# How to fix my errors in housebreaking?



## marshies (May 18, 2011)

So this is a confession thread of all the things I've done wrong in house-breaking, and hopefully receive some guidance about how to improve what I'm doing so Amaretto can do well in housetraining! Amaretto is 16 weeks now,

Handler error #1:

Yesterday, I took her out for a long 40 minute walk + run to the grocery store while boyfriend held leash outside right before she went to bed, and she didn't pee during the whole time. Naturally, I was stupid and forgot she needed to go. When I put her into the crate, she whined a whole lot, and I ignored it. A few minutes pass and I go downstairs thinking I should give her a toy in case she wakes up in the morning before me, and found that she peed in the crate. POOR girl! 

Handler error #2:

Today, after a nice 3 hour nap for both of us, I take her out to potty. She starts lying down on the grass and generally shows no interest. So I take her back inside and put her in her expen for some independent play time with her bones and toys. The second she went in, she circled and peed.

Handler error #3:

Just now, she woke up from her nap. It's been 4+ hours since she last peed, and she most definitely has to go pee. I take her out from her crate to the backyard. And she walks around, sniffs a bit, and the lies down. I ignore her, thinking it'll pass, and she puts her head down to the floor. At this point I'm thinking, she must still be super sleepy. So I take her back inside. As soon as I go in, she pees. I think near the same spot she did earlier today. I cleaned with diluted bleach when she did, and know that I should've used an enzymatic cleaner. But other than that, I guess my question is what did I do wrong to associate my backyard with NOT going potty? I think both times I said no and pulled on her leash as she was peeing to go outside...what lasting damages have I done and how can I fix it? How often did your dog poo at this age? I keep expecting her to pee and poo at the same frequency in a day, so I get worried when she doesn't poo.

Amaretto is really really sweet and adorable. She went back into her crate immediately after we came back from second pee session after she went in the house, and passed out again within seconds. She was making mini-barking noises (so quiet that only I can hear her), probably dreaming about something exciting. :wub:


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Want to add and say that yesterday, we got a nice outside pee and poo.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

I would make sure that she pees outside no matter how long it takes. Most recently, I had to potty train Wiva. She's older so it was a lot easier, but she was a kennel dog and was not used to holding it till she went outside. Another problem was that she was let out without a leash to do her business so she had trouble going when I had her leashed. She would always do nothing outside and then go the second we went back in the house. What I did was:
- make sure she goes when you take her outside. I've stood 20 mins plus in the rain outlasting the dog (it sucks but it works). If you KNOW that she should go, outlast her. I just put on headphones, listen to music and wait the dog out. 
- always go to the same spot to potty so she can associate that area with potty time
- I walk my dogs repeatedly in a circle which helps move things along sometimes
- make sure to keep it boring so that all the dog has to do is pee. no engaging the dog, no playing etc
- the second she pees, act super excited, give treats, praise lots and then go back inside to play. It will be rewarding for her to go in her spot which will eventually be effortless once she associates pee+outside+praise
- try putting a bell on the door so that she can associate bell ringing with going out
- associate a command with peeing. eventually she can pee on command 
- you have to catch her in the act for it to be effective. The second you catch her peeing inside, make a loud noise, scoop her up, run outside and let her finish there. It's no good if you find a mess after the fact. You must catch her in the act and correct her. 
- always use a good enzymatic cleaner. Nature's Miracle or Simple Solution works really well. Blot up every bit of urine you can till the paper blots dry. Then soak the area thoroughly with cleaner and then let it dry. It must remain on the stain for the enzymes to break down urine molecules. Otherwise it will smell and the dog will be tempted to go again on that same spot. 
- regulate water intake. If you monitor when she eats and drinks, you can predict when it'll come out the back end. I started at about 30 mins after drinking and worked my way up. If they had an accident, then I went back to a shorter time period. 
- quality over quantity with potty training. If you are very vigilant and fastidious with training, it will pay off in the long run. 

I have a good schedule somewhere. Have to dig it up. It helped me structure and potty train quickly.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

Ok, when she lays down outside... don't let her. Get excited, woohoo, let's run and play and goof around a minute.. she'll pee. It'll stimulate and she'll eliminate. 

THEN when she does, praise, praise, praise. WHAT A GOOD GIRL!!!!! Go potty!!! Tie the praise and words together so she knows what she's being praised FOR. Literally do it the whole time she's peeing/pooping. (I'm weird. When my puppy would pee, I'm like, good girl/boy, potty! Replace potty with poopy when they're doing the other. I want the dog to know the difference. When it's 12 below zero outside and I know my dog needs to poop, I'm going to tell them okay time to go poop.) Find the right voice tone so you don't get them so excited they quit peeing, but they know you're happy and praising them.

Immediately go back inside when the deed is done. Tie the outdoor trip to the goal.

Not sure what you mean by, "I think both times I said no and pulled on her leash as she was peeing to go outside." ?? I "think" you mean that when you busted her, you pulled her on leash to go out? IF that's what you mean, I wouldn't do that... instead, if you can bust her IN THE ACT, scoop her up, say NO POTTY or poop or whatever it is, whatever words you like and act dramatic and rush outdoors. No punishment. Nothing to scare her -- just whatever it takes to be dramatic and get her attention. Then get her out there, and moving around and when she eliminates, praise to the hilt. 

Don't worry so much, you haven't created any lasting harm. 

Oh and yes, get a good cleaner. Plenty to choose from at the pet store.

And a last note, no they won't necessarily poo on schedule with going pee. But if you feed at regularly scheduled intervals, you'll soon figure out when your dog needs to poop. 

Good luck!!!!!!!! It only lasts a little while even if it feels like forever.!


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

qbchottu said:


> I would make sure that she pees outside no matter how long it takes. Most recently, I had to potty train Wiva. She's older so it was a lot easier, but she was a kennel dog and was not used to holding it till she went outside. Another problem was that she was let out without a leash to do her business so she had trouble going when I had her leashed. She would always do nothing outside and then go the second we went back in the house. What I did was:
> - make sure she goes when you take her outside. I've stood 20 mins plus in the rain outlasting the dog (it sucks but it works). If you KNOW that she should go, outlast her. I just put on headphones, listen to music and wait the dog out.
> - always go to the same spot to potty so she can associate that area with potty time
> - I walk my dogs repeatedly in a circle which helps move things along sometimes
> ...


Thank you very much for the thorough advice. I've been able to catch her in the act mainly because when I'm not with her, she's crated. 



chelle said:


> Ok, when she lays down outside... don't let her. Get excited, woohoo, let's run and play and goof around a minute.. she'll pee. It'll stimulate and she'll eliminate.
> 
> THEN when she does, praise, praise, praise. WHAT A GOOD GIRL!!!!! Go potty!!! Tie the praise and words together so she knows what she's being praised FOR. Literally do it the whole time she's peeing/pooping. (I'm weird. When my puppy would pee, I'm like, good girl/boy, potty! Replace potty with poopy when they're doing the other. I want the dog to know the difference. When it's 12 below zero outside and I know my dog needs to poop, I'm going to tell them okay time to go poop.) Find the right voice tone so you don't get them so excited they quit peeing, but they know you're happy and praising them.
> 
> ...


Thank you!!! The playing part is very useful and something I hadn't thought about earlier because of our pee at home experience yesterday, where she was walked for 40 minutes and came home to pee. Will try again. 

My question is, I want her to continue being calm after when we come inside, and hopefully go back to sleep if it's an evening pee session. Does this still work?


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

She should be able to settle back down once she realizes that it is not a prolonged play session. When my dogs were puppies and we did midnight pee runs, they were a little amped up after they came back in, but were able to quickly settle down after I went back to bed. But you want to make sure to be SUPER excited that she did something right. Dogs know black and white. Don't leave room for gray areas. If something is right, BE VERY VERY EXCITED. THEY JUST DID THE BEST THING IS THE WORLD!!! GOOD GIRL!!! SO GOOD!! WHAT A SWEETHEART!!!! High pitched voice is good for praise. Give them a good snuggle and petting. On the other hand, use the same word for corrections. I usually use a very sharp "Ah AHH!". I like it better than "no" because it won't get used to death by everyone. My dogs have gotten to the point where if I glare sternly, they knock off whatever they are doing. The death stare gets good results


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## bianca (Mar 28, 2010)

Cooper does the same thing by flopping down when I take him outside if he's just woken up. I just walk away from him calling his name so when walks, I say good boy, go toilet. I just wait until he has been before coming back inside.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

#1. i think the whining meant she had to go.

#2. keep her out longer and take her to the same
area to potty. when she was inside and circled
you should have picked her up and taken out
immediately. the circling is a que that they have to go.


marshies said:


> #3. keep her out longer.
> 
> when my dog was 4 months i think we were taking
> him out every hour or two and at night he would
> ...


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

So last night, she went to sleep at 8. I took her out at 12, 3, and then again at 6.
Peed at 12 and 3 after a long session outside.
At 6, took almost 30 minutes for her to go. She would just lie down and chew on a stick or whatever else she found. I tried not responding, and she was fine to lie down and chew on the floor beneath her. It frosted overnight, so I imagine it's fantastic fun. So I kept moving and she finally peed. But still no poo, I knew she was due since she last pottied at 4:30 PM yesterday, so I took her in, fed her, and leashed her to take her outside for a walk. She pulls extra hard on the leash when she wants to poo, and we succeeded on a nice patch of grass near my front door.
Wish she would do both in my backyard on command but...oh well, will keep working.

Still problems: 
Likes to lie down when we go outside and easily distracted
Does not poo in backyard

Successes: 
Peed every time I took her out, even if it meant a long wait with lots of moving

Accident free: 12 hours


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

Hi Xuan!
Just remember....she is a puppy, albeit 16 weeks on the 23rd.....but still a puppy.
She had the "luxury" of 15 foot dog runs to "potty" in......she associated potty time "with" potty area.
She is now in a different home structure...and she must learn a "new" routine.
But...she is still very young...she will take time to be completely house broken.
Everything you experience, and everything she does...is normal puppy behaviour.
Don't worry so much....you should be fine! ALL puppies need patience and guidance....and puppy-hood passes way too quickly.
You know that I am always here for you.....through good and bad times.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Update:

Spoke too soon. Missed her cue at 10 AM, and she peed right near the door we go out from. Have a timer on my phone for the next 3 hour mark. WILL SUCCEED. 

Robin, THANK you for your support. If my breeder just abandoned me after I took the pup home, I would've died of stress. Can't have made it through these last 2 days without you OR Carlos, and probably will be continuing to seek your support from now on as well.

SO glad that I have you.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

Ok I"m not familiar with your 'yard', and not sure if this has been suggested but, I saw where you said you take her out on "leash",,,I would put her on a long line. I"m assuming their is a reason you can't just take her out offleash?

Sometimes dogs/puppies just will not 'go' when on leash...I think it sounds like she's giving you the signals , but your picking up on them late, (which is a learning thing for you to, picking up on signals

I'd definately try a long line,,something where she has a tad more freedom than a shorter leash


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Update:

House breaking took a turn for the worse, and it was my fault again. We were out playing tug and training "drop it" for a good 10-15 minutes. She was out there the entire time, and even when I stopped, she didn't want to go. However, she didn't want to come back in, and I just thought it was her being stubborn since the last 2 times she didn't want to come in, she ran to the far side of my yard. Well, I took her inside, and she peed inside. I put her in her expen to clean up her mess, and I hear CRAZY barking. So I ignore her...THEN I turn around to find the poor puppy trying to lick her own poop up. 

This was definitely my fault. 

I took her out to play, not thinking it was time to go. We just potty-ed 2 hours ago! 

How do I fix what I'm doing wrong? When she signals me, I can't tell if they're "I'm still rowdy and want to play" or if they're the "hey Marshies, I gotta go still, I wanna be outside" signal. Should I just give her the benefit of the doubt and always let her be outside when she doesn't want to come in??





JakodaCD OA said:


> Ok I"m not familiar with your 'yard', and not sure if this has been suggested but, I saw where you said you take her out on "leash",,,I would put her on a long line. I"m assuming their is a reason you can't just take her out offleash?
> 
> Sometimes dogs/puppies just will not 'go' when on leash...I think it sounds like she's giving you the signals , but your picking up on them late, (which is a learning thing for you to, picking up on signals
> 
> I'd definately try a long line,,something where she has a tad more freedom than a shorter leash


Thank you! I get frustrated too easily, and sometimes when she's giving me signals, I think she's being rowdy and annoying. I definitely expect too much from her, and need to adjust my expectations.

No reason in particular. It's just the 2 sides of my house that leads to the outside is accessible from the yard. It is locked and closed, but there are pebbles, machines, and grape wires that we left there so it's not the safest place for her to be. She has gone on a short leash before...she's not running off leash because I don't know if it's safe for her. She eats things in my yard.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I would just 'assume' when she starts whining, barking, and doesn't want to come in, that she has to go..keep her out there until she does..and then praise praise praise,,treat treat treat

Any whining in the house,,barking, I'd take her back outside..OR,,if she hasn't gone when outside,,take her in, and turn right around and go back out..Have you been using a 'word' or phrase for her to potty?? I usually will say "go potty",,and when they do have a party) 

She also may LIKE being outside, I, obviously wouldn't leave her alone outside, but you may just have to start waiting her out, and like I said, BIG PARTY when she goes outside, so then she will "get" the idea,,,"I go potty outside it's a big party"..

I think what you have to do is 'assume' any signals she's giving you INSIDE, is to take her outside..


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

JakodaCD OA said:


> I would just 'assume' when she starts whining, barking, and doesn't want to come in, that she has to go..keep her out there until she does..and then praise praise praise,,treat treat treat
> 
> Any whining in the house,,barking, I'd take her back outside..OR,,if she hasn't gone when outside,,take her in, and turn right around and go back out..Have you been using a 'word' or phrase for her to potty?? I usually will say "go potty",,and when they do have a party)
> 
> ...


Right after she started peeing in the house, I took her outside, and she squatted again. I did my good girl thing as she was squatting...and I'm not sure if she was done pooing/peeing, or she was scared away by my enthusiasm. Should I wait until after she finishes going??

Watching leerburg's 8 weeks to 8 months tonight...Poor Robin is being bombarded with my first-time-owner-questions, and I want to seem like I did my homework the next time I email her.


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## bianca (Mar 28, 2010)

I don't know if it helps (and my pup is a bit younger) but as soon as he wakes up, he goes outside, if he is playing inside, I take him out, as soon as he has eaten he goes out. When he is awake, I take him out about every hour or so. If he whines or any kind of noise inside I take him out. Basically my door is revolving at the moment! 

When I take him out, I plonk him on the lawn and say "go toilet", when he starts I say good boy and when he has finished then GOOD BOY COOPER!!!


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

*Repetition + Patience = House broken puppy.*....and actually, the recipe for most things that concern our 4-legged friends.
@Marshies.....I am *always* only an email or phone call away.....no matter how many questions you may have.


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## BR870 (May 15, 2011)

Don't feel bad... Accidents happen with puppies. Its a fact of life. Ezra, who is doing pretty good about house breaking, has decided he likes to pee under the XMas tree. I guess he thinks its a little bit of the outdoors inside... :laugh:

Just laugh about it, and keep working. No dog is perfectly house trained at first. Accidents will happen. Just don't let it frustrate you, because your puppy will pick that up and right now you need to be all positive bonding...


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Day 3:

I've been inspired by Wildo, and will be writing this like how he wrote Gretchen's updates. Though potty-training will never be as interesting to read as rehabilitating a foster dog, hopefully someone out there considering a puppy or who already has a puppy and is getting just as frustrated can commiserate with me.

New Challenge:

Had to go to another city back to my home during the school year to finish off my last exam, and took Amaretto. We'll be here for 2 days, so that does throw things off for Amaretto. It snowed here, so after a 3 hour car-ride, I KNEW she had to pee. She KNEW she had to pee. She did not want to pee. I was out there with her for 30 minutes, and then had my housemate go in and out with her for another good 20 minutes as I tarped the carpet in the house. All she was interested in doing was eating the delish fresh snow. There will probably be some tummy troubles later with all this snow eating. 

She decided the opportune time was to pee a little at the doorway leading to the stairs of our apartment, and then pee again near her crate and my bedroom. Oh well, at least I got it tarped in time.

I took away her water before 5 today in preparation for the car ride, and gave it back to her. Will be going out with her one more time in 3 hours, and then hopefully she'll last till the morning.

This change of city/house will certainly set us back in our routine, but no matter. My exam is on Tuesday morning, and I'll be back home again on Tuesday night. Then, we'll have until January 9th to get a routine down before coming back for school. I hope this tarp doesn't have to stay up too long. 

Day 3 was not a good day. To cap it off, today puppup:

-pooped in the house (my fault)
-peed in the house (my fault again)
-peed in the new house and her crate (my fault once again)

As you can see, there's a theme. She's easily distracted outside, and a bit of a shy pee-er, so I'll keep working and being patient about it. 





She's all mopey in the corner because I won't let her leave my bedroom. We have the open concept kitchen and living room outside, and she isn't allowed there. She grumbled and settled as far away from her accident scene and me as possible.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

OMG!......send her back to me and I'll send you an adult fully housebroken! LOL!
I feel so stressed for you..:headbang:...I'm gonna start drinking.
I wanted her to be PERFECT.....her creation was with perfection in mind!:wub:


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

robinhuerta said:


> OMG!......send her back to me and I'll send you an adult fully housebroken! LOL!
> I feel so stressed for you..:headbang:...I'm gonna start drinking.
> I wanted her to be PERFECT.....her creation was with perfection in mind!:wub:


LOL, Robin, we'll talk in a few months if she's still not good. JK. It's mostly my fault right now, and I'm working hard to understand her better. I'm sure we'll have this soon. 

I have a tax exam soon, so unfortunately, drinking is out of the question. Amaretto is as close as I'm getting to any alcohol. 

You know I've been smitten with her for a very long time, and continue to really like her. I'm guessing that she's easier than almost everyone else's pup. If I can't do house-breaking, I'll likely not be able to deal with any problems that arise when she's an adult. 

It's not too bad. Peeing in the house is something I can clean up and not have lasting harm done. 

Though I am looking forward to the day that she can reliably pee on command.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Mild Progress:

She drank a boat load of water about 2.5 hours ago, I had a timer set on my phone to take her out to pee. 5 minutes till timer goes, I start to get ready for a long battle outside. She started to pee a little, and as soon as I interupted her, she held it until I put on my shoes and took her downstairs, including carrying her down a flight of stairs that she's still not sure about. She had a GREAT PASSIVE pee outside, and I thought I was reasonably enthused.

So it seems that she's got the point, and really does try. I'm almost getting it too!

No more water for her tonight, and hopefully we can both have a few hours.

Se's been crated for bed, while I start doing some studying.


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## bianca (Mar 28, 2010)

Yah that is progress! Good for you both


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Keep at it marshies! Laugh at anything that won't matter in a weeks time! Dogs will always do things that try our patience. For example, why am I up at 4AM you ask? Wiva just jumped on my chest and licked me awake from a very deep sleep so I can take her out to potty in the freezing cold. At least she woke me up so we're making progress  
Oh well....sleep is for the weak! _Or maybe I'm just getting delirious from lack thereof... _


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

qbchottu said:


> Keep at it marshies! Laugh at anything that won't matter in a weeks time! Dogs will always do things that try our patience. For example, why am I up at 4AM you ask? Wiva just jumped on my chest and licked me awake from a very deep sleep so I can take her out to potty in the freezing cold. At least she woke me up so we're making progress
> Oh well....sleep is for the weak! _Or maybe I'm just getting delirious from lack thereof... _


I also just came back from a morning pee session at 3. She's in bed for good now. Her giant bowl of water at 11 was an AWFUL idea. She peed 3 times in my room, and each of those times has a corresponding outdoor pee puddle as well. 

Going to bed now, and looking forward to waking up in 2 hours to take her out again.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Finally found the book I meant to upload for you. Here's a page with a sample schedule that will help structure the day. 

One day (err...day/sleepless night ) at a time!


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I do agree a different location may set you back some, and I agree with Bianca's post.

When I get a puppy, its outside ALOT, waking up, eating, every hour I take them out whether I think they have to go or not during the day..

And yes, when she's done pottying,,THEN throw a party RIght now I would make EVERYTHING a GOOD thing,,no corrections for anything at this point..

You kinda don't want her to get into the mindset that pottying in her crate especially, is ok, because that is a hard hard thing to break 

I would work on a good schedule,,and keep to it, with outdoor time in between..


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## SitUbuSit (Aug 1, 2011)

marshies said:


> I have a tax exam soon, so unfortunately, drinking is out of the question. Amaretto is as close as I'm getting to any alcohol.


LOL! 

Don't be discouraged, Marshies. You can do this! And keep the updates coming (and I agree, we all could learn from Wildo's example with Gretchen). You're teaching me a lot in advance of Batman's arrival. I really appreciate your honesty, too. Not everyone is brave enough to admit their mistakes in a public forum. You have the right attitude, it's just a matter of picking up the skills, which you're already doing. Keep it up!


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

marshies said:


> ... Thank you!!! The playing part is very useful and something I hadn't thought about earlier because of our pee at home experience yesterday, where she was walked for 40 minutes and came home to pee. Will try again.
> 
> My question is, I want her to continue being calm after when we come inside, and hopefully go back to sleep if it's an evening pee session. Does this still work?


For middle of the night potties, I have tried to be pretty strictly business. As we're on the way outside, I'm chattering, ok, let's go potty, time to go potty. (With Bailey, I bell-trained, so I'd also give the bell a ring on the way out.) Then we're outside and on a long lead and I'm repeating myself, okay let's go potty. And I might walk back and forth a bit to stimulate the dog to also do that, but I'm not playing at 2AM.  I'm low key, I'm repeating let's go potty. I'm not stressed, I'm not angry, I'm just keeping my voice kind of matter of fact, not threatening or low, but not high and happy. 



marshies said:


> Right after she started peeing in the house, I took her outside, and she squatted again. I did my good girl thing as she was squatting...and I'm not sure if she was done pooing/peeing, or she was scared away by my enthusiasm. Should I wait until after she finishes going??


 Find the right voice intonation so as to not "scare" her out of finishing. No, I wouldn't wait though, or she won't associate. Maybe be a little less high pitched if you think your enthusiasm is too distracting. Nice repeats, good girl go potty, good girl potty, repeat *as* she's doing it! When she's all done, immediately once she's done, you can give her a nice, high pitched, lovey, GOOD GIRL and a little lovey rub and then immediately back inside, so she comes to learn you are only out there at 2AM for the potty, that's the purpose, and we're a goin' back inside to go back to bed.



bianca said:


> I don't know if it helps (and my pup is a bit younger) but as soon as he wakes up, he goes outside, if he is playing inside, I take him out, as soon as he has eaten he goes out. When he is awake, I take him out about every hour or so. If he whines or any kind of noise inside I take him out. Basically my door is revolving at the moment!


 Yep!! Revolving door.! *She's going to have to go soon after eating, drinking, playing hard or waking up.* You'd mentioned a three hour schedule I think earlier. Ditch that. Concentrate on getting her out after the above mentioned "activities" more so than a time clock. 



SitUbuSit said:


> Don't be discouraged, Marshies.


That's right, hang in there.  You can do this.


Marshies, are you tethering when the pup is inside with you? If not, I strongly suggest you do. To me, simply tethering has been about the single most effective housebreaking tool there is. You might also want to check out using bells on the door.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Thanks guys for the encouragement. I've been working on a 2.5 hr timer on my iphone, and that seems to be going well. 

Day 4 Update:

So after the post last night, she actually peed in the room 2 more times within the hour. They were all the result of the same huge bowl of water. I find comfort in knowing that each time, she only peed a little, and held some until we were able to get outside. Lesson learned: do not allow her to drink a giant bowl of water in one go. I went through a roll of paper towels in one night.  

She's been really good today. Haven't had an accident indoors yet. We are getting quick pees and poops when we go out the door. Though her poop schedule changed from the 7 AM and 430 PM to 7 AM, 2PM, and 6PM...no idea why. I'm not feeding more or less of anything. Poops able to be completely picked up, still not as firm as the first day here, but almost there.

Today for the 2 PM poop, she was really really rowdy before we went out and went on my bed (which is just a matress on the floor) and tried looking out my high window. She doesn't do either of these things usually, so I decided this must be I want to go out warning, got her out there in time, and we had nice poops. YAY!

For the 7 PM potty session, we went out and peed first. I didn't think she needed to poop, so right after she peed, we went inside. She didn't want to head upstairs, and sat down at the doorway. I figured this must be another sign. And it was!! She pooped when we went back outside. However, she tried it again as we were heading upstairs, and I took her for a 5 minute walk around my apartment, she was petted by a nice man, saw many cars go by, and went back home. She wasn't thrilled to be going back in, since the outside world is a party for her, but I've got to study so...sucks to be her. Will make it up to her with lots of nice trips to thrilling places over the winter holiday, like pet stores, vet clinics, and friends' homes. 

I'm a little confused about her crate now. From my understanding, the crate serves 2 purposes for me, in addition to being a den for her. 

1. Keep her confined when I can't supervise her, so she doesn't do things that could endanger herself.

2. Teach her that she can't potty in the house because she's being crated when not played with, and the tiny area in her crate that she views as her den helps with that view.

She definitely already knows that she can't potty in the house because she gives me LOTS of warning every time to go outside. Robin had her on a system and she knew to potty outside, and I'm SOOO glad that I don't need to teach this concept. She's a really really sweet girl. When we're both in my room together, I'm not crating her, since she's mostly either sleeping or chewing on bone/toy. Is this right?

I know you can also use the crate to build endurance between potty sessions. Does this build naturally as they age? Or must I crate?

I'm torn about crating, since my room at school is about the size of a master bedroom, and I can supervise her all the time. And she's not particularly fond of her crate. She loves sprawling in every which way to sleep, and while her crate is adequately sized, it's still not as free as the floor. 

Thoughts?


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

chelle said:


> Yep!! Revolving door.! *She's going to have to go soon after eating, drinking, playing hard or waking up.* You'd mentioned a three hour schedule I think earlier. Ditch that. Concentrate on getting her out after the above mentioned "activities" more so than a time clock.
> 
> Marshies, are you tethering when the pup is inside with you? If not, I strongly suggest you do. To me, simply tethering has been about the single most effective housebreaking tool there is. You might also want to check out using bells on the door.


The 3 hours led to too many accidents, so I've set it to a 2.5 hour schedule, and that's worked well. I'll give the 2.5 hours a few more days, and if it doesn't go well, I'll switch to the activity timing you mentioned.

She's tethered at home, but my room at school is teeny, and I can give her constant supervision. I think she is "house-broken" in that she knows she must go outside. At this point, it's just switching from her being allowed to go outside whenever like when she was at Robin's, to her going when I can take her. We're both working on that. She does give me warning, but as I'm sure you've read, I'm not terribly good at picking them up.

Interacting with Amaretto, it's SO easy to forget she's still just a tiny puppy. She's really sweet, and VERY VERY well-behaved. I am so glad I took her home at this age rather than 8 weeks old. I don't think I could've handled a puppy that DIDN'T understand that home wasn't a place for potty.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Since the thread is about pottying, thought I'd share a funny story.

Today during one of Amaretto's naps, she let out a little gas. As soon as she did it, she woke up looking shocked and alarmed, and looked at me as if to say, "was that me?"

:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Day 5:

2 days since last accident! 

I'm especially proud because 2 things happened.

1. Had an 3 hour exam in the morning, and Amaretto held it in her crate for 4 hours! Waited for me to go home and take her out before pottying. Though she was whining and barking when my roommate went in to take a look, so I guess another thing to work on.

2. Had a 3 hour car ride back to Toronto from my university. I'm pretty sure Amaretto needed to poop, since it was her "scheduled time", but she didn't make it before we loaded the car, and she held it nicely until I got home.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

See...she is learning!....and you are getting better....
I look every day to see updates.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

robinhuerta said:


> See...she is learning!....and you are getting better....
> I look every day to see updates.


Robin, the hellish part is mostly over. I'm just enjoying being with her now. Today I'm teaching bite inhibition. She nips when I brush her or play with her belly (I think she's tickled), and does get my hand when she's excited in play. So I'm trying to say OUCH really loudly and look away. And then try again in a minute or 2. If she does it again, I put her in my ex pen. I'll be continuing to try this for the next few days until she stops all mouthing behavior. I give her plenty of chew toys, so I hope she will find more joy in those. 

Also working on crate behavior. I think I've made the crate an unfun place for her, and I want to change that. Do you like Crate Games by Susan Garrett?


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

I have not heard of it before?...sorry.
We teach the crate as being positive...simply by giving a treat every time a puppy goes in the crate.....or throwing a biscuit/bone into it while "holding" the puppy back...and then releasing it! They tend to run right into the crate as if it were fun...and always a rewarding place to be.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

I second Robin's treat recommendation.
I always put treats, a chew or filled Kong when they need to go in. I also feed them in their crates so that makes the area feel like home. During feeding, as soon as I lift their food bowls, each dog will GALLOP to their crates and wait for me to come put their bowls in there. Wiva and Whiskey love their crates. They will happily sleep in there with the door open. Puddi was neglected and locked in the crate the first few weeks of her life so she still shrieks like a banshee when I put her in there. But I've made a little mini-room for her which she loves and doesn't mind being in so that is where she is fed and kept when I'm away. 

Also, I don't like putting them in there for punishment. I don't want there to be any negative feelings when they are in the crate. I tend to put them away in the laundry room if they've been "bad" and need to cool down.


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## sheep (Dec 2, 2011)

I guess that I've also had a few handler mistakes, and currently my puppy still only pees and poops indoors. We've had him for some 3 months already, and only started taking him for daily walks lately due to his health problems. We took him out 2 times to the vet, and I've kept him walking close to me without allowing sniffing, so I might have done some unintended corrections if he wanted to sniff around to do his stuffs. Now we've started to take him out even before he does his stuffs and we would be almost sure that he needed to do it, but then not even being 2 hours outside he would do it! But he would do it right after coming home.

We've been using a short leash, but now we use a flexi lead to allow more freedom. It could also be that he still doesn't feel safe enough to do it outside, or there are just so much things to explore that he's more busy sniffing everything around than remembering that he needs to do his stuffs. 

But well, during the weekends we will "force" him to do it outside by interrupting him from doing it at home and take him to really long walks while giving him lots of water and treats. We just have to be more stubborn and hopefully it works.


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