We live on two acres and that dog runs and chases everything in sight. So I am thinking we need an electric fence. Rather than chase him all over tar nation. 

I've heard many people refer to crating. Can you explain this in more detail? We have a crate and he does sleep in it with the door open. We close the door to the computer room and he does just fine in the small room. Doesn't have accidents all night when left in the room. 

I have taken to gating him in our small foyer area and he isn't a fan. But if I don't he will pee all over. How long does it normally take to potty train and am I going about it right? We've had him since he was close to 9 weeks. So a little over a month he's been with us. 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

The web is full of information so start by reading some information on crate training:

http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/cratetraining.htm

among just a few of the sites out there.  I found numerous helpful sites.

I'll add, I strongly advocate for crate training for the best possible way to keep your dog safe let alone just potty training.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Everything Joanne says here is true and will help immensely. And tou do have to take them out regularly as little pups. Learnigntheir elimination pattern is vital until they are old enough to be a bit more flexible and go longer between outings.

[F, Calla & Luca]

And if you haven't yet joined Puppy Madness do. Any topic is covered and you can search in the discussions.

[Buster and Kathy]

I think the most helpful thing for Buster's potty training was keeping him on a leash while he is inside the house. Before I learned about putting him on the leash, I was exhausted from watching him so closely and taking him outside every hour, only to have him disappear for 20 seconds to pee on the floor.  At first, I attached the leash to my waist and later, just kept him close by stepping on the leash when he started to wander off.  We've done this for about a month and now he's 4 months old and stays close to me whether he is on the leash or not.  I take the leash off more frequently now and he has had one "accident" but he is maturing and goes to the door a lot more often now.

[Donna K & Quincy]

Valerie, Welcome to DK, your pup is just adorable. Kathy made a good suggestion about keeping DiVnci tethered to you inside, it not only makes potty training easier but it also developes a bond that makes him less likely to stray away from you. Do you live in the country where there other animals that could be a threat to your pup, if so, an electric fence might not be you best option. Is there anyway you could enclose a smaller area so that he has some room to run but you don't have to chase him all over? One of the most important things you can teach him besides potty training is a good solid "come" , which should eliminate a lot of chasing. He is such a cute little guy and it sounds like you are off to a good start.

[John and Finn]

Finn has been potty trained since about 12 weeks (zero accidents) and we brought hmi home at 10 weeks.  Couple things we did..  They may work for you or they may not but they worked for us.

1.  We removed rugs because he would not usually pee on hard surfaces (did once) and he was chewing the rugs anyway so it was a win/win,

2.  Try  bells on the door.  We rang it every time he went out and within a day or two he was ringing by himself.

3.  If you cant watch him to stop an episode crate him. 

4.  watch his cues.  Once you learn them you will be able to take him out more as needed.  BTW with a bell that becomes the que.

[Valerie]

Thank you everyone!! I really appreciate all of your insight. Its so nice to know you have a place to come where others can help guide you to success =)

[Martha & Cooper]

Hi Val and DiVinci!   Uncle Cooper welcomes you!

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

Your puppy is sooo cute!  IF he is really going as often as you say (every 10-20 minutes), that sounds like a lot to me for a 14 week old pup.  I can see an 8-9 week old pup needing that, but for 14 weeks that seems off to me.  But...I'm no expert.  Maybe set the kitchen timer for every 15 minutes for now & take him out - just to make sure you really are taking him out that often...so you don't lose track of the time.  Then, if that is working, keep increasing the time by 5-10 minute increments to extend in-between potty times.  Also - I always had a baggie of Cheerios by the back door, so whenever we took him out to go potty, I would grab it so I could treat him as soon as he peed rather than waiting to come inside first for the treat.  Good luck!  It gets better pretty quickly.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Perhaps you can get an ex-pen for outside when you do not want to chase him all over. 

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

Hi Valerie... I am a firm believer of crate training, both my doodles were trained using the crate and many, many trips ouside.  Another tip to all the great ones alredy posted.  Put your puppy on a feeding schedule so you will have a idea of when they will poop also, I limited water at certain times.  About a hour and a half before I went to bed I picked up the water and of course took them out, I would do this before going to work as well.  The food I would feed at 6 am and 6 pm, if they did not eat it within a half hour I would pick that up as well.. what goes in must come out.  I would take my doodles out about every half hour, while they were peeing or pooping I would say good girl/boy you are going peepee or poopie - LOL.  I did this so they would associate this when we were outside and they were more interested in playing, I would say "lets go poopie or peepee". 

 

It takes time to train a young puppy, there will be lots of accidents but with persistance they will get it.  I also have a electric fence system, my back yard if fully fenced with a physical fence but the doodles discovered my garden and koi pond so I have a e-fence as well to keep everyone out of trouble - LOL   good luck with your new puppy.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Time and patience! We took ours out every 20 minutes and they learned quickly, welcome and good luck!!