Potty training help please? The yard is too distracting!

[Stephanie]

Hi everyone! I know this topic has been discussed over and over again, but after doing a search I still have questions! I brought Beckett home last weekend and he just turned 10 weeks old. He's absolutely adorable and such a good boy. He's my first puppy, so I'm not sure if I'm doing this potty thing right! Here's my issue:

Before I brought Beckett home, I decided I wanted him to learn to go potty outside on grass. We laid down sod in the yard for him and everything was good to go. The day we took him home I tried taking him out to his patch to go potty, but realized that there were a lot of ants along the edge and he ended up coming back in with ants ALL over him. We sprayed the sod with ant killer and in the mean time I laid down puppy pads in the kitchen, where he's confined to. From the first day he went potty on the pads by himself and I praised him and treated every time. Now the grass is ant free and ready for him to use so I'm trying to transition him to using bells and going outside before he gets too used to going in the kitchen. For the past few days I've been watching him like a hawk and when I see him sniff and circle I pick up his front paws to ring the bells and then carry him outside. I laid a pad down on the grass since that's what he's familiar with. I know he needs to go, but the great outdoors is just too distracting for him to do his business! I keep him on a short leash until he goes, but he's still content! He eats the grass, rolls in it, chomps on the bushes next to it, does somersaults, bites his leash, lays down to take in the view, and pretty much everything else but go potty! I take him in after about 10 minutes, and watch him again. We do this over and over again for almost an hour and it usually ends with me being half a second too late and he starts going on the floor in the kitchen. A few times I picked up his front paws to swat the bells and hoped that I could take him outside to finish, but he just keeps peeing standing up! Same goes for poo...Sometimes I'll see him squat and pick him up and take him out before he starts going and then suddenly he doesn't have to go anymore! In the past two days, I've had 4 successes and I danced and threw a party each time, gave him extra liver treats, and let him run around the yard before coming back in. But then the next time he'll go inside again. I know he's still young and it might take a while (I guess I expected it to be quick since he was flawless with the pads for the first week, even after I relocated them in the kitchen), but I just want to make sure what I'm doing is correct if I'm going to be doing this for who knows how long...Oh, and I should also mention that his schedule is a bit unpredictable. He doesn't have to go poo for hours after he eats and he can hold his pee for a long time too if needed. He sleeps through the night and can hold it for at least 9 or 10 hours. So I can't take him out on a schedule or keep him crated until he goes, and usually I can't out-wait him outside =( Thanks in advance for any input!

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

It sounds like you are doing what you can and he is just going through the normal learning curve for puppies. Rooney had lots of pee accidents inside in the first weeks at home even though I watched him like a hawk, took him out regularly and crated him when we were away. At times it did feel like we should be making more progress and I questioned myself constantly. However, it really did get better with each passing week and by 14 weeks, accidents were becoming few and far between. I kind of remember feeling like the lightbulb went on for him at about 12 weeks and even though he still had some accidents, I could tell he was starting to "get it". Like, "ooooohhhh...you mean you always want me to potty outside? Not inside, huh?"

I think keeping him on leash until he potties is a great idea even if sometimes it takes a couple of trips in and out. Oh, and we too kept Rooney confined to the kitchen for his first weeks at home and I think that helped a lot. You will need to be aware though that when you do finally expand his area he may have some accidents again because he won't get that the new area is also a no-pee zone.

Hang in there, be patient and keep your sense of humor! He will get it!

Oh! I'm sure you are but make sure you are cleaning up his accidents with something like Natures Miracle that gets rid of the odor completely.

[Stephanie]

Thanks for the encouragement Lori. I guess I'll keep doing what I'm doing! I hope his lightbulb goes off soon =) Did you slowly expand his area or go from kitchen confinement to the whole house? Did he have new accidents with every area you expanded to? I'm actually not using a neutralizer to clean up his accidents, I'm just using Clorox wipes and then wiping again with water. I assumed it wasn't necessary since it was on hard flooring and not carpet. Now I wonder if that might be a problem and if I need to get some...

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

Rooney is now five months old and still only has access to our kitchen and family room (they are adjoined and fortunately are house layout is such that I can close off those areas from the rest of the main floor).  And even at that, I only allow him in the family room when I am around to supervise him.  There is a lot more for him to get into in there and he has done exactly that a few times when I haven't been watching.  When we first allowed him in the family room he did have a couple of accidents, but he was a lot younger then. I'm not sure what will happen when we allow him to be on the rest of the main floor because by then he will be older and primarily housetrained, so I'm hoping we won't have any problems when that day comes.

I would definitely get some cleaner specifically for pet accidents.  From what I've heard, regular cleaners will not neutralize the smell and therefore encourages them to go again in the same spot.  We have a tile floor in our kitchen and I still used the Nature's Miracle to clean up after every accident.

Beckett is so adorable!  

[Stephanie]

That's what I was planning to do too! Our kitchen and family room are also adjoined and can be closed off from the rest of the house. As soon as he's potty trained, I'll expand his area to include the family room when there's someone around to keep an eye out. I just know he'll get into stuff if we give him free rein. I will definitely get some neutralizing cleaner, then at least I know I'll be doing everything I can.

Thanks, I think Rooney is too!! I saw your page and looked at your pictures the weekend before I brought Beckett home and hoped that Beckett would look just as cute. I still hope he'll look as sweet as Rooney at 18 weeks hehe!

[Shannon and Finn]

This all sounds familiar! Finn is 15 weeks and I didn't train him with puppy pads, just outside but I do find it is hard to keep him focused on the job. it can take forever to get him to go. We have a fenced yard and I often have to leave him alone and watch from the window instead of wait outside with him. He will usually go if I come in and he has privacy, not sure if this is an option for you though. Maybe a longer leash if not, with you sitting with your back to him so he doesn't try to play with you. Otherwise you may need to keep potty pads and move them a few feet each day closer to the door, then a bit outside etc. Finn isn't very scheduled either, usually poops 4-5 hours after eating and holds his pee for a while since he sleeps and gets distracted. I just make sure he goes out often and give him privacy when I think he must have to go.

[Stephanie]

I wish I could have started training him to go outside from the beginning too. I think he got used to going in the kitchen, especially since I started out praising him and treating for going on the pads. To get from the kitchen to the yard, he'd have to walk through the family room which he's not allowed in yet since it's carpeted. So, slowly moving the pads closer to the door is sort of a last resort option...We have a fenced yard too, but there's a few plants out there I don't want him getting into. He likes to taste the potting soil, which I'm sure can't be good for him! I could try a longer leash, though. I've been wanting to get one anyways to give him more freedom outside. But he's usually not distracted by me, rather it's everything else in the yard. It's worth a shot though! Thanks for the suggestion =)

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

Hurley learned quickly to ring the bell to go outside to potty. That being said, there were a few in-house accidents.   When he rings the bell I immediately go to him saying, 'potty time' over and over in an excited voice.  I take him to the potty spot, in the back yard, saying 'potty' all the way there and while he sniffs around and finally goes.  Then I praise him for going.  We immediately come back into the house reinforcing the point that it is not a play time but a potty time.   If he rings the bell, we go out, and he does not go within no more than about 3 minutes we come back in.  I don't let him play or investigate or look around to much when he is outside for 'potty'.   

The times there were accidents in the house were when we were not paying sufficient attention to him and his wanting to go out.  Initially there were a times he did not ring the bell.  After he got the bell ringing down, and us trained to pay attention, there were no more accidents.

Sometimes he rings the bell playfully but not because he has to potty.  Then he watches us to see if we react.  it is a half hearted ringing so we are pretty much able to tell the difference.

I was concerned he would not know what to do when at our son's house since we don't carry the bell with us.  After showing him the back door and the outside he has been good about letting us know when he needs to go out.  He does have their 3 dogs (one is a doodle) to follow around, including outdoors to go potty. That probably helped a lot.