I am getting a Bichon in 3 weeks, should i take some time off to train? ?

Question

I work full time and i dont want the dog to **** or pee all over my house. The pup will be like 5-6 weeks and not trained by the time i get her.

Answer 1

yes you will have to take some time off to obedience train your dog, you can visit http://blognpuppies.blogspot.com/2008/07... for tips on taining

Answer 2

If its not already house broken. Then yes, your going to have to take some time off or use your extra time. You shouldn't even be buying a puppy if you don't even have time to TRAIN it, let alone take care of it? Its some what like a baby, think of it that way. It needs walks, lots of attention, the PROPER training. And you think you need just some time off the train it? I think your going to run out of time for it. But thats yours choice, go for it.

Answer 3

First it is illegal to buy or receive a puppy until they are 8 weeks old, nor should they be removed from there mother that early. Second you can take time off but the puppy will most likely not be house broken until it is about 12-15 weeks old at the earliest little dogs tend to take more time . You should crate the puppy when your not home that will solve the urine everywhere problem. when home with it take it out every 30-40min and with in 10 minutes after eating once its bladder gets bigger you can extend the time.  

Answer 4

Keep your routine the same as it is and train your dog accordingly. I raise mini doxiesnds and they are some of the hardest to potty train but there are a few guidelines that work EXCELLANT. FIRST and FOREMOST be kind and gentle and use POSITIVE reinforcements.Never rub their noses in their mistake it only teaches them to eat it. Ok now first rule a pup will ALLWAYS go to the bathroom when it wakes up!! This is by far the most important one because they sleep alot and that means they potty alot so if the pup falls asleep for 10 minutes or 2 minutes, doesnt matter they will PEE!! take them to where you want them to go to the bathroom at immediatly!!  Another thing that many mistake is that a pup will p**p right after they eat NOT SO or not often, the pup wants to sleep right after they eat!!  So this is when again you want to put them out, the minute they open those cute little eyes!! For the remainder of the time here is a method i use i call it the process of "ELIMINATION" and it really does work.   KEEP THEM CONFINED!   Use a baby type gate or a kennel to create an area all its own and cover that area 2-3 sheets thick with newspaper. After about 4 days remove a sheet exposing the bare floor underneath .eliminate another sheet of paper every 3-5 days creating less and less of space for the dog to go potty on and once down to the last paper put it outside. Your dog will prefer to use the paper and since its now outside.... well you get the idea too dont you?.  You can also us this method while on vacation and such by placing one piece of [paper down your dog should be happy to pee on it rather than the floor and remember to allways praise your dog when they have done what you are asking of them. Hopefully it will work for you as it has me and bout your time at work again COVER the floor of a CONFINED area and remove the paper gradually. GOOD LUCK

Answer 5

Congratulations on getting your new baby! Your puppy should be at least 8 weeks of age when you bring it home. Take a day or two off to spend time with your new pup, so that she could get use to its surroundings and so that you can get use to her. The best way to potty train your puppy will be to crate train. Dogs don't like to "relieve" themselves in the environment that they rest in. Potty training may take some time for your pup to get use too, so make sure when you are at work, there is someone to take her out. Best of Luck!

Answer 6

Your puppy can only hold its potty for two hours at the most at this age. The bladder isn't grown until 6-months-old, so you will need some help, dog walker, pet sitter, family, come home during lunch break, something.  Here are some tips, use what helps.

I use a crate* to potty train with, but only for potty training and then I break it down and store it.  I put blankets and a small food and water dish in the crate.  Dogs don't potty where they eat and sleep.  When they are first little, I only expect them to hold their potty for 4 hours, and then 6 hours, then 8 hours and so on.  So when they are first little, I set a timer or alarm clock to wake myself up at night to take them *out.  I only allow my puppy in the bedroom* or the living room, only one room at a time.  They have to graduate to more space.  If I allow them to have full run of the house, it will overwhelm them.  I take them out the same door each time.  I tie a dinner bell to the door handle.  Do not use a jingle bell as they could get their toe caught in it.  So when they are little, I ring the bell for them, and then open the door to go *outside to potty.  When they get bigger, I take their paw and whack the bell and open the door to go potty.  Eventually getting to the place where the puppy will ring the bell and let me know when they need to go potty.  Dogs want to please you, so it is your job to let them know what behaviors please you and what doesn't.  So when my puppy goes potty, I give her a treat*, and clap, and make a fuss and praise her.  So she learns that going potty outside makes me happy.  If she has an accident, make a disgust sound like “tsst”  and take her out right away.  I never yell* or spank* my puppies.  Take them out when they first wake up, after they eat or drink, before nap, finish romping, when their activities change, or when they are sniffing around. Some puppies go pee right away, but may not go p**p until 10 minutes later, so wait for the p**p.  I have a little play time here, because sometimes I think they are done, and they are not.  Puppies train at their own pace.  While I may have a puppy that hasn't had an accident in several weeks, I don't let my guard down.  I don't expect my puppies to be "fully potty trained" until one-year-old.  If they have a setback, shake it off, and start over.  I only have my puppies in the crate when I am not watching them.  When I am sleeping, cooking, ironing, doing chores, basically when I am not watching her.  All other times, she is out of the crate practicing being a "big girl."  This is the time I train her how to behave in the house.  So we are practicing "no barking", 'no biting", "no jumping", and "don't eat the furniture."  I also have to practice "playing inside" so she doesn't knock over things.  You must keep the puppy in sight when they are little because they don’t know the difference between newspaper and carpet, and you don’t want them sneaking off and getting into trouble.   Some puppies can sleep through the night around 3-months-old, but their bladder is grown around 6-months-old.



REVISIONS:



*I use a crate to train with.  It is the method I prefer, compared to other methods I have tried.  I noticed that if they are in the crate, while I am doing chores, they are o.k., because the crate allows them to see me and be re-assured.  The crate can also be a comfort when stored in the basement for dogs who live in areas where thunderstorms and tornados are an issue. .  However, use the method that works best for you.....a laundry basket, a cardboard box, a woof-woof house, x-pen, child gates, whatever works for you.



*Outside, pee pad, litter box, whichever method you are using.   When the puppy is first little, keep the pee pad, litter box near the food and water dish, so the puppy can eat and drink, and then go potty.  You can move it away as they get older.  The pee pad has a scent that smells and initiates potty.  Sometimes a pee pad makes a sound that scares some puppies, so you might want to use a litter box if that happens.  The pee pad allows a puppy to walk around, but a litter box keeps the puppy in one place.

*Bedrooms, I use the bedroom and living room for training, because it works for me.  Choose rooms that work for you, but watch for rooms that are damp, or drafty.  While my puppies sleep in the bedroom during training, once they are trained, I let them sleep where they want to.  They don't have to sleep in the bedroom forever.

*Treats.  While I use treats for training, you don't have to.  I like Charlee Bears for training (a little cracker for a little mouth,) I use them for training, but once they are trained, I cut back on them.



*Some puppies will go potty in the same spot each time.  Some puppies have to be told to go potty.  A command like "go out" for pee, or "go finish" for p**p, might work for you, keep saying “go finish” until the puppy poops.  This is a good thing to train if you travel with your dogs.  By using commands, the puppy won't get confused when you are visiting someone, on vacation with you, or when you get to a new home.  The command will tell them what you want them to do in an unfamiliar place.  You might also want to use a leash method, so the puppy doesn’t sneak off, or for strange places.

*Yelling.  It is not a good idea to "yell" or "spank" your puppy and then take them outside when they have an accident.  They may get confused and think that going outside is punishment.  While you want to correct them, if you are extreme, they may not want to go outside again.  Shake it off, and resume your schedule.  You have to keep it real.  Puppies train at their own pace,  but a puppy can only hold their potty for a few hours.  A guide would be 1 hour for each month of age, plus 1 hour, so a three-month-old puppy should only be expected to hold their potty for 4 hours at most.  

  

Source:  These tips, tricks, and ideas were contributed from many brilliant minds.  Thanks for your help!