Hey guys, we have a new girl westie puppy (a gift for V-day from the wifey) to go with our 3 year old male westie. But it seems we have hit a snag in potty training, she just cops a squat with no warning !! we startle her and take her out, sometimes she will continue going after getting outside, but most of the time she's already finished in the house. we take her out all the time, like after she plays, when she wakes up, after eating, and she goes out and pottys almost everytime, and we praise the hell out of her, but then she'll come inside and squat like ten minutes later ! she's 10 weeks old and this has been going on for almost 2 weeks now. How long does it take to potty train on average, are we just impatient? Thanks !
A puppy needs to be in its crate unless it is being played with. You need to make the crate the size of the dog so there is no where to sit if they pee in the cage. I always keep my crates by the door, before the dog is played with, it went outside first. When the dog pees outside, praise it and give it 1/2 a slice of American cheese. When it pees inside scold it (do not hit it) and put it into its cage immediately. It does not take long for the puppy to figure out that life will be much better if it pees outside. I learned the aforementioned method from a dog breeder and have implimented it successfully through four dogs. My worst dog pissed on the floor a dozen times, my best only twice.
10 weeks they don't have good bladder control. I used a empty soda can with a few coins in it and when the puppy goes in the house throw the can towards where hes at and say "NO". They hate the noise of the can with the coins.Take the puppy immediately outside and if he goes somemore praise him well. Its works well and they learn fast
Crate training is the very best way to control this issue. We have trained 3 Cocker Spaniels this way....it always works and quickly too. Just don't get a crate that's too big.......just enough room to lay down. The dog won't want to lay in its own waste so it learns to hold it. When you take it out of the crate IMMEDIATLY take the dog outside.....then give lots of praise and affection. NEVER place the dog in the crate as a punishment. It will soon begin to think of the crate as its " safe place " Also, the previous reply makes a good point.......your puppy is still VERY young. Just give it a little time. Geffen
You should start to see some results after a week or so but I'd say at least 5-6 months old until they stop having accidents.
Crate is the best, i think. I have 3 dogs. Its hard to leave them in there. Theyll cry and whine and what not. Tough love. Its for the best.
Be more patient, the pup is too young yet. It took us almost 9 months for our std. poodle to come to grips with these issues, completely. Aside: If your house is large, with lots of doors that all get used, this will confuse the dog about which door is the correct one to go to...just ask me how I know! Good luck!
John. Did you buy the dog from a breeder??? If so, ask the breeder what kind of "potty routine" the puppy's mom had with the pups. If the breeder let the pups out with mom, you should see some behavioral improvement relatively quickly. Puppys learn well from an example. My pup was let out with his mom all the time, and when she came home to us at 11 weeks and was completely potty trained. 8 weeks from the breeder is a little young for the proper bathroom routine to get permanently imprinted in the pup's brain. If the breeder let the pups go in the puppy pen, it'll take a little longer to untrain the "I can go anywhere I want" attitude. Persevere. Keep praising the good behavior, and always take the dog out after an accident. Walk it around, praise it for being there, pray it pops another squat then praise it again. Nothing wrong with a puppy snack reward for good behavior too. Also, try to develop a routine for walking the dog. Pick times that work for you and the doggie. I'm not a big fan of cage training. Never have been, just seems cruel for a dog you want to have as a part of the family. Just my $.02 on the "crate" training. DM
We had this type of a problem also. We have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. At the begining we made sure to go outside 6 or 7 times in the day and every time we went out side we hit the bell or made the dog (oliver) hit the bell. With in 2 or 3 weeks he would hit the bell when ever he wanted to go outside to pee. There is a down side. if the weather is good he will hit the bell to go outside and roll in the grass not to pee e
I am not big on crate training either - seems cruel and unloving to me. My Weimaraner is pretty well trained - has been for a month or two. She came to use in late september. She was particularly stubborn it seems. We just watch her and you can sense when they are gonna go usually. The older she got, the easier it got. Take them out at prime bathroom times like upon waking up, after eating, and after playing. Praise them well when they go but dont yell at them if they go inside and dont scare them. Dont let them see you cleaning up after them either - makes them think they can do it to get attention in some cases. It was very easy to get my dog trained to go on those puppy training pads. She was doing that after the first week. It was more difficult to get her going outside but with love, patience and perseverence it will happen. My dog is wonderful - very friendly and kind and not an aggressive bone in her body. I can't see locking her in a crate all night - thats just cruel.
I'm glad this topic has come up........ My wife wants a dog, but my childhood family dog experience was a disaster. Further, I'm very concerned about "accidents" on the marble and hardwood floors. I'm of the opinion that even when dogs are properly trained they still have the occasional accident, correct?
Incorrect. You were (hopefully) properly trained and probably have not pissed on the floor in years. The only "accident" would be if the dog is incontinent from illness and thus it comes out before the dog can get outside. Another training method some trainers use is to place the dogs food bowl next to the mess. The idea is, if you crap in the house I will put your food bowl next to it so as to punish you. The idea only works if meal time and the accident occur within close proximity. Piss will dry up in two hours and thus the idea has no benefit if the next meal is in six hours. A crate is not cruel. People associate a crate with inprisonment. Dogs do not understand criminals got to prison and get "crated". You are attaching human emotions and logic to dogs that do not understand. If 100% of the people crate trained their dogs I would venture a guess that animal shelters would be half as full. The number one reason dogs get turned in is a lack of house training. People say the dog is "bad", yet the real problem is "them". A dog's behavior is ultimate reflection of its owner. If a dog is poorly trained = lazy owner. If a dog is nasty = short tempered owner. Ask any woman and they will tell you that when they look for a husband they look to see how he treats his dog as an indicator of how she will be treated long term. If the guy ignores the dog and the only attention it gets is being yelled at, she knows her fate. Don't believe me, ask your female friends.
Well, I have never crate trained my dogs and they learned housetraining soon enough. I never had a vicious dog - my dog now loves to play almost as much as she loves sleeping. If she goes in a crate she cries and whines and when she gets out she is happy and jumping all over me. She sure doesn't like being in a crate so forcing something on the dog they don't like... cant' see how that isn't cruel to an extent.
I guess we got really lucky with our male westie, I don't remember it taking more than a week or so. Plus it's hard to crate when we have the other westie who stays in the house all the time and the puppy just barks like crazy, since it sees the other dog roaming all over the house. It does go in it's kennel to eat, and when we are not home, (since its too cold to stay in the fenced backyard with the older westie) ans for naps, she has been sleeping in the kennel all night and never whimpers, from like 11pm-6am and has had two nights where dhe didn't potty during the night. (the older dog sleeps in our bed) I'll post some pics of both of them in a hour or so when I get home. they are adorable together. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Soon enough is a relative term. Just as you have things in life you do not want to have to do, you learn to live with them. Is it cruel that you have to go to work each day? Crate training is a fact of life IMO, you can complain about it but just like taxes you will learn to live with it. My dog is now 3, she has not been in a crate for 2.5 years, but her first six months trained her well. We have had zero accidents, if she wants out she barks. Would she have trained anyway? Maybe, but I am sure we would have had more than the six accidents I can attribute to her in total. If you want to mop piss more often for some feeling enlightenment of not treating animals cruel, that is ok by me, just don't tell me about it over a burger or chicken fingers.
do not weaken and give in out of sympathy for that adorable face...it is not cruel to crate train and it is the easiest fastest way, esp. if you do not want to watch the dog 24/7. If you think the crate is cruel feed her and time her until she eliminates and then you will know what time to take her out ( be sure to take her out to the same spot each time). the girls are tough in my mind since they don't seem to "circle" like the boys and give advance warning. they just squat and go super fast. Another way if you can't crate is use a small excercise pen and watch her after she eats and when she squats quick pick her up ( could get messy) and run her to her spot and reward her. Remember patience and continual reward..DO NOT YELL AT HER IF YOU FIND A MISTAKE LATER...this is bad news and will teach her not to eliminate in front of you and she will go behind the couch and insecret and then you will never be able to train her.
Not to hijack this thread, but what if you inherit older dogs (beagles in this case) who were NEVER properly house broken. They go on a pad (if they feel like it) but also on throw rugs or even just anywhere. Too late to train (can't teach an old dog new tricks)?
Never too old to train. You can teach old dogs new tricks. Might take longer, though. I'd start at the vet. Rule out any physical ailments that might be causing the problem first. If the plumbing checks out ok, then.... HOUSETRAINING AN ADULT DOG Happily, housetraining your new adult dog can be quite simple! If, after following the steps outlined below for more than a month, your dog is not nearly or completely housetrained, and our Unclean Only At Night, Territorial Marking and Submissive Urination articles do not apply, please consult a professional trainer for assistance. Other reasons why your dog goes to the toilet in the house may include: stress and tension in the household, anxiety (for example, about being left alone or changes in routine), illness and submissive urination. Before beginning any training program, a clean bill of health from your dog's veterinarian is advised. 1. CLEAN Thoroughly clean all areas your dog has previously soiled in your house by using biological washing powder solution or a specially formulated enzyme product to remove all traces of the smell. If possible, keep your dog away from these areas until the training is complete. 2. SUPERVISE Keep your dog under constant supervision while inside - if you must take your eyes away even for a second (or longer) confine your dog either in a crate (see crate training article), in a room with a hard-surfaced floor where accidents may be easily cleaned up, or outside in a secure area. 3. PICK A SPOT It is easiest for a dog to understand going in one spot is what you want, rather than just outside. Pick a "potty" spot, be it in your yard, a grassy area out front, or a corner of your patio. Most dogs prefer porous surfaces (dirt/grass/gravel/carpet/newspaper) if you have a bit of what the dog has gone on before, you can place it where you want the dog to go. 3. MAKE A ROUTINE Get your dog and yourself on a strict schedule of sleeping, feeding and play/exercise, and the dog will start to go to the bathroom on a schedule. And you can make sure he's at the right spot when the time comes! A typical schedule would include first thing when you wake up, after breakfast, then at set intervals. 2 hours apart is great. Longer times will work, it will just take longer for your dog to learn to physically be able to not go for longer periods. Take your dog to his potty spot at the times you've set and wait (on a leash is often best). Be patient and wait for at least 5 minutes. If he starts to relieve himself, praise quietly until he is finished, then praise him very enthusiastically and reward him with a game or food treat. If he doesn't go, its back to supervision until the next set time. Continue with the routine, and once he's going when you take him out, gradually increase the time between visits to the potty spot. When you're down to three times a day and no more accidents inside (anywhere from two to six weeks), you've housetrained your dog. 4. LEARN THE COMMAND "Get Busy" or Go Potty or any set phrase can really help to get your dog to understand when and where to go the bathroom. Use it just like you use any verbal command like Sit, you say it before you want your dog to do it, and then if he does, give him lots of praise and treats. It won't work to say it too many times in a row (two or three is enough), and should be said in a happy tone of voice, never as a punishment. Also, if you catch your dog in the act of getting busy in the correct spot, you can say get busy!! Good dog! Get busy! Good good!! so they associate that phrase with what they are doing. 5. PUNISHMENT? Yelling, making a loud noise with pennies in a can, swatting your dog or your hand with a newspaper, pushing your dogs nose in its mess... aside from being inhumane, they often have the effect of making the dog afraid of you or afraid of going in front of you, and housebreaking will take even longer, or may never happen. This usually what has happened to dogs that go in the house only when left alone, or in a back room when you aren't watching. Positive reinforcement is the fastest, easiest way to train. Punishment is the slowest and least pleasant way to get a dog to do what you want, and usually doesn't work at all. The worst is punishing your dog for accidents that you discover after the fact. Dogs cannot make a connection with punishment for something they did in the past. Some owners will say, Oh, but he knows he has done wrong because if I show him the mess he looks guilty. The dog has simply learned that if humans are present and there is a mess on the floor, he is likely to be told off or punished. He has not learned not to make the mess in the first place. If you see your dog about to or in the middle of relieving himself indoors, you can say NO firmly, but not raising your voice or yelling. Then take him immediately to your chosen place outside and reward him - praise, treats or play, which ever he most enjoys. Although he has done nothing to be praised for, it is essential that he associate going to that place with reward. If you have caught him in time he will still need to go. If he does go, praise and rewards! http://www.phsspca.org/training/housetrain_adult_dog.htm
We are having the same problem with our Beagle mix. She is confined to the kitchen while we are at work and rarely has any accident, but when we are home she just goes where she pleases with little or no warning.
Cheese is your friend. I never met a dog that does not love American cheese. Everytime they go outside you give them 1/2 a slice. It make take a year, but you will convince any dog that going outside is a good thing.
You can still house break older dogs. The learning curve might not be quite as sharp, but they will learn. The key with any training is consistency. Ask 100 trainers how to house break a dog and you're likely to get 100 different methods. You will find one key similarity from them all though...they are consistent with their methods. Your dog wants to please you (most of the time), and this can only happen if your behaviors are consistent with their actions. Any changes from routine confuse the dog, thus delaying training time.
If you don't want to be too troubled to clean up after the dog and prefer to be somewhat cruel to them to prevent it, maybe you ought to rethink having a dog in the first place. After all, the dog probably wouldn't like having the **** beat out of it either - why not really make the dog learn that pissing on your rug is bad?
