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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on April 16, 2013 at 8:01am

There are lots of potty training tips in the FAQ. I have always thought the best way is to always watch the puppy very closely when he is out around the house. Take him out for a short walk (not a play session and don't just stand there) after the pup wakes up, eats, drinks, plays and if he starts looking around. I still believe that a potty accident is the human's fault not the puppies. It is ok to grumble about your inability to recognize that the puppy needed to go out while cleaning up with a good cleaner (Urine Off) but not to scold the pup. Puppies catch on pretty fast if you are very vigilent at first. If you compare it to the two human babies I potty trained, puppies are brillant! My kids took almost 3 years and they both grew up to be really smart college graduates! Seriously, puppies are learning alot of new things so telling you when they want to go out takes some time. I also like to teach a "go potty" command at this time. Everytime the pup starts to go (outside of couse) say the command. They will begin to realize that when you say it they should go potty. It is a great training tip!

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Permalink Reply by Candace Rogers on April 16, 2013 at 10:48am

Thanks for the advice!  I take him out everytime he seems to be doing a circle dance, but sometimes he won't go.  I always take him to the same place to go and repeat "go potty" when we get there.  And of course praise him when he's done.   I don't yell at him for going inside, though.  I usually take him outside, hoping he'll associate the two.   It's probably just going to take time and diligence.  It's just hard getting through this part!  He'll get it eventually!

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Permalink Reply by Nina & Nellie on April 16, 2013 at 3:36pm

Nellie has the same problem, unless if she's in her crate or pen she won't have a signal for when she needs to go, and she sniffs around for food on the ground anyway so it looks like potty time but isn't. She went potty in class yesterday and I think she didn't even look like she was gonna go, she just went! I think she might have a little whine when she needs to go though. Problem is, if I take her out she pretty much goes every time anyway, so I have no idea what kind of behavior means "I need to go" though it's convenient at the same time.

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Permalink Reply by Jane on April 16, 2013 at 7:54pm

I wouldn't wait for him to tell you - not all dogs do. I'd just take him out on a schedule and stick to it. When he's in the house, he needs to be watched at all times. If you're busy, but him in his crate or an xpen or whatever.

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Permalink Reply by Terry, Maya, & Brees on April 16, 2013 at 9:05pm

I had Maya potty trained within two weeks (2 1/2 months old) of getting her home from the breeder with the exception of a few slip ups, mostly myself or my wife's fault. The first day I had Maya home from the breeder, the very first thing I did was start potty training her. About every hour I would take her outside and tell her why we were going outside, and that was to potty. While inside, I would watch Maya very carefully and when she started showing signs of looking for a place to potty, I would say to Maya, "lets go potty!" Within three to four days, when she needed to go outside and potty, she would go to the door and bark. I was so amazed at how fast the caught on. Now when I mentioned earlier that she slipped up a few times, what happened was, when she needed to go out to potty, she would bark, but not at the door, so I just assumed she was just enjoying her self playing, but before I knew it, she was potting on the floor. So, what Maya was doing was, letting me know that she needed to go potty, but not necessarily while sitting at the door. She also did the same thing to my wife. Now when I would take Maya out to potty, I would have to verify that she did potty, because if I didn't, all Maya would do is play. Maya is now almost 7 months and she does an awesome job letting myself and my wife know when she needs to go potty. 

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Permalink Reply by Taylor Walkky on April 17, 2013 at 11:16am

Marshall is a little over 9 weeks old, and he still has accidents all the time. When I'm doing homework I leave him running about, and he always tries to get me to come play with him. However, sometimes he's trying to get my attention to go outside, so it's my fault if he has an accident. He does poop outside and then immediately come inside and go pee or poop though. He's getting a lot better about having accidents near the door though, so I think he's getting better. My theory is that he's a baby; he's learning as fast as he can but there's always going to be a learning curve. I'm a psychology graduate student haha so I feel like he's my subject half the time :) He'll catch on eventually. Until he does, stock up on cleaner! 

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Permalink Reply by Bogart the Cardigan on April 17, 2013 at 2:15pm

I think it is more scientific. Feed at the same times each day and for a younger dog figure he/she will need to go potty about 40 minutes later. A little bit older dog about an hour... A trainer recommended that I keep my dog leashed even in the back yard, for potty trips, so he wouldn't get distracted and start playing or exploring... Also, with a no grain dog (higher quality) food, there will be a lesser volume of poop, as the dog will be absorbing more of the food and not just passing it through it's system.

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