Is it possible for a 9 week old puppy to be potty trained?

Question

We recently adopted a 9 week old puppy and she has not had an accident in the house in the 2 weeks we've had her, my other dog was very hard to potty train, but this one is so good it's scary. So do you think this is possible? This is Bella. http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo77/tracyzaske/DSCN8946.jpg

Answer 1

Lucky you! I've got a 10-week-old female pug. I'm using training pads until she has all her shots and then I'll take her outside. She makes it to the training pad 90% of the time.

While you are doing well so far, don't let your guard down. Accidents are bound to happen which is natural. I highly recommend crate training. It took about a year to fully train my Shih Tzu (notoriously hard to housebreak) When she does have an accident be sure to use an enzymatic cleaner to completly remove the the smell.

She is a cutie!

Answer 2

Yes it is possible when I got my Husky the breeders had already been working with her and the other pups and she didn't have any accidents either.  However just keep a close eye on her and continue to take her out often because puppies have to pee constantly. Very cute puppy by the way.  Good Luck!

Answer 3

No, the bladder isn't even grown until 6-months-old.  They get better around 12-weeks, but don't let your guard down that early.  

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

Answer 4

Your dog is adorable! And it is great that she is so easy to potty train. Some dogs are just naturally clean, and don't like to potty in their living space. I have a Shiba Inu, and he was pretty much house trained when I got him (10 weeks old). He doesn't even like to go in my backyard. He will hold it in, until we go for our walks.

My other dog, a Siberian Husky was a lot more difficult to house train.

Give Bella some extra loving and dog cookies for being such a good girl; and give yourself a few cookies too for taking her outside frequently and training her well :-) Keep it up!

Answer 5

aw she is so cute :) yes it is my dog skip was.. some potty train them before u get them :) consider it lucky :)

Answer 6

If you are getting her out enough and are diligent then that could be the reason for her not having accidents in the house.  now at 9 weeks old I'd say no most dogs are not reliable until 1 year old.  Are you sure she hasn't had accidents and you just haven't seen her peeing on the rug or leaving you a nice surprise in a room or under a bed somewhere?

Dogs bladders and sphincter are not developed until they are at least 3-4 months of age and until that time they just cannot hold it.  You might just be really good at getting her outside enough that she doesn't need to go in the house.

BTW she is absolutely adorable she looks like a teddy bear.

Answer 7

very possible.  As I said in another post, I fostered puppies for awhile.  The first one I fostered was a 9wk old siberian husky, she was totally potty trained.  At about 12 weeks old she started having pee-accidents in the house, turned out she had a UTI though.  I'd say if you absolutely believe she is potty trained, and she starts to have accidents, go to a vet.  But all in all, yes its possible.  It's luck, if you ask me haha  She made fostering so easy for me... Then I did 11 others after her, and had my hands full!!  haha

Congrats though!!!  

Answer 8

My previous puppy was potty trained right around 9-10 weeks. Most younger dogs will have the occasional accident, but then again so do human-babies!

I have found that the best way to potty train a dog is to tether train. This has many other advantages as well and really does help your puppy to feel secure with his/her new home. Here is a link to a site that gives a little information, either way it is worth reading in to.

http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/tethertrain...

Good luck with your new addition!

Answer 9

She may be more easily trained but she isn't completely housetrained yet. Don't be fooled simply because she has yet to have an accident. That means that you have been a good trainer and have been watchful and careful to take her out frequently enough to prevent an accident. She still has a ways to go so don't stop doing what you have been and you will find you have a well trained house dog in a few months.

Answer 10

Yes and no...Some dog potty train easier then other but at 9 weeks don't expect that no accidents will occur..

It takes up to 8 months before you can consider them fully potty trained. By this time they shouldn't be having accidents.  

Answer 11

your so lucky. I have to take mine out and squeeze him.

Answer 12

YES!  my nine year old golden retriever was potty trained at 6 weeks old.  is your other dog older or younger?  we had an older dog too at the time and believe it or not i think he had a lot to do with the training.