puppy housetraining woes

Crate training is going so so, working for one puppy (12 weeks) better than the other. My question is: How do you get them to stop peeing in the middle of the floor 10 minutes after they went outside? It's not as if they always give those sniffing, circling signs. Sometimes they just look and you and pee right there. I've been raining them for almost 6 weeks, shouldn't they be better at going to the door by now?

Also, for the one that was peeing in the crate every few days - a trainer suggested that I start to use puppy pad with him even though we've been crate training for weeks. What are your thoughts? Won't this confuse the other puppy since the crate training is working for him? Please advise. Thank you.

 

Housebreaking depends upon routine. When you take the dog out on a leash to relieve itself, take it to the proper spot, tell it to "go potty", and wait there for it to perform. If nothing happens after ten minutes, go back inside and wait a bit then try it again. If it works, praise the dog and play a bit for recreation before going back inside.

It works best to take it out immediately after eating, then at the appropriate periods throughout the day. This helps with routine.

Of course, it may relieve itself otherwise when outside for play and training. Creating an opportunity for success is important in training.

If the only time the dog gets to go outside is to potty, it will try to delay as long as possible to spend time outside before doing its duty.

I can take mine out and command "go potty" and get results. Mine are 6 and 7 years old.

Mine don't take any action for going out. There is sufficient time and routine otherwise. They get up, eat and go out for a while. How long depends upon who is in town for the day and if someone will be home during the day. Generally, I let them back in after 30 minutes or so. If everyone will be at work, they go out for the day. Typically, they go out for some reason or another every three or four hours, except when in the crate for the night: generally 9 p. m.- 6 a. m. When we were in an apartment, I took Tess out every 4 - 6 hours in addition to the bout after a meal. Of course, there were the other periods for recreation twice daily.

The dogs will improve with age. As you see, all dogs are not alike. Establish a routine and stick with it.

I think the puppy pad, which sounds like something to use as a bathroom, is a bad idea. This because it encourages relieving indoors. The objective to have the dogs relieve outdoors. I suspect it will confuse the other puppy.

Do you take both of them out together to go potty? Doing so might encourage the laggard to perform with the other when it sees the praise the other receives. As with humans, dogs are suckers for performing to a model and receiving praise.

Are they busy learning other things, too? This creates a larger environment of learning and receiving praise. By 12 weeks they should sit, down, come, walk reasonably well on a leash.

Just invest the time to establish this while they are young. Puppies require a lot of time to raise and train. In case I have not clearly understood your terminology; to me, crate training and housebreaking are not the same thing.

Hope this helps.

 

I agree about the pads. That is why I was reluctant when others suggested it. However, they are on a very good schedule, before and after meals, water, and hard play. A lot of consistency - steady routine. They always go when we take them outside, but I just can't get Vader to stop going in the crate too. Yoda is fine. Do you think if I made the crate for comfortable he'd like it and not urinate in it? At present it's small and plain plastic b/c he hasn't earned bedding, he used to just pee on it. Ugh.

I associate housetraining and crate training as the same, meaning training your puppy to potty outside, not in. If you like to refer crate training as a way to house train I understand that as well.

 

About the crate: is the size of it such that there only enough room for Vader to turn around and lie down? The reason I ask is that more room than that allows space for elimination without fouling the sleeping area. Ordinarily, animals won't foul the sleeping area.

Terminology can be confusing is all. To me, housebreaking and crate training are separate. I just wanted to be sure that we were on the same page, so to speak.

Now if I could just get my dogs not to be afraid of thunder......

 

Yep - we are on the same page. Yes, the crate is definately small enough. And tilted on a bit of an angle forward so the urine has to stay in the front.

Regarding the thunder perhaps you could try when the thunder sounds, using a positive reaction the dogs can associate with. A friend of mine has a York. Terr. and he's afraid of thunder too, so when it thunders she tries to divert his attention, not cuddle him, but play with him more try to make things overly happy and normal to enforce that all is okay. He seems to be doing better with it, but she make a special effort to be there for several storms in a row to work with him and he's doing well.

Good Luck. If you have any additional techniques for me to try please share them. Oh I have a question. I have this fluffy bed that is bigger than their crates that they love sleeping in in the kitchen. Should I remove it so they have no choice but to go to the crate? Also if I leave both crates open so they go in and out, Vader will go into Yoda's crate and pee for the fun of it. Bah.

 

Maybe get rid of the tilt, I've never heard of that one, kind of defeats the purpose of the small crate if the urine drains to the front and he doesn't have to lay in it anyway. My 2 year old Dachshund will still occasionally pee on the floor with no notice, even if he's been out within 4 hours or so, but he never ever goes in the crate, and it's large enough for 6 of him to lay in.

 

Yeah I know - most dogs don't, but my puppy does and I'm trying to deal with that. I got him a new crate yesterday - smaller (almost too small in my opinion, but he does have enough room to turn around, stand up, and sit down) and I got rid of the tilt. I put a towel in there as well. I though maybe if he was comfortable he wouldn't do it. It's only been a day, but so far so good. His brother has a medium crate with a wool bed and everything. He doesn't ever ever go in his crate. Strange how different they are...even as brothers.

I appreciate everyone's suggestions. Wish me luck.