PDA

View Full Version : ANY IDEAS ON HOW TO HOUSE TRAIN A PUPPY??



Eve M
04-May-03, 15:37
Any ideas on how to house train an 8 week old puppy?
I'm taking him out every half hour or so but he seems to be peeing constantly inbetween that too :roll:
Can anyone offer any advice?

squashed frog
04-May-03, 16:31
:eek:

allie
04-May-03, 18:00
Just keep taking him out, especially after he eats and drinks.
If you take him out straight after he eats or drinks, the penny will drop after a couple of weeks, then he should start whining if he 'needs to go'. :eek:

Put newspapers down in the kitchen or back porch and set him on them after eating or drinking, as well as taking him out so that he knows to do it there during the night, rather than on the carpets etc!! (that's if he sleeps in either of those areas.
I used to wrap an old alarm clock in a blanket and put it in the basket with a puppy. The sound of the ticking clock soothes a puppy and they tend to sleep better during the night!

Well, that's what I always did and it worked with all the dogs I had, good luck :D

MadPict
04-May-03, 21:01
Tell him/her "Go to the toilet" or similar when he/she does go - eventually when it is older you can send him/her into the garden and get them to go on command. It works with our dogs!!!

fionarich
05-May-03, 02:35
The easiest way to housetrain a puppy is to "cage train" him or her. This method is humane, effective and will save your carpets and home from countless cleanings.

You should acquire a largish metal cage/home, one that is large enough to hold an adult-sized dog of that breed. It is not a cruel method at all, as some may imagne; rather a dog sees the cage as a safe haven, like its den. Click here to see some examples: http://www.petsmart.com/dog/shopping/carriers___crates/wire_homes___accessories/psearch.shtml

The puppy will not want to soil its own cage/home and thus will usually hold their urine/bowel movements until they leave the cage. What you can do it take the puppy from the cage, straight outside to where you want it to do its business. As the puppy relieves itself, it is useful to say "pee-pee" or some similar verbal phrase, each time you take the puppy out- that way it will associate that one phrase with the act and as it grows up, there will be doubt as to what you expect from the dog.

As soon as the puppy relieves itsself (and every time it successfully does so, when you take it out) , you should reward it with a small doggy treat to reward the compliance.

After it relieves itsself, you can let it out to play for quite a while and usually there will not be many "accidents." It only took a week or two for my 8 week old weimaraner puppy to be successfully housebroken using this method, after which accidents were few & far between. Large pet stores usually carry an entire range of cages, for the smallest to the largest breeds. Or you can order one online, or just look at them (for an example of what they look like) if you want to build your own.

The cage also comes in handy as when you aren't home, your puppy will not be chewing on your things, furniture or the edges of your kitchen cabinets, when you are not around to keep an eye out. As long as the dog gets out often for reasonable exercize, there should be no problem in using the cage. You will find that after a few months, that you will use the cage less and less, as the dog becomes more mature and shows itsself to be trustworthy.

Make sure that the cage is spacious enough, has a soft mat or blanket at the back, some newspaper close to the front and a puppy water bottle or bowl (as well as a few chewy toys to keep him/her occupied). Be aware, though, that the cage should not be so large as to leave a great deal of excess room, as you don't want the puppy to feel as if there is enough space to comfortably soil in the corners, as well as play.

It is good to keep in mind that a dog usually has the urge to "do their business" within 15 minutes of eating. So, keep an eye out and take the dog out as soon as you see him/her giving you the signs that they need to relieve themselves.

You should try to take puppies that are 8-12 weeks old, out every few hours. As they become housetrained, you can leave them for increasingly longer periods of time. You should generally not leave even adult dogs in/indoors for longer than 8 hours at a time, as even the most well-behaved dog can only fight mother nature for so long!

A few good good tips for training dogs:

-When training a dog, one should always be consistent, when it comes to training and setting boundries for your best friend. Dogs appreciate consistency, as do people!

-When punnishing a dog for a mistake or bad behaviour, it is best to make the punnishment as brief as possible. Many people do not realize that when they shout and a dog and punnish them harshly, the dog will usually be so frightened that they will not connect the punnishment with the transgression!


if your dog/puppy runs away from you, do not grasp them roughly and/or spank them when you catch them! They will begin to associate going to you with a possible spanking! Always reward a dog with a small treat when they come when called. If the dog does run away from you, try turning your back on him/her and walking away from the dog. When they do come to you, reward the dog with the treat and kind words. If you consistenly do this, then you will never have a dog that won't come to you.

-If you don't want to be disturbed at the dinner table, NEVER feed the dog ANYTHING while you or your family are eating. Try to feed the dog at the same time(s) every day and always feed the dog before you eat, that way you will not have a hungry dog watching you eat. Table food or soft dog food isn't good for your dog, anyway and will rot his/her teeth. If you must feed scraps, wait until everyone has finished eating and has left the table. Then place the scraps in the dog's bowl for him/her. If your dog never associates receieving food from the table, then you will never be embarassed when guests are over and you will eliminate a great deal of stress from your life.

-A water pistol is often effective for deterring bad behavior, especially when your puppy is farther away than your reach, and far more humane that hitting or spanking your little one!


Here is a link to a petstore website that gives more info about housetaining a puppy: http://www.petsmart.com/articles/article_11022.shtml

I hope that this helped!

Cheers,

Fiona Rich

fionarich
05-May-03, 02:49
Hello,

Here is one more link that explains crate/kennel training:

http://www.petsmart.com/articles/article_11021.shtml

It has some very useful information!

Cheers,

Fiona Rich

rich
05-May-03, 14:50
I absolutely recommend crating. It worked like a charm on our (now eight year old) borderline collie (collie plus x-the-unknown). For a while though I was getting up at three in the morning to deposit him in the back yard so he could have a pee. Frequently he peed and then fell asleep. But that was when he was six-weeks old. We didn't have a single puddle in the house. Dogs seem to like their crates. It's a quiet place for them to go and makes them calmer.

squidge
05-May-03, 23:44
me too

Our labrador was caged and it was a real refuge for her she loved it. She would disappear when the kids were too noisy and sit in it with the door open as if to say "thank goodness for some peace and quiet"

I am sure you know how chewy labs can be - well we never had anything chewed that wasnt supposed to be it was great

Jenni
06-May-03, 13:23
When I got my puppy in January she was 10 weeks old and I started putting her in the garden every half hour. I gave her loads of praise when she did the business. If she had any accidents in the house I ignored her (even though I wanted to smack her little botty!) I put newspapers down in the kitchen at bedtime (this is where she sleeps) and after a few nights reduced the amount of papers until there were only a few beside the door. It took about 4 weeks but she is now perfectly trained and it was well worth the perserverence. I felt there was no point shouting at the pup and definately do not agree with rubbing her nose in it. Afterall she is only a baby - would anyone rub their toddlers nose in it if they had an accident while potty-training! Well that's my thoughts on the subject, hope it helps. Good luck