Potty Training Questions

[cheeselover8481]

When I notice my puppy needs to go I put her on the peeing pad. She runs away and goes on the carpet instead. I have tried to close her on there until she goes. She tries to find her way out. When she notices she can't get out she just lays on the pad and sleeps. She has gone on there a couple of times and I praised her and gave her a treat. Why does she run off and go somewhere else instead? How can I teach her to go on the pad? She is 9 weeks old and I have had her about a week. How long does it take for them to get potty trained? Thanks!

[Erin]

It can take up to a year to fully train a Yorkie. We didn't even get Loki until he was 13 weeks old, so I wouldn't know where to begin with a 9 week old. They have to pee every 5 mins. Try crate training, at least then she doesnt start getting bad habits by peeing on the carpet. Make sure you clean it up with a good enzymatic cleaner or she will smell it and go there again. Good luck!

[cheeselover8481]

Thanks for your advice. We have been crate training, but she poops in her crate. She never pees in there. She was in there for about 1 1/2 hours yesterday without a problem. She is in her crate during the night and cries only when she has to go. As soon as I let her out she runs off and goes on the carpet. She only had 4-5 accidents the first week I had her, but she has only gone on her pad a couple of times the past 2 days. I am not sure what changed.

[Erin]

Pooping in the crate could be a timing issue. Make sure you feed her and then take her out to poop. You may have to wait for quite a while until she does. Feed her at the same times and you'll start to learn when she needs to go. They tend to be pretty regular.

When you take her out of her crate you have to carry her to the spot you want her to go. We would always carry Loki outside after he woke up so he didn't have the chance to go on the carpet or floor. They won't go while you are holding them. Sorry I can't be more helpful, Loki is housetrained so we never did the pads. The strategy might be different.

[hunniebunnie]

i got bunjee when he was 8 weeks old and he didn't start going reliably on his potty pad at home (away from home is another issue) until he was about 12 weeks. but i have him confined to the kitchen area so even when i release him from the crate at night, he can't run off to the carpet to pee and since it's a smaller space, i have enough time to catch him if he starts to pee somewhere else and place him on his potty pad.

when i crate him, and he cries to be let out for potty, i let him out and start to give him the "go potty" command. if he doesn't go in the next 5 mins or so, i put him back into his crate and walk away. no petting, no playing, no treats.

but in general, potty training takes a lotta time and patience. 9 weeks is still pretty young and your baby still have lots to learn. potty training can take months but just keep at it! good luck!

[Kim O.]

Erin - Can you tell me more about crate training? We put Penny in a playpen with newspaper, but she poops on the rugs and urinates on the tile floor. I've never trained a puppy before, so it's all new to me. She was about 8 weeks when we got her; she is now 14 weeks old. Thank you.

[Erin]

Originally Posted by Kim O.

Erin - Can you tell me more about crate training? We put Penny in a playpen with newspaper, but she poops on the rugs and urinates on the tile floor. I've never trained a puppy before, so it's all new to me. She was about 8 weeks when we got her; she is now 14 weeks old. Thank you.

First you need a crate small enough for the puppy to lie down and turn around, no bigger. We used an 18" wire crate with a divider panel. As he grew we gave him more space. (Eventually he grew out of it and has a big wire crate now with a bed, etc, once they are crate trained they can have a bigger crate.) We also discovered that he was brilliant and would pee on his blanket and then SHOVE it under the gap in the divider panel so he didn't have to sit in it. This defeats the purpose so the trainer said no more blanket.

You then leave the dog in the crate for short periods of time with the idea that they will not soil their crate. It will happen though. Loki had diahrrea a couple of times and peed countless times in his crate. We discovered he was drinking too much water at once (he still does this) and we were also leaving him water in his crate which he was drinking all at once. Once we all figured out what we were doing, things went much better. If you leave them for too long they will have to go, they can't hold it very long at all. So please, make sure you can take her out at least every 30-45 mins for a while and then every hour or so. Loki is a year old and will still only hold it about 4 hours in a crate, and maybe an hour in the house. He does sleep through the night if I pick up the water 2 hours before bedtime though.

OK, so you leave the puppy in the crate for a little while, then you take them out of the crate (carry them) and immediately take them outside to the potty spot. Stay with them on a short leash and don't let them play. Stay still and be very boring. When they go, say "GO potty!" or whatever cue you want in a sweet voice. Then praise the heck out of them, jump up and down, give them treats (immediately, or they will forget what they did), etc. Make sure they are EMPTY. Some will pee outside then come back in and poop, so just make sure they are empty. They they get some free time/play time, but you watch them every second. If they start to squat inside say No!, grab them and run outside to let them finish. Yes, this is messy but if you wait for them to finish you will not get your point across. It helps if you keep them on a leash while they are inside.

After a little play time it's back in the crate to start over. The whole point is to avoid accidents which can reinforce that it's OK to go in the house. What it does is get them used to feeling/smelling grass when they potty and allow you to praise them when they go. If you put them in there for 45 mins, they are going to have to go when you take them out. It speeds up the reinforcement process. Remember they will always have to go out after (or while!) playing, after waking up from a nap, and 5-15 mins after eating or drinking. It's OK to put water and food on a schedule as long as you make sure they get enough of both. (Check with your vet) If they won't go, put them RIGHT back in the crate and try again. Don't give them the opportunity to pee on the floor in front of the door the second you take the leash off!

Oh, and i know you are just going to want to play with your little pup. But this creates habits you can live with for the next 15 or so years that you have your dog. She won't hate you for it, but she will be more respectful and learn who is in charge. Give her a treat when you put her in her crate, or leave treats in there for her. Put her in there sometimes but don't close the door. Loki knows that when I get a kong he's going in his crate and he BOLTS to his crate because he wants the silly kong. He knows what "get in your crate" means and he knows he'll get a treat so he goes in. He will go there if he is scared or wants to be alone. I also use it for "time outs". If he does something I don't like I can say "time out" sweetly and put him in there for a little while. His punishment is time alone, not with me, which is not cruel or anything like some of the "correction" some trainers tell you to do. If he starts to get mouthy when we are playing I just say "Do you want a time out?" and he stops whatever he's doing. He knows if he continues the game will stop and he'll need to chill by himself for a while. Crates are also good for when you are cleaning, mopping, etc. because at least they can see out of the crate but are contained. I never shut Loki in a room, he'd freak out and either jump a gate or scratch at the door. With the crate they are still in the room with you but are contained. He is fine with this.

Final thought: You will learn the difference between a "let me out" cry and an "I need to potty" cry. You should wait until they stop crying for a minute to let them out, unless you are positive it's an I need to potty cry. If you are unsure, I say just take them outside when they cry, and then if they don't go put them right back in the crate and try again in 5 minutes.

[cheeselover8481]

Thanks for all your advice. She has not gone in her crate the past couple of nights. She cries when she needs to go so I take her out. For peeing she has been going on the pad herself, but for pooping she goes around the whole house and sniffs. When I notice her doing this I put her on her pad. Sometimes she stays on the pad and goes. Other times she runs off (so fast that I have a hard time catching her) to other places of the house and tries to go. I pick her up and keep putting her on her pad until she goes. As soon as she goes she looks at me o be praised and waits for a treat. She has been at my parents since I have gotten her. I will be taking her to my apartment today, so I will have to see if she is still good over there. She might be confused at first, but I think she will learn quickly. I want to train her to go outside, but she shivers too much. Is it a good idea to wait until the weather is warmer or should I start training her now? Also, should I train her to go both inside and outside? This way if it is raining or too cold for her then she can go on her pad.

I have been crate training her and noticed how much she loves her crate as long as she can see me. When she can't see me she cries. I open the door so she is free to come out, but she goes to the far back letting me know she doesn't want to come out. I am so glad she loves it in there.

[Erin]

Honestly, I'm not a fan of the pads so I'm a bad person to answer that. Loki will pace, squat and waddle 10 feet back and forth before he will poop and he will never pee in the same spot and he always likes to sniff around first. He would never use a pad correctly. I've also been told by professionals that they can confuse the pad with the carpet. Some will only pee on a pad once, some will poop *near* the pad, etc. Others seem to be fine with it. If you are going to housetrain I would suggest you start right away, since the idea is that the dog is supposed to see the house as his "bed" or "home" and learn that it is appropriate to potty outside. If you teach them it is OK to go in the house and then suddenly it's not, it might not work as well. Get a tiny sweater or coat?