Does anyone have good ideas of how to house train a puppy??

Question

My husband & I just got a 8 week old Cocker Spaniel and we are trying to house train him, but with no such luck.... yet!!! If you have any ideas, please let me know!!!! Thanks so much!!!!

Answer 1

I can't echo enough the already stated comments of: *Repition and routine* Animals, especially dogs, learn in the most effective manner through repition. Your puppy's age of 8 weeks is a great age to begin the molding and building him into a lean, mean potty trained machine. Hopefully, I can add a few more suggestions to the already great ones you've had offered here.

I am an advocate for crate training for many reasons.
1. Dogs are essentially, den animals. They benefit from the close quarters a crate provides. It becomes his rest/sleep area, somewhere exclusively made for him.

2. It provides a dog a "safe haven" when he feels its necessary or when you do.

3. Its one of the easiest methods for potty training.

4. Crates are easily traveled.

5. Its a seperator. Should a time arise when another animal/person who perhaps would be disagreeable enters the vicinity, your pet has a place he's comfortable with to be.

6. Its a form of discipline. Much like that of sending a child to his/her room.

--Side note: Dogs should never be crated for periods longer then 4-5 hours.---

Crating for Potty training:
Should you decide to try crating, there are important steps to take when beginning.

Initially, puppies can be fearful of a crate if they're already not used to it. Showing him that its a positive is the best manner to approach it.

1. Leave the door open for him to discover it on his own.

2. Entice him to enter using treats. Once he is inside, leave the door open and praise him for going in.

3. Once he decides its safe to enter it and sits/lays down, leaving the door open, you yourself should leave the area. This creates his ability to stay in without any supervision.

4. After he's remained inside of the crate for about 10 minutes, lock the door for a 5 minute interval. Reopen it, allow him to wander. Once he reenters the crate, lock the door for another 5 minutes.

5. Here's where the potty training begins. Once his last 5 minute locked in period ends, its now time to take him outside to attempt a potty. If he potty's, reward him with praise and offer a treat; its essential while training. Give him a chance within another 5 minute period; should he not be ready to potty, take him back to the crate.

Using 10 minute intervals that increase by 10 minutes (ie. 1st attempt= 10 minutes, 2nd attempt= 20 minutes, 3rd attempt- 30 minutes) consistently teaches him, albeit slowly, everytime he comes out of his crate he'll be given the chance to potty. That is something key for you to remember doing until his potty training is complete; take him outside, everytime he gets out of that crate.

There'll be many accidents, especially with a Cocker as one answerer already suggested the chance because of their excitement. In general, most puppies take anywhere from a week to a month's time of continuous repetitive training to get used to the idea. *edited* Scolding is very ineffective to a puppy UNLESS you catch him in the actual act. A reprimand of a stern "no" and removing the puppy from that area to outside is sufficient enough. ***NEVER hit your dog, hard or lightly, it doesn't matter! As opposed to "spankings" we give children, dogs do NOT learn with this method.*** He'll never understand why the reprimand was given if given -after the fact-.


However, dogs by nature do not like soiling their sleep areas so there should be less likelihood of him having an accident in his crate. In anycase, should he potty anywhere other then outside, to prevent a reoccurence, keep in mind of what cleaner you use. Household cleaners like Lysol, Bleach and even Febreeze may "clean" the surface, but they don't get to the root of the problem or stop the chance of it happening again. Products like:

-Bramton's, "Simple Solution"
-Pets N People's, "Nature's Miracle"

are formulated with enzymes that dissolve the ammonia found in urine; the #1 reason for reoccurences. Especially in a puppy, if they can smell any ounce of ammonia, they'll know they've gone there before and reattempt that area as their potty. I can't stress enough the importance of having a product like this available. Its a true necessity, especially when potty training.


If you do not decide on crating, there are other products available to entice him to whatever areas you're hoping he'd learn to go.

-"Pee Post" by Bramton. It is what it is. Its a stake with pheromones to entice him to potty right around the post. The cost is usually $8-10.

-"Housebreaking Aid" Spray. Many brands have their own versions, but the approach is the same; spritz the area you want him to eliminate in. Just like the Pee Post, its pheromones bottled for your ease of usage.

-Pee pads. Pads of 23"x24" that are used indoors for those owners who prefer it. Its a lot less structured then outside training because its the puppy who has to find the pad instead of you taking him outside. But, for many its perfect in their lifestyles and/or close quartered homes. They all have a form of pheromone to again, entice elimination. But, I warn anyone ahead of time; this is an expensive bathroom. You have to buy pads consistently because once they learn to use the pads, they will have trouble learning to go outside should you decide to change potty rules.


Anywho's, there are other things to take into consideration while potty training any dog.

-There are 4 more likely times a puppy will **need** to potty; generally speaking.
1. After they've woken from a nap or a long night's sleep.
2. After they've played, especially a very "hard" play time.
3. Approximately 5-10 minutes after drinking.
4. Approximately 15-30 minutes after eating.
Taking them out to potty after any of these daily situations will be a huge benefit for less accidents.


-Be -watchful- for the "Sniff, turn, sniff, walk in a circle" bit your puppy does. Its what I playfully call the "Peepee dance". As they're seeking a spot to tinkle at, they'll drop their noses to the floor, sniffing, circling their bodies. Anytime you see this behavior begin, pick up your puppy and take him outside.

-Some say puppies do not develop their bladder's muscle control typically til the age of around 12-15 weeks. So, already you know its going to take some time.

-The more opportunity you have to always be with your puppy through out the day, the better. I know that's as easy as winning a million dollars for our working lives these days, but its benefits are great during training.

But, no matter what options you try, don't let yourself feel defeated. Potty training is never an exact science, sort of speak. What works for one, doesn't mean it'll work for the next. The best is to try, try and try! Eventually, you'll come up with a fool proof formula for your own puppy.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://bitly.im/aMQOv

A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

Answer 3

I agree with chetco. Most breeds will have a bowel movement within 20 minutes of eating when they are still puppies. conditioning is the key, Get them used to going outside by watching when they eat and then keep an eye on them. they will usually start to act a little bit strange such as sniffing in consistently or turning around a few times. this is a good sign of them being ready to go. I would take them outside at or before I notice this behavior and usually teach a word to go with the action: Outside, Walk, Leash or what ever you might want to use to give your pet an association to his need of going to the potty

Answer 4

8 weeks is still young. it won't happen overnight. cockers have a tendency to get overly excited even when adults. have you tried crating? most dogs learn to like crating a lot once they figure out its their own little space in a big crazy universe. mostly you need to start working on a ritual -- walks and feedings should be at exact times. then he knows what to expect and when. a few extra walks thrown in aren't a bad idea but they need to be followed with regimented walks too. think about how regimented you are -- like every day you shower, drive to work, take a break, eat lunch, take another break, drive home, all at the same exact time. puppy will like this idea much.

Answer 5

the way we got our dogs to be housetrained was this way:

we bought gates,
the kind of gates you buy for a baby when you want to keep the dog away from it,

and we sectioned off an area of the house with the gates (an area with tile).
and thats where the dogs would stay so that they wouldn't make the house a mess.

we would always take them out ever 1-2 hours, because they aren't used to holding their bladders yet.

and if they ever did have an accident, we would tell them NO, and lightly hit them on their nose so that they know that they did something wrong.

Also, to help them be able to hold their bladders longer, while i was at school, we would put them in their crate, and let them out when i got back from school so that they would get used to it.

eventually, they stopped having accidents and we just took them out every 2-4 hours, and now they get to go around the house.

now, since they are older, one of them, max, scratches us telling us he has to go.

and the other one, sammy, scratches on the door when he has to go. he learned this because whenever we were about to take him out, he would scratch on the door, trying to get it open because he wanted to get out there so badly.

and so yeah, that is the way we taught them, and now they are well behaved brothers.

good luck! :-)

Answer 6

ROUTINE is the key..
Feed 4 times per day at the same times daily..Put the bowl away after 10 minutes..
Take him outside after every feeding. He will go about 10-15 minutes after being fed, at his age. It will take awhile for him to learn/develop bladder control, but potty should be easier. Feed on a strict schedule, so that he isn't fed just before bedtime, as he will need to go shortly after being fed..Young pups should be fed and then walked 4 times per day, UNTIL THEY POOP...He will need more frequent outings for peeing...Walk him just before bedtime, to make certain he is empty..You have to stay with him while he is out, or it won't work..
Never scold for mistakes, but give lavish praise every time he goes outside, like he won the spelling bee.....Pups can only hold their pee for 1 hour, per month of age..
Use the same word every time, such as 'do the doody', or whatever..
The most important thing is to watch him closely, and scoop him up and outside when he begins to act restless, turn circles, etc. soon he will whine and look at you when he needs to go.
Be patient...If your patience wears thin, talk to your mom, and ask her how long it took to potty train you...How many times she changed your diaper, and bedding....lol...With cosistancy, your puppy should be fairly well trained in just a few days..

Meanwhile, you might use baby gates to keep him away from areas where he can do the most damage...

Note: Crate training has disadvantages:

* it doesn't communicate leadership;
* it separates you from your dog when you're at home;
* it can't teach a dog how to behave in all rooms of the house.

A crate can prevent problems, but it provides no real training. Thus, a crate is a training tool, but by itself, it cannot produce results.

Answer 7

YAAY! THIS is my league of questions. my dog was trained in, like 5 days.
Ok.
You take him out every day to the same spot in the woods and say: Go potty! or w/e u want.
After a while he should get used to it.

Good Luck!!!!!!

Answer 8

crate train it works well. put puppy pads down at one end and his bedding at the other. puppies are quite clean animals and will do their business on the puppy pads and not as much where they sleep. never scould when dirtying always give lots of praise when done in the right place. say good boy and eventually take your puppy outside he ll get the picture.

Answer 9

repitition, repitition, repitition. Follow the same routine of feeding and taking the dog out to pee everyday, the dog will catch on eventually.

Answer 10

cant give you any advice but eight weeks is very young our nearly eleven week old collie isnt properly house trained yet