Housebreaking - Parvo & High-Rise Building?
Hi everyone! My 8 week old corgi pup will be arriving this weekend. I live in an urban neighborhood that is heavily trafficked by dogs (my street often smells like urine and you have to watch where you step; the surrounding streets are no better). I would like to teach my dog to do his business outside, but am worried about exposure to parvo. Should I wait until he has all his vaccines to take him outside to go to the bathroom? If so, do I then train him to use puppy pads until then?
I read that to transition from puppy pads to outside, one has to move the pad closer to the door, and eventually bring a pad outside. At the end of the month, I will be moving to the 17th floor of a high-rise building. I know that puppies can only hold it for so long...is it silly of me to worry that while transitioning from going inside to going outside, he might not be able to wait until we actually get outside? He might have an accident in the hallway, the elevator, or in the lobby?
My family dog is a 13 year old Shepherd/Akita mix, so it's been a long time since I've dealt with housebreaking! Thanks in advance!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on
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Will your apartment have a balcony? If so, possibly you can train the pup to pads or even a large catbox out there? You'd have to wire some screening around the balcony railing to be sure Pup can't squeeze through, which could set off the HOA... But if you can pull it off that sure would be easier than traipsing up and down 17 floors!
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Permalink Reply by Laura Y. S. on
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Hi Vicky, thanks for the reply! There isn't a balcony but there is a kind of sun room/enclosed balcony where the washer/dryer is. That might be a good place to put puppy pads. Thanks!
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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
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Hi Laura,
If your ultimate goal is to train your dog to go outdoor then you need to do that right now, read the FAQ and apply it to your training. DO NOT use puppy pads ever, it confuses your dog and slow down the progress. A solid eating, drinking, sleeping, playing crating structure is the way to go. Good luck!
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Hi Sam, I read the FAQ and plan on having him on a schedule of eating/drinking, sleeping, potty, etc. I just thought puppies shouldn't be exposed to places that might put them at risk for parvo until they've been vaccinated. Seeing as a 5 block radius of me is heavily (and I mean really heavily) trafficked by dogs, what am I to do in that case? This is my dilemma. Thanks!
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Use a magarine lid to collect urine, put it in a bottle if you need to, then pour it on a designated spot for him to pee on. (use a wooden paint stir and stick it in the grass) Don't let him sniff high traffic areas.
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Permalink Reply by Tori on
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I don't have a lot of advice but I have to agree with what Sam said. Using the puppy pads have always spelled trouble for people who want to transition to outside potty. My neighbor has a dachsand and she;s been struggling to get her Goose to learn to go outside now since she started with the puppy pads. I'm sure that they work for some people (and dogs!) but I haven't seen that experience myself.
I wouldn't worry about accidents in the hallway or elevator as long as you bring some sort of towel to clean up afterward. As for the high-traffic area, I don't really know what to say. When I moved to Seattle, Winston was already 2 years old so the high-traffic wasn't so much of an issue as it relates to health and safety.
You might want to try teaching your corgi to go outside but maybe not on the trees or what not. You could look for an area that is close but might not be used by the regulars who are walking their dogs. Or if your building has a small hidden patch of dirt/gravel/scraggly grass, that might be better than the other areas.
Good luck and congrats on your new baby! Take lots of pictures for us, haha :D
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