Potty training

[krs123]

anyone have any hints for successful potty training? I have been reading some articles on it but thought my fellow doxie owners could throw some hints my way as to what worked best for them. Sorry i have so many questions lately, its been along time since i have had a new furbaby!! I take him out very often, but he does still have accidents. How old are they before they know to TELL you they have to go out? When the boys are playing , i will have just had them out and watch him go potty and he will still go in the house 10minutes later?? I have him gated in the kitchen area when i'm busy doing other house stuff so i don't watch him all the time. Should i put him in his kennel when i can't watch him as i do chores and stuff? I really hate leaving him in the kennel unless we leave or at night when he sleeps??
Thanks!
Kim

[papbouv]

Are you going out with him each time is he on a 6 ft leash are you going to one area of the yard.Dog show people taught me years ago a neat way to house break a pup take the 6 ft leash go to the area of the yard you want them to use even as an adult tell them go potty or what ever words you want to use. You must use the same words each time just stand in one spot they have all of the 6 ft leash when they go PRAISE,PRAISE act like that is the neatest thing you ever saw,may give a treat if you wish.( I would not give a treat each time or you will be just going out for the dog to get a treat) Go out every 2 hours, after eating, after playing and after sleeping, if the do not go put them in their crate or safe area.How old is the pup???seems like Doxie's and small dogs are harder to house break than big dogs.If you do it this way every time in a few weeks or months you will have a dog that will go potty on command which is great on trips,rain,snow and if you are in a hurry.It is worth the extra time in the long run as with anything with dogs you have to be consistent.
Papbouv

[krs123]

Yes i do go out with him every time. I preety much have him going most of the time in one area although i don't have him on a leash when we go out. i felt like he should be able to explore a little. He is 10 weeks old right now so i guess i shouldn't expect too much but i just want to make sure i am on the right track. Thanks for your advice!
krs123

[papbouv]

At 10 weeks old sorry but its going to take awhile since they are like babies their bladders have to grow along with the rest of them. I would say about 3 months maybe just takes awhile.
Papbouv
Good Luck

[Doxherding Karen]

I think the bigger issue than potty training is marking.  I have four boys, three of whom mark in the house all the time!  And the only one who doesn't mark is Guinness, who isn't housebroken!

I watch them like a hawk when they eat, since they finish as different speeds and start nosing around.  If I'm not vigilent, either Merlin or Beau starts sniffing and will mark the door, the wall, etc.  So as soon as they finish eating, they go outside for another recess in the doggie yard.  Roscoe is a much slower eater, but less inclined to mark indoors.  Guinness nibbles his way through 3/4 of his bowl.  He never finishes a full bowl and he still looks emaciated!

Karen

[papbouv]

The purpose of the leash is to keep him focused on the matter at hand the have short attention spans and forget what they are suppose to do.

As for the marking boys are they fixed ? have you tried belly bands for boys??? If you do use belly bands I would use a women's kotex they come in all sizes if you use the pads that come with the bands they are thin and expensive and do not hold very much of anything.As for belly bands or diapers for girls you have to be very diligent so they will not get galded by urine.
Papbouv

[Doxherding Karen]

Haven't tried the belly bands yet.  Thanks for the idea.  They don't leave big puddles, just small sprinkles, so a Kotex inside the belly band sounds like a good plan.  They'll be just thrilled - I can even color coordinate them, with green for Beau, blue for Merlin, and purple for Roscoe.  Do they come in Guinness' size? (Seven pounds soaking wet.)

Karen

And yes, The Herd are all fixed, although they asked, "Hey, what was so broken that it needed fixing?"

[papbouv]

I saw some at Petsmart & Petco should also have them I'm sure they come in all sizes the reason I know about the pads is because Gizmo a girl dog wore diapers in the last part of her life.I experimented with the pads because the doggie pads just were not working for our situation. If the boys just sprinkle you could maybe get by with the panty liners you can find short ones if you hunt you can buy a big box of those instead of the small box of doggie liners. Also you might want to get some Bitter Apple if the boys decided to remove the Belly bands with their teeth.
The boys may not like you but beats dog pee everywhere.Buddy is 14 months old was fixed early due to his starting to be too friendly with Patches so he never learned to hike his leg and I'm not telling him.
papbouv
good luck

[Doxherding Karen]

Never learned?  NEVER LEARNED???  NEVER LEARNED????

Ooo, you lucky duck!

Karen

[papbouv]

Not sure is hiking is a learned behavior or not my boy Bouviers did not hike that much either I think CJ my first Bouvier hiked his leg on a chair once timing was perfect. I happened to walk in the room when he had his leg up had a towel in my hand popped him on the butt with the towel he never did it again in the house.None of my boys were around other male dogs just female dogs so I do not know if that is why or not. Your boys dare not tell Buddy either about this hiking thing either.
sorry
papbouv

[krs123]

What is the Belly Band for? Where do you get it?
krs123

[papbouv]

KRS 123 a Belly Band is for a boy dog its like a diaper but for a boy I have seen them at Petsmart, Pet co and they are on line and in some catalogs.
papbouv

[doxielady5569128]

This may not be much help but it worked with my little guy Porky.   When he came home at 8 weeks, I began leash training and potty training at the same time.   The way I did this was to attach a leash to his collar and i kept it on all day and all night for a week.   The other end of the leash was around my wrist.  THat way, anytime he would stray away or wake up from a nap, I would feel him get up to move and take him outside to go potty.  I also used the phrase, "hurry" and praised him as soon as he went potty.  After the first week of keeping him on a leash, I let him offf the leash and began putting him out to go potty every two hours, even in the night.   I gradually increased the time by a half hour a week.  So.. by the time we were done he was fully trained and can hold it for up to 6 hours.   

Hope these ideas are of some help.   You don't have to take my advice if you don't want.  This is just worked best for me.  We have never had an accident in the house using this method minus the time he was having tummy troubles.   

[Doxherding Karen]

Vigilence is the key.  Whenever someone comes to my front door and I close The Herd in my bedroom, they get all excited and run around my bedroom marking one after the other!  So I take the extra time to put them outside in the doggie yard before I answer the door.   My friends know there is a bit of a wait, but it's worth it. 

The Herd loves to lay on my bed all day sleeping, but if someone gets up, I watch like a hawk and at the first sniff I say, "Hey, hey, hey, no marking."  If I actually catch a leg in the air, I yell REALLY LOUDLY, "HEY, HEY, HEY NO MARKING!!" and accompany it with a swat on the butt. 

Girls (sigh!).  The next Herd will be heifers.  No more steers for me!

Karen :crazyeyes:

[papbouv]

Would a water pistol work???? if you shot them in the butt with a water pistol maybe they would stop marking????
Papbouv