Max has to get a little older, and you have to get a little stricter :-) We went through this. Other people would not believe that Loki literally peed every 5 minutes. He was drinking WAY too much water, and luckily it was NOT medical, so we started to only give him little bits of water at a time. We measured it to make sure he was getting enough - usually twice as much as he "needed" based on his weight but probably half what he would drink before. We'd just fill his bowl up and he'd drink the entire thing even if it was 8 oz (when he was like 5 pounds at 6 months!) That was compounded with some bladder issues, so it was not a fun first few months!
Anyway, we also did crate training BOOT CAMP and seriously watched him when he was out. I also discovered that if I walked him he would pee 3 or 4 times and be seriously empty for a good hour. We got him down to about 1 accident a week by the time he was 1, when we put up bells. That pretty much eliminated the accidents, which by that point we OUR faults for not hearing him in time and he would pee by the door. Once the bells were up we would know right away to let him out and I felt more secure to let him free in the house, especially downstairs when I was upstairs. Now I trust him completely.
I've also discovered that over the last 6 months (he's 2) he can hold it longer after ringing his bells until I let him out. As long as I acknowledge him he will go back to playing or just sit there until I get him out. If he can't wait, he rings them frantically and comes and gets me or barks at me or whatever to get my attention. A year ago he would just have peed on the floor. I think this is both his maturity (physically) and also that we have learned how to communicate. He knows so many words I can literally talk to him like a toddler and he also knows the correct way to get my attention (bells).
As far as the crying in the crate, as long as you know he has just peed AND pooped put him in the crate and ignore the crying. Cover it or put it in another room if you have to.
It will also take time until you truly learn his patterns. Loki would ring his bells 2 minutes after he was just out and I would get annoyed, but he will go back out and poop. He rarely does both at the same time, he usually comes back in first. I thought it was goofy but that's just how it is so I don't care anymore. |