At my wit's end.

[adojrts]

I can't comment on the litter, I have never used it and I know people that have had total success while overs hated it...........

Something else that can be a huge benefit when housetraining, especially when there is a problem. Keep a log book on each pup, record when they eat, sleep, drink and play, crated and when you take them out. Keep record of what they do when outside to potty, you should soon see a pattern of when they really do need to go. The more info you record the better.
I can't remember if anyone has mentioned this but the higher quality of food you have them on, the less they have to go. The cheaper the food (usually anything that can be purchased at grocery stores/walmart etc) the more fillers there are in the food, which requires the dog/pup to go more often. Also with a higher quality of food, the less you have to feed daily. The bags on many dog food products recommend feeding x number of cups each day and it is often too much. There should be lots of info here at Chaz in the Dog Food Forum.

Your pups are seriously cute, please keep in mind that they ARE babies, housetraining doesn't happen over night and it can often be months or in some cases over a year for them to be completely housetrained.

Good luck
Lynn

 

[Peter A]

Ouch, I sure hope it doesn't take us a year!!!

In terms of dog food, the breeder was feeding them cheapo pedigree stuff. We started them on that because we didn't want to change too much on them at once (seeing as though their lives were changing so drastically when we got them).

After a few weeks we started mixing in some Natural Choice dry kibble, which contains no filler. They are almost 100% transitioned to the good dog food. They still poop 3 or 4 times a day which really boggles my mind. The nice thing is that they almost never poop in the house. It's almost always pee only inside. I'd rather that they did neither, and I'd rather that they pooped in the house if it meant they wouldn't pee, but hey. I'll take what I can get!!

 

[Peter A]

Oh and to respond about the dog litter stuff.

Our goal is to make the message on where the pups should go very clear: we want them to go outside only. In the early months, it's a huge pain to have to take them out since we have to go down 4 floors every time. But eventually we should only need to take them out to go potty twice per day, which really isn't too bad.

So we're looking to the long term. And hopefully someday we will be able to afford a house with a yard.

One of my coworkers' dogs actually exclusively eliminates on pee pads. In seattle, the rain is the worst part about it (especially this time of year). So I kind of envy him in a way. But our dogs really didn't seem to differentiate between going on the pee pads inside and going on anywhere else on the floor inside. So we cut that off and changed our course.

Thanks again for all of the input everyone. It really helps.

 

[Ilyena]

Going potty twice a day sounds like a bit too little even for adults. I wouldn't ask my dog to hold it 12 hours in between potty breaks. Currently I take my cav out on average 5 times a day and I don't really expect to take him out much less than that even when he gets older.

 

[Lilavati]

Wow, this forum is really active!

Yep, we're pretty lively here! Welcome, and hang around . . . we're always glad for more people!

 

[mjb]

Spanky is 3 and totally housetrained, but he goes to the door to go out probably close to 5 times a day....maybe more. Some of those times, he might just want to go outside, but I'm not sure which ones, so I usually just let him out.

Once we had a dog sitter come to our house while we were gone for a couple of days, and we had her come 3 times a day. He had no accidents, but I didn't think he could make it on twice a day. He doesn't stay in a crate anymore while we're gone, and I think we would have had problems on twice a day.

 

[Chaoslillith]

Litter box training

I don't know much about it other than what I have read but it seems to be a good option for people with small dogs. I think if I was 4 stories up I would litterbox train my small dog. Easier and healthier for the dog, they do not have to hold it so long, and I would not be getting tired of going down and up 4 stories.

Do you have a porch? I know some people with porches in high rises make a little dirt filled area for their pooch to eliminate in.

Just a thought.

 

[Peter A]

Unfortunatley we don't have a porch... I'm worried that switching things up on them now will just prolong the training period. My wife and I take turns and the positive side is that it's an excuse to get our lazy butts off of the couch!!

What do you do with the waste when you have a litter box? Wouldn't that get a little bit gross? Lol, I assume you don't actually train the dogs to bury their waste like cats!!

 

[lizzybeth727]

Well, even with cats you still have to empty it. I don't understand the appeal of a litter box over potty pads, if you have to train your dog to go inside. To me, they would be messier and require more clean up. But for you, peter, I'd just stick to what you're doing and not bother with the pads or box.

 

[Babyblue5290]

HI! Just wanted to say hi from the Tacoma area and what cute pups you have!!! Must be hard living in seattle and potty training two pups! Hopefully they aren't as prissy about the rain as my guy was LOL

 

[mjb]

I would agree that it's best to train them to go outside if you have the ability to take them.....especially if you're eventually going to have a yard!

I do have a cat litterbox, and there's no choice since they're inside-only cats. My previous cat was indoor/outdoor, and it was nice that we didn't have to have a litterbox. The funny thing was that he started out being indoor-only out of necessity, but he was always trying to escape, and when we had a yard, we started letting him outside, too. At the beginning, we still kept a litterbox indoors, and before we had a kitty door, he would get stuck outside and hold it until we got home to go INSIDE to potty!!

 

[Maxy24]

I would stick to having them go potty outside but I agree they will need to go out more than twice even as adults. My dog (large dog) had to go out 4 times a day plus he got a walk so he went then too. Once in the morning, once around 3 once after dinner and once right before bed. The walk was between three and dinner.

 

[lovesmychis]

Cavaliers and potty training

Hello Peter. I have had kc cavaliers and I had the same problem at first as you have. Cavs are people dogs and it seems to me that your babies are getting reinforcement for going potty in the house because they are getting your UNDIVIDED attention when they have an accident...
Look at it from their point of view: they are in a crate for a lot of the day (which is safer) and then you take them out (give them attention) and tell them what great dogs they are when they go potty. Sooo... now when they want attention- they potty. Make sense?
Here is what I did with Sir Bobby etc: I took them out to go potty then leave a lead on their harness (please always use a harness and not a collar) when they are out of their crate. Every time they wandered off I would take the end of the lead and gently call them to me and pet them and talk to them. Keep them very close and they won't be able to potty. I even used an extra long lead and tied it around my waist. Don't forget that these dogs were bred to be total companions!.
Also- if you have a terrace try a large litter pan with some litter and put them in there when they first get up in the morning. You can teach them to potty in a litter pan. Most Cav males that are neutered early do not lift their legs.
May I also suggest that you allow your boys to be crated together for company. Start out slowly and then you will see that they will be too busy with each other to peepee where you don't want them to.
Hope this helps. It will take time but don't give up.
Randy

 

[lizzybeth727]

May I also suggest that you allow your boys to be crated together for company. Start out slowly and then you will see that they will be too busy with each other to peepee where you don't want them to.

I would definately suggest, OP, NOT crating your puppies together. Puppies that are together the vast majority of the day from the time they are very young, especially litter mates, will bond very closely together. They will bond so closely, in fact, that they will not bond well with you. The most important "friend" in their lives will be each other, but it's much better for all kinds of reasons that the most important person is you. I won't go into it more than that, because I'm pretty sure you're already crating them separately.

 

[bubbatd]

Pups have to realize who their Alfa is .....that's why I don't recommend 2 close in age . Train one before getting another . I really wish you well though !

 

[Rebecca4614]

It sounds like you're working hard on your housebreaking and you've gotten some great advice here. I've got a few things to add...

First, forget what you've heard about housebreaking taking only a few weeks! That does happen sometimes, but most dogs take a good bit longer than that to be reliably housebroken. As long as your dogs are getting progressively better (even if progress is slow!), you're on the right track!

Be sure you're not letting the dogs watch you clean up accidents. Some dogs like it when you get down on their level with the paper towels and spray bottle, so this can reinforce bad potty habits.

Make sure you're giving the dogs sufficient time to empty out when you take them outside. If you find that they're having accidents shortly after going potty outside, they may not be doing a full pee when they're out. This is usually caused by the dog becoming distracted mid-stream. If this seems to be happening, try to find a quieter potty spot or stay out with the dogs a little longer so they can finish up. With some dogs, incomplete pees can also be caused by using food rewards for housebreaking... the dog can be so excited to get the treat that he squeezes out a few drops of pee then runs over to get his treat, only to realize when he gets back inside that he didn't finish. If you suspect this is a problem, use praise and play as a reward instead of food.

Hang in there... all your hard work will be well worth it when you have two adorable, perfectly housebroken Cavaliers!!

 

[kidsanddogs]

Great information above. I just want to emphasize the use of a timer to remind you to take them out. Even if they don't go, they'll get a little fresh air and get used to going outside. I always use a timer and increase the time gradually.

Another thing. This may be hard because your dogs are so amazingly cute, but I would keep them off the furniture until they are older. Perhaps you could hold them in your laps, but off the furniture. This will help in their concept of leadership. If you are only allowed on the sofa and they are on the floor, that's a strong message. They are likely to follow your rules more, when they regard you as their leader. Your pups are very young, but able to learn quickly when they know their place. Once they are housebroken, and behaving like you would want them to, then back up on the couch. My collies are all allowed on the furniture, but only after they have learned all of their manners.

Congratulations on your gorgeous puppies!

 

[boxerdog44]

frustrating esp multiple dogs some babies take longer do you take them out separate and because they are separated they may be trying to establih a pack order does one pee on things more than the other , it does not hurt to leave them a few miniutes as they may be excited when first out of the crate territorial as well in multiples a dogs world is smell to gain possession as well the food reward , they really are young my dog was close to a year befor she fianally got it

 

[Bomgardner]

Hey there,

We had the exact same problem with housetraining! Snickers would go outside no problem, but going inside seemed ok to him as well. For the longest time I was pulling out my hair, wondering when he'd understand that the house + outside isn't one big giant potty??

I won't repeat any of the excellent advice given already: I just have one thing to add. You guys work during the day, so your pups spend a good deal of time in their respective crates (their 'dens'). Just make sure they get ample time out of their crates when you are home in the evenings and weekends. Spend time with them in different rooms of the house. We discovered that one reason Snickers wasn't 'getting it' was because he didn't feel like the rest of the house was his den as well. Home was his crate, and the rest of the house was the 'comfortable portion' of outside. I crated him when I cooked, took showers, talked on the phone, etc. so he wouldn't pee while I wasn't looking...you know, I was in hawk mode. But once we made a big effort to let our pup spend time with us in the rest of the house, it finally clicked! It's not a cure-all, just something I hadn't seen mentioned yet and may be worth a try.

Good luck! You're doing great

 

[LilyoftheValley]

A word on litter...


If you don't mind a kitty litter box then a doggie litter box isn't a thing different. I tried to train Lil' with a litter box and she didn't like it at all. If your in a sittuation where you can take your dog outside I would say stick with that! Lily was fairly easy to potty train because she was born outside and had never been in a house before. Besides accidents she was completely pottie trained in two weeks. As for your college buddies and the lab, it might not be a fluke. Labs are REALLY smart! Lily gets her brains from the lab part of her (Rottie lab mix.) Good luck with your darling puppies! If it helps at all you could try making a Pee Log or like someone else said, setting a alarm for every thirty minutes would work too!

Good luck!

Nicole and the pack. Sadie, Bailey, Buster, Gus and Lily.