New puppy and housebreaking help?

kate_sunflower
kate_sunflower Posts: 152 Member
edited December 17 in Chit-Chat
I just got Tucker, my 12 week old Cavachon, 2 days ago and I am planning on training him to use a pee pad for a while. Does anyone else here have a dog that is successful in peepad training? Any suggestions? Here's a pic of him below - hope you fall in love with his face as much as I did!

tucker.jpg

Replies

  • 42kgirl
    42kgirl Posts: 692 Member
    Awww..... It just takes patience and consistency. Much like parenting. I had good luck with crate training.
  • SueGremlin
    SueGremlin Posts: 1,066 Member
    Teaching him to pee on a pad is pretty confusing to a dog that is already notoriously hard to housebreak. You're teaching him to go inside the house.
    It can be done but it is hard. Do you crate him?
  • kayl3igh88
    kayl3igh88 Posts: 428 Member
    He's sooo CUTE!! :heart:
  • MissLuana
    MissLuana Posts: 356
    I wouldn't recommend teaching him to pee on a pee pad. When he gets bigger, you'll have to retrain him to go outside. I've trained 2 pits bulls from 6 weeks of age to go outside. It's rough on you for the first few days but they will catch on really quick. Every hour or two hours for the first week or so, I would get up, take them outside and wait for them to go pee, congratulate them and we would go back to bed. Like I said, it's hard on you at first with the sleep deprivation but after a few days, they'll wake you up whining, wanting to go outside to pee. :yawn:
  • sandyw127
    sandyw127 Posts: 131 Member
    we got a bull dog pup in january, pee pads are useless. it just tells them that its ok to pee in the house. so i took her out every 2 hours to start, or right after she ate or right after playing with our other dog. good luck..
  • RisiM
    RisiM Posts: 180 Member
    Just give lots and lots of praise every time your pup performs where you want it too, and ignore mistakes (even though its hard), doggies love to please, treats are great too, our youngest is almost 4 and 1/2 and still expects one when she has had a wee in the garden!
  • grrrlface
    grrrlface Posts: 1,204 Member
    It's better to train them to go outside, I trained my Jack Russell from 8 weeks, just means letting them out every hour or two and praising them for using outside. Maybe give him a treat when he goes and comes back in the house. :)
  • adamtall
    adamtall Posts: 275 Member
    not gonna be helpfull at all but AWWWW SO CUTE :) heheh (my pups name is tucker too)
  • kate_sunflower
    kate_sunflower Posts: 152 Member
    He's definitely going to be crate trained. We've always crate trained our dogs. and when I'm away at work he's going to be baby gated in the kitchen laundry room area.
  • FluttershySweetie
    FluttershySweetie Posts: 216 Member
    Iwork in the veterinary field and peepads are confusing. They don`t know the difference between a peepad, paper, a cusion that fell on the floor, a rug, carpet or anything else. I have a couple of clients that it kinda worked for awhile. If you want him to go inside and not outside ever... I suggest using a litter box, the consistency is totally diferent from anything else that could be in your house. Otherwise, if you want him to go outside later, I suggest just doing it now or you may forever have housetraining issues. I hope this helps!!
    ps: totally adorable, congradulations on your new furbaby!!!
  • FluttershySweetie
    FluttershySweetie Posts: 216 Member
    and crate training is great!!!
  • NomiS6
    NomiS6 Posts: 67 Member
    I would invest in a crate / cage, cover over with blankets to make it into a place your pup feels safe and calm.
    Never use the crate as a punishment.
    Your pup will be unwilling to mess in it's own space so use when you go out.
    Have crated all our pup's over the years, the longest we used one was for our brown labrador, 6 months but well orth it.
  • kate_sunflower
    kate_sunflower Posts: 152 Member
    Alright well then I guess I'd have to have a dog walker come every 3 hours or so instead of once a day when I am away at work. I was hoping for pee pad training because of my job and I live in an apartment (I am an auditor and I usually work for about 9 hour days). I can afford dog walkers no problem but I was hoping he'd be able to go on the pee pad so he wouldn't have to hold it.

    Ah this is tough now.
  • kaetra
    kaetra Posts: 442 Member
    I tried to use a peepad when we got our puppy. It confused the heck out of her. When we took her to it and told her to "go potty" she looked at us like we were crazy.

    We left it there for a bit and she went back to it and shredded it. I don't think she liked it.
  • Rhea30
    Rhea30 Posts: 625 Member
    Alright well then I guess I'd have to have a dog walker come every 3 hours or so instead of once a day when I am away at work. I was hoping for pee pad training because of my job and I live in an apartment (I am an auditor and I usually work for about 9 hour days). I can afford dog walkers no problem but I was hoping he'd be able to go on the pee pad so he wouldn't have to hold it.

    Ah this is tough now.

    Look up about housebreaking him with a crate. Its the best way to do it.
  • MelissaL582
    MelissaL582 Posts: 1,422 Member
    We just got a 9 week old puppy (Schnauzer/Chihuahua mix). I bought some peepads and it wasn't helpful at all. It's a pain in the butt sometimes especially at night but I take her out every 2 hours during the day and at night, every 3 hours or when I hear her moving around (she sleeps in her bed on the floor next to my side). Definitely brings me back to when my boys were babies- many nights of little sleep. Cleaning up her accidents is a pain too but nothing hot water, soap and Febreeze can't handle. :wink: Again, I'm reminded of when I was potty training my boys. Lol! Good luck to ya!
  • kate_sunflower
    kate_sunflower Posts: 152 Member
    Yeah our family dog Darby looks at her crate as a safe haven and that's what I'm going to do with Tucker. He's gotten so attached to me so fast I tried to walk out of my apartment for a minute to see what happened and he freaked. Good thing I took off work all next week to work with him because we'll have to ease him into the crate and confinement area. I don't want to traumatize the little guy!
  • Peta22
    Peta22 Posts: 377 Member
    We have a Pomeranian and a Toy Fox Terrier. We got them together at 8wks old each and in the early days, we did train them to use the pee pads. With this experience and hindsight, we made a mistake using the pads. As the previous posters have said, you're teaching them that its OK to go inside. 18mths later, i'm still fighting to get them to go outside because now I've taken the pads away, they figure its OK to pee where the pad used to be or on any mat or rug that vaguely resembles the pee pad!! It's infuriating but I couldn't continue to pay for the pee pads (which get expensive - at least $1 a day in Australia assiming they only use it once a day!) and we don't want the constant smell of the soiled pads in our newly renovated house!!

    Trust me... If you can avoid letting them go inside the house in the first place its much better!
  • BizReynoldsS
    BizReynoldsS Posts: 23
    I've trained 2 puppies (at different times).. a lab and border collie. I used a crate, started off in my bedroom at night, so they are near you.. they'll whine. Then after a week moved them down the hall and eventually into the mudroom (big entrance) As soon as they come out of the crate you take them to pee ( I used a leash ) and reward with treats , even now my 5 year old border collie can pee on demand and she goes in the same spot in the yard, easier to clean up! You have to be consistent and exercise them.. I would take them for a walk, crate for a nap, then as soon as they woke up, take them outside again to do their business. Crates make them feel safe and they usually will not mess in their beds. :) Good luck! P.S. IMO Pee pads just confuse them, make sure the dog understands right away outside is where they go.
    BTW - Tucker is adorable!
  • kate_sunflower
    kate_sunflower Posts: 152 Member
    I tried to use a peepad when we got our puppy. It confused the heck out of her. When we took her to it and told her to "go potty" she looked at us like we were crazy.

    We left it there for a bit and she went back to it and shredded it. I don't think she liked it.

    Haha he started to pull it out of the holder and chew on it! Plus his breeder was Amish and he was raised on 20 acres and now he's living in Washington DC... talk about country mouse city mouse haha he's adjusting really well though!
  • Rhea30
    Rhea30 Posts: 625 Member
    I've trained 2 puppies (at different times).. a lab and border collie. I used a crate, started off in my bedroom at night, so they are near you.. they'll whine. Then after a week moved them down the hall and eventually into the mudroom (big entrance) As soon as they come out of the crate you take them to pee ( I used a leash ) and reward with treats , even now my 5 year old border collie can pee on demand and she goes in the same spot in the yard, easier to clean up! You have to be consistent and exercise them.. I would take them for a walk, crate for a nap, then as soon as they woke up, take them outside again to do their business. Crates make them feel safe and they usually will not mess in their beds. :) Good luck! P.S. IMO Pee pads just confuse them, make sure the dog understands right away outside is where they go.
    BTW - Tucker is adorable!

    That happened with one of my dogs when we used the pads. She only goes on the pads and doesn't understand to go outside, even when following the directions on how to use them to get them to go outside and if a pad isn't in its normal place she'll just go to the restroom right there on the floor. We're trying to retrain her again with the crate. Other one was done by the crate and we have no issues with her now.
  • riskiestlavonn
    riskiestlavonn Posts: 207 Member
    I picked a puppy up off the street about a year ago (she's happy and healthy now). I would say that house training just takes consistency. In the beginning I would use Peepads ONLY if I had to leave her alone for a few hours (she always went to the pad herself... I figured she just found it more comfortable to pee on the pad the on the floor). When I was at home with her I would have to take her downstairs to see if she had to pee every hour or so (puppies seem to have small bladders). Anyway, after a while, even if I left her in with the peepad she refused to go on it, and would wait for me to come back and take her outside.

    :-)
  • countrygirlatheart0717
    countrygirlatheart0717 Posts: 83 Member
    I know some people are going to say/think "Holy cow you don't have your puppy housebroken yet?!?" I have a pure bred Beagle - they are the MOST STUBBORN breed to house train!!!!! I have been told that by a few people who have Beagles as well as reading that online LOL.

    I am currently trying to get my 5 month old puppy housebroken too. I was taking her out every hour because anything past that she would have accidents. I take her outside every time she comes out of her crate, after eating/drinking, after rough play and anytime I saw her pacing and sniffing. I go outside and do not come in until she goes - when she goes potty I reward her with a treat and lots of praise. This was working for a little bit but then it was useless because she was going randomly all the time. I tried the aggressive crate training for about 3 weeks and she was good for a while and then started having accidents again. I was getting very frustrated because she would do SO WELL for a few days (no accidents) and then it was like she did a 180 :(.

    I REFUSE to try the puppy pads ... to me they are a waste of money and only confuse the dog. To me, it teaches them It's okay to go inside but when you eventually take the pad away how are they do know it's no longer okay to go there?!?

    I think I have FINALLY FOUND A SOLUTION!

    My vet as well as staff members in pet stores have suggested using the training bells for dogs. I thought it was silly because with a dog who is chewing and destroying EVERYTHING in sight how would she NOT chew these?!? Well, since she just turned 5 months and I am tired of cleaning up messes all day (I do not work so it's even more frustrating that she isn't house broken yet) I decided to buy the bells which she doesn't chew! Haha go figure.

    I would use treats as rewards (if you don't have treats you can use some of their kibbles/food) and I would take her front paws and make her stand up ... I would take her paws and hit the bells and say "outside". After letting go of her paws I would open the door and we would go outside on the front steps for a few seconds. I'd go back inside and do this over again. After doing this for 2-5 minutes I would show her the bells and say, "Daisy outside" while I hit the bells then I opened the door. I would also gently take her head and hit the bells (they hang from the door and come down almost floor length so no, it's not hurting her in any way LOL) We went outside for a little walk afterwards for a reward. She didn't do it on her own yet but my point was getting her to know what to do when she had to go outside. I had her go to the door each time she needed to go out and wouldn't go outside until she hit the bells when I said, "Daisy outside" and pointed to the bells ... I showed her that afternoon through the night and by the next afternoon she did it on her own. Since then she has hardly any accidents!!!!! :) After 1 day of training her she rings the bells when she has to go out.

    I highly recommend using this method because when you're busy doing something and they have to go out just listen for the bells and you'll know. You don't have to get up and follow them around wondering what they're doing! Also, whenever my husband and I travel to family/friends houses we take the bells with us! Yes, this sounds silly but it works because we hang it on the door and show her so she knows even when she's not home she still has to ring the bells to go out! :)

    Hope this helps anyone who is in the same situation and good luck! :)
  • kate_sunflower
    kate_sunflower Posts: 152 Member
    I love the bell idea but I work all day so no one is around to hear the bell ring.
  • countrygirlatheart0717
    countrygirlatheart0717 Posts: 83 Member
    I love the bell idea but I work all day so no one is around to hear the bell ring.


    I wasn't thinking about that haha sorry. Well, maybe you can still train your puppy to ring the bell that way when you are home you'll hear it. When you're at work just either stick to the kennel method or confining the puppy to a room with a baby gate .... sorry that it wasn't helpful haha.
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