Comments on: House training puppy nightmare?

By: mcc

mcc — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:06:59 +0000

You have great answers but - add to the crate this strategy - when in the house tether the dog to you. That means leash is attached to you where you go he goes. That will allow you to monitor a bit closer when you see the signs that he has to go. Understand a large part of puppy training is your training yourselves to be observant to the signs that potty is going to happen soon.
References :

By: Weimaraner Mom

Weimaraner Mom — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:39:59 +0000

The easiest and best way to train is put your dog on a schedule immediately, which means every day you must do the same thing over and over and over so they learn when it is they potty, when it is they eat when you leave, etc. It makes it easy on the dog and since dogs crave routine it works really well. Crates would be your best option, however, since you said lead I’m assuming your in England and the British don’t like to Crate their dogs (I’m british and never heard of crating dogs till I moved to the USA) so if a crate isn’t your option then keeping the dog confined with baby gates to your kitchen would be your best option since it will have an easy to clean floor. Until the dog is reliable in the house he should not have free roam of it. Take him out every 2 hours on the dot, set a timer if you have to and when it dings you say Potty Time or Let’s Go Potty, this phrase you will use in the garden take him outside on a lead (I say this because outside he’ll be too busy sniffing to go and by keeping him on the leash you can force him to walk around to get his bowels stimulated) walk him around (even if it’s your back garden) say go potty or lets’ potty etc and wait for him to potty when he does say GOOD POTTY praise really well and give him a treat. If he doesn’t need to poop bring him back inside into the kitchen and keep him there, then 2 hours later repeat. Keep this up eventually he’ll understand what it is you expect of him when you praise and treat him for pottying outside. If he has an accident in the house, IGNORE him and clean it up REALLY well. Punishing the dog only sets your training back because it makes them afraid to potty in front of you and you can’t very well train a dog to potty outside if he’s afraid to potty in front of you at all.

Consistent training (sticking to one method only) and not flip flopping around because after two weeks you don’t think it’s working will only confuse the dog. Both must train the same way so you are consistent with the training, it will take a full year for him to be completely 100% reliable and you will have accidents every now and then up to one year of age, so don’t panick if he’s been doing well for 3 weeks and suddenly he has an accident it happens.

Be consistent, get him out regularly so you know when he needs to go, be patient and don’t punish if he has an accident inside, he’s only a puppy and if he has an accident it means you weren’t watching for the signs that he needed to go.

Good luck, it’s tough but labs are easy to train so you should have him trained in no time. Remember, don’t use walks as a method to housebreak because most people make the common mistake of ending the walk the minute the dog potties and so the dog learns potty = end of walk and they learn to hold it longer and longer so the walk lasts longer. Best thing to do is make the dog potty BEFORE the walk then the walk becomes a nice reward also, that way they will learn to potty quicker so they can get to their walk.
References :
http://www.inch.com/~dogs/housebreaking.html

By: moof

moof — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:05:59 +0000

You’ve received good advice so far, but I thought I’d toss this in:
http://dogstardaily.com/training/errorless-housetraining
Follow that procedure closely.
References :

By: Aussie mum

Aussie mum — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:47:59 +0000

Potty training 101:
First of all don’t fall for the training pads- All they do is teach your puppy that going to the bathroom in the house is alright.
Don’t stick his nose in it either as all that does is say "Here! I want you to go here!"

Take your puppy out roughly every couple of hours (as necessary, you know your dog best), after naps, eating, drinking, playing, when you first get up, and before bed. Wonder around outside with him till he uses the bathroom (You can teach him to go on command even if you start saying "go potty," "find your spot," or something to that effect). If he doesn’t want to go your just going to have to keep wondering around with her till he does, don’t go inside until he goes. When he does finally go outside make a big out of it and praise him like he just saved the world.
Should he go inside quietly clean it up (under no circumstances should you yell, shove his nose in it, or any such thing). If by chance you catch him in the act pick his puppy bum up and run outside with him (warning: not all dogs will stop when you pick them up).
You’ll have to watch your puppy at all times. Many people will leash the dog to them self even to keep an eye on the puppy until potty training is finished.
Remove food and water at night, and when you are not home.
Crate training can be quite helpful as dogs will try to avoid going where they sleep. The crate is also a good place to put your puppy when you can not be watching him. Remember if you go this rout never to use the crate as punishment. It’s your dog’s "den" and should be a safe, happy, and personal space. Also keep in mind the crate is a tool, it will not train the dog for you.

If you’re dog starts going in his or her crate it is usually for one of three reasons:
1. The crate is too large- He should be able to stand up and turn around in it comfortably and that’s it.
2. Puppy mill and pet store dogs are use to living in their own filth and therefor are often near impossible to teach not to go in the crate.
3. He needs to go out more often.
References :

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:02:59 +0000

Start by getting a crate for your dog. It should be big enough for him to stand up and turn around in.

This crate will simulate his den that he would have in the wild. Dogs don’t soil where they sleep. This crate is never to be used for punishment, it is his safe place. A haven.

It is also a place to keep him at night and when you can’t watch him 100%. If you’re watching him, he can’t have accidents because you would be paying attention and getting him outside right away.

You don’t say how old he is, but you should also realize that no puppy can "hold it" until they’re at least 12 weeks old. The muscle they use for that isn’t developed until then.

Take the puppy out after you wake him up. After playing, after eating, after drinking. You will likely have to get up at night a couple of times to take him out.

If a dog isn’t learning, usually it’s because you’re either not using a good method they can catch onto or you’re confusing them, or you’re inconsistent.
References :
http://cfhs.ca/athome/housebreaking_your_new_puppy/