 Puppies need consistency just like kids, and us!
Hi hopeful! I hope you don't mind a Westie lover to answer your question! We bought Dylan when she was only six weeks old (I had no idea how bad that was for her either). We had a small enclosure with her crate inside of it.
We took her out to potty every hour and then every two hours at night (it's much tougher than when my kids were younger but then I wasn't a hundred years old then either!)
She had potty pads in the enclosure, but wouldn't really use them. The problem came when we would take her out to be with us in the living room, she would promptly use the bathroom. The vet said it was because she equated 'out' with the enclosure, and until we did away with it, she'd not get the 'out' was OUTSIDE.
We fed her three times a day, and then by three months, she was at twice a day. It took about four months to feel she was really potty trained, and now scratches at the glass door (and yes, SCRATCH, is the operative word, the door looks like a wolf is there instead of a lil westie!). We only take her out through the back door, so she doesn't get confused.
She is put down in her crate and we actually say 'crate time' and start shutting off lights and she knows she gets a 'lean treat' when she walks inside without being caught so she hangs her head and walks in and flips around waiting for that nibble. This is between 8 and 9 at night, and then she's up by 8 in the am.
Be patient and you'll do great, it's a wonderful time to take pictures of them going through all of these stages.
I'm sorry to hear about your puppy, maxlover, that's awful! I always thought coyotes were hunters, taking a small puppy sure isn't hunting! It's bad enough our furry friends leave us before we're ready, but that's a terrible way to lose a pup. I bet you never really relax when your dogs are outside. |