Looking for Help With a New Puppy

[chemking]

Hello everyone. My wife and I are just looking for a little input or guidance in our quest to housetrain our new puppy, Rex.

We bought him from a woman who only had him for about two weeks. He is about 13 weeks old. Obviously this woman didn't have time for him because he laid in his cage all day in his own urine. His beds, blankets, toys, and even him reeked of stale urine when we bought him from her. We felt bad for the guy...

The first week, he did very well. He pee'd and pooped outside. We practied using his cue phrase "go poop" as well. Suddenly, this changed. He began to refuse to use the bathroom while we were outside. It could take 30 minutes and still nothing. It crossed my mind that he was trying to prolong the act but I realized this couldn't be the case because he spent more energy trying to get back inside than eating grass and leaves. As soon as we get back inside, there is 1 minute of whining, then a puddle of pee.

Now, for the past two nights I have done my best to get up at 3 am to take him out. So far, nothing even after 15 mins of pacing. I wake up in the morning to find a crate full of poop and pee.

We have him on a feeding schedule that I download off of this website a while back. His paperwork and my own inspections have shown him negative for worms and I may be wrong but I doubt he has a UTI...urination is not that frequent he just refuses to drop it outside anymore.

I know that he is not afraid of his crate, he will often go inside freely as long as its cleaned. Today, I plan to get a crate a size smaller, and also attatch it to an exercise pen. I have noticed that he will use puppy pads when they are inside of the exercise pen.....Even though puppy pads are not ideal, I suppose it is a start.

Thanks in advance for your help, this forum has been a lifeline for us!

[BabyGirl Rosie]

Welcome to YT. Your pup is till very young and it sounds like you are his third home. He has had major changes at a young age. Did the original owner use potty pads maybe?? I got both my girls at older ages. Hopefully someone with puppy experience can give you some suggestions.

[gracielove]

Well, sadly when a puppy is left in a cage it learns to go potty in the crate. It is not natural for a pup to do that but when it locked in there it can' help but do so and after a few days of living under those conditions they just get accustomed to it.

As for not pottying outside....I'm not sure what is up with that. Could he have been scared or cold while out there? I have found it is much easier to get a pup to potty outside if you walk them. When they go for a walk they get the smells of other animals and often want to pee where someone else has already gone. I know it's not as convenient as a backyard but there is also the advantage of their going several times during a walk so they are really empty by the time you get home and you don't have to go out again as soon.

He is still very young and has not fully developed the ability to hold his urine so it is going to take some time to get it all sorted out

Just remember to reward him when he does go outside. Try carrying some small food treats to give him when he does get it right. He is giving you signals about when he has to go so be ready to get him out as soon as he starts to let you know.

[Teresiana]

It sounds like you're doing all the right things. I'm thinking that your smaller crate/expen set up will help a lot. If you keep him inside the expen overnight, at least you won't have to wake up at 3am to take him outside anymore! I know that the potty pad thing doesnt work for everyone. I had large dogs prior to getting my first Yorkie. It took a while for me to get used to having a pet go to the bathroom inside my house. But it's really not bad at all. In fact, it takes a lot of responsibilty off of me.

I got my last puppy in August. She was 14 weeks old & still was learning how to control her bladder. She would be eating & then all of a sudden, step away from her food bowl & pee! It took me a while to realize that she was still learning & that at 3 pounds, her bladder was tiny. Add that to the fact that she was born in a mill, adopted by a family that decided they didn't want her, and then returned to the rescue. That's a lot of transition for a 14 week old puppy.

If you're dead set on having Rex go outside to potty, maybe you can try rewarding him with high value treats after he goes. That's assuming you can get him to go. Classic crate training should help...keeping him in his smaller crate unless he's eating or going potty...with a little supervised play time. I kept my puppies tethered to me when we were potty training so that I could learn their signs of when they had to go. I also kept them in a plastic travel crate with a handle, so I could carry them with me & not miss a potty signal. Then I'd take them to their potty area right away & reward them with an extra special treat & praise them like they'd just won the lottery. If they didn't go after 10 minutes, I'd put them back in the crate. I know that's a lot of commitment. But it really did help me.

It also helps to take a used potty pad & smear the wet part on some grass. Lead him to that area so he can smell his scent. You can also put a little piece of his poo outside & do the same thing. You can apply the same concept to a potty pad inside his expen. And make sure to scrub down his crate & bed linens with an enzyme cleaner like Nature's Miracle, so he doesn't get confused.

The ASPCA has a great "virtual behaviorist" section & a great weekend crate training guide that might help. ASPCA | House Training Your Puppy

I honestly have had a more difficult time potty training my Yorkies than I did my own son. So I feel your pain. But I'm hoping that some of those tips will help. Good luck!!!

[jeane]

sounds like you are doing everything you can/ I think patience is the key but with him being left in the crate it might take longer