Training a puppy while living in an apartment?

[Lauren and Kona]

Hello all! My little bundle of joy comes homes two weeks from today and I've been thinking about how I'll train her, living in an apartment. I'm afraid with her being so young (eight weeks) if I take her outside, where a lot of other dogs have been (we live in a very dog-friendly community) she could catch something and get sick. So I was just curious if anyone here has trained their puppy while living in an apartment, and how they went about doing it? I would appreciate any advice. Thanks guys!

[Stephanie and Ragley]

Hey! I can't help with this as much, but I know Jess and Stewart had the apartment challenges and Nancy and Georgia had office dog challenges when potty training before vaccinations were complete. I think she used potty pads outside and did some extreme cleaning. I'd ask them!

[Lauren and Kona]

Thanks, Stephanie!! I'll ask them!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Some people have purchased grass - either from a company that periodically changes or themselves.  I think for the most part they have put it on their balconies.

[Lauren and Kona]

We have a decent sized balcony so this could work well. Thanks for the suggestion!!

[Stephanie & Molly]

Congrats on deciding to bring home a Doodle into an apartment! We live in a townhome and lots of people told us we couldn't own a Doodle because it'd be too cruel, we'd have to buy a HOUSE with a BIG BACKYARD, which is just not true. We have friends who live in Madrid with no patio and have 2 enormous dogs, so we decided to go for it. That said, it does bring it's challenges -- especially in the first few months before s/he is completely vaccinated. We (non-backyard owners) have to work harder to exercise our pups since we can't just open the door and let them romp around outside. We have a small patio where she can go to the bathroom so that's been helpful. Until she has all her shots, she shouldn't be around other dogs unless you know they're up-to-date on all their shots. Family pets, for example, in their backyards can serve as a temporary way to socialize her before going out. Parvo is a serious threat and can kill her. One vet recommended not taking her out until we had all the shots, which would have been this last week at 18 weeks old. Another vet said, as long as we were careful, kept her away from grassy areas and other dogs, it'd be okay. So at 12 weeks, with 2 out of the 4 rounds of shots done, the cabin fever was killing us, so we started walking her around the complex and only on the sidewalk. If another dog came by, we picked her up. I had walked around the living room on the leash, but mostly she just wanted to chew the leash. But the minute we got outside, she flew like a super puppy, and since she was so excited to move and go, she totally forgot about chewing the leash. I think the work inside the house beforehand was helpful. 

You don't want to wait to start training her until obedience classes because she'll already be 4 or nearly 5 months by then (depending upon when the shots started). Running up and down stairs has been recommended for small house/apt owners, however, this is discouraged for Doodles, because they're prone to hip displacement and it can be rough on their joints. I HIGHLY recommend Cesar Millan's Mastering Leadership series. It's a 6 DVD set on how to be the pack leader and there are specifics about training your puppy in the house. The series is about $130, which is what 8 weeks of classes would cost you and WELL WORTH the investment. I'm about to watch them again. They're great about crate training, sit, stay, come. MANY small techniques that make an overall difference in how to lead your lil' one, for example, having your dog may eye contact with you before setting down the bowl for mealtime, and then interrupting him/her when s/he's eating to pick up the bowl -- this discourages them becoming territorial about their food and shows that you are in charge. These small techniques can be implemented the day you bring your pup home and will pay off in the long run. Get the DVDs here: http://www.cesarsway.com/shop/Mastering-Leadership-Series-Complete-...

I also recommend the book "Goldendoodles (Complete Owner's Manual)," which has great tips for new Doodle owners.  http://www.amazon.com/Goldendoodles-Complete-Pet-Owners-Manual/dp/0...

Ha! I sound like an expert and I've only been a Doodle owner for 2 months! Imagine me next year! :) Hope this helps. 

[Lauren and Kona]

Wow, thank you so much! This is really helpful. In our apartment community, the majority of people own big dogs, and they all seem to be perfectly happy. But there are SO many dogs around that I won't feel comfortable taking Kona out until she's at least a few months old and has all of her shots. It'll be nice once she gets older though, there's a dog park and a lot of walking areas. I wish we had our own backyard for her to run free in - hopefully one day! We have a small patio as well, so I think I'm going to try the grass idea a few of you recommended. I'm going to check out those DVDs - thanks so much!

[Hua]

I live in a townhouse with a lots of dogs around.  I didn't let Charlie go out for potty until he got all his shots.  I started potty training with those fake grasses patch thing on my balcony.  After he got his shots, he had no trouble go outside.  If he didn't wanna go potty on the plastic grass, I'd recommend pick up his poop, and press it against the plastic grass a few times to get the smells in (yeah I know it's gross), but that'll really encourage them.

[Lauren and Kona]

Great idea! Am going to try it. Thanks a bunch!!

[christina m]

We mostly use indoor training pads ... we put the fake grass on the balcony but he just didn't know what to do ... finally vaccinated so transitioning to outside will probably get tricky now ....I thought I would mind the training pads indoors but he's been so good with it. Good luck!

[Lauren and Kona]

Thanks, Christina! I'll probably end up trying both to see what works best. Good luck with the transition outside!!

[LarryL]

We got Oliver 4 days ago.
We also live in a apt and have a balcony.

I decided to buy something called the porch potty.
There are cheaper options - but I laid out the extra money because it's the nicest looking and matches our balcony furniture.

It came with astro turf.

The second I put Oliver on there, he peed right away.
We then got the real grass sod, and he took to that too.
Even more so.

However, we still have accidents in the house when we don't take him out in time - but it does work - and with the right training he'll take to it in no time.

Here's a pic

[Lauren and Kona]

Awesome, thanks for the suggestion! Oliver is adorable - congratulations on your new puppy!!