[linnealand]

We've been we've been house training our puppy to go outside AND to use wee wee pads to do his business. Those wee wee pads have come in handy through the training process, especially since we live in an apartment in a very old palazzo, and the series of heavy doors and stairs can make rushing outside take a long time for a puppy in mid-pee. We take the puppy out several times a day using a fixed schedule from the morning to the late evening, and he is generally doing very well with this process.

However, there are two issues. He always pees directly on his pads if he has to go in between walks, but every now and then, early in the morning before we get up, he will poop, and he will do this NEXT to his pads. It looks to me like he doesn't want to dirty where he pees. I have tried putting down multiple pads, but that hasn't solved the problem. The second part is that he doesn't communicate his need to go outside. I have tried imitating his voice before going outside, but all this has taught him is that I make silly noises before we go out for our walk. By the way, he's almost 5 months old now.

All advice is greatly appreciated!

[SweetDee]

Honestly pee pads are not my thing... to me it just teaches the dog that he can soil in the house and on that specified spot. That doesn't work for me. Now if it's what you want then just know that some dogs are very particular about stepping on soiled areas. If he finds that his pee pad is dirty he'll soil beside it... which, to me it looks like that might be the issue.

I have a better idea... do you have a deck/porch? You can teach your dog to eliminate there! I used to have a tiny dog and I lived in apartments at that time. I was too lazy to take the dog out late at night, (or maybe I was too scared!), so I taught the dog to go outside on the patio/deck/porch floor. I hope you have one... it's still outside and it would be a BREEZE to teach.

Dogs are denning animals, they covet their homes and enjoy it's cleanliness... It would solve all your problems if you could teach your dog to go outside...

[linnealand]

Thanks. Trust me, if I had a porch, we would be using it. We live in a building that was put up in the 13th century. To get out of our house, I have to be dressed, we have to get through a number of very heavy doors, and there are also stairways. Then we find ourselves in the middle of the street, so we have to be careful of cars.

The fixed schedule has been very successful for daytime. By the way, he won't poop on the pad even if it's brand new. When the pad goes down, he'll generally pee on it even if he doesn't have a dire need to go. He wants to break it in.

We have a fairly large private courtyard attached to our design studio, which is right under our house, but getting there means opening up 3 more very heavy doors and running past all kinds of studio things to boot. It's great for when we're working because our pup stays with us and can also play outside, but that doesn't solve the early morning/late evening issue.

Trust me, as much as I believe my puppy wants a clean den, I want it more. We are very clean in the house, but not using the pads hasn't seemed like a viable option yet.

How many times should a 5 month old puppy be peeing/pooping/being taken out per day? What about a 1 year old dog?

[SweetDee]

Oh, I see... he's not liking the CLEAN pads... that's OK, he's got a quirk. I have a few dogs and they all have some kind of quirk. Well, when he does soil I'd recommend sopping up some of pee onto a paper towel so you can acquire the scent... and perhaps put it in a plastic bag that seals. This will help for the next time you need to put down a clean pee pee pad. Put the soiled paper towel about it and that should satisfy your pooch.

It's good that you found an alternative to your early morning/late nighters... even if you don't like it. It's a good alternative. As he ages so will his bladder... and the pee pads will be HISTORY!

Every meal (and there should be at least 2), definitely means a potty break RIGHT AFTER. They have very tiny bladders at this point and it's been my experience that he should be taken out BEFORE he even knows he has to go. This would mean he's seeing the grass once every hour and half... and that if he's not drinking too much. An active dog is a dog that's thirsty... after a puppy drinks 10 minutes after he drinks he might need to eliminate. It's not going to be your life forever... but right now his bladder is top priority.

He should have ZERO trust... (because a dog w/ trust is a house broken dog... right?), so get used to being comfortable w/ ALWAYS knowing where he is. He HAS to stay by your side. If you're in the kitchen cooking... get the baby used to a crate so you can have time to have some kind of a life. He'll love it if you turn crate time into "rawhide chewing time".. lol.

STRUCTURE is a dogs best friend. They are creatures of habit... they HATE when things are not the way they expect them to be. It makes them act out.. in a bad way. So, keep him in a routine.

Always do today what you did w/ him yesterday... he'll appreciate knowing what's next... and he'll be able to be a good dog for you. After all that's all they hope to hear you say... "Good boy"!!

[SweetDee]

Oh, I need to add... after 5 months old the dog is able to hold his bladder, (and this is ONLY if he's being crate trained!) for up to 3 hours. When they are 6 months they then are able to be crated and bladder "strong" for 4 and a half hours. By 7 months they can be crated for up to 6 hours... but those are extreme measures... I would hope you don't need to crate him so long unless he's a dog that is chewing up the house. ONLY THEN should he be in the crate... but he'll have chew bones like "Nylabone", which is not a food but a chew bone that he can't choke on while he's left alone... ). Anyhow, crating a dog is another conversation... if you need to know about it let me know. I can help.

It's good to crate a dog. It offers him "down time" and makes him easily "portable". I currently have a few dogs myself and I had raised them all from pups. It's important to have time to yourself as well, so putting the dog in a crate is much like putting a baby in the playpen...

So, I'll stop trying to sell the idea now and if you are interested in knowing more you'll ask yourself. Have a good day. Bye for now.