Perfect in Her Crate, but No Where Else :)

[Karla & Zoey]

Can't believe that our little Zoey is 9-1/2 weeks.  Every night (really) my kids tell me thank you for Zoey.  We all love our little fluff ball so much.  Amazingly, she has yet to have an accident in her crate.  The first few days, I was up with her every two hours.... now she can go anywhere from 3-5 hours at night.  However, when she's not in her crate, but in her X-pen, it's almost like anything goes.  :)  She'll sometimes whine or give a signal....but other times she just goes to the bathroom with no warning.  She does not have free reign of the house.  She is usually tethered to me or in her x-pen during the day...and in her crate during the night.

Is there anything specifically I'm doing wrong?   

TIA.

[Jacki Glattfelder]

I think she is just so young.  I would just put her on a schedule.  I used an app on my phone to remind me and to track my puppies bathroom habits.  ( Puddles & Pile  )   I would take my puppy out every time i took him out of his crate, right after he played, after his naps and basically every 1-2hrs during the day .  If he drank water then i gave him about 15 min and took him out.  then an hr after he ate.   If your puppy walks away from you she may have to use the bathroom. 

This is our first puppy and mine is 6 months old.  he is about 99% house trained.   It took us about 5 months to get this far. 

Good luck,  not sure if any advice i gave you helped. :) 

[Karla & Zoey]

Thanks Jacki. I do think that part of it is her age.  I've been setting the kitchen timer after she eats, but I love the idea of an app!  I will go check it out. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Dogs don't like to potty where they sleep.  That is why she isn't having an accident in it.  She will avoid it if at all possible.

[Dolly Dykhouse]

Hand in there Karla it gets better! Henry turned 15 weeks today which marks 6 weeks since Gotcha Day. I would say that Henry is about 70% trained at this point (hope I don't jinx myself!) I started him day one with ringing bells on our back door and would say "out?" and then take him to his spot and say get busy. Now he will go on demand when I give him the command to get busy. The only time he has had a pee accident is when I don't hear him nose the bells and he goes right there in front of the door or if we are upstairs and he is playing. I think that it is like a child, busy playing outside and the lightbulb that they have to go doesn't light up until that last second and then it's too late to get to downstairs to the back door. Each time that happened I took the responsibility, my bad for not seeing the signs or just stopping play and taking him down stairs and outside. He has never had an accident in his crate or a #2 accident, those are easier to anticipate after meals.

The good news is that in 6 weeks he is able to hold it all night and sleep in his bed next to mine without incident, we are down to using the crate only for when we leave the house. Some days I can't believe how the first 6 weeks have flown and how much he has grown! The little porker went from 12# at 9 weeks to #25 at 15! Enjoy the baby moments, Henry is already the size of a full grown mini or small medium sized doodle and towers over our 9 year old puggle LOL.