Training my puppy?

Question

Last weekend I got a puppy from the local animal shelter who is approximately 2 -3 months old. So far I haven't been able to teach him anything. My main objective is just to get him house trained. I bought the puppy pee pads, but how do I get him to use them? Any advice at all would be great!

The reason I'm trying to use the puppy pads is because at this point in time I'm more worried about keeping everything off my carpet than getting him to go outside. His potty times are so sparatic that I'd have to always be outside with him. Anyone heard anything about getting them set on a particular schedule?

Answer 1

God bless you for going to the animal shelter and "saving" that cute little puppy! The puppy pee pads will work great for you during this training time. I put my puppy pads in the bottom of a large cat littler box or the bottom of a shallow (4-5 inch) medium storage box (plastic). Keep the puppy with you and take it to the "pottie" box about every hour or two. If your puppy is a small breed, they can't go very long between "pottie" breaks...the larger the breed, the longer the time, but not more than 2 hours at this age. When he goes, PRAISE him, clap your hands pick him up and give him a hug...tell him what a good boy he is! After the pee part, comes the "other"...same plan, only it times itself a bit better....20 minutes after eating, sleeping or playing, it's poop time! Keep the pads clean and dry...they don't like stepping on a soaking wet pad any more than you would! BE PATIENT! Every puppy is different...some take longer than others, but they can all be trained! Never spank him or rub his nose it his mistakes! Really, he only will understand that the person he loves the most is hurting him and he won't know why! If you want a gentle way to get your puppys attention, get a little spray bottle, fill it with room temperature water and set it on "spray". If he does something naughty, give him a quick spray and say "no"! Don't yell or scream, just raise your voice a tiny bit - once or twice. This will work and both of you will be happy and remain friends for many years to come!

Answer 2

Kudos on the animal shelter save.

I'm not sure of your living situation (apartment or have a yard) but I'll assume you want him to use the pee pads on a normal basis. (If you want him to be house trained and pee outside on a normal basis, don't teach him the pee pads)

What you'll have to do is try and gate him in a small enclosed area (like the kitchen or bathroom) at first and keep an regular eye on him. When he starts to pee, quickly pick him up and place him on the pee pads and reward him with praise and pets every time he gets some drops there. Better yet, after a long drink, wait and make sure he's on the pad to begin with.

You could also make the space that he is using very tiny to the point that he has a bed on one side and the pee pads on the other side. This should force him to pee where he doesn't sleep. As he gets accustomed to this, make the space a little larger at a time, always rewarding him with praise (and maybe a small treat) for his good behavior.

Answer 3

Personally, I never liked puppy pads. I trained all my dogs very easily. You have to be consistent and patient. I bought some small bells at a craft store, made a long chain, and hung them on the door knob. I started by taking them out every hour. I would jingle the bells, say potty and then go out. After a couple of days, they understood bells meant going out and would come when they heard the bells. It didn't take long before they would go to the door and hit the bells all by themselves. Also, get a crate for when you are gone. Make it the pup's home. Dogs do not soil their homes. It teaches them to hold their functions until they go out. Expect accidents, it will happen. Training treats when they do a good job are nice to have and praise, praise, praise, when she does a good job. Good luck!

Answer 4

id skip that step all the way! then you have to train them to come off those pads. Puppies have to pee every 2 hours so feed him a lil and water him then take him out in 2 hours or so and wait for him to do his business, once he is done give HUGE praise, next time bring them to the same spot and encourage, works like a charm if you have patience

Answer 5

find the place that he goes most often and then put the pad there. once he gets used to the pad being there he will get in the habit of going on the pad then you can move the pad progressively toward the dog door and eventually outside. then justget rid of the pad or get the dog in the habit of being outside when they go. take the puppy outsid every hour or so so that the dog gets used to being outside when he has to go

Answer 6

Take advantage of warm weather and take your puppy outside often. I tried the paper training but found going out was the best. Be kind don't yell he'll get it eventually. So happy to here you got him from the shelter. Good luck and enjoy your new friend.

Answer 7

The puppy pee pads are fine. When the puppy pees somewhere else, make him smell it and then tell him "NO". Immediately, take him to the pad and say "pee here___his name__"! It will take a while, but be patient. Once he finally get it, make sure you reward him with a treat :)

Answer 8

Make sure you only use positive reinforcement. Small treats and lots of praise when he does something right. Place the pee pads under him when he begins to sniff like he's looking for a place to go. Most dogs, even that young, want to please their owners and will try to get you to praise them or give them treats.

If you hit the dog, it won't help at all, and will likely make it harder for you to continue with other types of training. When he does something wrong, change your tone and tell him NO or BAD. My dog hates when I am upset with her and she has always been more responsive to positive reinforcement than anything else...

Answer 9

confine him to a very small area when you dont have him out.. and put pee pad and his bed with his toys in his bed ... usually puppies dont mess in theyre bed if they are given a big enough space... but not to big for them to roam and mess. good luck