HI! I'm new and curious about house training.

[Stephanie]

I've been reading through the discussions about house training. I was curious about one thing. I've read that using a pee pad isn't a good idea because it teaches the puppy he can pee inside. So I figured I have to take him out an awful lot for the first few weeks. How often is that? I think I read every 20 minutes? Before and after playing, eating and sleeping? Ok, so what happens when I see him about to pee in the house? Do I throw a pee pad underneath him or rush to take him out? Also, what about at night when we're asleep? I think I've read to keep their crate open with a pee pad near by. Or do most of you keep it closed and take them out in the middle of the night? Please help! I need advice :D Thank you!

[03pilqobzlvp7]

I'm sure there are a lot of ways to answer this question, but I liked the methods I read about in "The Art of Raising a Puppy" by the New Skeet Monks. If I caught Duff giong in the house I would sternly say "no" and carry him very quickly outside and then state firmly (withholding frustration) "outside." If you you say NO, they usually stop going. I also said "outside" everytime I took him out. When he peed outside I would say "pee," although you could use any command, like "hurry up" and then praise him for doing it. I think you have to time the command and praise carefully. He soon figured out what pee meant and that it was to be done "outside." The book didn't discourage pee pads, but we didn't really like the idea, just from an intuitive standpoint that it seems counterproductive, although I do understand why and how they are used. Best of luck.

[Stephanie]

Did you take him out in the middle of the night? Did he hold his pee all night?

[Wendy]

I brought my pup home a week ago and he's just turning 8 weeks. He sleeps with us in the bed but we usually let him out around 11 ish and then again at 2 ish and then he waits until 6 ish for us to get up and take him out again. We haven't had any accidents at night.

[Stephanie]

Wow, I'm too scared to let him sleep with us! I'm afraid he will pee on the sheets :P

[Chris & Boys]

I always treated Fozzy after he would pee or poop. I would cut off his water after 8 pm, and be sure to take him out before bed - around 10-10:30. Then I would get up about 1 am and then take him out again when I wake up at 5 am. I kept him in the crate at night in my room until he was about 3-1/2 months old. At that point he was able to hold it all night.

He is now 6 months old, and we take him out early in the morning, then before I leave for work. He holds it all day long, while he is confined to my bedroom. My problem is he does not give us any indication when he wants to go out.

[Stephanie]

I just thought of mys on after reading your last paragraph. My son will go and hold it until I take him, but he won't tell me he needs to go! Maybe because he's use to me taking him! hehehe.

That's awesome that he can hold it! When you took him at 1AM did you wait for him to whine to go or did you just take him? When you took him, did you carry him outside or did you walk him?

[Denise, Winnie, and AngelAbby]

We kenneled our pup and took her out during the night - she let us know when she had to go potty...typically 2 times during the night for the first week or so, and then once a night for the next month maybe. But you have to start with a smaller kennel. If it's too big, they can potty on one end and sleep on the other. We started out with a medium one - or get a mesh one that has an insert in it to partition part of it off. Having your pup learn to be in a kennel is much nicer, not to mention safer - they can't get into trouble or chew things or eat something they aren't suppose to. Our Abby naps in hers off and on all day long even now, on her own. We keep the door open during the day for her. And when I have to go somewhere, she is locked in her kennel. Some day she will have free roam of the house, but not quite yet, and she is 8 months old now.
Good luck with house training. The key is patience and staying on top of it.

[Holly Southall]

When we first brought Angel home we tried leaving her crate door open at night with access to a confined area with newspaper. She made an absolute mess. I was afraid to shut her crate door at first because I read information about not shutting them in the crate until they are very comfortable with it. Anyway, after a week I started shutting her in the crate. What an improvement!! No more big mess to clean up in the morning. We took her out around 9pm, put her to bed and at first she got up twice in the night. But it did not take long and she only got up once around 1am or 2am and this went on for a month or so. She was up for the morning at 7am with the rest of the family. Her crate was not in our room and we used a baby monitor. I still use it. She whines and I can hear her moving around and I know she needs to go out. Now she is 6 months and rarely do I ever have to take her out at night. Mainly it is only when she has the runs. It was such an improvement when I locked her in the crate, I would recommend it if you can take the whining. We did use the newspaper when she was going to be left at home for longer than she could hold it in the crate. I did not want her going in the crate at all.

[Stephanie]

I think it's so cute that they are similar to newborns :D hehehe. So when she went in the middle of the night did you wait for her to cry or did you schedule her to go out about that time?

[Holly Southall]

I waited for her to cry

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

We used a bell on the door and every time we took Timbow outside we rang the bell. After about two weeks if he needed to go outside he would go ring the bell. Some people don't like this idea because they think some dogs will just ring the bell to go play, and that did happen a couple of times, but we would just bring him back inside. He was completely house trained in less than a month and now we don't even use the bell, he just goes to the door when it's time. You will also start to figure out your new puppy's schedule and when he needs to go out. We did have to get up in the middle of the night the first few weeks to let him outside. I really think the most important thing is to make sure he knows that going in the house is not good and learn his schedule so that you can help him too!

[Stephanie]

I hope the bell works :D I bought him one the other day!

Did you use pee pads in the beginning? When you took him outside in the middle of the night, did he cry to go out? Or did you time it? It's sort of dark where I'm at and I hope I can see him go that late at night :/