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Too late for crate training?
Our mastiff mix puppy is now approx. 12 weeks old. We are having A LOT of issues with her and potty training. Ive heard that larger breeds (mastiffs esp) can tend to have urinary incontinence issues because of their fast growth and the bladder muscles cant catch up. However, we arent sure if its that, or if she just isnt understand the whole potty training thing (we are taking her to the vet saturday).
Anyways, we have not been crating her during the day because all she did was whine and howl when she was in it. Since we have moved into a house with a yard, she is out for majority of the day, and is inside no more than 4 hours at a time. She is peeing every 20-30 minutes when she is out, and sometimes she will pee outside, and then 10 minutes later come in and there will be a huge puddle on the floor. She isnt drinking tons of water (we watch her h20 intake) so i dont see how she is peeing so frequently, and so much at a time!
People have told us to try crating her, but now im worried its too late. Any suggestions? Our older dog was around the puppys age that she is now when we got her, and she never had urinary frequency like this puppy does!
Re: Too late for crate training?
Are you *** kidding me? She's 12 WEEKS old and you think it's too late for crate training?
Ugh.
Anyway, your dog is only 3 months old. A good rule of thumb is that dogs can only hold it for 1 hour for each month old they are. So she should be going out at minimum every 3 hours. Have you been to the vet to check for a UTI? If you haven't that's the FIRST thing you need to do.
Next, you need to start crate training. Make the crate the happiest place to be. Feed her in it, treat her in it. If you give into her whining she will think that everytime she cries or barks she'll get her way.
No, you might not get any sleep for a week. But she'll get the hang of it. And never, ever use the crate for punishment. It's always for good things.
Don't put any blankets or towels down if she's messing in her crate. Dogs don't like to mess where they sleep so she'll do better that way. You need to work on crate training and obedience training NOW or you're going to have a giant dog you can't control.
-- Thoughts become things, choose the good ones! --
You know, that's really unnecessary.
But anyway, OP, no, she is not too old for crate training. As the PP mentioned, make the crate a very happy place with yummy treats and special toys that she only gets in the crate and don't start her out in it for hours at a time. Leave it open and easily accessible and reward her for showing interest in it/entering it throughout the day. And then ignore her when she whines in it, let her out when she's quiet. She'll get it eventually.
I would also have her checked out for a UTI. Even though she's young, seems like she's going a lot. Are you supervising her outside? It's important for safety reasons, but also essential when you're trying to housetrain. You need to reward her as soon as she goes outside and give her limited opportunities to have an accident inside (that's where the crate comes in handy.) When she does have an accident, clean it up with Nature's Miracle or another enzymatic cleaner so she won't keep smelling it.
Good luck! She'll catch on sooner than you think if you stay consistent.
You're right. I'm sorry. I didn't need to be so defensive.
But the OP has a young puppy and needs to do some research on how to train them properly. A 12 week old dog should not be given the run of the house. And giant breeds, while not always super active and gentle, need a strong leader to really reach their potential.
-- Thoughts become things, choose the good ones! --
Ditto Sparrow. Your puppy is only 12 weeks, which is not at all even remotely too late to start crate training. Grown dogs can even be taught to love their crate!
We brought our pup home at 8 weeks and immediately started crate training her. We'd bring her near it and praise her and give her treats, we'd let her sniff it and praise her and give her treats, then we'd have her go in it without closing the door and we'd praise her and give her treats. We slowly worked up intervals of time with the door closed (starting at like, 5 seconds); as long as she was quiet, we'd praise her and give her treats; if the time got too long and she started getting whiney, we'd let her out and then try again with a shorter amount of time. She cried a LOT the first several nights, probably a combination of being away from the rest of her litter for the first time and not being used to the crate. But really in no time at all, she came to know it as a place of safety and very yummy things!
What was said about how long your pup can hold it for is when she's crated. Zoey went NONSTOP when she was out of the crate; seriously, she was peeing every 20 minutes some days. It's a puppy thing. She needs to be taken outside as soon as she wakes up (from sleeping overnight or taking a nap), right after eating, and right after a play session (excitement makes them need to pee!). If you've had her outside for a while, keep a VERY close on watch on her when you first bring her back inside, tether her to you with a leash if necessary, and take notice if she even looks like she might want to go again, at which point whisk her right back outside and give her LOADS of praise and treats. Mastiffs are smart enough dogs that she'll learn that going outside = great things, but you've got to be diligent about making sure she gets there.
Housebreaking can be a long and difficult process sometimes, but stay diligent and consistent and you'll get there! The crate really does help a lot! Just make sure that when you get her in a crate, it's not huge; it should just be big enough for her to sit up/lie down and turn around, not provide enough room for her to "get away" if she has an accident.
B/w 1/8: betas 17,345, progesterone 25.6
Seriously. Holy cow. Less caffeine or something dude.
When she's crated overnight, you guys are getting up at intervals to let her out, right? That helps avoid/pre-empt accidents, too. At 12 weeks, we were letting Zoey out right before we went to bed, getting up with her twice overnight, and then letting her out immediately upon getting up in the morning.
And if you or H is home at any point during the day/afternoon, start the reintros to the crate then (today during the day); that way she starts to learn now that the crate is a good place, and you're not waiting until bedtime to try and get her adjusted to it.
Good luck!
B/w 1/8: betas 17,345, progesterone 25.6
Yes, we are getting up once or twice during the middle of the night to let them out, along with letting them out right before bed, and when we first get up in the morning. we leave around 9 am and then someone is usually home by 12 or 1 and they are let out again, and then again at 430 or 5 and they are in and out frequently for the rest of the night.
Thanks again everyone!
Ditto PPs - take her out very frequently, give lots of praise when she potties outside, and tether her to you when she is inside but not crated. Introduce her to the crate gradually (not even closing the door at first but just praising/rewarding for her going in there), making it a safe, happy place (give her special treats in there, hide treats in there for her to find, etc.). If she whines/barks, do not let her out of the crate because she will learn that barking = getting let out, and she will do it more. Let her out of the crate when she is calm and quiet.
Also, I just wanted to add that I adopted a 4-year-old dog who had never been crate trained before in his life, and I crate trained him. He barked/whined for the first 4-5 nights (he was used to sleeping in bed with his foster mom) but I ignored him, and he quickly got the picture. I got my other dog at 13 weeks and crate trained him in a snap as well, so 12 weeks is certainly not too old to crate train. GL!