Puppy Crating.... I"m confused!!! ?

Question

Ok so I have an almost 3 month old puppy. So far the schedule goes as follows he gets up at 7 am in the morning goes potty comes in eats then goes potty, then he plays for 20 minutes, outside, plays for 20 outside and so on until 10 am..... from 10am-2pm he sleeps in his crate while I sleep cause I work 3rd shift. Then at 2pm I give him lunch he goes outside he comes in and he plays for another few hours and goes potty of course in between. Well about 4:30/5 I go take another nap and so does he(in crate) until about 7 then my boyfriend comes home and the puppy is up from 7pm-1am in the morning ( he eats dinner at 8). Then he is crated from 1am-4am my boyfriend takes him outside then he is crated from 4am-7am when i get home from work. Is he being crated enough??? It just seems like he is still having a lot of accidents even though when he is out of the crate I take him out every 20min-1/2 hour. I am soooo sick of cleaning up piddles all over the floor. He is a smart dog. He knows when he goes outside is where he is suppose to sniff and go potty. He knows he is suppose to sit so I can put his leash on him without me saying anything. He knows sit, shake, down, rollover. He keeps his crate COMPLETELY dry when he is in it. I've only had him a day over a week. Any suggestions to stop the piddling or does this go on for another couple of weeks??? FYI he is not a toy breed he is going to be about 40 lbs full grown.

Answer 1

Patience is essential with all dog training, so just persevere.  But do not over-crate him--remember that this is supposed to be his  shelter, not a punishment or exile.  And bear in mind that his bladder just isn't that big at this age, and long stretches of time with no potty break are not a good idea.

What you can do, is limit his 'nighttime' fluid to ice cubes, rather than watering at desire.  Not to say he shouldn't have water at will during his day, but try limiting him to ice cubes 2 or 3 hours before you're wanting him to be continent, and see if that doesn't help.And above all, remember that it takes time to train a puppy, no matter how bright, and that in potty training, it isn't all a matter of learning, it's also a matter of physical ability--they just can't hold it that long.

Answer 2

he probably won't go in the crate because it is like wetting the bed. it is avoided at all costs... let him out right before you go to sleep and right after you wake up... also this crazy schedule might have him out of wack.

Answer 3

My dog had that same exact problem. You need to keep him on that schedule and after awhile he will know where he is supposed to go. You CAN NOT train a dog in a day....its not possible. Keep doing that schedule and things will work out. It will take a good couple of weeks before he actually knows. Its harder with puppies.  

Answer 4

Puppies don't have schedules, they are puppies.  Your puppy can only hold its potty for 4 hours at the most at this age.  Hang in there.

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.

Answer 5

Keep in mind that he's very young and smaller dog.  They just don't hold it in so well. You have had him for a short time.  Don't get  discourage.  It took  my puppies a couple months to not have accident.  Just let him out to pee every hour when he's not in his crate.  Take him out on leash with some treats in your pocket.  Use the same command like go pee pee.  Stand on 1 area with him on leash.  When he pee praise him and put a treat in his mouth the moment he's done.  

Answer 6

sound like your puppy is doing great- however you may need some training.  When you can't watch him- into the crate.  That means, when he is out-I'd tether him to you so if the starts to soil- you can pick up the leash connected to you and corrected him-NOW

if you need to cook, take a shower, take a phone call- crate him

many behavioral vets say that each accident in the house- you must push back saying he is "housebroken" until he goes a week without an accident.

you can do it- it is not cruel- he will learn fast