[puppylove]

ok so I got chester today and brought him home and im a lil frustrated
I know its not his fault hes just starting from scratch...I need help on how to get him to go when I want him to (he wont go pee after activities & such) he seems to go the second after I thought he didnt go..(and I dont notice)


oh my goodness
Im not going to say I thought this would be easy..but I thought it would be a lil easier than this

let me explain
since about 7:30 when we got home..we played for a bit then I tried to get him to go pee No pee..
then we played some more..then again no pee..then he slept and again no pee..I got him to eat a lil and again no pee or poo


BUT there were maybe 2 tiny accidents he had (like TINY but as they say you cant scold him unless you catch him in the act)
so whatever..he was roaming around down here for a few minutes by himself.. (I mean on no leash) and I guess cuz I think of dogs as lifting their legs to pee..I never noticed that indeed he DID go..once almost under my couch and it was A BIG gross puddle (its thin gray carpet)..

I feel like Ive failed already..I dont know what to do..Its yucky outside and the collar we got him is too big so I cant really put him on the leash and take him out cuz its loose enough that he puts the collar in his mouth...so I will have to wait til tommorow to take him out after I do all his activities with him, is it maybe the litter box..cuz I wait about 10 minutes after we've done stuff (play or hes drank water) and then I put him in and encourage him to go..but he doesnt he tries to get out..and if I keep him there for 30 more seconds he tries to eat the litter (its non toxic & they said that would happen) but still
I have the litter box here but he has NO clue what to do with that..they even say soak some of his pee onto paper towel and put it in with the litter and he might realize..well he isnt

I know its only been about 4 hours but i feel really discouraged and I feel like im not going to be able to do this how I thought..
hes a puppy & he barely understands what im trying to say

is it just his first night jitters?..should I just do my best & clean up all his accidents tonight and wish for a better start tommorow?

HELP!!!
thanks

hes sleeping right now..when he wakes up should I immediately try to get him to go pee..(and if so where because right now theres 3 options outside in the litter box and on papers)
im very discouraged & would appreciate any helpful hints!

[opokki]

Try not to get discouraged. Housetraining takes time and lots of patience. Puppies have very little control over their bladders until they are around 4 months of age.

Where do you want him to go? If you want him to go outdoors only eventually then you should avoid using the litter box and papers right from the start. Are you using a crate?

[puppylove]

well we want him to go outside and in the box when we're not home to let him out

I know hes so tiny still and has no idea whats going on..but I still feel like Im failing him
for now (until I can cut down the sides of the box) I put down a puppy pad on the floor..(I doubt he'll use that?..but I just dont know what else to do)..he doesnt go when I take him outside (as I said its bad out today)..and with all the lil accidents he had tonight Im nervous to take him and run him around my basement in fear that once again i wont catch it in time...

should I take away his water bottle and only give it to him when he seems thirsty?..
would that help..
Im trying to do the repetitive let him sleep take him to pee (not peeing) then play with him (last time I tried this he went, after my unsuccessful attempts to make him go in the box)..as I said he did a huge one on the floor earlier.. is this all pee everytime or is he marking up my house?

this has been a long night and seeing his lil face & knowing I cant just scoop him up and put him in bed with me is heartbreaking!

this site seems really like it could help me you guys are all great!LOL

[Eric5604]

:confused: ;) :D
It is hard, here are some suggestions from another new puppy owner, suffering many similar situations. Good news on my side, it was expected, been there before, she is the only dog/pet in house, live in country with fenced yard and near 23,000 of state forest. So, if you really don't think you have it in you or Chester has it in him to make it through the next few days, weeks, months, years, forever, give him to a rescue group and don't feel guilty about it. However, if you think you can make it and there are more good times than bad. Try going out to the yard with him and take a large, stadium size umbrella for both of you, don't look at him when he is starting to do his duty, wait like forever. Try to restrict his fluids late of a night, after 10:30 or when you are going to bed. He will be okay through the night. Paper training works for some people, I do not have experience with that method. Try not to feel too bad about your training or puppy. He really does love you and he is still just a baby. I appreciated reading your email because my puppy, Sadie, just peed on our bed coverlet, now it is not so lonely. See you and best regards.

[Eric5604]

Good advice, I did not know it took puppies to 4 months to get control. Sadie is only 12 weeks so she still has some time yet to perfect her accidents. Thank you for sharing your insight.

[opokki]

Well, I have something to say that may ease your mind a bit.....my aunt and my grandmother both have Shih Tzu's who were successfully trained to go on potty pads.
If the litter box seems too difficult for her to get into and she often just plays with the litter, I would just go with the potty pads. There is spray you can mist the potty pads with that encourage them to eliminate there and some potty pads are even pretreated.

Here are my general housetraining tips -
* Crate the puppy whenever you can't watch his every move.
* Confine him to whichever room you are in so that he can't sneak off and eliminate out of sight.
* Watch for signals that he may need to go so you can get him to his potty pad in time, these signals may include circling, sniffing, and squatting.
* Clean each accident thoroughly with a product such as Nature's Miracle.
* Do not scold or punish accidents even if you catch him in the act, instead just interrupt him and move him to the correct location. He is learning, if he learns to avoid eliminating in front of you you will have bigger problems on your hands.
* Always praise him heavily for going in the correct location, the second he finishes.
* Take him to his potty area frequently as often as every 30 mins. - 1hr. and allow him about 3mins to eliminate. If he does eliminate allow him 30-60mins of supervised free time before taking him back to his elimination area. If he does not eliminate, put him back in the crate and try again in 30 mins.

I realize that this last one sounds rather strict but this is one of the fastest and most successful ways to prevent unwanted accidents and teach your puppy to go in the appropriate designated area. Praise and free time are his reward. As long as you are consistant he should "get it" very quickly.

[puppylove]

thank you all for your responses..

I was a lil frazzled last night but no NEVER would I give him up for anything..he is better today, and I love him for it
last night I was concerned about him not pooping yet..
but this morning I got him to poop on paper..what i think I will do is not leave his food out (because he is not eating unless I give him some encouragement to eat) and only (for now atleast) give him scheduled times to have his water..he did his business outside quite a bit..on the leash and without ..

the hardest part today was just listening to him yip and cry because now we have "gone to bed"..he has done everything he needed to so now hes in his little room..he only cried and yapped for 10 minutes..and now has stopped

i have a puppy pad in the litter box with the litter now. and he did pee in there today (with my help) so we will just have to see if he goes there tonight or not

I cant believe how much puppies sleep!
should I try not to let him have so much sleep during the day so he will sleep at night more?

[violent_storm2000]

The easiest way that I have found to get a dog to go on command is the crate. First make sure that you introduce the dog to the crate correctly so you do not create any animosity twords the crate. When crate training the only time the dog should be out of the crate is if you are training, playing, feeding, or pottying. Set a time line to go by. Every time you take the dog out give the command potty quick. Wake up take the dog out feed the dog take the dog out. take the dog out at a set time throughout the day. If the dog goes potty then reward and play. If the dog does not go then simply take the dog to the crate. Leave the dog in the crate for 15 or 20 min then take the dog out again and give the command again. Repeate this process untill the dog goes (even if it is just a few drops). If the dog ends up just simply not going and you want to spend time on training or something. Simply put the dog in crate for 5 or 10 minutes pull the dog out and work on what you are going to work on.

Do not let the dog out of the crate for whining or crying. That will teach the dog that whining crying and begging get the dog what it wants. The crate can also help train away seperation problems that may surface later down the line. Do not use the crate as a punishment. Only use it as a time out or safe zone for the dog.

If your dog has an accident take the dog out give the potty quick command if they go then great reward if not back to the crate. Never punish a dog for an accident indoors Simply rediect its attetion with a simple deep AHHH then take the pup outside and do as I mentioned before. Never rub a dogs nose in its mess it does not teach it anything. Some people call the deep AHHH a punishment I simply use it to redirect attetion because they understand by instinct that a growl directed at them is not good so they pay attetion.

Lastly dont get frustrated. House training takes time.

[violent_storm2000]

The easiest way that I have found to get a dog to go on command is the crate. First make sure that you introduce the dog to the crate correctly so you do not create any animosity twords the crate. When crate training the only time the dog should be out of the crate is if you are training, playing, feeding, or pottying. Set a time line to go by. Every time you take the dog out give the command potty quick. Wake up take the dog out feed the dog take the dog out. take the dog out at a set time throughout the day. If the dog goes potty then reward and play. If the dog does not go then simply take the dog to the crate. Leave the dog in the crate for 15 or 20 min then take the dog out again and give the command again. Repeate this process untill the dog goes (even if it is just a few drops). If the dog ends up just simply not going and you want to spend time on training or something. Simply put the dog in crate for 5 or 10 minutes pull the dog out and work on what you are going to work on.

Do not let the dog out of the crate for whining or crying. That will teach the dog that whining crying and begging get the dog what it wants. The crate can also help train away seperation problems that may surface later down the line. Do not use the crate as a punishment. Only use it as a time out or safe zone for the dog.

If your dog has an accident take the dog out give the potty quick command if they go then great reward if not back to the crate. Never punish a dog for an accident indoors unless you catch it in the act. 5 10 15 seconds after the accident happens is too late the dog will not know why it is introuble. Never rub a dogs nose in its mess it does not teach it anything. The best punishment for a dog ( in my oppinion) if you use punishments is a simple deep AHHH that sounds like a growl.

Lastly dont get frustrated. House training takes time.

[PitBullLvr]

Don't get discouraged. House training can be frustrating, but you'll get the hang of it. I would say don't worry about the loose collar. I always take all my puppies out without a collar to go to the bathroom. It's easier that way. Then they're not busy fightying the leash & will actually pay attention to the fact that they've gotta "go". I always save the leash until I know they're trained on the leash & have a pretty good idea that outside is where they "go". Then I walk them outside on a leash. Hope this helps a little. Good luck!