[Kizzys Mom]

Originally Posted by Bailey's Peeps

This is a repeat of something I posted before. Numbers of days, etc. have been updated to todays date. I repeat it only because it has worked for us, our frustration level has dropped to zero and our sheer fun of being with Baily has gone off the charts.

Before I launch into telling you what seems to be working with Bailey, I need to get the disclaimer out of the way: 1) Bailey's is only 3 months old (in two days) and we've only had her for 35 days, and 2) After 3 1/2 weeks of the normal frustration of potty training a pup, we've only been accident-free for 7 days. Hardly a long track record, and I know puppies almost always regress at some point for some period of time, but through last Thursday night I don't think we had even 4 waking hours in a row without an incident. Now we've been through 7 full days without a problem.

This is sorta long. For those of you who bother to read it all, I hope there’s something it it that helps.

Up until we started this plan, Bailey was almost defiant about pooping outdoors. We would spend what seemed like ages outdoors with her, then shortly after we came back inside we would find her little surprise behind a chair or under a table. This in spite of the fact that we took her out frequently and for longer periods than we are now.

So here's what we've done that made a change overnight. It's mostly stuff you've heard, and probably stuff you’ve done, but we have put it all together in a pattern that we don't vary. Every trip out is the same duration and our behavior with Bailey doesn’t vary.

1. I fenced in a 6' x 6' area just outside our back door. That's her spot. Just 24" wide hardware cloth and some wooden stakes. I've never even seen an expen (is that how it's spelled?), but from conversations in YT, I'm sure they'd serve the same purpose. Mine only cost $20 for materials and a few minutes to drive in the stakes.

2. We keep a baggie of treats close to the door. They are very tiny treats. We had been using some soft treats that can be easily cut up to less than 1/4" cube. In the past two days, we've added Cheerios to the bag - found out she loves them. Just make it something your baby really likes – but very little of it.

3. As soon as she is taken out of her crate in the morning, she is taken to her spot, grabbing a few treats on the way. I don't even let her walk to the door. I carry her from her crate to the potty area.

4. When we put her down, we tell her once to "go potty." Previously, I had prompted her repeatedly until she finally did. It has seemed to work better since I’ve forced myself to only tell her once. When she does, she is immediately praised and given a treat. (After the first day, she has begun looking us right in the eye while she’s pottying – and as quickly as we can start saying “good girl, good potty” she is at our feet claiming her treat. When we first started, I would pick her up right then and head back in. I quickly changed to giving her 10 minutes (and I try to keep it very close to the same amount of time each trip out). I did that because she will sometimes pee 2 or 3 times before we come back in. Often, she will poop on this trip out, but not always. Other than praise for doing what she’s there for and the occasional “no” when she starts digging, I resist the urge to talk to her at all, the time spent in her potty spot is all business. When I pick her up to go back inside, I love on her and talk to her and generally enjoy being with her.

5. When we get back in the house, she gets her breakfast. 15-20 minutes later we go back outside, following the procedure above exactly. Whether she pooped the first time out or not, she generally does on this trip. Again, when she does what she was brought out to do, she gets praised and petted like she just won “Best of Show.” If she doesn’t potty and we really think she needs to, we don’t give her more time. We bring her back in. Depending on what’s going on in the house, she either goes back in the crate or she’s allowed to roam close by us – under very close observation. If she shows any sign at all of looking for a spot, she goes out immediately. Otherwise she will go out about two hours later.

6. The rest of the day, she’s taken out about ever two hours, always with everything exactly the same. As she gets older, obviously the time between trips will stretch.

That’s it. It’s long, and there’s really nothing new about it at all – but we’ve had a full week of accident-free days and at her age I think that’s pretty good.

that is exactly what I do with Kizzy when I first get up. I carry her to the back door and tell her outside tee tee and tell her to speak I Let her run out and to the same little area (altho its not fenced). usually she pees right away but now i've learned to keep her outside a little while longer in case she has to do more and most of the time she does. Then I bring her in and feed her right away. Then usually if she didnt poop first time out, i take her right back outside a few minutes, poop or not I still give her a treat(usually a cheerio) then we come back in. She is usually good then for a few hours but I keep my eye on her and once she starts down the hall towards the back door i go right behind her, make her speak to go outside tee tee. But I usually put her harness and collar on after she eats before taking her out. Then she is good for a few more hours. I only feed her two times a day with a milk bone in between plus the cheerios she get for going outside. She is doing so much better this way. The last 2 days she goes to the back door by herself and sometimes speaks on her own. if i dont hurry tho, too late, she will pee at the door but she is learning and the last two days has only had a couple of accidents, mostly when I just cant run to the door at the same time she does. It does take lots of patients and time and I'm prepared to spend it to get her to the point of going outside all the time till I just cant handle it anymore if it gets to that point. I wish all of you good luck because I know i've needed it and still do actually. but its getting better. she is 4 months old now. sorry this is long just hoping it will help someone out.