puppy potty training troubles?
I am having a LOT of trouble house training my 4 month old female pomeranian puppy. My vet told me that it IS more difficuly to potty train small dogs and he was NOT KIDDING.
I live in an apartment so I take her out about every 2 hours or so (except for when Im at school ofcourse). She will NOT potty when I take her outside. She only wants to play in the grass and chase bugs 
I bought puppy pads for her to use and she does pee on them sometimes, but she just goes potty wherever she wants. If I see her potty inside I tell her ‘No!’ and take her outside, but she just starts playing in the grass. (It’s so cute, but bad at the same time).
My carpet can’t handle this abuse! I will NOT leave my puppy in her kennel 24/7 tills she’s trained either. I know plenty of people who trained their dogs without using a kennel at all. My dog is just HARDHEADED. Advice??
I would suggest you train your pup to a littler pan. I have a standard Doxie and a mini Doxie which are both trained to a litter pan and highly suggest it to anyone. I just lost my border Collie and she was also trained to the litter pan. When I was working (I am retired now) this was the solution to them being shut up in the house all day long. You’re going to walk your legs off for a couple of weeks but it is well worth the investment.
I purchased two large plastic containers, cut a section out of the side of each one large enough for the animals to fit through easily and about 6″ from the bottom and put about 4 – 5″ of kitty litter in it. I put a child’s gate across the laundry room door (where the litter boxes are) and physically took the pup to the laundry room and put them in the pan with the statement ‘let’s potty in the pan’ each time. I’ll bet I said ‘let’s go potty in the pan’ 10,000 times a day but wanted them to fix on that phrase. They stayed in a large travel cage at night and when I was gone (remember I was at work) and as soon as I came home I’d take them out and to the pan with ‘let’s go potty in the pan’ and put them in the pan. Of course they had to go badly but naturally didn’t hit the pan in the beginning. There was ‘no no’ as I showed them the mistake and put them back in the pan with the same statement, potty in the pan.
When they would poo I’d show that to them with ‘no no’ then pick it (the poo) up with a paper towel or kleenex and put it in the pan. I’d leave it for a few minutes then take them back in there, show them the poo and really praise them for ‘pottying in the pan’ and give them a treat. Then they were allowed out in the house to run and play. I did close off all the rooms so they were confined where I could see them all the time. If they started to make a mistake I’d state ‘no no’ let’s go ‘potty in the pan’. Like I said you’re going to walk your legs off and think the speaking world has been reduced down to ‘no no’ ‘let’s go potty in the pan’ for a couple of weeks but – - – - that’s a small price to pay for the end result.
The first time she pottied in the pan we had a real celebration!!! ‘Oh, what a good girl, she pottied in her pan’ (give her a treat), ‘look what you did, you pottied in your pan’ (another small treat, much petting, laughing, ‘good girl’, etc). (I keep a small container of dried dog food in the laundry just for this) Once you catch them the first time using the pan you’re well on your way!
After she started hitting the pan all the time when I’d put her in the laundry room, I’d put her leash on her when she was eating or I was letting her out of the pen and lead her to the laundry room with the same ‘let’s go potty in the pan’. After several days that was not needed, she’d head that direction when I’d open the pen or she finished her meal and I’d say the same statement.
Remember, every time they are let out of the pen chances are they will have to use the bathroom and every time they wake up and every time they eat they usually have to use the bathroom so be sure to watch them carefully then. I only leave them behind the gate about 15 mins. If they haven’t used the pan I watch them really close knowing their need to eliminate is coming soon. If I can catch them in the act I can correct with ‘no no, let’s go potty in the pan’.
I hope this helps you. I’ve trained all my dogs the past 10 – 15 years to a pan and even though one of the dogs has been an outside dog for 11 years if she has to be put in the house for some reason she remembers to go to the pan if I’m not here to let her out.
I’m just in the finishing stages of training the mini Doxie (I’ve had her since Feb 20, 2007). When I see her sailing through the house I’m sure to follow her cause chances are she’s headed for the laundry room. (She just went sailing by and sure enough that’s where she was headed) When she hits the pan we have a real celebration and she just turns herself ‘wrong side out’ she’s so proud of what she’s done.
Just be calm, patient and remember she wants your praise and to please you. Try to not scream but be firm with ‘no no’. Above all don’t make the potty pan something to be afraid of, never use it as any form of discipline.
I probably need to clarify here that these dogs came into my household one at a time except for the border collie’s. I had them from the day there were born so started their training as their mother started weaning them. The two Doxie’s came to me several years apart and all of them were trained as above.
Again, I hope this helps you. God bless.
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