When will he be potty trained??? (and separation anxiety)

[Karen]

OMG.  My puppy is 16 weeks old today.  He is still not potty trained.  He usually pees on the couch, which he just did right next to me!  I don't think it's an attention thing, I just think he doesn't feel like going outside or doesn't realize that he is ONLY supposed to pee outside.  I am so frustrated.  I have to keep him tethered by me all the time, and when he is tethered (by the door to the backyard) he whines or barks to go out and pee.  But when he is off tether, (when we are all in the family room where he is confined too) he just pees on the couch or on the floor.  I am just so so frustrated.  what am I doing wrong?  I have read that when the puppy has an accident it's my fault - ok, fair enough, but is this normal?  Am I doing something really wrong???I thought labradoodles were supposed to be easy to train.  So far, that has not been the case.

Also, whenever I leave his line of sight, he whines and cries and howls.  Its horrible.  What can I do to help him?  It's really starting to stress me out.  I take him to work, and dread going away from my desk because of the noise I know he will make.  :-(  Oh yeah, and he hats his downstairs crate too.  

Sigh. I just can't wait for these puppy days to be over.  This is really hard!!!!

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

I found it easier to keep them contained while they're that young. Every time I let mine into a larger area of the house they got confused and peed or pooped. So, until they were trustworthy they stayed contained in the kitchen. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen esp when Izzy was a pup:) she was the crier and howler. They both hated the crate also. I just gated them in the kitchen when they were young. I think Lucca was around 8 months before he was trusted to wander and Izzy was around 6 months. Also, when I say "trusted to wander" I mean with restrictions...doors closed, all areas puppy-proofed.

Karen...you're not in this alone. We've all been there, done that. Many through many trials and errors. We all have had to find a way that worked for our pups. The good thing is that they eventually DO grow out of it and they DO become potty trained. You're almost there. Remember they are babies and have short term memories. As they get older they're able to control their bladder a lot better. Good luck

[Adina P]

How often do you take him out to potty?

Can you keep him OFF the couch till he's trained?

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Karen, First of all, that is one cute puppy. They come cute, because they can drive you nuts, right? I wouldn't let him on the couch if he is peeing on it. In the beginning it seemed I was taking my dogs out every 15-30 minutes when awake, after playing, when they first got up, or if they just appeared like they were thinking about going potty. It is a constant job in the beginning. You should say something like, "go potty," and praise, praise, praise when he gets it right. Also, he needs to learn to be in his crate. It will probably work better where he can see you. Never take him out of the crate when he is making a racket, only when he is calm and quiet. (as long as you know he does not have to go potty) Invest in a Snuggle Puppy and bully sticks for him to chew on (supervised) in the crate. If  you are stressed, he senses it. Put him in the crate without a fuss and go about your business. Many times they will fall asleep. Do you give him a special treat when he goes in the crate? I always put Peanut Butter in a Kong. It gets better. You really will miss those puppy days when they are over....LOL! Good luck!

[BRADY GOOSE MOORE (Mini Doodle]

I also was getting very frustrated with Brady at 4 mos and not yet house trained.   He only ever pooped 2'wce in the house and that was right in the beginning after we brought him home.   The pee, however, took until 6 mos.   Are you making it the VERY BEST PARTY (huge praise and delectable (cheese) treats) when he does go outside?    That's my advice....make it VERY  APPEALING for him to do it outside!   And, when you take him outside make sure he does go before taking him back inside.     The CRATE.    What is his experience with it?   Start over at square one.    Leave it in common area, door open and lure him in with great treats.  Let him walk right out.    Brady was the same....then I started peanut butter filled /frozen kong in the crate, door closed for the first few minutes while he enjoyed the kong, meanwhile I stayed in same area so he could see me but went about my business while humming, making common house noises (tap on and off), pick up phone and talk/hang up.   Each day add a little time to the DOOR CLOSED part then open it without saying a word and ignore him as he comes out.    I did this for several days sometimes twice/day and before I knew it Brady was choosing his crate often.   He never was put in it to sleep at night....always slept right in bed with me.    At 11 mos he LOVES his crate and often goes in just to relax.   We also only used it if we had to go out. He has now been left for 4 hour intervals with the run of the main floor and we have been SO HAPPY that he hasn't done one little thing wrong during those times.    Your puppy sounds like he's somewhat anxious and needs some assurance that he is not alone.   If I were you....I'd take him on again like he's brand new.   I think he'll surprise you.....Good luck...these little guys are theBEST!   I hope things get better quickly for you!