When to Start Training?

[mapetty]

My pup, Woody, is about seven weeks old. I would like to know when I should start trying to train him to sit and stay and such as that. He is still having some serious issues with potty training, so I am wondering if it is still too early for other training? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[LucyNTuckersMom]

We got our 2 pups at 8 weeks. I had read after 12 weeks (so that's at age 20 weeks) of consistent crate training, the puppy should be close to potty trained. It seemed to go that way, sorry to say. I only say this because you mentioned "serious" potty problems at the tender age of 7 weeks....

Teresa

[mapetty]

If I wash my floors with a vinegar/water solution, but don't rinse it off, will it deter my puppy from pottying on the floor? I have read to wash the area with vinegar and then rinse to eliminate the scent, but will the vinegar make them want to pee somewhere else? Thanks for any assistance.

[~Yorkie~Mommy~]

Well I say the sooner the better..........Bailey will be 4 months on the 9th of Jan and he starts Puppy Training Classes Jan 2. but I would say as early as 10 weeks

[Suzy]

I would definitely start at least trying to train him right away...but we found with Emma that she didn't "get it" until she was 11-12 weeks old. Prior to that age, we kept correcting her, but she didn't understand what we wanted her to do or where to go. I think it's worth a shot, and I've heard of some puppies that are pretty well trained by 9-10 weeks, but it took us much longer. She was reliably potty trained by about 4-5 months. Hang in there, it will get better!

[LucyNTuckersMom]

I have used vinegar and water to clean floors, litter boxes, and more. I don't know that it really would stop accidents, or deter them though. I wouldn't bank on it...

Teresa

[Reesie]

Our 1 yr old has had free run of the house since she was about 6 months old, but we always have a potty pad just in case we don't make it home on time. We now have a new baby that is 17 weeks and she was making me wonder if she would ever get the idea, but last week she finally started going to the back door. I also have a potty pad by the door for accidents. She is really getting the idea now. I had a carin terrier for 16 years that never had a accident in the house so I'm learning that alot of love and patience is the key to training these little angels.

[Kimbers Mommy]

Do you think it's okay to take them to puppy school if they are not fully potty trained yet?

[mapetty]

Is it possible to use a clicker to potty train a puppy? Also, would it confuse the puppy if I tried to potty train him and teach him to do something else at the same time, like sit? He would be learning two things at once - is this too much, should I just try to teach him one thing at a time?

[Suzy]

Originally Posted by Kimbers Mommy

Do you think it's okay to take them to puppy school if they are not fully potty trained yet?

Yes. I took Emma to classes at Petco, and the puppies in there had accidents all the time. I think the earlier you get them learning and on the right track, the better. Just make sure they've had all their puppy shots and are a little used to their harness/leash before you take them to class, and do a quick potty break right before class-you should be fine!

[Erin]

It is not too much to teach multiple things at once. Just keep the sessions short, to 5-10 minutes. We worked on sit, down, stay, come and leave it all in our first puppy class while housetraining and while he learned lots of other words like out, in, crate, up, etc.

Yes you can use a clicker as long as the dog knows that click=treat.

Yes you should go to class before your dog is housetrained! House training was covered in our puppy class. And bigger dogs are going to be trained sooner than smaller dogs. Puppies would have accidents all the time, mostly the combination of being on a leash and therefore not being able to go to the door AND the smell of the other dogs (especially in a place like Petsmart). Just be a responsible owner and ask where the paper towels are! Our trainer keeps the spray bottle and paper towels right on the front table!!

[jbache71]

Originally Posted by mapetty

My pup, Woody, is about seven weeks old. I would like to know when I should start trying to train him to sit and stay and such as that. He is still having some serious issues with potty training, so I am wondering if it is still too early for other training? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I got Peanut at 7 weeks and he is now 13 wks. Although I would say he's not 100% potty trained, he still responds well to other training. He will do sit, down, roll over (sometimes). And this is just working consistently at home several times a day for about 10 minutes each time. Good luck and it's never too early!