Ask Me Help Desk - Potty training puppy

Hi, I just adopted a maltese yorkie puppy 3 weeks ago. Hes about 11 weeks old now and Im wondering if my potty training process is right, or if Im stressing him out.

I have decided to potty train him on potty pads. During the day, I have him in a crate with a blanket and a chew toy, for an hour. Then, I take him out and walk him to his potty pad and tell him to " go potty". When he goes pee I give him treats, let him eat food if its meal time, play for a bit, take him back to the pad to see if he needs to go again, before going back to the crate for an hour.

Sometimes, when I initially take him out, he doesn't seem to need to go potty. He will just sit there and look at me or try to play with me. For the first few days, Id let him out to play to see if that would make him need to go, but then hed run right to the carpet and start peeing or pooping! He did it pretty often and it was almost like he preferred carpet over the potty pad!

Since then, I have decided to only let him play, once he's at least gone pee. When he doesn't go after 5 minutes or so of me putting him on the pad and telling him to "go potty", I put him back in his crate for a few minutes, then try again. This routine sometimes takes 45 minutes!! Also, he seems mad at me when I go to get him back out and Im worried this process is making him associate punishment or stress with potty. Which I really do not want... all I want is for him to know he needs to go potty before ill let him play on the carpet.

Do you think this is stressing him out or is this the kind of tough love he needs?? Any help would be great! I want my pup to be potty trained and still love his mommy :(

As far as I have learned... the crate should NEVER be a punishment. And I'm thinking that your putting him back in there because he didn't do what you want.:confused:

Pretend you have a baby, they eat, they poop, they drink, they pee, they play they might do both. As baby's you need to be constantly there for attention and training.

I might be wrong, I'm not an expert, but I was always there for my pups and though it was a long process, they are perfect now as far as eliminating. :)

Crate training is the best way to train a dog, when your are home you just need to take them out often and praise them when they go also utilize treats. Do not use them for anything else until they get the potty training down. Also I use a bell on the door. Take a small bell and hang it on a leash or string just high enough for the dog to reach it. Every time you take the dog outside to go with the dog, reach down and ring the bell.. Your dog will learn to ring the bell whenever they want or need to go outside. We have two dog and it only took them about two to three days to learn to ring the bell. They ring the bell and them turn to look at you, I usually ignore them and make them ring it again. Haha... Our cat even rings the bell, he learned it from out dogs. You can get a small metal bell at hobby lobby, or a craft store.

He is still a bit young to expect perfect potty training.

Consistancy is the key. If he has an accedent, show him the spot, very firmly say NO. take him to where it is allowed, and say 'good boys poop here' in a nice sweet voice. He will get the idea eventually.

Do NOT use the crate as a punishment. It doesn't do anygood.

Exactly why do you want this pup. Is it a status symbol, or an object your have to conquer?

I have only used a crate once for my walker hound and she was 5 months old. When I brought her home at five weeks old (she was a hard line rescue mission) she started her potty training immediately. I had a crate in the kitchen only because I would go out shopping and my mom, who was a senior, couldn't let her out. She never ever messed up that crate. I eventually left the door open all the time and she would go in and sleep on a blanket and feel quite secure that that was her space only. She is now l2 years old and one of the cleanest dog s I have ever had.

I hate crates. There is no room for crates in a loving human/canine relationship because it clouds all issues. A dog has to be taught to do outside and that is best understood from day one. Depending of course on how young the little thing is.

Tick

Tick-

Your answer confused me. Did your dog like the crate because he had his own space, or is it the worst thing in the world, to use?

I came to this site looking for help, not someone's outlandish assumptions about why I got my puppy or alluding to the fact that Im an inhumane person. You don't even know me and you're making all kinds of hurtful accusations about me.

Clearly I care so much about this new member of my family, that Im researching like crazy and asking people's advice. I understand many people are against crate training ( my parents didn't do it with our dogs, growing up) and at it is extremely hard for me to stick to a routine that requires him to be in it, but from everything Ive read, by EXPERTS, it seems to be one of the best ways to house break a puppy.

I hope the rest of your life gets better so that you can stop taking out your anger on random people.

At 11 weeks he is still going to be having quite a few accidents.

Just keep doing what you are doing.

When he poops or pees on the carpet pick him up and put him on the puppy pads, always reward good behaviour.

Toilet training takes time, especially with a very young pup.

Don't give up.

Tick - I use crates for mine and I have a loving relationship with my dogs.
Brody quite often sleeps in his crate at night if he is "getting in the way" and he doesn't mind, he knows he is going to get his biscuits when he goes in there :)

malkiemom, I absolutely don't favour crates, and don't consider it the best way to housetrain a puppy. I am sorry that you took offence to my comments. No, I don't know you from a hole in the wall either, actually. In fact you could be a serial dog napper for all I know. I don't believe I said you were an inhuman person, that was your assumption. House breaking a puppy takes a lot of time and energy, if one is not using a crate. I took the time and energy and did without a crate. It meant getting up early but it was well worth the time and quite a lot of bonding going on at the same time.

Taffy went into her crate with the door left open. It was her space, but I didn't potty train her that way. Does that end your confusion.

Ms tickle

Quote:

Originally Posted by shazamataz

Tick - I use crates for mine and I have a loving relationship with my dogs.
Brody quite often sleeps in his crate at night if he is "getting in the way" and he doesn't mind, he knows he is going to get his biscuits when he goes in there :)

Shaz, that's great, but I don't like crates for house training a pup. I came to the conclusion it was a degrading practice for a young dog to be sitting with excrement.

Tick

Quote:

Originally Posted by tickle

shaz, thats great, but I dont like crates for house training a pup. I came to the conclusion it was a degrading practice for a young dog to be sitting with excrement.

tick

No that is fair enough, everyone trains their dog differently.
Crates can be a useful tool for training but as you said it is not nice having them sitting in feces.