potty training??

[Stephanie]

I plan on when I bring my puppy home to potty train by bringing outside right away. I will bring her to a spot that is right by my house that no other dogs have been until she gets all of her shots. I would rather not put paper or wee wee pads down in the house. Has anyone done this? Good idea or bad to not train in and outdoors? I know there will be some accidents inside but figured it may be less confusing to train to go on wee wee pad and to bring outdoors at the same time. Thoughts??

[Lindsey & Cocoa]

I personally think straight outside is the best.  I feel the potty pads inside teach them its ok to pee in the house and confuses them.

[Bonnie and Kona]

I have never used any indoor potty training methods. We have always taken the dogs outside to eliminate. I've had 10 dogs. Two were re-homes so not potty trained by me, but all were trained to go outside to pee.

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

I agree with Lindsey and Bonnie. If you don't want your dog using potty pads when it is older then don't ever introduce them.

[Stephanie]

so if there is an accident inside, anything u teach the pup to not do it again? or just ignore and keep taking outside?

[Sue & Lily Grace]

yes, do not scold them.  You are only teaching them to hide from you when they go.  Just take them out frequently to a spot and tell them your word for potty.  If they do not go, take them in and put them in a crate for ten minutes then take them out again.  You have to watch a puppy for signs constantly.  

[Lindsey & Cocoa]

UGH I had this whole thing typed out and its gone :(

If you catch puppy going potty in the house you tell puppy no (Or what ever word you want to use as a no word) and pick puppy up and put puppy right to the spot you want them to potty at.

I started taking Cocoa out every 10 minutes so that way she had plenty of chances to potty outside and hear more yes's than no's.  When she did potty we made a HUGE deal about it.

If puppy pottys in the house and you do not catch it right away then just clean it up because at that point the puppy had no clue why it's being punsihed.

[Sue & Lily Grace]

I have always trained my dogs outside from the start.  They are going to do it when you have them out so why confuse them.  Good luck.

[Vivian & Mojo]

Best to take puppy outside...if you catch the pup having an accident calmly say no...potty outside and bring to the potty spot. If you don't see the accident happening than ignore and just bring puppy outside. Reward with praise and or a treat when puppy goes outside.

[Shannon and Finn]

Helps to set a timer for the first couple of weeks if you tend to get busy. I trained my first dog in an apartment and if I waited too long between breaks, it was a long sprint down our stairs! Also consider blocking him into the room close to the door at first since its true that you have to watch them every second and be ready to go if the start to pee. I have had good luck in potty training through frequent trips out and saying "good boy, good potty outside!" followed by lots of love and pets. I sound silly but it seems to work quickly. It's easier than you think if your diligent at the beginning.

[Whitney Addington]

I trained this way and had great success... only about a week and no more accidents. Be sure to crate train during this phase or it may be more difficult to potty train. My own vet asked if we were crate training because she had two puppies and just put them in a small bathroom instead of a crate and they wouldn't stop having accidents in the house, as soon as she started crating, that problem stopped. Good Luck!

[Stephanie]

so when you first bring them home how often should they be in and out of the crate?

[Bonnie and Kona]

We took Owen out every 20 minutes, every time he woke from a nap and every time he had a big play time with our other dog. It took him much, much longer than a week to be trustworthy in the house. Some puppies "get it" more quickly than others. Vigilance is imperative. We had Owen crated unless we were in the same room with him, but even then we had the room blocked off so he was only allowed in a tiny area until he became more reliable. Once when we expanded his area he had an accident, so we went back to the tiny size for a week or so. We have a two story house, and he was not allowed upstairs unless he was in his crate until he was completely reliable downstairs.