Potty Training?
10 Sep 2009
I am having a huge problem potty training my dog. I got him when he was 12 weeks in the middle of August. He is a terrier mix of some sort, I rescued him from the shelter. He gets along great with my other two dogs. I have had many dogs in my life and never had this big of a problem potty training. He’ll go outside and then come back in and GO AGAIN! It’s almost like he doesn’t like going outside. If anyone has any ideas please let me know. Thanks
FIRST OFF YOU DONT SCOLD A DOG FOR GOING TO THE BATHROOM INSIDE…if you punish a puppy at his age for going to the bathrrom inside this will only make him go to the bathroom in another area of the house without you being able to see him. Plus he wont go to the bathroom in front of you cause he will be afraid to go.
If he "goes" (urinates or defecates), within the first 5 minutes, praise him and/or give him a treat. Now, give the puppy another 10 minutes to "go" again before bringing him inside. For example, if the puppy goes potty 2 minutes after you take him to the designated area, wait 10 more minutes for a total of 12 minutes to make sure the puppy is empty. Sometimes the puppy will go again and sometimes he will not. Many people make the mistake of bringing the puppy back into the house immediately after he goes potty the first time without giving the puppy time to “go” again. This is a huge mistake because a lot of puppies do not empty themselves completely in just one squatting. It is extremely important to give the puppy the additional 10 minutes. Giving the puppy an extra 10 minutes after eliminating will also discourage him from holding it until he returns to the house. Some puppies learn that the walk and fun are over and that they go directly into the house after eliminating. If they want to play outside they may hold it until they are in the house so they do not miss a single minute of outside playtime.
Once you have waited 10 minutes, you can be confident the puppy is empty and not associating the end of his fun with eliminating outside. Now you have three options.
You can give the puppy 30 minutes of supervised “free time” in the house. Make sure the puppy is monitored the entire 30 minutes. The chances of a puppy having an accident during the first 30 minutes immediately after going potty are almost null; however, they increase dramatically after 30 minutes. After “free time”, either take the puppy back outside to the designated potty area and repeat the whole process again or immediately restrict the puppy’s freedom by crating or tethering him. Remember, the more often the puppy is taken out to the potty area, the more opportunities you will have to praise him for going potty in the correct place.
You could put the puppy in a crate that is approximately 1 ½ times the length of the puppy, not including the tail. This option is chosen if the owner needs to leave the house for a while or is too busy to supervise the puppy. A general rule of thumb during the daytime is that a puppy can be expected to hold his urine the number of months old he is, plus one. Therefore, a two-month-old puppy could be expected to hold his urine for approximately three hours. As soon as possible, take the puppy out of the crate and over to the potty area. If he goes, start over at step 3 again.
Tether the puppy to a piece of furniture or to the owner’s wrist. Use a short 4-foot leash. This option requires less monitoring than giving the puppy “free time” and is a good one to select if the owner plans on staying primarily in one room with the puppy. Here too, a puppy can be expected to hold his urine the number of months old he is, plus one. Therefore, a two-month-old puppy could be expected to hold his urine for approximately three hours. But if you notice any intense sniffing or circling you should immediately take the puppy to his potty area. If he goes, start over at #3 again. If he does not go, follow the instructions in #4.
If the puppy does not "go" after the first 5 minutes, bring the puppy in and keep him confined in a small area. A small area is defined as a proper-sized crate, or in a small, almost crate-sized exercise pen, or tethered on-leash with your eyeballs glued to him. Keep taking him out to his potty area every 15-30 minutes until he "goes". Once the puppy goes, go to #3 above and follow the process again. An egg timer is an excellent way to keep track of the time. 15-30 minutes goes by very quickly and it is easy to lose track.
Good Luck.
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7 Responses
2009 Sep 10
limit his water and give him a mixtuer of wet and dry food. scold him when he goes indoors. ONLY WHEN YOU CATCH HIM. praise him when he goes outside he will get the idea just be patient.
good luck
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2009 Sep 10
Wow, you’ve taught him to use a potty? well done!
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2009 Sep 10
try crating him i had one the same way and had to put him in a crate and as soon as you let him out of the crate take him out it will take a little time but it seams to be worth it , good luck
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2009 Sep 10
No dog can be fully trained until it’s at least a year old. Some learn faster, and some are just slower. Keep your patience. I never scolded mine for going in the house. The best you can do after it does is ignore it. Dogs get that message really well. And praise or give it a treat when it does go outside. It will eventually learn the difference. Limiting water to a whlie before it goes out also helps.
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2009 Sep 10
Well because your dog is a male he will probaly urinate for territorial reasons plus Terrier’s bladders are so tiny so when he drinks instead of him lapping down all that water leave a few ice blocks in the bowl. Take him outside every 2-3 hours to urinate when your home. I have a puppy who is 9 weeks and we’ve had her for 3 weeks and shes already toilet trained. I’ll tell you the technique… whenever you see him pee in the right spot point at the fecal matter and look straight at the stuff not at him and when he sniffs it praise him enthusiastically! And when he is peeing or about to pee say"pee" or "go pee". Continue this for a while so he knows to pee on command. When you find him about to pee inside try sound diversion like "Ah Ah" in a sharp voice or clap then rush him outside . When you find him peeing or has just peed in the wrong spot just ignore it, take him outside where you prefer him to pee and don’t let him see you clean up the mess or he will think its a game and continue peeing everywhere! Make sure you get rid of the smell completey to disencourage visits to that exact place. When you see your dog showing signs that he is suppost to pee in the "forbidden hours" which are like the times when you are not necisserily home to take him outside (this is if he is an indoors dog) try tossing a toy or calling out his name to distract him. Hope this helps!
References :
2009 Sep 10
Every time he has an ‘accident’ inside, take him straight outside, and wait about ten or so minutes before letting him back inside. Also immediately after meals, take him straight outside and stay there until he does his business. When he does his business outside, praise him and pat him, telling him that he’s a good boy. If you catch him urinating inside, tell him in a firm voice ‘no’, and take him outside.
I had a toileting problem with my Pomeranian cross; he used to wait until he got back inside to urinate. I was outside with him for over 45 minutes, the second we got inside, he urinated on the carpet in the lounge room. Thankfully he has been broken of this habit.
Hope this helps.
References :
Personal experience
2009 Sep 10
FIRST OFF YOU DONT SCOLD A DOG FOR GOING TO THE BATHROOM INSIDE…if you punish a puppy at his age for going to the bathrrom inside this will only make him go to the bathroom in another area of the house without you being able to see him. Plus he wont go to the bathroom in front of you cause he will be afraid to go.
If he "goes" (urinates or defecates), within the first 5 minutes, praise him and/or give him a treat. Now, give the puppy another 10 minutes to "go" again before bringing him inside. For example, if the puppy goes potty 2 minutes after you take him to the designated area, wait 10 more minutes for a total of 12 minutes to make sure the puppy is empty. Sometimes the puppy will go again and sometimes he will not. Many people make the mistake of bringing the puppy back into the house immediately after he goes potty the first time without giving the puppy time to “go” again. This is a huge mistake because a lot of puppies do not empty themselves completely in just one squatting. It is extremely important to give the puppy the additional 10 minutes. Giving the puppy an extra 10 minutes after eliminating will also discourage him from holding it until he returns to the house. Some puppies learn that the walk and fun are over and that they go directly into the house after eliminating. If they want to play outside they may hold it until they are in the house so they do not miss a single minute of outside playtime.
Once you have waited 10 minutes, you can be confident the puppy is empty and not associating the end of his fun with eliminating outside. Now you have three options.
You can give the puppy 30 minutes of supervised “free time” in the house. Make sure the puppy is monitored the entire 30 minutes. The chances of a puppy having an accident during the first 30 minutes immediately after going potty are almost null; however, they increase dramatically after 30 minutes. After “free time”, either take the puppy back outside to the designated potty area and repeat the whole process again or immediately restrict the puppy’s freedom by crating or tethering him. Remember, the more often the puppy is taken out to the potty area, the more opportunities you will have to praise him for going potty in the correct place.
You could put the puppy in a crate that is approximately 1 ½ times the length of the puppy, not including the tail. This option is chosen if the owner needs to leave the house for a while or is too busy to supervise the puppy. A general rule of thumb during the daytime is that a puppy can be expected to hold his urine the number of months old he is, plus one. Therefore, a two-month-old puppy could be expected to hold his urine for approximately three hours. As soon as possible, take the puppy out of the crate and over to the potty area. If he goes, start over at step 3 again.
Tether the puppy to a piece of furniture or to the owner’s wrist. Use a short 4-foot leash. This option requires less monitoring than giving the puppy “free time” and is a good one to select if the owner plans on staying primarily in one room with the puppy. Here too, a puppy can be expected to hold his urine the number of months old he is, plus one. Therefore, a two-month-old puppy could be expected to hold his urine for approximately three hours. But if you notice any intense sniffing or circling you should immediately take the puppy to his potty area. If he goes, start over at #3 again. If he does not go, follow the instructions in #4.
If the puppy does not "go" after the first 5 minutes, bring the puppy in and keep him confined in a small area. A small area is defined as a proper-sized crate, or in a small, almost crate-sized exercise pen, or tethered on-leash with your eyeballs glued to him. Keep taking him out to his potty area every 15-30 minutes until he "goes". Once the puppy goes, go to #3 above and follow the process again. An egg timer is an excellent way to keep track of the time. 15-30 minutes goes by very quickly and it is easy to lose track.
Good Luck.
References :
I am a dog trainer if you have any other questions please feel free to email me.