Q&A: whats the best way to break habits while housebreaking my puppy?
Question by Stephanie: whats the best way to break habits while housebreaking my puppy?
i have a 2 month old pomeranian and im trying to housebreak him. i always take him out right after i feed him or give him water and i keep him outside for about an hour but my problem is that it doesnt matter how long i have him outside because he wont go potty until i bring him in. how do i fix this? i always clean up his accidents without him watching and get rid of the scent so he cant pick it up. help!
Best answer:
Answer by Julie D.
Are you keeping him outside for that hour by himself? If so, he probably is going potty and you don’t even know it, so by the time you bring him back in, he has to go again. Don’t forget…..small dog, small bladder that has to be emptied more frequently than a larger pup. Go outside with hm, and STAY with him until he goes. When he does, praise him and bring him back in. Take him back out in another hour or so. Also, a pup can’t even get the *mind over body control* until it’s about 5 months old. After all, babies don’t come potty trained, do they? Have patience and make sure you are there to reward/praise him when he does his business. Don’t just let him out alone or you’ll never know if he’s went or not. Crate him at night and when he can’t be watched.
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I prefer to crate train our pups, and always take them out first when they come out of the crate. Sometimes it takes a while for them to go but once they do give lots of praise. At 8 weeks old they will have accidents, but be consistent and the pup will get the hang of it.
Ok don’t panic, he’s only 8 weeks old you’ve got three months before he gets it and one year before he’s 100% reliable in the house and no longer having accidents.
When you take him outside is he on a leash or do you simply throw him outside and stand there with him? It’s critical to get him to walk around, walking will stimulate the bowels and encourage him to sniff around which will then encourage him to potty. When he does potty you praise and give him a treat. I suggest using a command word like go potty, or go pee pee. My command word for my Weim is go quick quick, she now pees on command, to poop I simply say go poop poops and walk her around. Be patient and be consistent when you train, it will take some time for him to figure out what it is you want. Giving him a treat when he goes and praising helps the dog make the connection to what you want. If you simply take him outside and wait, or don’t say anything when he does potty then he’s not going to know what it is you want or even know that you’re trying to teach him something. Training is all about communication and knowing when to communicate your displeasure and your pleasure. You communicate displeasure by ignoring the behavior (removing attention) you communicate your pleasure by voicing your pleasure (giving it attention), this is how a dog learns what he’s done right and what he’s done wrong. Get the puppy on a strict schedule to eat, potty and sleep. Up at the same time every morning, fed at the same times every day, potty every hour on the hour etc.
Remember, he will not poop 2 minutes after he eats, it takes 30 mins, however, they will pee after excited playing, drinking water and waking up. Set a timer for every hour, when it dings say potty time in a happy voice and take him outside (out the same door each time) go to a spot in the yard and walk around with him saying go potty, go pee pee etc. Be sure to have treats with you. When he goes say good potty and give him a treat (must be done within 2 seconds of the behavior) the treat marks the behavior. Then bring him inside and keep him confined but keep an eye on him. If you see him sniffing and circling say OUTSIDE Potty time and out you go. If he looks like he’s about to squat, clap your hands say outside, pick him up and out you go.
Do exactly what you are doing with the messes, ignore him, clean it up and try again.
Give him time, he’s still young, he will get it as long as you are patient and consistent.