Potty Train

[Alaska Gray]

ok, Potty training isn't going like I expected. I take him out every hour and some times twice. Also he spends allot of time outside with me. I walk him to the grass and tell him to go, which he does. But when I don't walk him to the grass will go on the deck or driveway if he doesn't make it to the gass. Also inside the house he still goes no matter if he just came from outside.

He sleeps in a kennel and doesn't go in there.

Wonder is there anything I can do?

[kylemac]

Time is not always the best indicator of when to take the pup out, rather activity is a better gauge. Take pup out after vigorous play, after eating/drinking, and after naps - certainly after removing from the crate. Anytime pup goes off on his own sniffing it a pretty good time to scoop him up as well. And I always, always, always open the door anytime pup gets near it. It should only take a few days of that before pup figures out his proximity to the door triggers it to open.

Additionally, sometimes it is good to confine breaks to a particular area of the yard for starters. You can then even carry him to the preferred outdoor location if he is having problems making it off the porch or driveway -- at least until the desired area picks up the scent and the pup gets the idea.
Good luck.

Regards,
Kyle

[Alaska Gray]

Thanks. I do that first thing and some times at nigt. I carry him or direct him to a certain spot. He can go right out side and come in and no sooner then 5 minutes have an acciedent.
I ring a bell that hung from the door. This dog is tricky. How long does it usually take to potty train.

[AK Explorer]

How old is your pup and what breed?

I have always had great success with the crate method. As was mentioned, always take him out IMMEDIATELY upon letting him out of the crate. Watch if he drinks a lot of water, as that will necessitate more going. My pups always got taken out within a minute or two of eating, and if they drank, I watched to see if they started pacing. If they squat, yell NO to stop them and pick them up and set them in the grass (or wherever you want them to pee). If you set them down on a deck or concrete, they will probably just squat there. Place them where you want them until they form a habit. Most of my dogs got it pretty well within a month or so, last one got it in a week, and then there was the Yorkie. He took quite a bit longer, like maybe 4 months, to really get it - and he still poops in the house if we leave him for extended periods. Also, smaller dog=smaller bladder. Our Great Dane could hold it for 18 hours at 7 months old. He was great. Yorkie, not so much! LOL

Consistency is key. If it were me and it got to where the dog doesn't make it to the door after opening the cage, I would be ready with a spanking. I would open the house door first, then the crate, and tell him to go potty. If he tried to squat before he made it outside, he would get a swift smack on the butt until he learned to get his butt outside.

[Alaska Gray]

Thanks. He is a Lab 10 weeks old.

[kylemac]

My lab pup trained in about a week (at 9 wks old) with consistent supervision to the point he knew what was expected. Then we moved to corrections for "so called accidents" which curbed even the thought in a couple more weeks. Well timed (within a few seconds) corrections and praise should help your pup understand.
Free roam of the house is sometimes too much to understand for a small pup as well. He may not initially see the difference in the "spot" in the yard and the "spot" behind the couch.
When our rescue came from the kennel and was initially having accidents we confined him to the kitchen with kid gates then slowly expanded his territory room by room until he understood none of these areas were acceptable toilets. He got the idea in a couple weeks.
I'm sure your pup is figuring out what you want -- but he's also figuring out what you'll let him get away with as well.
I love that puppy smell -- doesn't last long...
Good luck.

[Alaska Gray]

Yeah again today we went out a d used the bathroom. No sooner we came back in he went inside.

[Hoyt]

For whatever reason, it sounds like he has conditioned to go after everytime you bring him back into the house. Maybe try extending the amount of time he is given for potty time. If you take him out and he goes in the first 5 mins, stay outside with him for 15-20 mins. Heck it's nice out this time of year, so whats a few more minutes outside? Make sure he is as drain out as possible. Or maybe take him in for a couple seconds (without getting the chance to go in the house), and then immediatly take him back out. I'm no expert, but just thought I'd throw those ideas out. Is he getting LIGHT negative consequences for going inside the house?

[Jim McCann]

I teach certain commands for this activity as well. First it's "Outside" and then it's "Hurry Up." Those commands sound better coming from a grown man in company rather than "Potty" and such. :-) When pup does its business make a big deal about it and praise him for going outside. If he makes a mistake and goes inside, immediately issue the command "Outside" and then get him outside to go again. Praise him when he goes outside. Remember, everything must be FUN for a pup. Don't rub his nose in it. That's not fun for either of you.

Jim

[SkinnyD]

I teach certain commands for this activity as well. First it's "Outside" and then it's "Hurry Up." Those commands sound better coming from a grown man in company rather than "Potty" and such. :-) When pup does its business make a big deal about it and praise him for going outside. If he makes a mistake and goes inside, immediately issue the command "Outside" and then get him outside to go again. Praise him when he goes outside. Remember, everything must be FUN for a pup. Don't rub his nose in it. That's not fun for either of you.

Jim

Great point, Mr. McCann. Nothing sounds more silly than a grown man telling a puppy to "go potty."

[Hoyt]

Great point, Mr. McCann. Nothing sounds more silly than a grown man telling a puppy to "go potty."

I must sound silly! LOL. I'm more interested in the results than the terminology. At a certain point an adult dog should know what is expected anyway. I use "go potty" as a puppy, and by the time my dogs hit adulthood, the term has been shortened to "go." No real reason, just what I have done, and what has worked for me.

[SkinnyD]

I must sound silly! LOL. I'm more interested in the results than the terminology. At a certain point an adult dog should know what is expected anyway. I use "go potty" as a puppy, and by the time my dogs hit adulthood, the term has been shortened to "go." No real reason, just what I have done, and what has worked for me.

My bad. I should have kept my mouth shut. Nothing new there.

[Keith Benning]

The best way I found was to spend a lot of time with the pup at first. I would watch what she did right before she peed. Typically it was quick sniffing and but wiggling. I would try and get her before she started and carry her outside. When she went outside I gave her praise. I always kept her where I could see her when she was out of the kennell, and if I missed the signs of her getting ready to go, when she started going on the floor I just gave her a no, no, no, no, no, all the way out of the door. When I set her down outside and she finally started going again, I gave her a bunch of praise. If you startle them when they are going in the house, they stop peeing, so don't worry about trying to navagate a dog fire hose out of the house. You just have to put the time in and watch them. They start to relate your happiness and praise to peeing outside. They also start to realize that they get negative feedback when the pee inside. The whole nose rubbing thing can work out really bad sometimes. Good luck.