I got Théo and Maezie when they were 11 and 12 weeks old. I didn't bother with potty pad training cause I didn't want them to think its ok to pee and poop inside. Instead I taught them to ring the bell on my back door to let me know they need to go potty and want outside. It took about 6 weeks for them to ring it 100% of the time. Although Maezie, even though she knows how to ring it, won't ring it. Apparently I've heard that's quite normal. Multiple dogs in a household will nominate one of them to be the bell ringer. So Maezie just waits at the door for Théo to ring the bell.
I worked really hard training them and I think I could've had the housetraining part done sooner but I was teaching them loads of things all at once plus they each had to have their own separate training sessions. So it just took a little bit longer. But I love training dogs. It's a great way to really get to know them and bond with them. |