housetraining is tough!!

[emmitt]

When training a 9 week old, what should be the first action taken when the pup is caught in the act....????. He espcially likes the couch :( It seems that when he is not happy with the weather..if it is raining or cold...he runs back to the door and cries...even when i know he needs to go. Ive tried newspaper on the floor...but then I am afraid I will be training him twice. Just want to do everything right from the get go!! Thanks:confused:

[gmacleod]

If you catch the pup in the act, the best response is a loud "uh uh uh" accompanied by a bit of hand clapping. That lets the pup know that he's doing something you're not thrilled by, and also aims to startle (not scare) him into stopping mid-flow. Then you need to scoop him up (still peeing if need be) and race him outdoors to finish. And praise him lavishly when he does - that lets him know he's doing something good.

The problem with any significant scolding is that the pup is far more likely to conclude that it was the act of peeing you didn't like, than simply the location was wrong. So you can end with a pup that just tries to avoid peeing in your presence - which not only means him sloping off behind the couch to pee, but also him refusing to pee when you take him outside - so all round, something to be avoided. Best to restrict your expressions of annoyance to the minimum, and just resolve to watch better and predict his needs better next time.

As for not wanting to go out in the cold - well, that's normal enough. Pottying outside isn't a natural instinct for a puppy, going inside is. That's where it's warm, and more importantly, where it's safe. Nasty weather just deters them more from going outside. You just have to deal with it. Take him out when you know he needs to go, and use a leash. If you have to come back in "empty handed", then don't take him off his leash - you *know* he's going to go straight to some spot inside to pee. So don't give him that opportunity, keep him leashed or otherwise right under your eagle eye - then take him back outside in 5-10 minutes for another go. He can't hold out forever ;)

[emmitt]

Thanks so much for the advice, I somehow missed this post and I am still struggling a bit with housetraining, Very very helpful!! I am trying to be patient and consistent he isn't even 3 months. I feel like has absolutely no idea what the difference is, I am getting to know his behavior so well..and I don't believe he is trying to alert me in any way that he has to go. He just goes wherever whenever...occasionally I find an old poop..or step in a cold pee pee. :) I know I can't discipline him way after the fact. There is so much helpful advice on the topic throughout the board....I have been looking and learning.! thanks again.

[AlliKat]

We had a difficult time with housetraining too... we brought Bruiser home at 4 months, and it took about a month for him to really get it. He still has occassional accidents too (which are really our fault for not seeing his signals - sometimes it's hard to tell if a sniff is a SNIFF or just a sniff, or if he is barking because he wants to go out, or because he wants to chase our cats :rolleyes: )

But rest assured... it DOES get easier. Just keep being patient, persistent and clean up his messes REALLY well! He will get it.

Another thing that our pet trainer told us is to not give him too much free room to roam in the house. He is either crated in our bedroom (i.e. at night or when I am working), or he is gated into our family room/kitchen with us. That way, he has room to run around, but he doesn't have free fun over the whole house. I was told that giving a young puppy too much freedom can be overwhelming and make him feel 'responsible' for that whole area, and thus want to go everywhere. Keeping his freedom clipped (just make sure he gets lots of exercise, no matter how much room he has to roam) may help. It helped us for sure!

[Boykins]

All the advice here is great. The one piece that I think helped us the most was to either limit Boykins' ability to move freely about the house, or to just make sure we watched her like a hawk when she was out of her crate. We benefit from having a very small condo, so until she learned to go down the steps to the front door, it was hard to lose track of Boykins when she wasn't in her crate.

(She really did "go missing" one day when she went down the stairs so quietly, neither my boyfriend nor I had any idea where she was until we checked the bottom landing!)

Another thing I'd suggest is always taking the pup outside through the same door, at least whenever the goal is doing business outside. We did this with Boykins, always taking her outside through the front door, and eventually she started to stare down the stairs when she needed to go outside. (That was a real breakthrough moment, as you can imagine! appicon )

Last suggestion: don't let Emmitt on the couch if he's pooing on it...I would guess that at under 3 months, he can't yet jump up there. (Boykins is 7+ months and still won't jump up onto our couch by herself!) Just a thought.

And everyone is right. It will get better, and some pups catch on more quickly than others. Hang in there! It will all be worth it, as I'm sure you know!

-sarah and boykins.

[emmitt]

Thanks to all. It is actually getting better already.,.. Lots and lots of good ideas, thoughts, and advice from those who have been there!!... I just love snuggling with him on the couch sooo much. hahhah. I thought about breaking him of that habit. Thanks again everyone.