If you've potty trained a puppy - plus pics❤️ - Update!

[IfIOnly]

How did you do it? What was your routine? Any helpful hints? Our beagle was rehomed to us at 5 years old, so we haven't been through the potty training phase.  Pup is 8 weeks today. Thank you!

This is our new guy! He's a border collie and so incredibly smart and affectionate. DS 16 picked him out of 3 males remaining of a litter of 8. He will be naming him too. It is his dog, as one of his life goals is to have his own pup and train him really well. He'd love to do agility, obstacle course, and frisbee and all kinds of other fun stuff, which borders thrive on!  Name ideas are welcome! ❤️

Edited May 7, 2020 by IfIOnly

[mmasc]

I don’t have any tips since we’ve never had one that young, but he sure is adorable!❤️

[Spy Car]

Crate the pup when it sleeps. Section off the crate if it is a large one. Pups will avoid fouling their den, if at all possible. Make the "space" just big enough to sleep comfortably.

Immediately (as in "immediately") take the pup outside when it awakens. It will pee.

If a pup starts to sniff the floor, you may be too late. It will pee and/or poop immediately. Don't wait for that to happen. Be preemptive and be fast and be very (very) attentive.

When a pup is taken outside use a "command word" in association with the elimination and offer praise. I use "outside" as my command word, but the word is irrelevant. Pick one. Use it without fail. Praise the pup effusively for going outside when it is done.

Ignore accidents (aside for cleaning up well). They are your fault. Be vigilant.

It is really very (very) easy to train a pup is you follow this advice. It will seem as if they were always potty trained.

Fail to do this and you can be in for a long struggle. Make the smart choice.

Vigilance now= Lifetime without troubles.

Never let them pee inside on a pee pad, unless you want a dog-lifetime of pee in the house.

Outside! Good dog!!!!

Bill

 

Edited May 5, 2020 by Spy Car

[Spy Car]

PS. At 8 weeks an average pup needs to go outside about every 20 minutes. It gets better, but 20 minutes is a good rule of thumb.

Bill

[DesertBlossom]

Roll up all your rugs and put them away until next year. Get baby gates for carpeted rooms you don't want the dog to pee on.

Taking the dog outside after every nap, immediately, as fast as possible because, as Spy Car says, it will pee. 

[IfIOnly]

58 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

Crate the pup when it sleeps. Section off the crate if it is a large one. Pups will avoid fouling their den, if at all possible. Make the "space" just big enough to sleep comfortably.

Immediately (as in "immediately") take the pup outside when it awakens. It will pee.

If a pup starts to sniff the floor, you may be too late. It will pee and/or poop immediately. Don't wait for that to happen. Be preemptive and be fast and be very (very) attentive.

When a pup is taken outside use a "command word" in association with the elimination and offer praise. I use "outside" as my command word, but the word is irrelevant. Pick one. Use it without fail. Praise the pup effusively for going outside when it is done.

Ignore accidents (aside for cleaning up well). They are your fault. Be vigilant.

It is really very (very) easy to train a pup is you follow this advice. It will seem as if they were always potty trained.

Fail to do this and you can be in for a long struggle. Make the smart choice.

Vigilance now= Lifetime without troubles.

Never let them pee inside on a pee pad, unless you want a dog-lifetime of pee in the house.

Outside! Good dog!!!!

Bill

 

This is great. Thank you! We bought a small, just the right size crate. Puppy will be on DS bed with him but in the crate. DS wanted pup to sleep with him just cuddling, but I'm not sure if that's hest, so he agreed to hold of until we think it through. Will pup whine in the night when he needs to go outside or ? Then it sounds like take him first thing when he wakes, every 20 minutes (we were doing every 30 today), and when we see signs of needing to go. DS has been taking him to the same spot so the smells remind him what to do. He gives puppy a treat if he potties. Should he say the word when he sets him down to pee? And when does he praise him? As he starts or right after he's done his business? He is so smart. Most people we've talked to say there borders potty trained fairly early. I hope that's our story too!

56 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

PS. At 8 weeks an average pup needs to go outside about every 20 minutes. It gets better, but 20 minutes is a good rule of thumb.

Bill

👍

46 minutes ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

Oh my, what a cute dog!  My dog was an adult and already trained when we got him, so I have no suggestions. 

I like old man names for dogs.  He looks like a Walter or a Floyd to me.  

I love old man names too! I suggested Gibbs (NCIS fan), Murray, and a few others DS wasn't a fan of. I also like Josh, but that was a no go too. He's liking Danny a lot, but it's still up in the air.

25 minutes ago, DesertBlossom said:

Roll up all your rugs and put them away until next year. Get baby gates for carpeted rooms you don't want the dog to pee on.

Taking the dog outside after every nap, immediately, as fast as possible because, as Spy Car says, it will pee. 

Rugs are rolled up. Thank you! Thankfully we have mostly wood floors except in the living room. Unfortunately there's no way to put a baby gate at the entrance. That would make things a lot easier. After naps, that good. Hadn't thought of that.

 

 

 

What about feeding times helping with potty training? Right now pup is free feeding.

[IfIOnly]

We do have a doggy door. I'm not sure how that plays into training. We used to have dangling, low door bells before the doggy door and our beagle figured that out. Can we train pup to give us a signal or used the doggy door instead of just looking for signs and taking him out at set intervals?

[Spy Car]

44 minutes ago, IfIOnly said:

This is great. Thank you! We bought a small, just the right size crate. Puppy will be on DS bed with him but in the crate. DS wanted pup to sleep with him just cuddling, but I'm not sure if that's hest, so he agreed to hold of until we think it through. Will pup whine in the night when he needs to go outside or ? Then it sounds like take him first thing when he wakes, every 20 minutes (we were doing every 30 today), and when we see signs of needing to go. DS has been taking him to the same spot so the smells remind him what to do. He gives puppy a treat if he potties. Should he say the word when he sets him down to pee? And when does he praise him? As he starts or right after he's done his business? He is so smart. Most people we've talked to say there borders potty trained fairly early. I hope that's our story too!

👍

 

I suggest using the "command word" (at least initially) just as the pup starts to do his business, so there is an "association" between word and act.

It is not really an "order" despite my use of the term "command word." Later, such a term can be a directive (say you plan to take the dog indoors in a new locale and you want to make sure he relieves himself first), but not now.

At the moment you are just building up the positive vibes and letting the pup know what you desire as behaviors. that's going outside.

Praise when he's just finished. Lavish the praise. Pups generally live to please. Capitalize on that. A treat with praise won't hurt one bit.

Pups are very easy to potty train. The problem is with people, IYKWIM?

Pup should cry in night if he needs to go out (and is crated). Like I said, they will avoid soiling their dens if possible. The boy should not expect to to get unbroken sleep in the short term. But this passes pretty quickly.

Bill

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2020 by Spy Car

[Spy Car]

4 minutes ago, IfIOnly said:

We do have a doggy door. I'm not sure how that plays into training. We used to have dangling, low door bells before the doggy door and our beagle figured that out. Can we train pup to give us a signal or used the doggy door instead of just looking for signs and taking him out at set intervals?

Doubtful. Sort of like asking a human baby to use a toilet, just because one is there. If the pups is well trained, he will figure out the dog door after he knows he's supposed to go outside.

Bill

 

 

[IfIOnly]

Thank you, Bill! I'm so glad I asked.

On another note, DS is also liking Dante for a name. I don't know why but I'm not a fan for a dog's name. Of course, I'll suck it up, but I hope he changes his mind. 😬

Edited May 5, 2020 by IfIOnly

[Pawz4me]

10 hours ago, Spy Car said:

 

Never let them pee inside on a pee pad, unless you want a dog-lifetime of pee in the house.

 

 

I agree with Bill's advice except this. It's absolutely wrong for most dogs, IME. It's perfectly okay--and not hard at all for most dogs, IME--to train to both pee pads and to go outside. It's also not hard at all--again for most dogs--to transition them from pee pads to going outside. I have an 8 yo dog sleeping beside of me right now who was initially trained to both go outside and use pee pads. For the past five years he's exclusively gone outside, and he's101 percent reliable. He hasn't had an accident in about 7.5 years. Truly -- It. Is. Not. Hard.

This is a bit of a soapbox issue for me. It's akin to the falsehood that declawed cats have litterbox issues more often than cats who aren't declawed. That myth sometimes really hinders cats in shelters and rescues from being adopted. The untruth about using pee pads causes people to turn puppies into shelters and rescue groups out of frustration instead of using an easy and effective tool to work the puppy toward being totally housetrained. A tool that would help enough that many people would keep the puppy instead of turning into a rescue or shelter, or worse yet--dumping the pup somewhere. Repeating the myth needs to stop for the sake of animals' lives.

But . . with a puppy the size of a BC it's unlikely you'll need to use pee pads unless you have a situation in the next few weeks where you absolutely have to leave him for a a long stretch of time. And hopefully you can avoid that. Puppies his size usually gain the ability to (and learn to) hold their bladder and bowels relatively quickly. Patience and consistency are the keys.

I would not free feed, at least not now. I'd stick with set meal times. It will help with potty training (although puppy elimination--like that of human babies--can be erratic in any event). But set meal times will also enable you to more easily monitor his food intake, and it can help with building a bond. You can switch to free feeding later on if you want. Like pee pads and then transitioning to outside, it's another one of those things that's very easy to do.

He's a cutie!

Edited May 5, 2020 by Pawz4me
typos (sigh)

[Ottakee]

Depending on your yard set up, try to train puppy to go in a specific spot in the yard.  When we had an Aussie she would always go in a small section of woods.  That was wonderful as we never had dog poop in the yard to clean up.

[Scarlett]

My puppy is 5 months old now.  We brought her home at 7 weeks.  The first week I kept her in a very small travel crate in our room next to my bed.  She whined to go potty a couple of times per night.  I would get up, turning on as few lights as possible and talk as little as possible.  When I put her back in her crate if she cried I would just touch hand to the crate so she could feel my hand and softly sshhh her.  She always settled right down.  Then we got a bigger crate and moved her into the main living area.  Within a week—-maybe 2—she was sleeping through the night.  The number of times per night decreased as the 2 week period went by.  
 

if your son can be patient through the potty training stage/crate training stage  I believe the pup will be able to sleep with him without problems. Having a dog crate trained is a wonderful thing.  When my puppy was about 11 weeks old I had a medical procedure that ran long and she was in her crate for about 5 hours......I was sure I would come home to a mess.....but she held it.  
 

I am thrilled for your son.  Those are wonderful dogs.  My pup has brought me so much joy during a really rough time in my life.  

[Scarlett]

7 hours ago, Spy Car said:

Doubtful. Sort of like asking a human baby to use a toilet, just because one is there. If the pups is well trained, he will figure out the dog door after he knows he's supposed to go outside.

Bill

 

 

Along this line, you might have advise for me.  Our pup is 5 months old and we did a lot of taking her out to potty.  We have a glass storm door with a pet door in it.   Our cat has always used it.  We leave the main door open a good portion of the time and as a result the pup does go out on her own now.  Trouble is that door needs to be shut during hot weather which is basically already here in OK.   We are finding the puppy is not great at signaling us she needs the door opened.  Do you have any tips for us in that area?

[Spy Car]

4 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

I agree with Bill's advice except this. It's absolutely wrong for most dogs, IME. It's perfectly okay--and not hard at all for most dogs, IME--to train to both pee pads and to go outside. It's also not hard at all--again for most dogs--to transition them from pee pads to going outside. I have an 8 yo dog sleeping beside of me right now who was initially trained to both go outside and use pee pads. For the past five years he's exclusively gone outside, and he's101 percent reliable. He hasn't had an accident in about 7.5 years. Truly -- It. Is. Not. Hard.

This is a bit of a soapbox issue for me. It's akin to the falsehood that declawed cats have litterbox issues more often than cats who aren't declawed. That myth sometimes really hinders cats in shelters and rescues from being adopted. The untruth about using pee pads causes people to turn puppies into shelters and rescue groups out of frustration instead of using an easy and effective tool to work the puppy toward being totally housetrained. A tool that would help enough that many people would keep the puppy instead of turning into a rescue or shelter, or worse yet--dumping the pup somewhere. Reperating the myth needs to stop for the sake of animals' lives.

But . . with a puppy the size of an Aussie it's unlikely you'll need to use pee pads unless you have a situation in the next few weeks where you absolutely have to leave him for a a long stretch of time. And hopefully you can avoid that. Puppies his size usually gain the ability to (and learn to) hold their bladder and bowels relatively quickly. Patience and consistency are the keys.

I would not free feed, at least not now. I'd stick with set meal times. It will help with potty training (although puppy elimination--like that of human babies--can be erratic in any event). But set meal times will also enable you to more easily monitor his food intake, and it can help with building a bond. You can switch to free feeding later on if you want. Like pee pads and then transitioning to outside, it's another one of those things that's very easy to do.

He's a cutie!

 

Why you would analogize between pee pads and de-clawing cats is beyond me? Did I ever advocate for de-clawing cats?

All the people I've known who allowed pups to pee on pee pads have cause themselves lifetime's worth of problems. Hardly a "falsehood." One of the major mistakes people make raising puppies. 

The idea of all puppy training is to reward behaviors one will value when the dog reaches adulthood and to discourage ones that would be undesirable. That's the prime directive.

One should never (advertently or inadvertently) condition a behavior in puppyhood that one needs to break in adulthood. That absolutely goes against good dog training practice.

One may (or may not) find success in re-training a behavior that was previously instilled, success if a possibility, but it is not best practice.

Bill

 

[Spy Car]

1 hour ago, Scarlett said:

Along this line, you might have advise for me.  Our pup is 5 months old and we did a lot of taking her out to potty.  We have a glass storm door with a pet door in it.   Our cat has always used it.  We leave the main door open a good portion of the time and as a result the pup does go out on her own now.  Trouble is that door needs to be shut during hot weather which is basically already here in OK.   We are finding the puppy is not great at signaling us she needs the door opened.  Do you have any tips for us in that area?

Could you hang a string of cowbells (or similar) from the door handle?

Bill

[Pawz4me]

1 minute ago, Spy Car said:

 

Why you would analogize between pee pads and de-clawing cats is beyond me? Did I ever advocate for de-clawing cats?

All the people I've known who allowed pups to pee on pee pads have cause themselves lifetime's worth of problems. Hardly a "falsehood." One of the major mistakes people make raising puppies. 

The idea of all puppy training is to reward behaviors one will value when the dog reaches adulthood and to discourage ones that would be undesirable. That's the prime directive.

One should never (advertently or inadvertently) condition a behavior in puppyhood that one needs to break in adulthood. That absolutely goes against good dog training practice.

One may (or may not) find success in re-training a behavior that was previously instilled, success if a possibility, but it is not best practice.

Bill

 

As I clearly stated -- Because both myths often result in puppies or kittens getting turned into shelters or rescues. It harms or even results in the deaths of untold numbers of animals.

I'm sorry the people you associate with don't know how to use tools to correctly and adequately train puppies. That doesn't mean that the tool is the problem.

Pee pads are absolutely no different than a prong collar or other training collar--a tool that you use to teach something and then (ideally) transition away from, but that you can continue to use if you want.

[IfIOnly]

Thank you for the good info. @Pawz4me, @Ottakee, and @Scarlett.

Scarlett, I appreciate hearing your experience. Thank you!

I took pup out at midnight before I went to bed, and he did his business. Puppy woke up a few times in the night to go, and DS took him out at those times and first thing in the morning as well. I guess puppy must have cried a few more times at night as well because DS would put him in the crate after taking him out, but then woke up twice with him cuddling on the bed. He must have let him out of the crate but not taken him outside in his sleep. LOL.

DS also tried to get extra sleep after taking him in the morning by taking pup back to bed and giving him a chew toy while DS got a little more sleep. That made me laugh because I understand some off those getting a bit more sleep tricks with babies and toddlers, but it was more nursing, cuddling, etc. DS hasn't complained one bit and even declines help because he wants the pup to bond primarily with him. 

2 things. We didn't think about this, but I'm glad we got the puppy in the warm weather. We have cold nights being higher-up/elevation, but they're really cold in the winter and nearby months. We would be freezing going out at night then!

Waiting at least 5 minutes for pup to do his business is sound advice. Often times, it's just before we take him in that he goes.

Edited May 5, 2020 by IfIOnly

[IfIOnly]

1 hour ago, Scarlett said:

Along this line, you might have advise for me.  Our pup is 5 months old and we did a lot of taking her out to potty.  We have a glass storm door with a pet door in it.   Our cat has always used it.  We leave the main door open a good portion of the time and as a result the pup does go out on her own now.  Trouble is that door needs to be shut during hot weather which is basically already here in OK.   We are finding the puppy is not great at signaling us she needs the door opened.  Do you have any tips for us in that area?

 

17 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

Could you hang a string of cowbells (or similar) from the door handle?

Bill

 

We used these doorbells with our older doggie with great success. 

https://www.amazon.com/Doorbells-Premium-Quality-Training-Adjustable/dp/B01KG9WMWI/ref=sxin_11_sk-bs-2-na_2207fbcc865e85416654a29aa0c898d0adaa8aca?cv_ct_cx=dog+doorbell&dchild=1&keywords=dog+doorbell&pd_rd_i=B01KG9WMWI&pd_rd_r=dca148bd-e17a-430e-ab07-0ba31ffc0946&pd_rd_w=yZUxe&pd_rd_wg=OrwIr&pf_rd_p=76cdc22f-ace7-4f1c-8349-6b4e0416bb4b&pf_rd_r=04Y815YVA9TXX88HGWEK&qid=1588692735&sr=1-1-ef6ec057-d556-4fd0-bed3-084ae9cc889f

[Spy Car]

5 minutes ago, IfIOnly said:

 

 

We used these doorbells with our older doggie with great success. 

https://www.amazon.com/Doorbells-Premium-Quality-Training-Adjustable/dp/B01KG9WMWI/ref=sxin_11_sk-bs-2-na_2207fbcc865e85416654a29aa0c898d0adaa8aca?cv_ct_cx=dog+doorbell&dchild=1&keywords=dog+doorbell&pd_rd_i=B01KG9WMWI&pd_rd_r=dca148bd-e17a-430e-ab07-0ba31ffc0946&pd_rd_w=yZUxe&pd_rd_wg=OrwIr&pf_rd_p=76cdc22f-ace7-4f1c-8349-6b4e0416bb4b&pf_rd_r=04Y815YVA9TXX88HGWEK&qid=1588692735&sr=1-1-ef6ec057-d556-4fd0-bed3-084ae9cc889f

Yeah, thanks. That's the sort of thing I had in mind (but did not know where to source).

Bill

[Pen]

My experience with border collie type dogs is they are super smart and will often utilize something like a doorbell to get their human to let them out when they want it ...  not necessarily when they need it.   I had to take down bells with smart dogs due to overuse by the dog. 

I agree with basics of frequent outs and reward, reward, reward and praise, praise, praise, for peeing and pooping in right place. 

Anything that happens with puppies IME  they have to go do their business: wake up for sure leads to need to urinate and or defecate, also eat, think of something silly, play hard,  ...   all likely to result in need to go...    

They don’t have much if any bladder control that young so basically they are just learning the right location, and maybe an associated word.  It is up to the human to get the timing right.

each puppy in my experience has his or her own rhythm and the human catches on to the puppy and it gets easier at first because human comes to know the puppy.  In a month or two the puppy will start having more control and also interior space, and time between need to go out will get longer, and it will get easier and easier.  

[Spy Car]

21 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

As I clearly stated -- Because both myths often result in puppies or kittens getting turned into shelters or rescues. It harms or even results in the deaths of untold numbers of animals.

I'm sorry the people you associate with don't know how to use tools to correctly and adequately train puppies. That doesn't mean that the tool is the problem.

Pee pads are absolutely no different than a prong collar or other training collar--a tool that you use to teach something and then (ideally) transition away from, but that you can continue to use if you want.

Dogs being turned into shelter because they are not housebroken is--unfortunately--not a myth. It is one of the main reasons dogs are abandoned or dumped in shelters. And un-potty-trained dogs are hard to rehome.

A pee pad is not a tool. Using one inside tells a pup that it is OK to eliminate indoors. Big mistake.

What one has taught the pup is a behavior that one can not walk away from, as the dog will continue to pee and poop inside a home.

That is a nightmare that's best avoided by never encouraging such behaviors from the get-go.

Bill

 

[IfIOnly]

30 minutes ago, Pen said:

My experience with border collie type dogs is they are super smart and will often utilize something like a doorbell to get their human to let them out when they want it ...  not necessarily when they need it.   I had to take down bells with smart dogs due to overuse by the dog. 

I agree with basics of frequent outs and reward, reward, reward and praise, praise, praise, for peeing and pooping in right place. 

Anything that happens with puppies IME  they have to go do their business: wake up for sure leads to need to urinate and or defecate, also eat, think of something silly, play hard,  ...   all likely to result in need to go...    

They don’t have much if any bladder control that young so basically they are just learning the right location, and maybe an associated word.  It is up to the human to get the timing right.

each puppy in my experience has his or her own rhythm and the human catches on to the puppy and it gets easier at first because human comes to know the puppy.  In a month or two the puppy will start having more control and also interior space, and time between need to go out will get longer, and it will get easier and easier.  

Thank you!

Our beagle did ring the bell just because she wanted to go outside too, but because we have a fully fenced yard, I didn't mind at all. She'd just come to the door when she was ready to come back inside. I've read of taking dog out on a leash (quietly and no fanfare) in one spot, for 5 minutes or so max, and no playtime, just straight back in the house can curb bell ringing and help teach doggie to only ring when necessary. But you're right, it's not a works for all solution.

Edited May 5, 2020 by IfIOnly

[Pawz4me]

25 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

Dogs being turned into shelter because they are not housebroken is--unfortunately--not a myth. It is one of the main reasons dogs are abandoned or dumped in shelters. And un-potty-trained dogs are hard to rehome.

A pee pad is not a tool. Using one inside tells a pup that it is OK to eliminate indoors. Big mistake.

What one has taught the pup is a behavior that one can not walk away from, as the dog will continue to pee and poop inside a home.

That is a nightmare that's best avoided by never encouraging such behaviors from the get-go.

Bill

 

@Spy Car -- I am not going to continue to debate you on this. You have a history of completely de-railing dog threads when anyone offers experience or an opinion that differs from your own. It's dissrespectul and unhelpful to the OP of the thread when the issue you want to debate isn't relevant to the original post (as in this case since @IfIOnly hasn't expressed any interest in using pee pads). And I won't contribute to that bit of rudeness. I will, however, continue to counter anything I see as misguided advice when it's offered, especially when it pertains to the safety, health or life of animals. The OP (of this or any other thread) can then do with that as they wish. If you want to  continue the discussion of the use of pee pads as an effective house training tool I will be glad to do so if you want to start a new thread. 

[Pen]

49 minutes ago, IfIOnly said:

Thank you!

Our beagle did ring the bell just because she wanted to go outside too, but because we have a fully fenced yard, I didn't mind at all. She'd just come to the door when she was ready to come back inside. I've read of taking dog out on a leash (quietly and no fanfare) in one spot, for 5 minutes or so max, and no playtime, just straight back in the house can curb bell ringing and help teach doggie to only ring when necessary. But you're right, it's not a works for all solution.

 

If you don’t mind bell ring system used at dog whim, then no problem, but if you have a dog door that might solve the issue more easily anyway.  My current dog uses his nose to prod human when he wants / needs out.  And/ Or goes and stands by door .  (The Bell was down 3 dogs ago.)

anyway you will probably figure out what works for your family! 

 

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, IfIOnly said:

 

 

We used these doorbells with our older doggie with great success. 

https://www.amazon.com/Doorbells-Premium-Quality-Training-Adjustable/dp/B01KG9WMWI/ref=sxin_11_sk-bs-2-na_2207fbcc865e85416654a29aa0c898d0adaa8aca?cv_ct_cx=dog+doorbell&dchild=1&keywords=dog+doorbell&pd_rd_i=B01KG9WMWI&pd_rd_r=dca148bd-e17a-430e-ab07-0ba31ffc0946&pd_rd_w=yZUxe&pd_rd_wg=OrwIr&pf_rd_p=76cdc22f-ace7-4f1c-8349-6b4e0416bb4b&pf_rd_r=04Y815YVA9TXX88HGWEK&qid=1588692735&sr=1-1-ef6ec057-d556-4fd0-bed3-084ae9cc889f

Thank you.  I just ordered them.  

[Spy Car]

2 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

@Spy Car -- I am not going to continue to debate you on this. You have a history of completely de-railing dog threads when anyone offers experience or an opinion that differs from your own. It's dissrespectul and unhelpful to the OP of the thread when the issue you want to debate isn't relevant to the original post (as in this case since @IfIOnly hasn't expressed any interest in using pee pads). And I won't contribute to that bit of rudeness. I will, however, continue to counter anything I see as misguided advice when it's offered, especially when it pertains to the safety, health or life of animals. The OP (of this or any other thread) can then do with that as they wish. If you want to  continue the discussion of the use of pee pads as an effective house training tool I will be glad to do so if you want to start a new thread. 

You attempted to link my advise not to use pee pads with that of de-clawing cats, and then accuse me of being disrespectful? Please.

The topic is housebreaking training and using pee pads is one of the worst mistakes a person can make with a puppy in my estimation. I’m attempting to help a  fellow member enjoy success. My advise was not “rude” to anyone. You are the one who felt the need to leap in with your self admitted “soapbox issue” and are the one who crossed the line here. Good grief!

Now you presume to tell me what I can and can not discuss with a fellow member with regards to potty training a puppy? No ma’am.

Animals who are not housebroken are often placed in shelters, which can end very badly.

We will need to disagree on The advisability of using pee pads. Please stop conflating that issue with de-clawing cats, which I do not support in any measure. OK?

Properly housebreaking a puppy is very easy if one understands the basics and is vigilant.

Bill

 

 

 

[IfIOnly]

3 hours ago, Pen said:

My experience with border collie type dogs is they are super smart and will often utilize something like a doorbell to get their human to let them out when they want it ...  not necessarily when they need it.   I had to take down bells with smart dogs due to overuse by the dog. 

I agree with basics of frequent outs and reward, reward, reward and praise, praise, praise, for peeing and pooping in right place. 

Anything that happens with puppies IME  they have to go do their business: wake up for sure leads to need to urinate and or defecate, also eat, think of something silly, play hard,  ...   all likely to result in need to go...    

They don’t have much if any bladder control that young so basically they are just learning the right location, and maybe an associated word.  It is up to the human to get the timing right.

each puppy in my experience has his or her own rhythm and the human catches on to the puppy and it gets easier at first because human comes to know the puppy.  In a month or two the puppy will start having more control and also interior space, and time between need to go out will get longer, and it will get easier and easier.  

We moved the end of last year to a house that has a doggy door. Best. thing. ever. Love it.

[IfIOnly]

Amazingly, puppy has slept the last 2 nights through and has had no accidents the last few days. We take him out every 30 minutes. This little guy is so quick to learn and please! He also loves to play, and gets plenty of it between us all. He's probably exhausted at night! For all the exercise and training required (I told my son at least an hour of exercise and a half hour of training a day commitment as puppy gets older) for a happy, healthy (mentally and physically) border collie, at least potty training has been a breeze!

[Scarlett]

3 minutes ago, IfIOnly said:

Amazingly, puppy has slept the last 2 nights through and has had no accidents the last few days. We take him out every 30 minutes. This little guy is so quick to learn and please! He also loves to play, and gets plenty of it between us all. He's probably exhausted at night! For all the exercise and training required (I told my son at least an hour of exercise and a half hour of training a day commitment as puppy gets older) for a happy, healthy (mentally and physically) border collie, at least potty training has been a breeze!

That is great.  Just FYI I ordered the bells mentioned linked up thread and they arrived yesterday.  My pup has already pawed at them once when she needed to go out!  I found a few other times last night and this morning when I knew she needed to go out that I took her to the door, used her paw to ring the bell and said, 'potty' and then opened the door to let her out.  So I am optimistic about this tool.

[IfIOnly]

34 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

That is great.  Just FYI I ordered the bells mentioned linked up thread and they arrived yesterday.  My pup has already pawed at them once when she needed to go out!  I found a few other times last night and this morning when I knew she needed to go out that I took her to the door, used her paw to ring the bell and said, 'potty' and then opened the door to let her out.  So I am optimistic about this tool.

Good, girl! I hope they're helpful to you! I appreciated them, and they're an inexpensive thing to try anyway.

[Scarlett]

8 minutes ago, IfIOnly said:

Good, girl! I hope they're helpful to you! I appreciated them, and they're an inexpensive thing to try anyway.

Yes a set of two came in the package.  If I ever get to see my sister in law again I am going to give the other one to her.  She has a litter mate to my pup.

[MercyA]

1 hour ago, Scarlett said:

That is great.  Just FYI I ordered the bells mentioned linked up thread and they arrived yesterday.  My pup has already pawed at them once when she needed to go out!  I found a few other times last night and this morning when I knew she needed to go out that I took her to the door, used her paw to ring the bell and said, 'potty' and then opened the door to let her out.  So I am optimistic about this tool.

That is wonderful! We have an electronic bell for our dog and it has been a lifesaver. (She was scared of the jingle bell ones.) I would never have a dog without a bell again. 

[Spy Car]

5 hours ago, IfIOnly said:

Amazingly, puppy has slept the last 2 nights through and has had no accidents the last few days. We take him out every 30 minutes. This little guy is so quick to learn and please! He also loves to play, and gets plenty of it between us all. He's probably exhausted at night! For all the exercise and training required (I told my son at least an hour of exercise and a half hour of training a day commitment as puppy gets older) for a happy, healthy (mentally and physically) border collie, at least potty training has been a breeze!

Great job.

You might read Sheryl's (currently re-activated) puppy thread. It is loaded with great advice from a multitude of dog-people.

Starting about page 10 you will find my method for "bite inhibition training." I think this is the most important thing a dog owner can do in puppyhood and I'm also convinced this method (that I learned from a dog whisper when I was a kid) is by far the most optimal method--yet it is not widely known.

Worth reading. Many other good ideas in that thread.

Bill