 Nutty...but it works!
How old is he? I have to say, Guppy will be 6 months old next week and it's like a little light bulb went off! All of a sudden he's stopped going inside as long as we get him outside regularly. We had him pad trained...to a point, but he also would often go next to the pad instead of on it. Now, he even "knocks" on the door to go out. My secret: everytime we went out and he went potty, I'd say "Good boy, potty outside!" and make a big fuss...then, the magic! I always keep a jar of peanut butter with me when I go out and as soon as he's done going, I reinforce the action with "Good boy, potty outside" while I stick my finger in the jar and let him lick the PB off. He loves the stuff! It also makes him go sooner (he used to take forever) but now when he sees the jar he just goes right away and then waits for his treat. You must be very vigilant with this. I started crating him at night and he'll whimper in the morning when he gets up and has to go. But I really think this is a large part of the training...getting them to learn to hold their pee. I grab him and run outside with him under one arm and the peanut butter under the other (not always a pretty site, I warn you). During the day I make sure he gets out after he eats and about every 2-3 hours although he is holding it longer if I get busy and can't get him out right on schedule. But I do try really hard not to miss taking him when it's time. HTH, |