Housebreaking a Puppy?

5 Comments

1. Rach says:

   March 13, 2010 at 6:50 pm

   I have a Westie as well…. he was pretty easy to potty train once we had him on a schedule. I only put food out when it was time for meals. When it was meal time I would put his food and water inside the kennel and shut the door so the puppy would eat. When he finished eating I would remove the food if there was any left and keep the puppy inside the kennel until he whined which meant he had to go potty. I took him outside and stayed with him until I saw him go to the bathroom. Then he always got a treat. It takes some time and patience but I tried different ways of training and this one seemed to work the best because the puppy would never go to the bathroom in his kennel so it taught him to hold it. Remember, you can’t potty train a puppy overnight, it would be like trying to potty train a 9 month old baby, they really don’t understand what they are doing so you can’t be too hard on him! Puppies will have accidents and if she starts going to the bathroom and you catch her in the process just quick say no and take her outside. Sooner or later she will realize outside is where I get put when I go to the bathroom and the connection will be made! It took about 2-3 months before my Westie was potty trained at my house…. it was about 5 months before he was finally potty trained at other people’s houses… took him a while to learn that you can’t pee in my house, or anyother houses for that matter! I never used any puppy pads, I think that would make potty training harder once you want him to go outside. It would be like potty training her twice in my opinion! And that’s great she whines when she has to go potty….. Everytime my dog whined I took him outside, I swear some days I took that puppy outside a hundred times but I wanted to make sure he understood when he made a whining noise that should mean he has to go to the bathroom. Now my Westie is 1 1/2 yrs old and when he has to go outside he paws at the door for me to hear to let him out so he quite the whining all together, which is nice!
2. mra9a says:

   March 13, 2010 at 6:50 pm

   Abandon the puppy pads. All they do is confuse your puppy when you decide you want her to learn to go outside.

   Every half-hour, take the puppy outside. When she goes outside, praise her like she just saved the world.

   If you catch her in the act of peeing in the house, say NO NO and scoop her up and immediately take her outside. If she finishes outside, praise her like crazy.

   Especially that young, you need to watch her ALL the time. If you can’t watch her, she needs to be in a crate. Google "crate training" for details.

   Also, I really highly recommend reading a puppy training book. It will give you extra tips on housebreaking, mouthing, chewing, etc. etc. I found "Puppy Preschool" by John Ross to be very helpful.

   Good luck and congrats on the pup.
3. mrsjimmorrison67 says:

   March 13, 2010 at 6:50 pm

   put her on a schedule, they are EVERYTHING to dogs, especially puppies. Make sure she eats/drinks/goes out/sleeps at the same time everyday!

   Try crate training her, to do this find a crate that is just enough room for her to stand up/turn around/ and lay down. Dogs don’t like to be in their own mess, but if the crate is too big she will use one end to pee in. Also never use the crate as a form of punishment, you want this to be her own den.

   Also keep her on a leash in the house and attach it to you, so you know when she is about to go and you can scold her and take her out immediately.

   Also make sure you don’t give her any food/water within 2 hours of bedtime this will help her sleep through the night without accidents…

   Also small dogs have small bladders make sure she isn’t alone for more than 3-4 hours if THAT! and when you are gone remember to keep her in the crate!

   Hope this helps!!
4. valerie w says:

   March 13, 2010 at 6:50 pm

   try taking her out 10 minutes after she eats and drinks.
   get her use to going out after she eats and drinks.
   the puppy pads work if you teach her to stay on it.
   keep putting her on it.
5. allycmw says:

   March 13, 2010 at 6:50 pm

   First of all, that dog is too young to be away from its mother and littermates. 8 weeks is the minimum, so already your going to have a problem with housebreaking there, because she hasn’t learned more from her mom. Second of all, get rid of the pee pads immediately. Not only is it teaching your dog that it’s okay to pee inside, but you’re going to end up housebreaking her twice – once to go on the pads and again to go outside. We crate trained our Westie, and it’s the easiest way to get your dog going outside. Buy her a crate big enough for her to stand up and lie down, but not so big that she can soil in the corner and still have room to sleep. The idea of the crate is that it becomes your dog’s ‘den’, and a dog won’t want to soil in it’s den. It also becomes their ‘alone’ space, where they can get away from everyone when they’re tired. A crate must never be used as punishment, or it will never work. She sleeps in the crate at night, and first thing in the morning, you take her out to her designated bathroom spot, say your magic word (whatever you want to use to indicate it’s ‘time to go’) and wait. When she does her business, give her LOTS of praise so she knows she’s done right. Take her back inside for play (the bathroom is never for playing), and take her out again in a couple of hours to go again, consistently, all day. If you can’t watch her, she goes back in the crate with a treat and a couple of safe toys. Do an internet search on crate training, you’ll find lots of helpful information. Good luck