Yes, Diva is fully housetrained at 4 years old. We have had her since she was a puppy. We crated her as a puppy and used the puppy pads because she was so small she is not able to 'hold it' for extended periods of time. I also like puppy pads for times when the weather is inclement.
Diva currently is mother to 3, almost 5 week old puppies and she is now helping to teach them to use puppy pads. I have watched her on more than one occasion, lead a puppy to the pad where they then go pee pee. Yorkies are so smart!! (proud granny speaking!!)
Your baby will learn to use puppy pads, but you are right in keeping her crated at this young age when you are away from home. Puppies instinctively do not want to soil their bedding, but they have very small bladders and limited control of their bowels and bladder at her age.
I tell everyone that gets a puppy that potty training a puppy is very much like potty training a child. You have to be very patient, understand that they will have accidents, watch for signals that they have to go and then direct them to the correct place, and be consistent in your training. A dog is rarely completely housetrained before 1 year of age. It is a long process but so worth it for you and your puppy.
Good luck with your baby. It sounds like she is very lucky to have such a great mommy. |