How do I potty train my new little girl puppy?

Question

I already have a boy puppy, Bailey (terrier mix, possibly pit), and he potty trained pretty well and now goes to the door. He is 4 months old. We just got a baby girl, 2.5 months old, Rylee (American bulldog mix), and she is much, much harder to train because when she starts to go pee, it looks like she is going to sit down, so we never know. And also when we get her to go outside and praise her and get excited, it's like she doesn't notice. She doesn't even look for her treat like Bailey did, so I don't think she knows what she is doing is the right thing. She pees constantly in the house and it's getting frustrating!!! I work at home so I am home all day with my puppies constantly watching them, so I know what I'm "supposed" to do, does anyone have any NEW suggestions? Thank you

Answer 1

the first thing to remember about house training a puppy is there ability to hold themselves is limited. a rule of thumb is they can hold "it" usually 1 hour for each month of age. 2 months old = 2 hours, 3 months old = 3 hours, etc. when your puppy wakes up (morning, nap, whatever) the pup has to go, right then! take the pup out. when the pup eats or drinks, it has to go, take the pup out. after exercise (play), take the pup out. when the pup does it's thing outside praise it. a lot. tell the pup how good, how smart it is. you have to pay attention to the pups "looking for it's spot" behavior. when you see that behavior indoors, whisk the pup out. if you catch the pup in the act, simply tell it "NO!" and whisk it outside. if you find a puddle or pile after the fact, clean it up with an enzyme cleaner (pet food store) get a newspaper and hit.... yourself in the head and say "i should have been paying more attention" daytime training they get pretty fast. night time training is easier if you crate train the pup. also remember the one hour/one month rule. you will have to get up through the night to take the pup out. good luck

three websites on how to crate train a puppy

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~rc207100/info-pub.htm

http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

http://www.planeturine.com/pettips/dsp_crateTrainPuppy.cfm

Answer 2

Most dogs give off signs. They will sniff a spot and circle. You can watch for tell-tale behavior like that, and immediatly scoop up your dog and take her outside to "do the deed". Each time you go outside, take her to the same spot and use a code word like, "Go potty!" when you want her to us the bathroom. Gently pet her and praise her in a normal tone when she goes outide.

I hope this helps you. I was so unsure when I got my dog...I read all the books and watched all the DVDs and bought all the best products. I can't imagine when I have kids!

When she does use the bathroom where you don't want her to, don't rub her nose in it or anything else like that. Rubbing her nose in poop can cause infections, especially if she has tapeworms or something like that. Just wipe up the spot and make sure (this is very important!) that you use a pet spot cleaner. You can buy the best stuff on the market at PetSmart or SuperPetz. A less effective brand (but it still works) is available at Wal-Mart. If you only wiped up the spot, your dog will go back to that spot and smell her "target", and decide that's where she's supposed to go next time. The cleaner removes all the doggy scent from your floors and furniture, so the puppy can't smell it, and therefore, it isn't a choice potty spot.

If you must leave your dog alone during the day, you may want to crate train or paper train your dog, at least for a little while. They're both extremely effective until your dog is housetrained.

Also, you could put your dog on a schedule to housetrain her. When I first got my Rotti-Shepard pup, I would take him out every 20 minutes. Most of the time, he wouldn't do anything, but it wasn't the point. It got him used to the idea that outside was where that happened.

You also may need to get up during the night and take her out. My dog is 6 months old and now goes outside every two hours during the day and every four hours at night. He is housetrained, though, so I can tell you that this works.

A puppy will need to relieve herself after playing, eating, sleeping or napping, or any other activity that takes her mind away from the task at hand. I would take my puppy out right after eating, drinking water, playing, sleeping, or just lying around. As soon as he would move, we would go outside.

Limiting your dog's water intake is also a possibility. It may just be that she is drinking too much water and her body can't use it all. Dogs should be provided fresh water with every meal, after playtime and sleeping, except at night. That wouldn't be a good idea. Your dog will not die of thirst or anything like that, if done correctly.

It took all of the above to train my puppy!

Answer 3

he best way is to crate train them. i have a bulldog male who is almost 11 years old and he has not had an accident for 9 yrs. Crate training is very simple: all you do is place the puppy in a small, tight and slightly unconfortable crate (with water inside it), lock the door to it, and leave the room for about 4 hours, then, when you come back take the puppy outside let her do her thing, then put her back into the crate. this works because dogs do not like having to lay down or sit in their own pee (i mean, who would??) leave them in the crate over night and only let them out to pee. do this for about 3 weeks..(still feed it and socialize with it, but make sure you praise it with a treat when it goes where its supposed to and scold it when it goes in the house). crate training is the most effective way. best of luck!!

Answer 4

As stated above, be watchful. This isn't your first dog, so you know the signs-restlessness, sniffing around, etc. If she exhibits any of these signs, take her out. Even if she doesn't go, praise her anyway. When she goes in the house, don't have a duck fit, just give her a good stern "no" and a solid "bad dog!" and take her out. Also be sure to clean the area she soils well. They will go back to the same general area if they can still smell it.

I, like several before me, can't say enough good things about crate training.

Females just take a bit more time-have patience & good luck!

Answer 5

We had the same things go on when we adopted our terrier mix. she was sooo hipper and never really quite notice when we praised. we finally got this spray that makes the pups go pee in the spot you spray on. We sprayed it on a corner on our back yard when she was 3 months old and it has been 2 and a half years now and she will not go pee anywhere else but that spot now. Even if she is inside the house, she will hold her pee in until she is taken outside. It worked really good. They sell it at petco but i'm not sure what the name is. hope this helps

Answer 6

put an eye-bolt into the baseboard near the door and attach about 2 1/2 feet of chain or cord. it limits them to movement and dogs hate to do thier business where they have to sit or lay down. it will whimper when it has to go out and make sure you pay attention to it and take it out as soon as it makes a noise. when the dog does it's thing outside make sure you praise it. it also gives them a place that you have trained them to be in and if you name it something like "door" or "place" you can command them to go there when you are eating or have company. very good way to train.

Answer 7

She thinks the house is where she should go. To change that I would crate/lap/play train. If you can not physically have her in your lap. Place her in a chair next to you, pet her head, if she gets up to jump down, take her outside. (any action in the yard should earn her favorite treat) For a couple of weeks do not let her on the floor. Sounds crazy I know. Play with her outside. If she is not in your lap (or on the chair), she should be in her crate or out in the yard. Also clean your floors/carpet as long as she can smell it there she will want to go there.

Answer 8

Have you tried the puppy training pads. Don't buy the cheap ones. If you start out by spreading several out in a small area leading to the door you want her to use. Decrease the number of pads slowly to lead her to the door.

Answer 9

Try puppy training paper. It worked for my dog.

Good Luck!

Answer 10

get a bell to hang on your doorknob. about every hour, make her ring the bell, then take her outside. then make her go potty. praise her and actually GIVE HER SOMETIMES SHE LIKES TO EAT! eventually she'll get the idea, and hopefully she'll get trained. i also had to do this with my dog. good luck!!!! if you have any other questions, email me at
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GOOD LUCK!!!