Potty Training in Apartment?
Has anyone every successfully potty train their corgi in an apartment? Preferably without pee pads? What was your method? I can't exactly catch her in the act and immediately take her outside to finish her business since I live on the 5th floor, haha! Do I just clap and say NO! very firmly when she does but then what?
Thanks guys!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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If you've used pee-pads you just delayed, if not derailed housebreaking, as pee-pads teach a dog to go indoors.... this may be a necessity with very young puppies and an owner who is gone beyond the time the dog can safely "hold it', but it's a compromise which always makes matters more difficult. Housebreaking a puppy in an apartment is no different than in any other situation. It is about creating a preference for going outdoors on a natural surface ( grass, mulch, dirt, gravel are all acceptable). Learn her habits well. How often does she need to go. Write it down, even if she's had what you call an accident. In a week or so you'll have a good picture. Then make sure you take her out often and well in advance of when you think she will need to go and reward her when she does go outside. If she goes indoors, tell yourself you misjudged her needs, interrupt her if you can and take her out, even if she will not go any longer. Do not scold her, you are trying to retrain her and overcome the mistakes done with her so far in the house training process. Also make sure the carpets have been well cleaned with an enzyme based solution for pet odors, such as Nature's Miracle, which can even be put in a carpet cleaning machine. I had dogs in apartments for many years, it just takes a bit more effort from you than opening the door to the back yard, but then one knows this before getting the dog. Chin up!
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Permalink Reply by Naomi& Noemi Romero on
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Thank you! She has used peepads in the past when she was a little puppy, so I can see why thatbefore, haha!her training trickier. I haven't used a single one in two months and although people keep telling me I have to since I live in an apartment, I refuse. When you say interrupt, do you mean going "Ah ah!!" And clapping? I like the idea of immediately taking her out despite her already doing her business indoors.
Do I slowly stretch apart her potty breaks to teach to hold it? I never potty trained a puppy before, haha!
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You want to startle her just enough that she will stop peeing , so to speak, in mid stream, so clapping, showing your own "I don't believe this is happening!" feeling :-D or whatever does it for you. Above all, lean to trust her. By that I mean, take her out often enough that you have a good basis for that trust, confine her when that is not possible and deal with the unexpected when and if it happens. It is essential that there is no smell of urine in the carpets.
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Permalink Reply by Jane T. (& Griffin) on
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I live in a second floor condo. When I first got Griffin I set the oven timer and took him out every hour. Then increased to 1 1/2 hrs., 2 hours, etc. He got the idea pretty quick--corgis are smart.
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Fantastic! I love that idea! How long did it take for him to be house broken and how long did you wait to increase the time?
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Jane, you were smart too!
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Permalink Reply by Marina Holshevnikoff on
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Oh man, I tried to prepare myself and do everything right for potty training, and it was one of the hardest things I ever did. Everyone kept telling me, "It gets better!!" And my response was, "WHEN??!!??" I think Jerry was about 6 months before I felt like we really had a system going, and probably 8 months before I really trusted him. He's got loads of attitude, and something we were doing was NOT clicking. I feel like there was a huge disconnect for him because we had to go up and down stairs to get down to where he could potty. AND, I had to carry him down the stairs, so I imagine that distanced it even further.
I want to say that I did everything everyone says in any forum, or website or book, but I'm sure I overreacted too. It's hard not to! I definitely yelled more than I should have. The real trick, is the frequency. If you're really diligent about taking her out when you feel she *could* perhaps potty, then it doesn't give them an opportunity to make a mistake. Our pup, Jerry, was in his x pen a lot while we were home and couldn't attend to him 100%. He used to pee in there SO MUCH. But on the other hand, he didn't pee elsewhere.
We also had the same difficulty "interrupting" him mid-act to get him downstairs to finish. Easier with the poo. I think a lot of it is your disappointment. When we reacted a certain way, he knew he was not pleasing us.
Eventually, we figured out his antsy whining and circling in his pen, to know that he needed to go out. Does Gravity have problems at night? In that department, I was trying to space out the intervals, then I just gave up and let him sit all night in his crate. Eventually he figured out that if he held it until morning, he didn't have to sleep on a pee towel :)
I understand your frustration. EVERYONE was telling us to use pee pads. I got tired of explaining why they were a bad idea. It was a really hard time, but sticking to it did finally pay off. Just be consistent, don't take it personally, and give lots of love and kisses and praise. You're probably further along than you think!
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Permalink Reply by Priss, Charlie & Kaylee (PK) on
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I'm not going to say it's easy but we succeeded. Kaylee was brought home at 14 weeks to a 2nd floor apartment. At 6 months, she still had "accidents". So, don't be too frustrated. We trained without pee pads. I came home for lunch to take her out, feed her/eat, and went back to work. My husband and my schedules were staggered giving her only 2-3 hours alone. My suggestions: 1) Always keep an eye on her. Kaylee would sneak off in the middle of play to pee in the house without our knowing it. 2) Keep her in a crate our small area when you can't watch her, but keep a schedule that lets her know that "relief" isn't too far away. I think the rule is "months +1" = hours she can hold it. 3) Do you have a porch? Perhaps a pee spot (like this). You could bring her there in the middle of an accident, so you don't have to travel 5 floor down to real grass or mulch. On the second floor it wasn't necessary, but it may help you.
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Permalink Reply by Samantha de Jager on
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We trained Penny in an apartment but it was on the first floor. We also had trouble for a while, but were told that we should move around the apartment or keep her in a smaller area where we can see her at all times when she wasn't in her crate. It really helped because you see the warning signs better of an accident. Then you can give them a verbal cue like,"go potty?" Right before hand. Penny caught on pretty quickly and would bark back or perk her ears when she needed to go. The key is to be able to quickly take them out, like snap a leash on and go. I would probably take the stairs instead of an elevator. It also helped to restrict her water access. I know it seems kind of bad, but as long as you know when they're drinking and eating you can begin to figure out at what times they'll need to go. Don't forget to give her a lot of praise when she lets you know and successfully makes it outside.
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I would not recommend restricting water for a dog during the daytime hours, except if crated for brief periods ( one or two hours )it can lead to health problems, especially when dogs are fed a diet of kibble.
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Not stopping them from having water just not having a lot of it around all the time. Giving them small amounts at a time so you can see when they drink and how much to take them out when they need to go.
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Permalink Reply by Kevin on
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I have had my share of frustrations with potty training. I live at the 5th floor of a huge apartment with a super slow elevator and those were special challenges. It took me about 2 months (he was already 5 months old) to feel confident that he'd hold it until I take him outside to release it.
What worked for my puppy is crate training, a strict routine, and lots of treats. I took him out every 2-3 hours, let him stay outside his crate for an hour after his break, and then back to his crate in the next two hours where he can practice holding it in. When it's time for his potty break, I literally have to carry him and go downstairs straight to the courtyard where he can do the deed, amd then reward him with a cookie. I even had to wake up at 3am to make sure he gets a break and doesn't pee inside his crate. The older he got, the more time he got outside his crate.
I can tell you that there have been several occassions where he's had some accidents and my puppy sensed my frustration. Dogs like to please their owners and you can see that they're trying really hard to hold it. My puppy feels guilty whenever an accident happens and hides inside his crate. It's been weeks since his last accident and I now just need to take him out every 5-6 hours (4x a day). My only problem now is that he spends way too much time outside before he poops. When I can't wait too long, he tends to pee or poo at the apartment hallway. I now have to re-potty train. Ugh!!!
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