pick a spot any spot

[littlemanPaco]

hello :)

I just got my fb about a week ago and working on the housebreaking process with him. It seems that he doesn't go to the same spot when he is going to the bathroom, he seems to be urinating for the most part in the same spot (give or take) but when it comes to #2 there are some issues. I put down newspaper/ wee wee pads but not sure why the connection isn't being made.
I am going to try to take him outside starting today when I go home for lunch, hopefully the connection will be made...any suggestions??
thank you :)

[gmacleod]

Dogs aren't usually that fussy about where they urinate/defecate. Some decide on particular spots, sure, but most of them aren't that fussy. They will, however, usually choose absorbant surfaces (like grass, or newspaper) for urination, simply because they are absorbant surfaces and nobody likes to get their feet wet LOL So that's porbably the reason he's urinating on the newspaper, but defecating anywhere else.

For housetraining a puppy, the fastest way is to bypass the paper training thing and just to train them to go outside. But it depends on your particular circumstances, and whether or not you are in a position to give your puppy all the potty stops he'll require.

If you are in a position to either come home to let him out every three hours or so, or can get a friend/family member/neighbour/hired dog walker to come and do it for you, then crate training is the best way to go.

The crate works as a housetraining tool because it provides a powerful incentive for a puppy to hold his bladder/bowels for as long as possible. That is because the alternative is that he has to sit in it. And the general rule of thumb for how long a puppy/dog can be asked to hold on, in hours, is the age in months + 1 to a maximum of 8 hours. So an 8 week old puppy is generally capable of holding on for as long as about 3 hours, a three month old for 4 hours, and so on.

In the crate, the puppy should have enough room to turn around and to lie down comfortably, but not so much room as to be able to pee in one end and sleep in the other. Likewise, any bedding should not be particularly absorbent (and if he potties in there, you may have to remove any bedding at all). The point is to provide an incentive *not* to pee ;)

So, if he's crated and you come home often enough to provide the potty stops he needs, you should be able to have a regime of successful outdoor potties only. It is important to praise your puppy lavishly every time he potties outdoors - that is the only way for him to know that it was a good thing. LOL - he'll never guess it for himself.

If it is *not* possible for you to come home often enough to give your dog sufficient potty breaks (and you can't find/pay someone else to do it), then the crate isn't an appropriate training tool. You would have to stick with gating him in the kitchen, providing some newspaper for him to potty on, and waiting for the time he's old enough to be capable of being crated without a potty stop for the length of time you have to be gone.

[franp]

I seem to remember that your dog is about 11 weeks or so?TOO young to go outside...
And too young to expect much from in the way of housebreaking.. He is ,after all, a pup..

Are you crating him?That is the only way ,IMO, that you can teach him where he is expected NOT to urinate and defecate..

When you take him out of the crate; IMMEDIATELY put him on the pad. When he as done what you want PRAISE him to the sky. Even give him a treat..Associate doing what he is supposed to with praise..

But, remember,he is a baby... And these are slow to train dogs...

fran

[littlemanPaco]

thanks for your responses yet again.
I have only had him for a little over a week, and he is doing better on the paper training end than initially. I know he is just a tiny pup, and my expectations aren't very high of course - but i just want to make sure i am taking the right steps. the vet said it would be ok to take him out for bathroom purposes only.
I have tried to place him on the wee wee pads/ newspapers when i do take him out of the crate, but he is very excited and runs away from it. he usually will return to urinate, but will defecate elsewhere. i do know these dogs are very slow in housebreaking, and am prepared with all the patience needed for that. I am just curious to get some insite from other fb owners who have been through this so I have an idea on which steps to take...

[Chris&Eti]

Eti peed on the pad every time but took a while to figure out that he had to poop there also. He did eventually. I found that a couple of frenchie owners I've met had similar issues. To this day he does his business in two different spots outside.

[Carolyn]

Abby was my first FBD and she took forever to potty train. Because we both work....she was confined to the kitchen area during the day and was good about going on papers....but when we got home....she would sneak off and do her business in the house if not watched carefully. It was very frustrating. I don't know why but my Ferris was much easier to train. To this day I have never seen him lift his leg in the house. He's a funny little man and is very particular about where he poops. He prefers privacy and hides behind plants in the yard to do his #2 business. With this breed...patience is definitely required.....that and constant praise when they get it right. Carolyn

[Carolyn]

Lilydog...haven't heard anything about that theory but maybe others have. From my experience with other breeds...I just think that Frenchies are more difficult to train than other breeds. As much as we love them...they are stubborn little dogs when it comes to potty issues. However...the positives to this breed way outnumber the negatives. They are so feisty, stubborn, demanding, sometimes embarrassing....but just the absolute BEST. :p

Carolyn...who is quite smitten by this special little dog. :D

[pamelay2000]

I had the same issues when I first got Butters - making mistakes, and frequently for that matter, was so common in the first three weeks but he's recently turned the corner. What I did was to recognize approximately how many hours were in between poops. Now, at almost 12 weeks, he's ready to poop every 4 hours, sooner for urinating, so what I do is watch him LIKE A HAWK when I think it's close to that time. I don't know if other Frenchie's do this, but since Butters is so small, his anus actually gets slightly engorged around this time :lol: as he sniffs around - at that point i promptly pick him up and bring him to his spot outside. If he does not go within 5 minutes, pick him up, bring him inside and hold him in your lap for 15-20 minutes, then take him out again. Once I learned this technique and had a full long weekend to devote to this task for reinforcement, my life has gotten a lot easier!!

[littlemanPaco]

just when i think we are making some progress, paco makes a mistake again. he will pee on the newspaper/wee wee pad lets say 70 percent of the time...the other 30 percent is wherever he decides is right. i praise him when he pees on the paper, and of course say 'no' when he doesn't. as far as his other bathroom issues, the vet said i should wait another 2 weeks before i bring him outside,so i can't really housebreak him at all. for some reason the connection between where the paper is and where to defecate is nowhere to be found....
i just have to wait for his final round of shots so he can go outside...i feel like its really hard to start an actual housebreaking process without this luxury...
other than that he has been really cute carrying his toys over in his mouth and wanting to play...he has also been jumping in and out of his sherpa bag...using it as his own private area to eat his treats and play with his toys...its hilarious :)

[Solo_dog]

Sounds like you and your pup are on the right track. It does take time, and I know, it's frustrating. But hang in there! 70% is great at this point! Way to go! appicon

Your puppy sounds like a sweetie, and if he already is getting in and out of his sherpa bag, and playing in there, you'll have no problem carting him around with you when he can finally go out into the wide world! :)
Keep us updated!

[Lisa]

[QUOTE=franp]I seem to remember that your dog is about 11 weeks or so?TOO young to go outside...

Fran - what do you think about this ...
When we bring Lamont home he will be 12 weeks. He'll be in quarentine (no other dog contact or walks) for 4-6 weeks until vaccinations are complete.

We've cleaned our yard to the point it is almost "sterile" :lol: becasue we want to take Lamont outside for play and, of course, to start potty traning. This should be ok right??? :confused:

[franp]

Lisa,
Sounds good to me! appicon