# Losing Hope Potty Training | Help Please



## InControlK9 (Sep 23, 2013)

I've had about 6 dogs in my life and have trained them all within 4 weeks to be potty trained... but this puppy is different than any ive had and is getting worse by the week... She started out doing great first week I had her.. but she keep regressing when it comes to being crated.. it's to the point now where she don't even really attempt to hold it in her crate... she don't mind peeing in it and laying in it... she's usually good inside the house when im home but If im out of town on business for a day and she is there with my wife.. she will pee in the house without attempting to hold it and she will poop in the house and even eat the poop which she has NEVER done while I was home... My wife said if she isn't potty trained by 5 months old then she has to go (she is currently 12 weeks, and I understand why my wife is so annoyed because this is very different for us.. all our puppies in the past were trained by this time to go outside and hold it in the crate. simple)

This is very frustrating and I now find myself yelling at Nyla which is only making things worse... now she is scared to pee outside (which I don't understand considering I ALWAYS praise her when she goes outside and only yelled when she pees and lays in it in the kennel).... but now when ever she pees outside as soon as she squats she immediately lays down on the grass and just lay there instead of urinating (or maybe she is urinating but from a laying position while ducking her head like she think im going to yell)


I don't know what to do guys. I have a good 8 weeks to get her to stop submissive urinating... & peeing in the kennel and laying in it
(she does this every single time she is in the crate and its so much work to keep rinsing her off and cleaning the cage and tray and then the carpet and floors


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## InControlK9 (Sep 23, 2013)

I personally think the cage might slightly be too big for her but my wife said it should be fine because none of our other puppies in the past urinated in the same size crate at the same age (and younger).. She thinks this puppy just don't care to be in her own urine because the breeder kept this litter outside


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## DutchKarin (Nov 23, 2013)

Take her to the vet to check for UTIs. Also, 12 weeks is still young. Many pups are not solid in potty training at that age. Some take a bit more. I would imagine she will be fine by 5 months assuming no medical issues. But many puppies get UTIs. Check it out.


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## InControlK9 (Sep 23, 2013)

DutchKarin said:


> Take her to the vet to check for UTIs. Also, 12 weeks is still young. Many pups are not solid in potty training at that age. Some take a bit more. I would imagine she will be fine by 5 months assuming no medical issues. But many puppies get UTIs. Check it out.


I'll have her checked out.. her next appointment is coming up

also I don't expect her to be fully potty trained at 12 weeks of age.. just dont want her to keep urinating in her crate especially when I'm always taking her out.. I think video will due better than typing should I start recording what's going on? so you guys can tell me what I may be doing wrong or what she is doing


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

Are you yelling at her AS she urinates in the crate? Or when you find it? It sounds like she now thinks urinating gets her in trouble. 

Does your wife let her out? Does she tether her when she is out?


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## DutchKarin (Nov 23, 2013)

Maybe you should start over. Really clean the crate and make sure you use white vinegar or nature's miracle to make sure that there is no scent there. If you think the crate is too big, put a box in there to limit space. Go back to taking her outside every couple hours and right away when she wakes up from sleep. Play with her and reward for going. If she goes in the house, scoop her up and take her outside. Avoid yelling. Especially if she does have a UTI or something going on that would be wrong to punish her for what she has no control over. I still strongly suspect a UTI. How long is she crated for? 

Maybe easier to explain your routine with her. What does the day look like?


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## InControlK9 (Sep 23, 2013)

gsdsar said:


> Are you yelling at her AS she urinates in the crate? Or when you find it? It sounds like she now thinks urinating gets her in trouble.


Both.. and yes I agree I can tell she now thinks urinating gets her in trouble 



gsdsar said:


> Does your wife let her out? Does she tether her when she is out?


My wife said when she goes to take her out she starts before she can get her out so she just says forget it (my wife is not really a dog person so I already know when I leave its a set back.. I will take her out every 2 hrs my wife will wait a long time I already know)


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## InControlK9 (Sep 23, 2013)

DutchKarin said:


> Maybe you should start over. Really clean the crate and make sure you use white vinegar or nature's miracle to make sure that there is no scent there.



we've already gone thru a gallon of nature's miracle.. have to buy some more..




DutchKarin said:


> If she goes in the house, scoop her up and take her outside. Avoid yelling.


any time I pick her up she will start peeing while in the air and it gets everywhere in the house... so I've been trying to avoid picking her up



DutchKarin said:


> How long is she crated for?
> 
> Maybe easier to explain your routine with her. What does the day look like?



she use to be out all the time and only crated at night.. in the beginning when she was doing good.. but as she started submissive urinating more.... then we started crating more... which only made things worse

as far as the day... I don't really have a strict schedule anymore like I did when I first got her... I just take her out every 3hrs now instead of 2 because I read somewhere a dog can hold it for the amount of hrs of their age (2 months/2hrs 3months/3hrs etc.)

Ill wake up around 9am while I'm laying in bed I can hear her barking in the crate... so im thinking... great she peed in the crate again and now she's laying in it.. I might as well just lay here another hr before dealing with this

9:45ish ill get up.. take her out hose her down with water dry her off.. clean the tray, clean the cage clean the carpet which at this point as urine from her splashing it around in the crate.. feed her... then either put her back in the kennel and take her out 2 hrs later (i use to leave her out but now I have her in the kennel more to try to reduce the urine in the house) and I repeat that process til around 5.. then ill take her for a walk and let the kids play with her... feed her for the last time around 6... and take her for another walk around 10pm.. so aside from the walk at 5 ...when she play with the kids and walk/run at 10.. she is pretty much kept in the crate 


I think I'm going to go back to leaving her out because she was doing better then.. and I have to motivate myself to get back to my original schedule.. I use to take her for walks 3x a day and leave her out she did better then


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

Is this poor puppy submissively peeing because she is getting yelled at for peeing? Am I understanding that correctly? Wife gives up while puppy peeing on the floor? Mixed messages everywhere and obviously this pup is upset by the yelling, didn't understand at all because now cowering while peeing outside. 

Wife wants no part in it. Maybe you should just rehome it now, wife has already given you an ultimatum? Puppy needs patience, kindness and consistency.

If you let her out loose I think it is a prime candidate for hiding and peeing somewhere in the house, keep it on a leash


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

I put an old shower curtain and a towel under my puppy's crate. Never needed it. But it would help with carpet situation.


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## DutchKarin (Nov 23, 2013)

So I would create a strict schedule for a couple of weeks. How long is she in the crate over night? When my dog was 12 weeks old he would get his last pee at about 10 PM and then I was up about 5 AM to let him out. Then maybe snooze a bit more then a walk. Then food, house play and 2 hours later outside again. If she is up and barking and you wait 45 minutes, you have messed up and someone should be yelling at you. Sorry but that is the truth. 

Have her vet checked and start a strict schedule. Everything needs to be the same for this little girl. You describe a dog that is pretty afraid of you guys now. A schedule will help her by establishing expectations for her. She needs clarity and understanding because she sounds very confused and now afraid.

Time to up your investment in this little pup in terms of time and effort. If the wife is yelling and angry, I wonder too what will happen in the long run. Can wife be talked to about helping restart things and maintaining a strict schedule? No more sleeping in.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

Crated from 10pm till 9:45am? Even if you are walking her and then crating her at 11pm, that is still 10 hrs and 45 mins in the crate which I think is way too long at that age

You hear her barking at 9am and let her out 45 mins later? 

If mine said he had to pee in the middle of the night, I took him pee. 5am, he says he has to pee he goes pee. If it isnt time to get up yet, I don't talk to him or reward him just relieve him and put him back away. He learned to only wake me if he needed to go (because he couldn't get anything else out of me). As his bladder got bigger he slept thru the night and that was that

Set an alarm and take puppy potty at 5am before she pees the crate


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## InControlK9 (Sep 23, 2013)

Thecowboysgirl said:


> Is this poor puppy submissively peeing because she is getting yelled at for peeing? Am I understanding that correctly?


she submissively pees when im rewarding her.. petting her.. greeting her.. and she also does it when I yell.. so its both




Thecowboysgirl said:


> Wife gives up while puppy peeing on the floor? Mixed messages everywhere and obviously this pup is upset by the yelling, didn't understand at all because now cowering while peeing outside.
> 
> Wife wants no part in it. Maybe you should just rehome it now, wife has already given you an ultimatum? Puppy needs patience, kindness and consistency.


My wife is like this with all puppies we've had... she hates puppy stage.. potty training.. land shark.. all of it.. and she threatens to get rid of them all the time....but once the pup grows and is trained THEN she falls in love... so I'm taking her ultimatum serious because happy wife happy life.. but in the back of my mind I know she is just talking like always and wants me to get this puppy trained ASAP!!! like I've done in the past but I need advice with this pup because what I normally do isn't working... I've never had to deal with submissive urination before never even knew what it was until now..so this is new for me


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## InControlK9 (Sep 23, 2013)

Thecowboysgirl said:


> Crated from 10pm till 9:45am? Even if you are walking her and then crating her at 11pm, that is still 10 hrs and 45 mins in the crate which I think is way too long at that age
> 
> You hear her barking at 9am and let her out 45 mins later?
> 
> ...


She doesn't bark to be let out to potty... she barks because she has already peed and now she wants to get out lol...I'm going to start back on a strict schedule again since she is older now and HOPEFULLYYY it works this time

I've noticed that she will urinate when I pet her or put her leash on... but if I have one of my kids do it she won't... she will urinate when I reward her and give treats etc. but if my kids give treats she won't... is this because she thinks im alpha? she is afraid? too excited? not sure what it is... but I spend more time with her than anyone in the house... I even slept with her for the first week of her being here.. im the only one that works with her


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

Ok well read posts about your scheduling. Way too long in crate, way too slow responding to get her out.

You have a problem on your hands now with puppy who is willing to lay in her pe and your wife is not helping. She needs to help.

You will not "get this puppy trained asap" while wife lets her pee on the floor and gives up. Also not going to happen by yelling at puppy until she cowers while peeing outside. Time to change everything


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

InControlK9 said:


> She doesn't bark to be let out to potty... she barks because she has already peed and now she wants to get out lol...I'm going to start back on a strict schedule again since she is older now and HOPEFULLYYY it works this time
> 
> I've noticed that she will urinate when I pet her or put her leash on... but if I have one of my kids do it she won't... she will urinate when I reward her and give treats etc. but if my kids give treats she won't... is this because she thinks im alpha? she is afraid? too excited? not sure what it is... but I spend more time with her than anyone in the house... I even slept with her for the first week of her being here.. im the only one that works with her



I can't imagine laying in bed for 45 mins knowing my puppy was in a soiled crate.

You have to set an alarm, even if 3am, and get her to potty OUTSIDE. You said you yelled at the puppy, did she pee when you handled her before that?

Even if she dribbles while you are hooking her up to get her out but has a real pee outside that is WAY better than peeing the crate then lying in it.


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## InControlK9 (Sep 23, 2013)

Thecowboysgirl said:


> You said you yelled at the puppy, did she pee when you handled her before that?


Yeah I recently started yelling at 12 weeks because all the positive stuff didn't seem to work I got her at 8 weeks... and yes she was peeing when I handled her before I started yelling,, and it wasn't dribbles it would be full on urination 

I know some puppies stop if you pick them up and rush outside for them to finish... but she never stops if I pick her up she will continue urinating by the time im out the door... now she dribbles in the grass lol the rest of it is in the house


--------------------------------------------------------------
She is doing good right now as I'm typing... its a hot day so I let her out in the backyard and turned on the sprinkler system... she rolled around and really enjoyed the water... she drank 32 ounces of water while out there she is now in the house next to me laying down letting me pet her without urinating... (I'm not petting the top of her head, decided to try underneath the muzzle approach) also I left the leash on.. so when its time to take her out I won't have to leash her up she is already on it so that should eliminate the urinating there


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

At that age we still went out every twenty minutes. I went with him to make sure I saw him pee and how much. Two hours is too long, except at night. When they are in a deep sleep, the produce less urine. Puppies have teeny bladders. My male had dozens of accidents at that age. By 6 months, never.


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## Ripley2016 (Mar 6, 2016)

I have no experience with submission urination but my pup is 16 weeks so we are in the final stages of potty training. As long as I let her out every 2-3 hours she will typically hold it. We have an accident maybe every 2-3 days at this point, which to me is not that much considering we were having multiple ones every day at 8 weeks. When she has an accident, I grab her by the scruff, bring her to it, put her nose near it and sternly tell her "No, this is not where we pee. Bad dog." And then I put her outside. I don't scare her, I just give her a stern talking to. It has worked in the past for me with other dogs and it seems to be working so far. My puppy goes out around 9 pm for the final pee of the night and she is crated until about 6 am. She has not gone out at night for at least 2-3 weeks. Just for comparison.

Around 10 weeks I had a weird morning with her where it seemed obvious to me that she was blatantly having accidents. I was taking her out every ten minutes and rationing her water even. I got really frustrated, wondering what this stubborn little puppy was trying to communicate to me, so I called my breeder. She's been breeding GSDs for like 20 years. We discussed the situation and she concluded that my puppy was frustrated by having too many boundaries. I was putting her on a leash to go potty because she was running off eating things she wasn't supposed to in the yard. We were actively playing and training during the day, but maybe too much. She suggested I find a safe way for the puppy to explore the yard more freely and let her just be a puppy. I eased way up on her "training" (formal and informal) and saw a huge improvement immediately. Not sure that would work for you but I guess it's food for thought if it seems like it might apply. Do you have a breeder you can call for advice?

Also, maybe ask your wife to ease up a bit? I'm a clean freak so potty training is awful for me too, but the puppy might be picking up on the pressure your wife is putting on you. You might be over reacting because of the pressure you feel from her. 5 months is still a very young puppy!


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

We still took our dog out twice during the night at that age. You can also pick up the water a few hours before bedtime.


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## Moriah (May 20, 2014)

Submissive peeing is not a conscious thing that she can control.  You control it. Don't bend over her and don't look directly at her--turn your head away and use your peripheral vision. Open the crate standing sideways away from it with your head turned away. If in a bind, shut your eyes!! instead of looking at her.

If you want to be with her sit on the floor and shut your eyes or keep your head turned away. She is still a puppy, but if you want control don't pick her up, have a leash on her and turn your back to her to pick up the leash. She may eat the leash, so only have it on her when you are supervising.

Okay, now!!! Break it down. What is it you MOST want. Not go in the crate? Then anything else goes. She goes anywhere else in the house--Stay Neutral. Take treats outside and give her treats every time she goes to the bathroom.

Make the crate really small. Put items in the crate she cannot eat or get hurt with. Make just room for her. But you have to set an alarm at night and get up and let her out to go outside. You have to set an alarm for early in the morning to let her out to go outside. You cannot leave her in the crate all day while you are at work. She has to be let out at intervals.

This is fixable. But all of it is on you. You know that she gets it if she pees just before entering in the crate or when she comes out of it. When she looks up at you saying, "See, I am not peeing in my crate." Praise her, she's doing her best. Go from there. What's the next thing you want?


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

I can't say anything, except repeat what has already been said....

1. Get her checked for a UTI, NOW - not at her next check up.

2. Limit her water intake. (I have said this repeatedly.)

3. Move the crate off the carpet. If you have no tiled area in your house, purchase a linoleum remnant and put it under the crate.

4. Stop yelling at the puppy. You are only reinforcing the submissive peeing.

5. Respond to your puppy, when she wakes you telling you her crate is soiled. By leaving her in a soiled crate for 45 minutes, you are teaching her that a soiled crate is acceptable. My pup cried when her crate was soiled, I immediately got up, whisked her outside, cleaned her crate and put her back in. Very soon, she was crying BEFORE her crate was soiled and pottied outside. Soon, she was sleeping through the night.

6. Ignore the submissive peeing. Grab an old beach towel. Bundle her up. Carry her to the grass. I don't care if she only has two drops left. Praise, praise, praise!

7. If you can't dedicate the time she needs, or have the patience she deserves, rehome her.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

also, bear in mind that your wife's inattention have taught her to potty in the house. She has also taught this puppy that peeing in her crate and laying in the mess is simply the way life is in your home. Your yelling has taught her that scary things happen when she's pees. So you have a lot of work and trust building before you can hope to get her reliable in the house.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

Ripley2016 said:


> I have no experience with submission urination but my pup is 16 weeks so we are in the final stages of potty training. As long as I let her out every 2-3 hours she will typically hold it. We have an accident maybe every 2-3 days at this point, which to me is not that much considering we were having multiple ones every day at 8 weeks. When she has an accident, I grab her by the scruff, bring her to it, put her nose near it and sternly tell her "No, this is not where we pee. Bad dog." And then I put her outside. I don't scare her, I just give her a stern talking to. It has worked in the past for me with other dogs and it seems to be working so far. My puppy goes out around 9 pm for the final pee of the night and she is crated until about 6 am. She has not gone out at night for at least 2-3 weeks. Just for comparison.
> 
> Around 10 weeks I had a weird morning with her where it seemed obvious to me that she was blatantly having accidents. I was taking her out every ten minutes and rationing her water even. I got really frustrated, wondering what this stubborn little puppy was trying to communicate to me, so I called my breeder. She's been breeding GSDs for like 20 years. We discussed the situation and she concluded that my puppy was frustrated by having too many boundaries. I was putting her on a leash to go potty because she was running off eating things she wasn't supposed to in the yard. We were actively playing and training during the day, but maybe too much. She suggested I find a safe way for the puppy to explore the yard more freely and let her just be a puppy. I eased way up on her "training" (formal and informal) and saw a huge improvement immediately. Not sure that would work for you but I guess it's food for thought if it seems like it might apply. Do you have a breeder you can call for advice?
> 
> Also, maybe ask your wife to ease up a bit? I'm a clean freak so potty training is awful for me too, but the puppy might be picking up on the pressure your wife is putting on you. You might be over reacting because of the pressure you feel from her. 5 months is still a very young puppy!


Did you tell the breeder your method of "correcting" her for pottying inside? That teaches the dog absolutely nothing except that you get angry. She doesn't equate it with the fact that she pottied there.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

Ripley2016 said:


> I have no experience with submission urination but my pup is 16 weeks so we are in the final stages of potty training. As long as I let her out every 2-3 hours she will typically hold it. We have an accident maybe every 2-3 days at this point, which to me is not that much considering we were having multiple ones every day at 8 weeks. When she has an accident, I grab her by the scruff, bring her to it, put her nose near it and sternly tell her "No, this is not where we pee. Bad dog." And then I put her outside. I don't scare her, I just give her a stern talking to. It has worked in the past for me with other dogs and it seems to be working so far.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## InControlK9 (Sep 23, 2013)

Ripley2016 said:


> I have no experience with submission urination but my pup is 16 weeks so we are in the final stages of potty training. As long as I let her out every 2-3 hours she will typically hold it. We have an accident maybe every 2-3 days at this point, which to me is not that much considering we were having multiple ones every day at 8 weeks. When she has an accident, I grab her by the scruff, bring her to it, put her nose near it and sternly tell her "No, this is not where we pee. Bad dog." And then I put her outside. I don't scare her, I just give her a stern talking to. It has worked in the past for me with other dogs and it seems to be working so far. My puppy goes out around 9 pm for the final pee of the night and she is crated until about 6 am. She has not gone out at night for at least 2-3 weeks. Just for comparison.
> 
> Around 10 weeks I had a weird morning with her where it seemed obvious to me that she was blatantly having accidents. I was taking her out every ten minutes and rationing her water even. I got really frustrated, wondering what this stubborn little puppy was trying to communicate to me, so I called my breeder. She's been breeding GSDs for like 20 years. We discussed the situation and she concluded that my puppy was frustrated by having too many boundaries. I was putting her on a leash to go potty because she was running off eating things she wasn't supposed to in the yard. We were actively playing and training during the day, but maybe too much. She suggested I find a safe way for the puppy to explore the yard more freely and let her just be a puppy. I eased way up on her "training" (formal and informal) and saw a huge improvement immediately. Not sure that would work for you but I guess it's food for thought if it seems like it might apply. Do you have a breeder you can call for advice?
> 
> Also, maybe ask your wife to ease up a bit? I'm a clean freak so potty training is awful for me too, but the puppy might be picking up on the pressure your wife is putting on you. You might be over reacting because of the pressure you feel from her. 5 months is still a very young puppy!


thanks this post was very encouraging... Well today has been her best day so far since being here...I left her leash on in the house and attached it to a door so she couldn't go all over the whole room but could still get around.. the main reason I did this was just so when its time to take her out I can just grab the leash and go without having to try to put it on here without her peeing... it has been a success... she had 1 potty mistake in the house when she got excited as I was putting her food bowl down... I felt myself about to yell but I caught myself... I just acted like it never happened and to my surprise when she went outside to potty she didn't lay flat on the ground.. I feel today has been very successful... I won't be yelling anymore that didn't help at all

I haven't had her in her crate at all yet since I made this post earlier today... so she haven't urinated on herself she stayed clean all day lol... i wonder if she will keep this up tonight? I have relatives in town that's staying the night with me until friday so I hope she is on her best behavior ...would be embarrassing for her to be soaked in urine and smelling up the house.. Not sure what im going to do when its time to go to bed... will really suck to have to keep getting up through out the night to keep taking her out... the last time she had water was around 6:45pm its now 9:45... im not giving anymore water tonight


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## InControlK9 (Sep 23, 2013)

Moriah said:


> Submissive peeing is not a conscious thing that she can control.  You control it. Don't bend over her and don't look directly at her--turn your head away and use your peripheral vision. Open the crate standing sideways away from it with your head turned away. If in a bind, shut your eyes!! instead of looking at her.
> 
> If you want to be with her sit on the floor and shut your eyes or keep your head turned away. She is still a puppy, but if you want control don't pick her up, have a leash on her and turn your back to her to pick up the leash. She may eat the leash, so only have it on her when you are supervising.
> 
> ...


Thanks Moriah! I'll be working on it.. so far today has been a great day.. if every day was like today until she is older my wife and I would both be happy campers ...I'm just hoping tonight isn't a train wreck when its time for bed and getting up in the morning... my alarm is set though


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## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

Well this may take all day for you. I would walk her for as long as it takes for her to pee. I remember one time it took me like 4-5 hours. Once she pees or poops outside just jackpot her with treats. Cheese works GREAT. Have her drink a lot, wait a maybe 20 minutes, go outside and be ready to be there for hours. It may take forever but go on grass, they naturally like to pee on grass. When she does (she will, its a matter of how good your patience is, may take all day) praise her with baby voices and cheese, like 10 pieces.


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## InControlK9 (Sep 23, 2013)

cheese? I can feed her cheese? I've been trying to stay away from anything humans eat and only give her grain free food.. I guess I could try it but I would have to do some research on that.. don't want to mess up her bowls


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Cheese as a reward is not going to hurt her.


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## maxtmill (Dec 28, 2010)

InControlK9 said:


> we've already gone thru a gallon of nature's miracle.. have to buy some more..
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I read that when you wake up, you hear her barking in her crate, but you just lay there, figuring she already Peed? She may be barking to be taken out!


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

OP you said you don't want to have to keep getting up with her in the night. A stitch in time saves nine. Get her out of that crate to potty. 

If she pees the crate she has to be in it and that is teaching her to tolerate contact with her own mess, you DON'T want that. If you really crack down now, you can turn this arou d for the rest of her life. Skip steps now or quit too soon and she could potentially have problems for the rest of her life. 

It is great news that you had some good progress today. Keep it up. Don't skimp. Don't let yourself fall back intp bad habits. Have a heart to heart with your wife. I have had to do it with my husband...


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## Ripley2016 (Mar 6, 2016)

Personally, I wouldn't give ten pieces of cheese as a reward. That much dairy is not good for the tummy especially for a puppy. I use the Blue Training Bits or I give pieces of cooked chicken or ground beef. Also, my breeder advised me that it's a lot for a puppy to think about, to pee on a leash. If you're having trouble getting her to pee on leash that could be it.


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## Ripley2016 (Mar 6, 2016)

I've had dogs my whole life and the one dog I never potty-trained this way wasn't reliably trained for years. I didn't use this method for a couple of weeks after bringing my pup home. I only use it if the pee is fresh and I know I just missed it or I catch her in the act which is the majority of the time since I'm a stay at home mom and home with my puppy supervising her all day. The moment I started doing it, with both my current puppy and my last one, they immediately showed improvement in going outside. I'm effectively communicating with my puppy whether you believe it or not. She's 16 weeks and almost fully trained. I would agree that if you missed it by say 30 minutes or more then your dog would miss the point. Didn't realize I'd have to defend myself on a thread for a question I didn't ask. It's the same thing with kids. Everyone has an opinion on what is the right and wrong way to raise your dog and if you're not doing it the way someone else is, your way is inferior. Sigh.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Ripley2016 said:


> Personally, I wouldn't give ten pieces of cheese as a reward. That much dairy is not good for the tummy especially for a puppy. I use the Blue Training Bits or I give pieces of cooked chicken or ground beef. Also, my breeder advised me that it's a lot for a puppy to think about, to pee on a leash. If you're having trouble getting her to pee on leash that could be it.


Ripley, no offense, but I disagree with your breeder's advice. First to stick your pups' face in his mess and now to take the pup off leash to potty? Bad advice. I have housebroken 2 pups in recent years, so it is all very fresh in my mind.

The reason the pup is on leash is because:

A. The pup is taken to his designated area to potty.

B. The puppy is not distracted, thinking it is play time.

C. You are right there to ensure the pup actually goes potty and to give immediate praise.

D. Heaven forbid the pup is a poo eater, but you are right there to clean it up and prevent it from happening.

When I take my pup out on leash to potty, we are not going for a walk. We go to the spot I want my dog to use as his potty area for the rest of his life. I keep my pup focused on the purpose at hand. The phrases I repeat are, "Go potty" and "Hurry up." As adult dogs, I can allow them to walk into the yard off leash. They immediately go to the designated area and potty. 

OP. Don't take short-cuts. I know this has already been mentioned to you. Get it right the first time. Mistakes are setbacks. Mistakes confuse the puppy. Mistakes are your fault, not the puppys'. Take the time to do it right and you will be rewarded with success.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Ripley2016 said:


> I've had dogs my whole life and the one dog I never potty-trained this way wasn't reliably trained for years. I didn't use this method for a couple of weeks after bringing my pup home. I only use it if the pee is fresh and I know I just missed it or I catch her in the act which is the majority of the time since I'm a stay at home mom and home with my puppy supervising her all day. The moment I started doing it, with both my current puppy and my last one, they immediately showed improvement in going outside. I'm effectively communicating with my puppy whether you believe it or not. She's 16 weeks and almost fully trained. I would agree that if you missed it by say 30 minutes or more then your dog would miss the point. Didn't realize I'd have to defend myself on a thread for a question I didn't ask. It's the same thing with kids. Everyone has an opinion on what is the right and wrong way to raise your dog and if you're not doing it the way someone else is, your way is inferior. Sigh.


Sticking the pups' face in it, is very old school and very wrong. Almost fully trained at 16 weeks is not so great. There is no such thing as 'almost'. The dog is housebroken or it's not. Every mistake is back to square one. Sorry, but your way is inferior and I do not want other members to read your advice and think it is a good idea.


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## Ripley2016 (Mar 6, 2016)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> Ripley, no offense, but I disagree with your breeder's advice. First to stick your pups' face in his mess and now to take the pup off leash to potty? Bad advice. I have housebroken 2 pups in recent years, so it is all very fresh in my mind.
> 
> The reason the pup is on leash is because:
> 
> ...


I agree that putting a puppy on a leash to pee has advantages. I was doing that too. In my case, my puppy went from peeing in the grass when I took her outside, to no longer going when she was on leash. So I took her off leash and she started to go outside again. I'm simply giving the OP ideas for troubleshooting.


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## Ripley2016 (Mar 6, 2016)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> Sticking the pups' face in it, is very old school and very wrong. Almost fully trained at 16 weeks is not so great. There is no such thing as 'almost'. The dog is housebroken or it's not. Every mistake is back to square one. Sorry, but your way is inferior and I do not want other members to read your advice and think it is a good idea.


"Every mistake is back to square one?" On what planet? When you go from having ten accidents a day to one every few days gradually decreasing, you are making progress. 

Old school doesn't mean bad. The new school is not always right. Sorry if you guys disagree, but I have a good pup who is pretty well behaved for a puppy and is doing just fine with this method.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

I have two dogs - one is a hound mix. He was tougher to train than my shepherd. On my hound forum, there were a group of us who had puppies. We would count how many days with no accidents. One accident and we started counting all over again - until there were no more accidents. Then, the dog was housebroken.

If you are happy with how your housebreaking is progressing, that's fine. Mine were fully housebroken by 16 weeks. No accidents. And I never stuck their faces in it. 

You are satisfied, so that is all that matters. But, I will continue to post that sticking a pups' face in it is not good advice, so the OP sees it and doesn't decide to do it too.

Best of luck to you. I'm sure your pup is lovely. Enjoy!


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## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

InControlK9 said:


> cheese? I can feed her cheese? I've been trying to stay away from anything humans eat and only give her grain free food.. I guess I could try it but I would have to do some research on that.. don't want to mess up her bowls


I have been feeding cheese to dogs for decades. Your user name and problem with potty training is a bit ironic I just noticed it:grin2:.
I think you are doing something wrong and probably don't even notice it. How long do you crate her? Just stick to what I said earlier. Take her outside for a LONG time, again it might take all day so be ready for it. Go in the grass, let her sniff around, eventually she will go potty. As soon as she does just jackpot her with treats and praise and belly rubs. The good thing is that 12 weeks is still very young. I remember a particular situation when I was training my brothers dog, I took him out all week, I would be outside for 4-5 hours and as soon as we got inside the house he would potty. I gave a firm NO, picked him up and ran back outside. He got the point eventually. It takes time for them to get comfortable with the outdoors. Make sure you spend a lot of time outside, play outside, feed her outside. This is no reason to get rid of the dog because it's not a huge problem in my opinion. It's like with children, some kids are potty trained at 3, some at 5, some at 6. You wouldn't give the kid up for adoption if he takes longer would you?

Stick with it, it will get better. It always does.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

There ARE times when "new school" is wrong (re putting puppy's face in pee) this just isn't one of them.

There is a very limited window where the pup will make the right connection. I said no to my puppy when I caught him in the act. Not in a scary way, I NEVER scared him about potty accidents. If it was within my power to stop him mid-whatever and get him to finish outside then he could make the conneftion: she isn't happy when I do it here, but she is happy when I do it here.

I agree you are communicating something, I just don't think you are communicating what you want to or what you think you are. Progress in potty training is not likely due to this particular part of your effort.

Owner comes into room and finds puppy and puddle. Puppy puts ears back and tries to slink away. Owner says, aha! He knows he's done wrong. Nope. He just knows you're going to smear his face in it.

For me this falls into the category of: we are more enlightened now than we used ti be and there are such better and more humane (and more effective! ) ways to get the job done.


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## InControlK9 (Sep 23, 2013)

Julian G said:


> I have been feeding cheese to dogs for decades. Your user name and problem with potty training is a bit ironic I just noticed it:grin2:.


Lol yeah I know... I had all my dogs before "In Control" and trained them voice commands/hand signals, bark on command/attack on command.. a lot of diff tricks etc. this experience is def. different than any of the puppies I've had before


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## DutchKarin (Nov 23, 2013)

You have had all week... did you take her to a vet?


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## nikka117 (Jul 23, 2016)

Hi everyone!
I'm new to this forum. I just had my boy for over a week. He'll be twelve weeks tomorrow. We're working on housebreaking and land sharking. He's already got the pee on command down it's just the cue from each other that he needs to go that we're working on. He had an accident yesterday, but it was our fault because he was playing too hard and we left his water bowl on the floor. This heatwave is not helping either and is making him drink a lot.
I just ordered the bell thingie, and I hope that will work. He's pretty calm during the day but turns into a tornado in the evenings which makes putting him in his crate a challenge.

It's my first GSD as an adult. I'd had one before as a teenager and my dad was the one who potty trained him, but I was the one who trained him for obedience and I can't wait to get started. He seems very focused whenever there's a treat, but the breeder told me to allow him to be a puppy for longer. I will start on basic sit, stay etc...

I just hope I survive the potty training and the teething. LoL! 

I'm so happy to have found this forum. He didn't start land sharking until a few days ago and I was wondering if we were doing something wrong.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

What ever happened with this puppy? How is potty training going? What did the vet say?


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## InControlK9 (Sep 23, 2013)

Thecowboysgirl said:


> What ever happened with this puppy? How is potty training going? What did the vet say?


the vet didn't find anything wrong just suggested taking her out more frequently and getting a crate divider


She is 15 weeks today and is doing a lot better... she will still submissively urinate when coming out of the crate in the morning but she haven't made any accidents in the house in a while... she holds it for the most part... still working on the submissive urination... Finally figured out a way to put the leash on without her peeing.. I have to start combing/brushing her fur and then when she lays on her back and is enjoying the brushing I'll attach the leash to her collar in a sneaky way lol then once attached I'm able to head out the door without any accidents

I'm going to continue to do this method for another week and then I will try to put the leash on without sneaking and see if we made any progress


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

Good, glad things are turning around. What about slipping a kennel lead over her head instead of snapping a leash?


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## InControlK9 (Sep 23, 2013)

Thecowboysgirl said:


> Good, glad things are turning around. What about slipping a kennel lead over her head instead of snapping a leash?


I can try that.. won't hurt.. my main issue though at this point is stopping the urinating when she see me about to open the kennel in the morning... I work with her during the day with this.. by having her go in the kennel and then wait until I say "Ok!" before she can exit... and its been working 'while training'.. I could even have her in there for about 30mins with the door open and she won't exit until I say "Ok!"

but in the morning its like she forgets all that training we worked on.. soon as I enter to take her out the kennel she starts shaking with excitement like she having a seizure and urinating... it's really frustrating because she is 4 months now she will have a great day and hold it at night but every morning same deal with the crate... I'm starting to consider to just leave her outside all night.... something I really don't want to do because I like to keep an eye on her while outside I've been seeing a lot of frogs back there lately and sometimes kittens


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

my suggestions would be: Crate Games DVD

Letting her out earlier so she is not so full 

And definitely not making her sleep outside.....


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## InControlK9 (Sep 23, 2013)

Thecowboysgirl said:


> my suggestions would be: Crate Games DVD
> 
> Letting her out earlier so she is not so full
> 
> And definitely not making her sleep outside.....


where can I buy that dvd?


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

Say Yes Dog Training

There is a tab that says "buy susan's dvds" or something like that


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

InControlK9 said:


> I can try that.. won't hurt.. my main issue though at this point is stopping the urinating when she see me about to open the kennel in the morning... I work with her during the day with this.. by having her go in the kennel and then wait until I say "Ok!" before she can exit... and its been working 'while training'.. I could even have her in there for about 30mins with the door open and she won't exit until I say "Ok!"
> 
> but in the morning its like she forgets all that training we worked on.. soon as I enter to take her out the kennel she starts shaking with excitement like she having a seizure and urinating... it's really frustrating because she is 4 months now she will have a great day and hold it at night but every morning same deal with the crate... I'm starting to consider to just leave her outside all night.... something I really don't want to do because I like to keep an eye on her while outside I've been seeing a lot of frogs back there lately and sometimes kittens


Are you sure she is shaking with excitement? She got in a lot of trouble for being wet in the crate, didn't she? She probably has a negative association when you come to get her in the morning from you being mad at her in the wet crate. If I am right you must get rid of the frustration at her, she knows and it will perpetuate the urinating I suspect.


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## InControlK9 (Sep 23, 2013)

Thecowboysgirl said:


> my suggestions would be: Crate Games DVD


I just checked out some of it on youtube... she will definitely urinate when I go to reward her in the crate but I'll give it a go lol hope she proves me wrong


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

I don't have a ton of experience with excitement urination. If it is submissive urination aggravated by bad experiences in the crate, the crate games could build enough positive association with the crate to help plus potentially desesitizing her to in and out of the crate through repetition.


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