i just got a pup, and i need help potty training FAST. i'm in an apt and don't want buy new carpet. HELP!

Question

i need something, hopefully not to abrasive for the pup, she is timid, but won't go on a puppy pad. she was born outside, and was there for 5 weeks till i picked her up, now she goes on the carpet, i think it's because it reminds her of grass. she refuses the puppy pad. my husband and i both work, so we put her in the bathroom all day (it's a fairly large bathroom), but we can't devote 100% of our time to training her.

Answer 1

you came to the right place for this one! i have been breeding, training & showing dogs for over twenty years. your puppy isn't going on the carpet because it reminds her of grass. it's just convenient when she has to go. you need to pay attention to her when she starts to sniff and make circles. she's telling you she needs to GO!
here are the steps:
1) get a crate, preferably a wire crate so the pup can see out. this IS NOT being mean. you are giving the pup her own "room." remember dogs came from the wild and lived in dens. hence, the crate is the pup's "little den" in your den or living room. also, puppies do not like to be dirty so they tend not to mess where they sleep. make sure she has chew toys of hard rubber to occupy her time while crated. this will get her through the teething stage and save your furniture.
you have her in a big area where she can mess everywhere. and you do have a huge mess when you get home, right?. too much space!
if she's more confined she will be less apt to go frequently if at all. use newspaper at first then go to a blanket.
leave a radio on for her. not loud, very softly so she hears "voices" and thinks she's not alone.
also, make sure you get a crate for and adult dog 'cuz she'll be using it for a long time. the crate will be her
hide-away/put-away place when you have company. not everyone likes to have a puppy or adult dog jumping on them when they walk into your home. and puppies and dogs DO NOT like to be malled by small children!
2) frequent outs, particularly after a meal or after she has a big drink. give her at least 20 minutes to digest a bit then make it a game. "ok tootsie. let's go outside! yea!" take a ball and plenty of very little biscuits. too many biscuits can cause upset stomaches & they're high in calories. you don't want a fat dog!
put her down, or if she walks on a lead move outside quickly. let her sniff around. BE PATIENT. DON'T RUSH HER. PLAY BALL. don't do this right before you're ready to leave for work. do it first thing in the morning! when she does go, give lots of praise and a piece of "cookie." you know, "what a GOOD girl! that's the way! GOOD, GOOD GIRL!"
if you and hubby take a walk after dinner take the beastie along. give her time to sniff. again, don't rush her & verbal praise & a treat each time she does her job outside. plus this give you and hubby some down time as well. what can be more fun than watching your puppy poop?
believe me, this will not take 100% of your time, but it will require some real attention. putting her in a big bathroom won't work since she soon will find lots of distructive things to do, like chewing the door, cabinet, or baseboard.
think of it this way, you have adopted a four legged, fuzzy "child." it's you responsibility to raise her properly and teach her to be polite to other people.

Answer 2

I know it's expensive but try considering a doggy daycare or a friend's backyard for during the day while you're at work. I hate the idea of a dog being crated all day long. It just isnt fair. We crate trained our puppy at night for about 6 weeks. We got him at 6 weeks and by 11 weeks, he was sleeping in our floor (no crate) at night. We fortunately have a backyard during the day though. If you can invest in the doggy daycare or take it to a friend's just for the day, then you can work with the puppy in the evenings. Once she's learned not to potty in the house you can let her roam in the apartment during the day. Most dogs should be able to hold it that long. Maybe you can come home during lunch to let her out, or have a neighbor do it. $10 a week to take a dog out once a day, itsnt too bad for someone who doesnt work. I also liked the idea of the sod too. Maybe you can put the sod in the bathroom and gradually move to the bedroom then let her have free roam. We still have a few accidents with our pup but he's learned to scratch when he needs out now, and he only chews or tears things up if he's left unsupervised (and that doesnt happen often). He's only 3 months old, and we only work with him in the evenings too. You can do, but please dont crate the poor dog all day

Answer 3

Bringing a dog into your life is a 15-20 year commitment. Just like having a child, it's a big responsibility.

Get a doggie crate for your pup. It's a secure home for her. Put a blankie or pillow or whatever she likes to sleep on inside. It can be her own bed where ever you move it to.

Let her stay in the crate. When you feed her outside the crate, give her about 30 min & then take her outside to do her business. Praise her over & over & smile at her. Let her know you're very pleased when she does everything right for you.

If you're leaving her in the bathroom all day, place some newspapers in a corner away from where she sleeps. She doesn't need food all day, but does need access to water. Give her food only in a.m & p.m when you can control when she is to go outside. If you train her to go on the papers, then it'll just be more difficult to train her to go outside. Try the outside stuff first.

Good luck to you & your new family member!

Answer 4

A pup/dog is only as good as the training it receives. If you do not spend time training the pup you will end up with a dog you don't want because it doesn't behave the way you think it should.
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 month= 2 hours, 3 month= 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

Use natures miracle or simple solutions on the places where the pup used the carpet. It will save your carpet.

Answer 5

Be consistant,do the same thing,pay attention to his/her habit,and it take longer then 2 days to train,some take 2 weeks some take up to 4,you have to know when your puppy goes,if you are using training pads,as soon as the pup wakes up pup on pad and get really happy when he does it right,reward hi,some poop before they eat some about 15 min after they eat,and a pup goes more often during the night,pup in laundry room or bathroom toilet seat down, pad,water and his/her bed,as the pup grows he'll be able to stay longer with pee'ing,and they poop as many times as they eat,mine never pooped after the last meal of the day,they went the morning after,just before they ate..what ever you decide,there are many sites in crate training,and making a den,..

Answer 6

Your carpet will be ruined if you keep the dog. Dogs cannot be housebroken until they are at least 6 months old...possibly 8 or 10 month old. Not physically possible. They "go" when the urge strikes unless you are prepared to let them out immediately. I say, give the dog up if you are worried about carpet now, because you will soon be worried about your couch, the curtains, the furniture, and your underwear as the dog will turn into a tasmanian devil soon and it will last for several months.

Answer 7

First of all, a puppy can only hold their bladder for about one hour for every month in age. So you will have to take your puppy outside often when you are home. Second, since you will be gone for hours at a time your pup will need to be paper-trained. And last, because you will be training your dog to go inside potty training will take longer. There is no fast solution to potty training.

Confine your dog at all times when you are home and can not watch her. Confine her to a small area, part bedding and part newspaper. As she gets used to going on the newspaper, you can make her area larger. If you see her using the paper, praise her. When she is lose and you catch her going on the carpet, pick her up and take her outside. Be prepared for her to keep peeing as you pick her up the first couple times. When she goes outside, praise her. Take her outside after eating and after she wakes up to potty outside. ALWAYS praise her for going where you want her too.

To transition from paper to outside only, when your pup is old enough to hold her bladder all day, begin to move the paper towards the door to outside. Do this slowly. If she goes on the floor next to the paper, you are moving it to fast.

You can also train her to go on command by saying a word as she pees/poops. For example, as soon as she starts to pee you can say “go pee”. If you do this enough times, you will be able to say this and have her pee on command for times when you are busy and want her to get her business over and done with.

Answer 8

Training a puppy unfortunately isn't going to be fast. Check out some books on crate training. It isn't inhumane, and it does work. You and the puppy will be happy because of it. But, it's going to take time

Answer 9

They have puppy pads at Wal-Mart that the dogs use. Newspapers also work but the pad really do work well. Keep the carpet mistakes cleaned up really well cause she will keep going back to that smell.

Answer 10

Crate Training is the best most productive. And so much cheaper than new carpet or new cabinets or door for the bathroom when he tears it up.