 Hello ...
Hello again. I was a member of this forum about four years ago, when my granddaughter got a little Yorkie puppy named Samantha Love. The puppy grew up and I left the forum. Well, this puppy is now a four-year-old dog who is not potty trained and is causing my son and granddaughter a great deal of frustration. She had ruined the carpet and has been staying with me for a few weeks while they get new carpet installed. That only took one day, but I have kept Samantha longer attempting to potty train her.
I have raised many puppies and successfully potty trained them, but have never tackled a four-year-old adult. I have two dogs of my own, a 12-year-old Bichon, Cosmo, and a two-year-old long-haired Chihuahua, Lavender. Both of them are potty pad/paper trained and are trustworthy.
Some background ... Samantha was taken from her mother at five weeks of age and not diligently potty trained. My son and daughter-in-law are divorced and my granddaughter, who is 14, spends quite a lot of time with her dad, who now has "custody" of Samantha. (Ex-daughter-in-law doesn't want to be bothered with her.) My son is very soft hearted and succumbs to Samantha's whines. He doesn't want to confine her to her (really big) crate while he's gone to work. She can climb over an x-pen, but doesn't do it when anyone is around to watch her.
I am treating Samantha like a puppy, starting at square one with potty training. She is not allowed to run loose unless I have her on her leash or can actually sit down and watch her. She uses a potty pad in her crate just fine. She is confined on the tile in the kitchen with an x-pen and I watch her, trying to catch her and put her on the potty pad. She does use the potty pad sometimes, but more often does not. When she does, she gets lots of praise and a really good treat. I am gentle with her, just tell her "no, no" and put her on the potty pad, then tell her "good girl on the paper."
I have convinced my son that keeping Sammy in her crate while he's gone isn't going to harm her, is even good for her because it keeps her safe and reinforces using a potty pad. And when (and if) she is properly potty trained, it won't be necessary any more. Have also told him that if she is allowed to soil the new carpet even once, she will think it's OK from then on and it's back to square one. No matter how successful I am with potty training, he will have to be diligent and consistent when he takes her back home. My granddaughter, who is with Sammy sometimes when my son isn't home, will also have to be diligent and consistent, which isn't going to be easy for a teenager.
Sorry for the long post ... I'm hanging in there with Samantha ... trying to catch her every time she potties and put her on the potty pad ... hoping that the light bulb will come on and she will "get it." I know it isn't going to happen quickly after four years of practicing her bad habits.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. I think it's just a matter of putting in the time and effort necessary. At this point, I can use all the encouragement I can get!
Jeanette |