Quote:
Originally Posted by Rachael1983  When my girl was a puppy, the rule of thumb for me was that she would be able to stay in an hour for each month she was old without pooping or peeing. So if your girl is only 16 weeks old she's really only about 4 months so 4 hours you should let her out.
At night, I would let her out before you go to bed, and also I restricted water/food after 8 so she wouldn't have to go. Not all will agree with that approach but it worked for us.
Consistency with a schedule will get you through this. Hang in there and Welcome! |
I agree with Rachael. My training was pretty much the same for both of mine.
When I first brought each home though, at 5 months, I made sure to take them out a lot more frequent than necessary just to prevent any accidents (i.e. every 3 hours and gradually work it up to the number of hours = month old they were). I remove water after 8pm and take them out to potty twice before going to bed.
Also, the crate is just large enough for them to stand, turn, and lie down comfortably. Any crate that is too large will invite them to potty in it. If yours has already developed the habit of pottying inside, you'll want to take them out very frequently for some time to readjust that habit. With any training, the key is slow transitions and TONS of patience and persistence
You'll get there eventually!
Good luck
