 Help with potty training
Ugh I just typed a long thing and then I hit something to highlight it by accident and erased it, I hate that.
Anyway, Oliver is almost four months old now and I've had him since he was exactly eight weeks. I think he's making average progress with potty training given his size and age, but my grandmother (with whom I live) is putting pressure on me to have him trained by the time he reaches six months.
I have a lot of faith in my boy, but I'd still like some tips. Namely on how to get him to recognize that he goes outside ONLY, rather than outside when he's already out there and inside when he is already in. Occasionally he'll bark in his pen to be let out at night, but not usually, and never when he's just roaming the house.
I punish him by putting him in his crate if he messes on the floor, but he's not in there for more than five minutes. I also do not/will not hit him or rub his nose in his mess, though I do show him and give him a firm "no."
When he goes outside, he is met with verbal praise. I've tried giving him treats but he's usually not interested. I've tried several brands of dog treats.
I bring him out probably every hour or hour and a half during the day when I'm home, I bring him out every morning at around five am, and I bring him out as the last thing I do before bed every night, usually around midnight.
Still, usually when I wake up in the morning he's peed in his pen. I don't put him in his crate to sleep because when I first brought him home and tried it he cried so hard he vomited on two separate occasions, and he's much happier and far more well behaved in his pen.
My main concern is really how to get him to let us know when he has to be let out. He doesn't give us any signs at all. He'll be perfectly normal one minute and then the next he's peeing right in front of us. What do we do? |