MIne came to me supposedly litter trained, also. He was consistent with the box for a few days and then started messing. I decided that the only way we could live together was if he was outside trained. It was September and so I knew that I had about one month of good weather left. I took two weeks off to totally devote to him and never left the house. We went out ev ery hour until he went and then I praised him. Within a couple of days, he understood. He was crated whenever I left him. I set an alarm clock to get up in the middle of the night since he was too tiny to hold it all night long. I was vigilant and consistent. It is tiring and boring, but within 3 weeks I was rewarded with a puppy who knew what was expected of him. He was 2 lbs at that time and when winter hit, I found out that no amount of snow or cold bothered him. We have not had an accident in the house in over 8 months except for once or twice when I ignored his signals. He is now 16 months old and 31/2 lbs. He can hold himself for much longer periods of time and can go all night without being let out. He goes to the door and asks to be let out. He is still confined to the kitchen when we are not home. I am fortunate that I do not work and so he can go out 3-4 times a day, but he is the last in a long line of dogs that I have trained and when I was working, I made sure I took my vacation when we brought the puppies home. The intense and consistent effort plus crating has never failed me. It's tough to give up free time like that, but a reliable well trained dog is worth it. A couple of weeks of sacrifice vs. 12-14 years of accidents ! |