# potty training need major help



## kookla31 (Dec 12, 2007)

I have had Lucy for oh almost two weeks... I live in Utah and its snowy and cold... but my Doxie goes potty outside and I think we got her in the winter too and evenutally ended up bringing the pads outside.. 

But my boss at work who says she is a Dog Trainer... (uh ok) well I have been talking to her about potty training and stuff... she said that I need to STOP ASAP what I am doing and buy her a sweater and need to be taking her outside imediatly... on the porch coverd little patio in the front door area.. where there is no snow... 

But my problem is Lucy is tiny.. she only weighs two pounds. I know I knwo I know I need to get her to go outside and potty... But is she right? Do I need to stop the training inside? WHat about the sweater than... when she is with me in bed she usually wakes up and comes walking to me to let me know potty time.. I go and put her on the pad in the kitchen tile floor on the pad... So If I am to bring her outside.. should she sleep with the sweater on or do I have to put a sweater on her when I take her out and then take it off when I bring her in? 

I am soooo soooo confused. If she were bigger and it was warmer than I would understand and just know that I had to go out side with her.. wether it be 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning... 

So any advise would be appreiated.. 
I really dont want her to get too comfy going inside but stressed about this.. 
I am going to Petsmart after work to pick up a sweater for her... a super duper tiny one. What if she HATES the sweater and wont move when I put it on her? And I guess I need a leash too? WHat kind? I would have to get a cat coller she is so little.. I should probobly bring her with me..... to the store...


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## Julie718 (Feb 17, 2006)

I don't know what to tell you. Tango and Tillie are both pad trained, even though I did try to take Tango outside when he was a puppy. I think it is just easier to use the pads. I know there are many people here that have their Malts pad trained especially for the winter. But whatever you decide to do you need to be consistent.

As far as a collar, I would get a harness because these Malts have very delicate tracheas and collars aren't good for them. Good luck!


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

I wouldn't listen to her. Toy breed puppies are much different than the breeds she is probably used to. It way too cold for a puppy her age to be out in a Utah winter.

Trust your instincts and keep doing what you are doing. You are doing a great job with her.


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## MaryH (Mar 7, 2006)

If you want her to eliminate outside but she already goes on pee pads then all you need to do is decide what door you will someday use to take her out and put a pee pad by that door. Bring her to that pad every time you want her to eliminate and praise her when she does the deed. And when you can't watch her like a hawk, give her some alone time in a crate. When the weather gets more tolerable take her outside to a designated area and wait for her to eliminate then praise her just like you did when she went on the pad. Be consistent about when you take her to eliminate, where you take her, what door you use, and how you praise her. If ultimately you want her to eliminate only outdoors then every time she goes to the pad quickly pick her up and bring her outside. Eventually she will just go to the door when she needs to eliminate.

My first was already trained to go outside and that's where he's always eliminated. The next one, 11 weeks old when I got her, arrived in mid-January during sub-zero weather with snow and ice on the ground. She thought pee pads were for shredding and had no interest in eliminating on them. The few times that I tried to put a sweater on her she wasn't able to hold it long enough to get outside. So I just started taking her out without a sweater. She knew it was cold, peed and pooped immediately, then I picked her up, tucked her under my shirt and brought her in the house. She's 9 yrs. old now, no longer shreds the pee pads, but would never dream of eliminating on them. The two youngest ones here will eliminate outside or on pads. If I let them out they will eliminate in the dog yard. If I don't let them out they go to the pee pad by the door. If they are playing in the dog room and have to go they will go on the pee pad there. None of my dogs go wherever, whenever. 

Maltese are very smart and very trainable so long as YOU are consistent and watchful.

MaryH


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## Maidto2Maltese (Oct 19, 2004)

My Naddie is outside trained BUT WILL go on papers if she is 'caught-short', say if we are not home to let her out. Quincy on the other hand is pad trained. With nasty weather already on the way when we got him, and I didn't want to confuse with so many changes I've kept to the pad for him. He's 100% perfect with them and I'm OK with it too. Naddie didn't 'regress' as I was concerned about that ( she is a rescue and had a challenging time training her) . She knows to go outside and isn't phased by Quincy going inside. 
Quincy is my first pad-trained pup and I was thinking I'd try to outside train in the spring...now I'm not so sure I will.... I have to say it was a pleasure not having to deal with TWO going outside in these last weeks with all the snow and ice!


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## robl45 (Dec 25, 2007)

Our baby is 3 months, we have had her for 1 week and she is pretty much potty trained already. We leave her in the bathroom with her cage and a pad when we are at work and she goes peepee like once during the day, not bad for 11 hours. Then she doesn't really have any accidents. I understand some people live in places where it is snowy, but no dog of mine would be going in the house, on pads or otherwise. I had a dog years back and the vet said use the pads, the only thing the dog did was go all over the house.


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## Sam I Am (Dec 21, 2007)

Petey, my malt/poodle mix, is 3 months old and 4 lbs. When the rescue dropped him off to me ( I am a foster failure BTW  ), they brought a whole stack of pee pads. Well, I don't like them, and I knew Petey was not going to freeze if he went outside. I bought him a sweater, which he has no problem with, and he goes outside just like my other 3 dogs, who are much larger than him (65 lbs, 60 lbs, and 20lbs). I know pee pads work with some people, but I have cats and other dogs and I don't want pee pads hanging out on the floor where my other dogs or cats will shred them. I know 4 lbs is bigger than 2 lbs, but not by much. Petey actually loves going outside and running around. If he shivered and shook I might change my mind, but he runs around the yard like a maniac everytime we go outside.


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## kookla31 (Dec 12, 2007)

Well I have some good news and not so great news.... we moved the pad to the front porch. I bought a jingle bell and hung it from the door in hopes that eventually she will get the hint to hit it with her little paw so we know she neds to go out.... that hant happened yet. The only good news is I have been home 4 a few days & whenever she looks like she needs to potty I take her to the pad on the porch. Yes its chilly outside.... so I try to take her only when she seems like she has to gi... tdy we have had some success and then turn around and total failure! Ahhhhhh.... she wakes me up in the night... I say potty?? and she wags her tail...... so its hit and miss......shes young and we have tile and hardwood floors and heck she is sooootiny...when she goes its sooooo small... I dunno... I bought three sweaters 4 her and nada fits... she is soooo itty bitty!! but some progres.... no pad in the house now so maybe that confuses her a bit....i am sure..fyi... i am holding her... so excuse all my mispelled wrds.... just cant leave a baby alone......


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## kookla31 (Dec 12, 2007)

> Our baby is 3 months, we have had her for 1 week and she is pretty much potty trained already. We leave her in the bathroom with her cage and a pad when we are at work and she goes peepee like once during the day, not bad for 11 hours. Then she doesn't really have any accidents. I understand some people live in places where it is snowy, but no dog of mine would be going in the house, on pads or otherwise. I had a dog years back and the vet said use the pads, the only thing the dog did was go all over the house.[/B]


i hear ya...... We have a 7 yr doxie and she runs threw the snow!!


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## bek74 (Jun 26, 2006)

Although I don't get snow where I live, I would still prefer my babies to potty outside. Mine are all outside trained.
Lucy is only so tiny, so will need to expect a few accidents from to time, but I am sure she will catch on fast. Just always be consistant and don't let her free roam your house without you watching her at all times. Most accidents are our fault for no watching them for the sign.

Good luck


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## kookla31 (Dec 12, 2007)

Well... some good news to report... 
Hubby called and said that little Lucy is comming to the command of "come on Lucy, time to go potty.." she goes running to the door! I am amazed... what an improvement... and funny thing is we have a porch and she stays on the porch and its covered and there are chairs and a little table there so you can sit with her while she goes to MAKE SURE she goes... 

But today..... she went down another step all by her little self... so my husband got worried. Didnt want her to get hurt.. so he put her down on the cement sidewalk by the grass... its all fenced in so she cannot get out.. but she went running back and forth down the little sidewalk... Ted said it was sooo cute! He said Sally was running after her like she was worried.... although there is no way Sally my Doxie was worried.. probobly confused since Lucy has not done that... anyway... bottom line is that today Ted said that all Lucy wants to do is go outside and POTTY! YEA... its a step in the right direction and NO SNOW!!!


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

I don't understand why you would want to train her to go outside now when she sounds like she is already indoor pad trained?

I'm from MA. We got Ollie last December and he was indoor pad trained and I kept him going on the pads for as long as I possibly could. In the next few months he gradually learned to go outside just by happenstance on a "warmer" day when we'd take a walk, etc. he would go outside while we were already there. He eventually liked going outside more than inside and now refuses to go on an indoor pad, which is a bummer b/c in a blizzard it would be so much nicer for me to not have to go out and shovel an area for him...(btw he is also bell trained).

If I had a 2 lb. baby who has to go potty VERY frequently (they all do at that age) and was pad trained I would keep her inside as much as possible until the spring.

Get her used to wearing clothes on a regular basis now and you won't have to deal with resistance later.

You should have a harness and leash and get her used to that regularly as well. Use it indoors, use it in your house for practice.


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## Snuggle's Mom (Jan 3, 2008)

Although I am brand new to the Forum and I haven't even introduced myself yet, I just wanted to give some advice that really worked for me while I was training our dog Snuggles. Even though I really hated to do this, but I followed that advice of our Vet and crate trained her without any problems. I think that it was harder on me to put her in her crate due her being to tiny, but she actually liked being there since it was a "safe haven" for her. Our Angel also loved being in her crate, even though I did not crate train her. One thing for sure, when training a new puppy, one has to be consistent even if it means getting up in the middle of the night in cold winter weather.

I hope that you might gain some insight to all of the suggestions that have been posted so far.

Good Luck with your puppy training!!

Snuggle's Mom


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## mybabies (Jan 2, 2008)

> Well... some good news to report...
> Hubby called and said that little Lucy is comming to the command of "come on Lucy, time to go potty.." she goes running to the door! I am amazed... what an improvement... and funny thing is we have a porch and she stays on the porch and its covered and there are chairs and a little table there so you can sit with her while she goes to MAKE SURE she goes...
> 
> But today..... she went down another step all by her little self... so my husband got worried. Didnt want her to get hurt.. so he put her down on the cement sidewalk by the grass... its all fenced in so she cannot get out.. but she went running back and forth down the little sidewalk... Ted said it was sooo cute! He said Sally was running after her like she was worried.... although there is no way Sally my Doxie was worried.. probobly confused since Lucy has not done that... anyway... bottom line is that today Ted said that all Lucy wants to do is go outside and POTTY! YEA... its a step in the right direction and NO SNOW!!![/B]



Hi, I'm happy to see that Lucy is braving the cold and doing her thing outside. It's cold here in Quebec so outside isn't my favorite thing for my babies and since I'm in an appartement on the second floor I don't see my self going down a flight a stairs for a potty. I thought that when we'll build our house I could send them outside, but my vetenarian says to never try to train a dog to go outside in the summer and inside in the winter, it's one or the other otherwise you'll make em' go crazy. I use a long plastique bac about 10 inches high X 5' long and my husband had a metal grill cut to fit and painted it and we put kitty litter in the bottom. So we pick-up the potty lumps that are under the grill and the number two's on the grill with toilette paper and throw it directly in the toilette. It's clean and does'nt smell and they never step in there potty. I'll take a picture and try to post it.

Good luck


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