[neumannc]

Hi everyone,

I have a 14 week old mini dauchsand/shih zhu mix. He is quite the cutie.. I got him from a lady that was outdoor training and pee pad training.. naturally when I got him I switched to completely outside training him. I have a 1 year old golden lab mix who is fully potty trained so I want him to be potty trained too.. He does very good every day.. He lets you know when he has to go outside to relieve himself. It's something to do with the kennel at night. I noticed the lady I got him from never kennelled him. I'm not sure why some nights he can hold it but yet other nights he won't. I cut him off from water at 6 p.m. and let him out for last potty call at about 10:30. My boyfriend goes to work at 6 so he lets him out at that point. Every other morning he is covered in pee. I hate giving him a bath everyday because it's horrible for their skin but I can't let him run in the house covered in pee. I've tried making his kennel shorter but that only worked for a couple days and then he went back to peeing at nightI love this little dog to death but I have a baby on the way and can't keep cleaning him every day.. and I do not want to get rid of him... I have used this kennel on past puppies.. and they had accidents.. could it be possible that he smells them and wants to mark his territory? any ideas? please email me if you have had any luck with your own puppies.. I could use some help..:???:

[Yogi]

First off, he is simply put a baby. His bladder is no where near developed enough to hold for more than a few hours. You are asking him to hold for over 7 hours. Many adult small dogs are not even capable of this feat. At this point in time he should be taken out after 3 hours and allowed to urinate outside. This will go on until approx 5 to 6 months, gradually increasing his stay time in the crate to the 7 hours a night you are expecting now. But at 14 weeks, no offense, even you could not go that long without needing your diaper changed.
Just be patient and work a little at a time to build up his tolerance and bladder.
Good luck.

[Lara's mom]

My Shorty JRT turned two this past December and she still uses paper during the night. Little dog = little bladder.

My new addition (another Shorty JRT, 12 weeks old) spends his nights in my kitchen. There is paper put down at the far end, well away from his bed and food. He uses it at night but during the day will go to the paper put down for the other dog and use that.

Your puppy just can't hold it all night. I've had much better luck confining my puppy in a room with no carpeting than I had with a crate. When he was crated at night, I had the same problem that you're having.

[neumannc]

See the thing is is that he was able to hold it all night for the first 2 weeks. no accidents.. no mess.. and now its every night. He will hold it while I got to class for anywhere from 3-4 hours.. It's like he all of a sudden decided to start peeing in his kennel. I understand he is a little dog with a smaller bladder but he shouldnt be going from holding it all night to peeing twice a night in the kennel. When I lived with my parents they used pee pads for 3 dogs and they still do. The dogs are 7 years old and the house is completely ruined and soaked in pee. So I will no enable the puppy by letting him know its alright to pee on the floor. I have just had enough bending over to clean the kennel every day and give him a bath. It's way hard on his skin and it shows...

[Bacis Dad]

I agree with the previous posters. I would use Lara's technique. It works great minimizes accidents and cleaning also prevents the habit of him going to the bathroom in the kennel which can be VERY hard to break once it becomes habitual. And it keeps his coat clean and prevents infections. As far as your concern that you experienced w/ your parents, the pads can be used as a transition tool. Use them maybe only at night or long increments thats too long to crate. I did the for my pup (and hundreds of others I trained with). I used sod on a crate pan and kept it inside for a couple weeks, then moved it outside on my patio and taught her to ring bells to get outside then transition her to going outside and she will ring the bell everytime she has to go. But for a month or so confine her in the kitchen or bathroom w/ pads (or grass) and you start a transition proccess to the door then outside. Puppies are so moldable at this age. They will adapt to change easily what you do now will not be permanent by any means! Good luck, and if you want more detailed help w/ transitioning let me know!

also, if you take the grass route that is a clear difference than the floor, its a little more work but very effective!

[CorkyMax]

I was searching for a post I had done previously on this same problem--Didn't find it but found this by Lara's Mom ----
This worked for me when I weaned Bailey off using paper. Maybe it will work for you.

Keep the pee pads for now but, keep moving them closer and closer to the door that the dog will use to go outside to "do his thing." When you get to the point where the pad is at the door, put one right outside - you can weigh it down with rocks. When you see the dog heading for the pad, open the door and show him the one outside. Eventually make your way to the grass. Use loads of praise any time the dog actually "goes" outside.
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What I was looking for was on this order--Put the already peed on pad outside where you want your dog to go--Take your dog to it the next time you think he is ready to pee. Keep repeating till he gets the idea. (Lol, hope your other dog doesn't decide to eat it or tear it apart) And as far as there may be urine smell in the crate from before--

DoggieVouge and Lara's Mom had a couple previous posts-----are you using an enzyme cleaner to erase all traces of the smell of urine and feces? Regular household cleaners aren't the same thing- dogs can smell past those. His nose is much, much stronger than yours and if he can smell urine and feces, he will continue to go in the house. That smell tells him that it is okay to go there.
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DoggieVogue


White vinegar also works to get rid of the smell and is inexpensive.
Lara's mom

Corky/Max--
But there is something you shouldn't use too because it smell like urine to the dog! Think it is ammonia!---Don't use cleaners with ammonia in them!