wee pads and housebreaking?

[pumpkins mom]

I seem to have a catch 22 situation with my puppy. She's a great 5 month old Pom who I have posted about once before. Both my husband and I work fulltime and commute 40 minutes together. Since there would be no one home to take Pumpkin out during the day, we blocked off the entire kitchen and put down a wee pad (of course water, toys, etc)

She's great on the wee pad (except when she misses on the edge grrrr). What I wish I could do though is have her use the pads when I'm not there and go out when I'm home. To test my theory I tried crate training her this past week when I'm home...letting her out every hour. She went outside a few times but always seemed to prefer her pad....I don't want to punish her for going on the pad b/c then that will confuse her right? Am I stuck with a pad in the house forever b/c I don't have anyone to take her out during the day? (I leave at 8 and am back at 5:45) To be honest I'm not sure how long she can hold it at this age..I'm guessing 3 or 4 hours. I don't like the dog going in doors but I'm not sure it can be helped.

Any thoughts?

p.s. i'm not so sure she's pad trained ...more location trained b/c she peed on the exact spot where her pad always goes but in between while I was changing it...ugh.

 

[Elleoz]

Although many may tell you otherwise, it can be done. This is how I have Max trained and he is the same age as your pup. I have him in an exercise pen with a pee pad and a crate during the day while I am at work. At this point, he doesn't use it more than he does. As soon as I get home I take him out, and then he goes out 2-3 more times before bed, at which time he is crated.

Max caught on rather quickly and never used the pee pads when I was home. We had several accidents in the house at first, but he hasn't had an accident in the house in over a month now. He will even tell me he has to go by going to the door and whining/yelping now.

It can be confusing for them, but consistency is the key. When you are home, take her outside and when she goes tell her "go potty" etc and give her a treat/reward when she goes. Some people suggest inching the puppy pad to the door, then outside, then reducing the size of the pad until they get it.

Good luck!

 

[lizzybeth727]

Yeah, ten hours is too long for a small breed dog (even an adult) to have to hold their bladders every day.... Larger breeds might be able to do it, but even then it's not healthy. You can try teaching her to go outside while you're home, but I'd suggest picking up the pad so that she doesn't have that option, it might make it clearer (and you don't have to worry about "accidents" on the pad). You can also put the pad in a litter box, that usually helps them figure out how to not miss the pad.

And I wouldn't crate her all the time while you're home, she REALLY needs the interraction from you, especially considering she's a puppy whose home alone ten hours a day. Only put her in the crate if no one can watch her, otherwise you can keep her in the same room with you or even on a leash tied to you.

 

[pumpkins mom]

I've definitely decided against the crating while I'm home. It just seems unfair. Although I did try something last night that may help the process. I put her in her crate to sleep (she used to just stay in the pen.) She whined a little bit and then went to sleep. No messes in the morning and she went instantly outside! Yay! I gave her a treat and lots of praise so perhaps this ritual combined with other outings will let her know it's OK to go outside when mom is home.

One more question. Will she always have to go to the bathroom this much? Seriously I'm talking number 1 at least 6 times and number 2 sometimes three times! Is it just puppy metabolism which will calm down as she ages?

 

[Felix84]

...One more question. Will she always have to go to the bathroom this much? Seriously I'm talking number 1 at least 6 times and number 2 sometimes three times! Is it just puppy metabolism which will calm down as she ages?

does she eat/drink a lot every day? this is generally just puppy metabolism, but make sure to keep an eye on it. also, congratulations!
keep up the good training. house training can be one of the most challenging things to teach your dog.

 

[bubbatd]

What I want to know is why large breeds can be trained without these pads but small breeds can't . Many of my golden pups went into the same situationa with newspapers ..... by this age they were able to hold 5 hours . Is it that small breeds are pampered more ??

 

[Felix84]

What I want to know is why large breeds can be trained without these pads but small breeds can't . Many of my golden pups went into the same situationa with newspapers ..... by this age they were able to hold 5 hours . Is it that small breeds are pampered more ??

i don't know... i have a bichon frise and i trained him on the pads fairl easily. my friend has a chihuahua mix and he also trained his dog using the pads. maybe we were just lucky..?:lol-sign:

 

[pumpkins mom]

Well this small dog thing is new territory for me. She's the first dog I've ever owned on my own. All our family dogs were larger (Dalmatians, Labradors) but my mom was always home to let them out.

I chose the pads b/c they were less messy and more absorbent than newspaper Plus that would be a HUGE mess. If I were able to come home during the day I would consider newspaper but with me being gone so long...I don't want that kind of mess after a long day at work.

About the food Felix - I feed her the recommended amount of dry pedigree puppy food in the morning. Then I give a half a pouch of pedigree moist food and a little bit of dry food in the evening. I also try to not over-fill her water dish b/c she likes to go swimming in it for some reason haha. I don't think I'm over feeding her...she also gets small portions of treats for good behavior. She "held it" for 6+ hours in her crate last night so clearly she can hold it longer. I'm guessing it's just b/c she's young and probably still growing so the metabolism is faster. I'm no expert though.

 

[bubbatd]

My point is why can't small breeds hold it as long as large breeds.

 

[pumpkins mom]

I have no idea - hopefully someone can elaborate. Although everything I've read on smaller dogs says the same thing....they go a lot and they take longer to house train.

 

[Felix84]

I have no idea - hopefully someone can elaborate. Although everything I've read on smaller dogs says the same thing....they go a lot and they take longer to house train.

i read this somewhere too. but i never really had a problenm with my Bichon. and he goes #1 2 times a day. once at night and in the evening. and he goes #2 once a day.

 

[lizzybeth727]

My point is why can't small breeds hold it as long as large breeds.

It's NOT that they are pampered more (although occasionally, as with every breed, that is a factor), they really, physically can't hold it. I've always heard that it's because their bladders are smaller. They're also harder to potty train simply because they take up less space - a dog doesn't want to potty in the places where he spends a lot of time, and he wants to make sure the potty place is far away. Small breeds can find a small corner to potty and it's far enough away from them that they don't mind it. They're also harder to crate train because, especially as puppies, it's hard to find a crate small enough (we're talking, less than a pound as a puppy).

When I used to teach classes, I offered a potty training class. About 80% of the people who came to the class owned a small breed. Labs and goldens are particularly easy to potty train (don't know why, I'm sure a lot of it has to do with size), I think the only lab and golden owners I got in the class were the ones who came to learn how to potty train before they got their dog.

 

[elegy]

i don't get the whole bladders are smaller thing. yes, their bladders are smaller, but so is the amount they're taking in!

 

[Chiluver]

I think a lot of the reason small dogs are not housetrained as quick is imagine if a 2 pound dog pee's on your floor, it is very small and a lot of owners just say "oh well, at least it is small" and often times ignore it. As where if a great dane was to pee on your floor, you would practically need a mop and you would be really upset! LOL

My dogs are trained to use a doggy door, they are chihuahuas (one is a mix) I do leave a pad down if it is really cold, rainy, or I will be gone long. But, they hardly use it. They love going outside! I have been very consistent with them and My older CHi, she is 5 months old never has a accident. The puppy is 11 weeks old and he is about 98% there

 

[pumpkins mom]

Last night was the second night I crated pumpkin...except this time she peed in there...ugh. I made sure she was only in there for the same amount of time she was in there the night before, but apparently I was too late...I just don't get it. I saw where she was raised...she wasn't keep near her potty place so she didn't become accustomed to that...perhaps we can expect a few accidents like that? I'll try again tonight.

 

[lizzybeth727]

How big is the crate? It only needs to be big enough for Pumpkin to stand up and turn around, if she has any extra room she'll probably feel like it's ok to pee there.

Are you keeping a bed/blanket in the crate? If she pees on the bed, the bed will soak it all up and she will not feel like she's really laying in the pee. Or she will pee on the bed and move it over so she can lay on the clean floor.

You can also start feeding her meals in the crate, dogs usually won't potty where they eat (just make sure, of course, she has a chance to go potty after she eats).

 

[Elleoz]

I agree with Lizzy's post above. Max used to do the same thing when I first started crate training him. I used to keep a tshirt that I had worn in there with him and thought he was holding it all night. Come to find out, he was peeing on it and pushing it to the front. Little booger! But now, all I keep is a small piece of sheepskin in the crate, but he rarely uses that either.

Do you limit water intake after a certain time? I know this seems to help a little with Max. He isn't allowed any water after 8 pm, and I try to take him out for the last time right before I go to bed (even if he is already asleep) which is usually around 10 pm. Most mornings, he can hold it until around 6-7 am.

At this age, I think the smaller dogs still go more than when they are older. It is said that they can hold it one hour + 1 for every month they are old. So if your pup is five months old, he/she should be able to hold it for a maximum of 6 hours.

You may also want to look into a higher grade of food that doesn't contain corn by-products. I am not a food expert, but I have noticed a big difference since I switch Max from Science Diet to Canidae. There are a lot of high quality foods out there to choose from.

Hang in There. It will get better!

 

[pumpkins mom]

Pumpkin has been really good the past two nights...no accidents and right outside to use the restroom...The crate is just big enough for Pumpkin to stand up and turn around. I did have a towel in there with her (which I changed but still had a fresh towel in there the past two nights). I think what happens is if she wakes up, she'll think she can't hold it and then go...but if I get her before she wakes up...she's good.

Hopefully with repetition she'll catch on! I think I will look into a different dog food as soon as she's finished up this kind. I'm sure all the "activity" will calm down as soon as she gets older. Thanks for all the help and suggestions you all!

 

[lizzybeth727]

Yeah, repetition will definately help. Most puppies have to "go" right after they wake up - so do humans! And just make sure that you switch the dog food before she's done with the kind you're on now, you have to change foods gradually. Gradually mix in more of the new food with the old food, over the course of about 10-14 days. Otherwise, she'll probably have diarhea and other digestive problems.