Potty Time Distractions!

[Puppy Madness]

We are currently potty training our 8-week-old Goldendoodle. We have only had her three days. My question is, how long should we stay outside when trying to go potty? She is interested in everything, eats the snow, digs in the snow, picks up a leaf, etc. which is great for playtime, but is making those 2am potty trips brutal. I am doing what I've done in the past with my other dogs (not doodles) and the focus isn't there, yet.

Any advice? 

[Sally M]

My Doodle didn't get her "focus" until 5 months old. That's the longest it has EVER taken me to housebreak a dog. That's gotta be some kind of a record. Better luck with your baby!

[Erin]

My advice would be to bring out a few treats with you and give her one every time she goes potty and lots of praise and pet her head immediately after she goes potty! That helped us a lot!

[RBG]

Here is what worked for me

Potty trips and outfdoor trips are separate things.  For potty, I take Twyla to her spot, tell her to "get busy" ( thats our command for potty ) and give her 1-2 minutes.  If she doesn't go then, I take her back inside and wait another 5 - 10 min and try again.  That way, she learned its not play time, its time to get to work, haha.  After she goes I throw her a ticker tape parade, and depending on the time day, I stay out, and we explore.    

I also had a few separate times a day to go outside for fun.  If she goes then ( and she usually does ) that was fine.  

The Housebreaking Bible GREATLY!  A LIFE SAVER!  here is a link to it.   http://thehousebreakingbible.com/wp/how-to-potty-train-a-puppy-or-dog/

I recommend reading as much of it as you can.  Good luck and congratulations on your new baby!  I JUST got out of tiny puppy insanity and it was brutal - not because of her, but because she was my first puppy, and puppies are hard -  but it gets so much better.  Twyla is about to be 4 months and even in the 2 months we have had her she has learned so much!  Sleeping through he night, and starting to give potty cues on her own,a nd we have really figured out her schedule 

hope this helps

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Puppyhood is so much fun.  Your beautiful little girl is still so very young.  It takes some longer than others to focus, but at this stage she is just very young and her system is not mature enough to hold it long.  Take her out frequently, and always after eating and playing as that seems to stimulate them too and always praise her when she does her business.  There will be times you are very frustrated, but try to remember that scolding is not positive reinforcement.  If she has an accident just say eh eh, pick her up and take her outside.   Great you joined the puppy madness group, you will find lots of info there. Welcome to DK - it is a terrific site for doodle owners.

[Lois Maturo]

I did the new puppy in the winter once.  Not fun. I would come up with a phrase.  Mine is go potty.  When you bring her out say it over and over.  When she goes praise, treat, get excited etc.  My 3 will pretty much go on command. This is a good thing when traveling with them. You might want to restrict water by a certain time at night. Mine were sleeping through the night by 12 weeks. 

[Melissa]

So much good advice from previous posters. We go out, straight to potty spot, and I say "hurry up!" until she goes, then a calm "gooood girl!"
If she starts messing around I know she's not urgent and back to the crate (at night). My Luna is around 13 weeks old and has a good grasp of the command. Now if she'd just get the part about Not going inside we'd be set.

I feel you on the 2am winter puppy stuff. She just started sleeping through at about 11-12 weeks but those first few weeks were horrible at night! No snow here but we did have about 15 inches of rain over two weeks and that was not fun. Winter parka and rain boots with an umbrella and carrying her back and forth over the river that formed in my backyard. Purely awful! Oh on the messing around, at night I'd do a small leash shake and an"uh-uh!" when she'd start trying to play.

Honestly I think a newborn baby is easier than a new puppy. I really do. And I have had a lot of kids! It never works out like I plan with puppies but I think I'd aim for any other season but winter! Of course in the summer you get to step on the toads and creepy crawlies here so maybe this is a fair trade off.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Is she asking to go out - i.e is she whining or letting you know she needs something at 2 a.m.?  She may not need to go out at that time.

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

What I did with Hurley that worked for us is when I took him out to potty to the potty spot and give him 3-5 minutes.  If he did not go I brought him back in and tried again in 15 minutes.  I never allowed him to play when outside for potty time.  At the same time I was teaching him to use the bells to tell me when he wanted or needed to go out.  if he used the bells and I took him out and all he wanted to do was play I would bring him back in after 3-5 minutes.   I never used treats but praised him in an excited voice when he would potty when taken outside.   If he used the bells and did potty when taken outside I praised him in the same excited happy voice.  Gradually I would extend the time between periods of taking him outside.  When he learned to use the bell the time between using it to go potty gradually extended on his own needs.   Hope that made sense.

Good luck and this to will pass.   

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

The way I taught Hurley to use the bells is every time I was taking him out to go potty I would go to the door where the bells are hanging and rattle them while all the time saying 'potty, potty, potty' in an excited voice.   I would tap the bells gently against his nose or paw when he was standing next to me at the door.  

To this day he uses the bells.  Sometimes it is like a test.  I know he does not need to go out, he knows he does not need to go out, but he will tap the bells with his nose and turn and look at me as if to remind me how the bells work and he is still using them.  Funniest expression on his face when he does that.

 It also taught him that the door the bells are hung on would always be the door he would go out to go potty.  When we would go out of town I would take the bells with us and attach them to whatever door would be used to take him out to go no matter if a hotel room or a relatives house.   I don't carry the bells with us any more.  No need.  I think I stopped that around the 12-18 months age.