Decision Made!!!

[Tabatha00]

O.k. I've been going back and forth on how I need to potty train Mufasa and I tell you I just CAN'T keep him locked up when I'm gone. I can't even stand to think about him locked up much less actually DO it!!!! I know he can't hold his tiny bladder all day while I'm gone but I've come to a solution I can live with. I'm going to put a belly band on him during the day or when nobody is at home to take him out. As soon as I get home, I'm going to take it off of him and he'll continue to go outside like he does now. He sleeps on my bed all night long and if I get up in the night I always take him out mainly because if he sees me get up he gets all excited as if he hasn't seen me in 50 forevers. Ha! I'll also put a belly band on him when we go to other peoples houses until I know he can hold his bladder all day.

So, what do you think of my decision? My sister keeps telling me I need to crate train him but ya'll I can't do it. I am so attached to the little guy that I just can't possibly bear the thought of it.

[*sophie's mama*]

I don't have any experience with belly bands so I don't know if it will work all day. Good luck!

[Little Bit]

The potty pad will definitely help with the urine, but he may still poop in the house. Will you be confining him to one room that is puppy proofed so he doesn't hurt himself (chew on cords, etc.) or cause any damage (chew on furniture, etc.)??

[chachi]

What about putting him in an expen with a pee pad. I know its hard to confine them but you really need him to learn to hold it in a crate for outside training or on the pee pad but they still have to be confined. Belly bands arent really for training and hes just learning he can go anytime he wants to without being trained where to go the vast majority of the day

[RebelBelle]

I gotta be honest and say that if he is running free with a belly band on you can almost be assured that he won't ever learn to hold it all day. I think it's so great that you are such a caring mommy that you don't want to lock him up, but I crate trained Jamie and he really loves his crate now. I leave him with full run of my master bath now when I go to work and most days when I get home he's curled up in his crate sleeping.

Interestingly enough before we moved to this new house last month (wood laminate throughout), our rental house had carpet, so Jamie always had a belly band on when he was out of his crate when we were home. We tried to take him out on a schedule but he still had accidents cause we could never bring ourselves to put him back in the crate if he didn't potty outside cause we felt bad that he was in there all day. AND you could never tell when he was pottying in the bellyband so you couldn't catch him to correct him. Now in the new house, he holds it til lunch and then til 5pm (his crate schedule from the old house) even with the whole bathroom to play in. However, he just isn't catching onto holding it after 5. I think that has a LOT to do with having the belly band before. So in that aspect I think it may have caused a set back in his training.

Now we are back at square one after 5 oclock and I watch him like a hawk. Now with no belly bands I can catch him in the act and correct the behavior by taking him outside.

Either way I'm sure that you'll make the right decision for your baby. I just wanted to tell you about my experience.

[Tabatha00]

Wow.....just when I think I have something figured out ya'll post and make complete sense. DANG YOU!!! ha ha ha

I guess you're right.......I can keep him in my laundry room which is pretty big.

I really do appreciate all the advice!!! It's not what I wanted to hear but I really do want what's best for Mufasa. Thanks!

[Karrie]

I have to tell you that I TOTALLY understand your hesitation to keep Mufasa in a pen all day. I suffered severe anxeity and guilt with the thought of keeping Bailey in a pen all day while at work - it was so bad that I almost gave her up! But I soon realized that she liked her pen - its her "safe" area - which is very important.

Each morning, we take a piece of dehydrated deer meat - she hops in the ex-pen without hesitation - and I leave for work. I know that she is safe and sound - and she knows that we will be home in the afternoon. Its our routine and she knows what to expect each day.

[mrshelbysmom]

I have always felt the same way until my vet convinced me it was the best and safest thing for them if you are not home all day. He said they are naturally den animals and they see a crate as a den and that is their comfort zone..I also read a post one time and it got me to thinking. If something were to happen to my house while I wasn't there (say a fire) he would be in his crate and rescuers would not have to search around behind or under furniture to find him..grab the crate and run... so it kinda makes me feel less guilty but I can't put him in there at night or any other time when I am home. so housebreaking is slow going...

[Tabatha00]

I know what you mean. I still haven't put Mufasa in the laundry room or "crate him" because I just haven't been able to make myself do it. I know I NEED to and the census around here is that everyone else does it but I just haven't enacted that part of my "plan" yet.

Mufasa is doing pretty good potty training. I take him outside several times a night so as of yet he hasn't had any accidents (that I know of) at night but during the day he has had accidents.

My kids are out of school for the summer so while I'm at work they are supposed to take him out several times but they don't do it as consistently as I'd like them too.

I love my little guy so much and just can't bring myself to crate him so it's something I'm going to work on before the kids go back to school in August.