Looking for a bit of advice..

[McGregor]

Hi there,

I got a Daschund puppy a few days ago, he's almost 8 weeks. I was wondering if it's okay to let him pee in his crate overnight, there's a sliding sheet of plastic under the crate with newspaper on it so he's not laying in it or anything. He hasn't pooped in it yet. We've been getting him to pee on the newspaper and now he pretty much knows to go on the paper to go pee. Should we just try to get him to pee and poo outside all the time? I don't know if he's too young to bring outside to do that yet, something about his immune system? . . .
He cried the first night at around 7am, and this morning at 6am. We ignore him until he stops, and then take him out of his crate onto newspaper to pee. Is that alright? I don't want to be overprotective, but I don't want him learning bad habits.

He's feeling more and more comfortable with us, and is sitting when we say sit. Any advice?

Thanks so much guys,

Catherine, McGregor's Mom

 

[bubbatd]

Having paper available for accidents is fine ...but I wouldn't take him to paper to go . Start going outside from the beginning . Will pay off in the end .

 

[Max's Dad]

I got my puppy at 11 weeks, and started housetraining him right away. If I were you, I most definitely would not encourage your pup to go potty inside his crate, as this will encourage bad habits. One of the purposes of the crate is to teach your puppy that he can hold it when he has to go potty, and can't just go when/where he pleases.

I've struggled with crate training/housebreaking issues too, and there's a lot of good advice to be had out there. I'm not sure if a puppy can be too young to housetrain, as I've never really thought about it before. I'd say try to get your pup to go outside as often as you can, and put the papers inside the house in case of an accident - at least that way he'll go on the papers and not on your flooring.

The crate should just be big enough for him to stand up, turn, and lie down, thus discouraging him from going potty in the crate - since dogs don't like to potty where they sleep. In my case, I bought a crate big enough to house my pup at his adult size, and have a divider in it to make it small enough for his size now.

Best of luck with housetraining. My pup, Max, is 16 weeks old now, and we're still training him to go outside. Don't get too discouraged, as it can take some time.

-Tim

 

[McGregor]

Thanks a lot for your advice guys...I'm pretty sure he needs one more shot before being exposed to other animals...Is it still okay for me to bring him outside to potty?

 

[Max's Dad]

I didn't even think about shots. If you can manage to get him outside when/where there are no other dogs around, try that. My pup has a few more shots to go, and I just take him outside where no other dogs go. It can be tricky at times, as we live in an apartment complex with lots of dogs, but it's worked so far.

-Tim

 

[milos_mommy]

If you have a yard, it should be fine.

I'm not sure whether or not you should bring him to a public place where other dogs go, though...

 

[Maxy24]

I would not encourage him to go potty in the house, he should be fine to go outside just keep him away from other dog's waste. Crates are usually places where a dog should not go potty, in fact they should want to hold it in the crate because that is where they sleep. So take him outside every 1-2 hours and praise the heck out of him for going outside. When you are inside he should be under your constant watch so you can prevent accidents from happening or catch them and bring him straight outside to finish up.

 

[McGregor]

The problem is there's dogs in the two apartments above us. Their business drips down into our yard...So I'm worried he'll get sick that way. The park behind our place is used by a lot of people walking their dogs and I know there'd be lots of their business around.. I'm not sure what to do, let him go in the part of the yard where there isn't dogs' business, or make him go on newspaper until he has his last shot?

Thanks so much you guys, I really really really appreciate all your help. I am new at this.. :hail:

 

[Punkygirl0101]

Has he had his first vaccinations yet? I personally would keep letting him go on the paper. I lost a puppy who was fully vaccinated to PARVO! Its really bad in my area..and I wouldn't let that puppy touch the ground outside until he has atleast 4 vaccinations!

 

[corgipower]

I've always taken them outside to potty with no problems in regards to them getting sick, and there are other animals - dogs and wildlife - in the yard. If he's healthy and up to date on shots, it shouldn't be a problem. I've also brought them to the boarding kennel after their second set of shots with no problems, and with the vet's approval.

I wouldn't teach him to go on papers, unless that is what you want him to do when he's older as well. If he can't hold it sufficiently overnight, block off an area - kitchen or bathroom - with gates or closed doors or an expen and leave his crate open with some paper on the floor. That way he doesn't potty in his crate.

Has he had his first vaccinations yet? I personally would keep letting him go on the paper. I lost a puppy who was fully vaccinated to PARVO! Its really bad in my area..and I wouldn't let that puppy touch the ground outside until he has atleast 4 vaccinations!

Unfortunately the parvo vaccine is ineffective in some dogs. Most likely because it gets administered on the wrong schedule, but there could also be something in the dog's immune system. A dog who doesn't develop immunity to parvo after being fully vaccinated is a separate issue from dogs for whom the vaccines work as intended, and in that situation having all the shots done may still be ineffective.

 

[lizzybeth727]

I agree with corgi, it should be fine for your puppy to potty outside at this age.

You should definately discourage him from going potty in the crate. Your puppy probably really really doesn't want to go in the crate - it's fairly instinctual for dogs to not want to potty where they sleep - so to basically force him to potty in the crate means that you've put him under a lot of stress trying to hold it as long as he can.

 

[bubbatd]

I'd check with you neighbors if you're worried ...... chances are they are all up on their shots . Stay away from the parks until your vet gives you the OK. !

 

[McGregor]

So we've been working with taking him outside to go potty. It's been working well. 1 or 2 accidents, and he ran to the newspaper (we have it for emergencies) to pee. We've been rewarding him when he goes potty outside. Is that okay? He has been sitting really well, starting to stay a bit. I read somewhere that you shouldn't give your dog affection while he's not in a calm-submissive state. Does that mean I can't show affection when I'm playing with my dog? Also.. There are two steps going up from the living room to the hall leading to the kitchen/backyard in our house. McGregor Always barks or whines while standing at the top of them. I've been giving him a wee push of encouragement, is that bad? . . Oh and one last question. How many times a day should I take him outside to pee? I take him after a meal, when he wakes up from a nap, when I know he drank water and it's been 1 hour or so.
Thanks again guys. I will post a picture of the little guy soon.

 

[Punkygirl0101]

With my dachshund puppies, it always took them a while to figure out the stairs! I would give him time!!

I can't wait to see pictures!

 

[Sch3Dana]

With that much activity around your apartment, I think you are smart to be cautious. Parvo and distemper are both nasty diseases and you really don't want to expose your baby to them. You might consider an indoor puppy potty. I wouldn't buy one, since you only plan to use it until his shots are done.

Instead, go to Home Depot and buy a piece of sod and a cement mixing tray (cheap plastic square with low sides). Throw the sod in the tray and use that as his potty. If you have a patio you could also just throw the sod on the ground. Keep it watered occassionally so it doesn't die and one piece may get you through to when he can use the vast potty box outside your apartment

 

[Max's Dad]

Rewarding your dog for going potty is definitely a good thing. It helps them associate going potty outside with a reward, and makes them want to potty outside.

As far as the "not giving affection unless your dog is in a calm-submissive state"..... I think that's bogus. I give my dog affection all the time when we're playing, and if he gets too rough, I ignore him until he calms down. The few times I can think of that I don't give him affection are: when he's being fearful, when he's whining in his crate, and when he's being reactive (barking and whatnot) to someone or another dog. Affection reinforces whatever behavior your dog is performing at the time you give affection.

The stairs are a problem for my puppy too. He'll go down a few, or up a few, but can't quite climb the whole staircase to go upstairs. I'll give him a little push of encouragement, too, and I don't see anything wrong with that. Just don't force him down the stairs, let him learn them in his own time.

And the last question about how many times to go outside to pee: when I first got my puppy, I took him outside on the hour, every hour, regardless of what he'd been doing before. Structure and consistency are very important in potty training.

Hope this answers your questions. I'm no expert, so don't take my opinions as the only way you should do things. I'm raising a puppy, too, so I'm just sharing what I'm learning along the way.

Best of luck. And I can't wait to see pictures. You know they're mandatory when you get a new puppy.

-Tim

 

[McGregor]

Pictures!!

 

[bubbatd]

What a cutie !!!!

 

[Max's Dad]

He's a cute lil tiny pup!

 

[lizzybeth727]

I read somewhere that you shouldn't give your dog affection while he's not in a calm-submissive state. Does that mean I can't show affection when I'm playing with my dog?

"Calm-submissive state" is, IMHO, a useless term invented by someone who doesn't know a heck of a lot about real training. Dogs can be calm but also be dominant - they can be dominating other dogs while they're calm - and they can also be actively submissive. So it's difficult, if not impossible, to pinpoint when/if a dog is being "calm-submissive."

Plus there are many instances when you don't want to give your dog attention for being submissive - like if he's bad about submissive urination.