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Potty Training...
Hi furrybaby, nesties! :-) I'm new to this board. My H and I just got a mini schnauzer puppy this past Friday. We've enjoyed him so much already and have been adjusting to having a dog. I never have and H has never had his own dog so we're both very new to potty training. I've been reading up on different methods and we try to take him out as much as possible to get him to know that going outside means potty time. We give him a treat and praise when he does his business outside and when he has an accident we just scold him by telling him that was naughty. We have been using a potty training spray, too. So he knows where to go outside. Which has worked pretty good.
I would appreciate any tips you may have that you found success with! Also, approximately how long did it take you to potty train? Thanks so much for the advice!
Re: Potty Training...
Don't bother scolding him for going inside, especially if he's already gone and you're finding it later -- the puppy won't connect the punishment with the accident.
If he starts to go in front of you, interrupt with an "eh eh!" and immediately take him outside. Continue with the praise when he does go outside.
How old is the puppy? The rule of thumb is that puppies can only "hold it" for as many hours as their month in age. So, a four-month-old puppy can only hold it for four hours.
The best method of housebreaking is crate-training, because dogs are den animals, and they don't like to soil where they sleep.
There are tips here: Pets Board FAQs
Thanks for the advice! He is 4 months old so we've been trying to not go longer than 4 hrs while we're at work. When we're home we take him out every hour or 2 and within 30-hr after eating. He has been doing pretty good with making it through the night. We've been checking on him through the night to make sure.
I was wondering on the best thing to do if he does go inside. The few times he's gone inside he's done it right in front of us and we've been able to interrupt him. And we've told him no and taken him outside right away. So it sounds like we're doing the right thing.
Also, I've been reading up on crate training and have seen some variations of it. In your experience what has worked the best? Thanks again for the help!
I'm not sure what variations you're talking about.
And also, I've never owned a puppy, I've only potty-trained adults dogs that I've fostered for the local shelter. So I'm not sure how much of my experience can translate to puppies.
Oh ok, maybe I've just read too many articles about it and they're all blending together. haha I'll make sure to reread about crate training. It sounds like it's very effective.
I'm assuming puppy training and adult dog training is pretty similiar. In your experience, what is the average length of time it has taken a dog to be completely potty trained? Just curious as to what to expect. I'm sure every dog/breed can be very different.
My husband and i just got a puppy about three months ago. the best thing we did was go to a puppy orientation at Pet Smart & then proceeded to sign up for Puppy Class. We had him for about two months prior to doing this. I had read as much as i could on how to house/ crate train him on my own and nothing was working. With in a week of starting orientation/ class i had a different puppy on my hands!
Best of luck!
Thanks so much for the suggestion! I'll look into the classes now...hopefully I'll have as much success as you.
It's been a while, but I want to say a week to two weeks? But yeah, every dog is different.
Sounds great, I was thinking it would take a week or 2. My friend told me she potty trained her boxer in 3 days. That made me feel so hopefully but I thought it sounded very fast.
H and I signed him up for puppy classes starting next week which i'm sure will help, too. He's been nipping at us when he's playing which should get address there with potty training & basic commends. I hope it helps! Do you or anyone else have experience with puppy classes?
Thank you for your advice! I have been thinking of trying the bells for the door so I know when he's ready to go out.
This is all good advice.
I might be a little late chiming in, but I thought I'd share my experiences with training (both potty and crate) our Boxer puppy.
We brought her home at 8 weeks. After much research and reading, we'd already decided to crate train and had a crate ready and waiting. That very first day home, we introduced her to the crate, gave her praise and treats for investigating it, and she even zonked out in it for a nap. At 4 months, the idea is largely the same. Set up a crate and introduce your pup to it by sitting on the floor with plenty of treats and letting him investigate on his own terms. When he approaches/gets within a few feet of the crate, praise and treat. When he sniffs/touches the crate, praise and treat. When he goes in, lots of praise and treat. Close the door for a few seconds, reopen, praise and treat. Incrementally increase the amount of time the door is closed, but go back to less time if he starts crying at any point.
Using the crate and lots of diligence, our puppy was trained in a couple of weeks to know she should go outside, but it takes far longer than that for accidents to stop happening if you end up letting too much time pass; little pups just can't hold it no matter how much they know better! Frequent trips outside with lots of praise and treats, along with "interrupting" if we caught her in the act of going inside, are the most effective things you can do. Also creating a verbal command (go pee/go potty/etc) when you take your pup outsides helps them know it's time to get down to business and not just be out wandering the backyard.
And ditto the PP on using a bell at the door. Our Boxer picked up on the bell as a signal in less than 2 days, whereas before that we'd been trying to get her to give us a verbal signal (bark) that she needed to go out. The bell is almost too effective now; she rings it constantly when she just want to get outside for a romp, lol.
GL in your continuing puppy training! I really got the most helpful information from the board FAQs RHB already linked you to.
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