I revieved a Saint Bernard puppy for Christmas. I have always been raised around many breeds of dogs, but never around a Saint Bernard. In the past, I have never had this much trouble potty training a puppy. He will whine and tell me that he has to go outside, which I love the face that he does, but I cannot trust him lose in the house at night. I lock him in a room, but he whines all night keeping me up, then I get mad at him. I need help. I love my dog, but at this point he is driving me crazy!

If your having trouble with him urinating in the house every time he does it rub his nose in it and point outside. As for the whining at night remember puppies don't like to be alone get a bed and put it in your room for the first few nights this should help.

Rubbing his nose in his urine is not the answer.

Why should he be punished because he doesn't know the rules? If a baby pees in it's diaper do you rub it's nose in it, or teach the baby how to pee in the potty?

The correct method when a dog urinates in the house, is a firm no, and then take the dog outside. Choose a word "potty, pee time, make, do your business", and repeat it over and over. Wait for the dog to go potty, then tons and tons of praise. It's party time. Make sure the dog knows that what he just did makes you very happy.

Dogs want to please their people. After a while your firm no, and the fact that he's not getting positive attention when he urinates in the house, will make him want to pee outside, where he does get positive attention.

As for night time, crate training is best. Make sure the crate is big enough for the dog to stand up, turn around, and lie down. No bigger, no smaller.

The crate is a safe place, never for punishment.

Put the crate in your room so that the dog can hear you breathing, snoring, and feel secure.

He'll cry for a few nights, but ignore the crying. Do not respond to it, even though it will mean a few sleepless nights.

It will be worth the effort in the end.

It isn't punishing a lot of people I know have done this and it worked sure your answer has a point to but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Yes, a lot of people still follow this old school punishment way of training. It is punishment. Today's trainers have realized that praise works better than punishment.

It's really not fair to punish someone when they don't know the rules.

You are entitled to your opinion, but your opinion is one that no reputable trainer or dog owner follows any more. You may have friends that still do it, and you may do it yourself, but it's no longer an acceptable method of training.

Well if you don't show it then how is it supposed to know the rules and I don't think you're a expert dog trainer yourself.

And as for your answer of putting the puppy in a crate at night that's punishment a puppy shouldn't be trapped in a cage and if your going to do that you should at least put something soft in there for it to lie down on.

Do you know anything about dogs? Judging by your answers I'd bet that you're either very young, or have never had a dog yourself, because the things I'm posting are the basics that the majority of dog owners know.

A crate is like a den for a dog. It's a safe place, a place where they can sleep without being disturbed, a place where they can't get into trouble, or hurt themselves.

A crate should never be a punishment, and if a dog is crate trained correctly it isn't a punishment.

My dogs sleep in their crate during the day. The crate isn't closed, the door is wide open and they can come and go as they please. They choose to sleep in the crate.

And of course you should put bedding in the crate. Who ever said you shouldn't?

Do you even know what a crate is?

You teach it through consistency, praise, treats, and patience. That's how a dog learns. Sticking it's nose in it's urine and feces will work, but while it's learning not to pee and poo in the house, it's also learning to fear you.

A dog that fears you doesn't respect you. It does what you say out of fear. Who would want a pet like that?

My dogs do what they're told because they've been taught with love and patience. They eagerly try to please me because I'm their pack leader, I'm the boss, and they respect me. That's the ideal pet. Not one cowering or hiding from you because you use physical punishment.

I am actually 20 and I've had about 30 dogs now and I've got a puppy about a year ago and I did that and he is the most loving dog I've ever had so your just saying stuff you think will make you sound like an expert but I do consider myself to know a lot about dogs and puppies. And as for the crate thing it is not like a den for dogs it is a punishment to be locked away in a crate its whole life.puppies like to have freedom and not be locked away in a crate they like to come out and play.and your answer for ignoring the whining that's just wrong puppies will wine when they either want love food or need to be let out remember puppies don't stay little for long so enjoy it and you wouldn't understand this as you just care about sounding like an expert and you tell me how that rubbing his nose in the urine is punishment and don't just say because it is that doesn't make sense.dogs can't speak so they whine instead so remember every time he whines see if he is hungry or needs to be let out.remember to feed your dog at least 3 to 4 times a day and take him for 2 to 3 walks daily don't leave your puppy at home for longer than 1 hour as he may need to be let out.chucking the puppy outside inst going to make it learn to have the toilet outside that's just cruel if its already had the toilet inside so remember if its whining then see if it needs out.if he's whining check his food bowl and water if not if he doesn't need the toilet then he may need some attention.be kind don't shout as the puppy will fear you and that's how aggressive dogs form. Don't neglect your puppy if its annoying you remember pups like to play and run so remember to play wit your puppy everyday and he will be a very happy dog when he grows up make sure the puppy doesn't get anything dangerous and cannot do harm.all puppies can sometimes have little accidents but this is just because he is young and it will take time to learn if you moan at the puppy when it whines this won't teach it as this will make it upset he may stop for a couple of minutes but he will soon be whining again by about 6 months old he should be potty trained like I said if you take him out daily and give lots of love and attention he may still have accidents from time to time but this should be all right as he shouldn't do it that much and when he does just give him a firm look this lets dogs know that they know what to do in this situation also if you are trying to teach him tricks only teach him about 2 tricks a day as puppies can get stressed.remember to get lots of toys for your puppy as this will entertain him if he's entertained then you have less chance of him whining.if your dog gets fleas treat it immediately as this can lead to skin infections also he can lose his fur. Remember puppies sleep most of the day so he will mostly be up at night.remember to microchip your dog and get a tag for his collar this will help if he has ran away. When you have to give your pup a bath don't use human shampoo as this can irritate the skin get special dog shampoo if he doesn't like the bath then be as gentle as possible when he gets out remember to say things like good boy and well done give him a friendly pat on the head and maybe even a little treat to.get him lots of chews so he doesn't chew your furniture.if your going on a long trip than leave him with someone he is familiar with don't leave him with a stranger as he will be unconfortable.in future if your thinking about getting another dog please don't as this can cause trouble as he will not be usused to this dog being around and he may try and fight with it.in future if your having trouble with him chasing after female dogs the only answer for this is get him neutered but another option is keep him away from any dog who is a female. If your dog does run away then call relatives and friends to see if they've seen him if not go to the nearest dog shelter if they have not got him put up lost dog signs up and even advertise in the paper he should not run away if you be very kind. I'm not saying actually rub his nose in it just put I'm down to it and say look and then point outside.if your dog gets aggressive with you then don't shout to loud as this will encourage him to attack just say no and walk away slowly

I know what a crate is and as u said it needs to be trained so this person can't just shove the puppy in the crate at night it can hurt its self it can chip its teeth and its gums can bleed if he chews the crate.

You're 20 and you've had 30 dogs?

Look up crate training, and look up potty training. When you actually learn something then we can talk. Until then I'm done talking to someone that has absolutely no idea how to raise a dog.

I'm not the pet expert because I can Google. I'm the pet expert because I have had and worked with animals all of my 41 years. I've never had more than 3 dogs at a time because it's not allowed in my area, and all of my dogs have lived well past the normal 12 year span. In fact, my lab Indy, who we had to put to sleep a few months ago, was 16. My poodle Silver was almost 19 when he died.

If you really want to gain expertise on dogs it takes more than just owning them, and apparently not taking very good care of them (I say again, 30 dogs in 20 years, that's unheard of!)

Old methods, like the ones you spout, are outdated for a reason. There's no dog owner or trainer out there that would recommend your methods.

As for the crate. Have you ever studied dogs? Do you know anything about their natural habitat, their natural instincts? Even domesticated dogs still have the instincts of their wild cousins. So I ask you, and don't Google it. Where do dogs in the wild live? Think about it. Think hard. Then make the connection to the crate. If you can't do that, then please, stop posting nonsense. The people coming here for help with their dogs need real advice, not outdated crap.

I really must agree with Alty. Many people own dogs and believe their experineces have helped them become dog trainers. Others of us have been trained by actually dog trainers and know proven techniques that produce results without traumatizing the animal. I crate my dogs frequently, they love it, their crate is their den and they frequently crate themselves when they want to rest. Crating is short term, not for the rest of their lives.My dogs are crated for 6-7 hours tops and only when necessary. Before you drop a reddie on me you should know it is worth a single point. Alty or some other dog person would likely come by and give me a greenie, worth 5 points, so who benefits from this I ask.

Goldenboy, rubbing their nose in it teaches them to fear their urine. It instills FEAR in them. It may correct the problem to you, but it creates insecurities in THEM. You never act violently (as such) to a canine unless you want other behavior issues to arise, or your dog to feel a lack of confidence. Positive reinforcement reroutes their behavior and teaches them CONFIDENCE in doing the right thing. Alty is 100% correct, and I am a dog walker and petsitter and also help owners with training techniques. It saddens me to see that you are so misled and confident in such a poor strategy. That's sheer ignorance.

Also Goldenboy, crating at night and while a person is not at home is a way to keep the dog safe. A dog could die by getting into household things, or choking on objects that may be lying around. If you introduce a crate properly, they will look to it as their safe haven, and often go in there with their own free will. Dogs like an enclosure.