# New mom with training question



## girlygirls (Oct 31, 2010)

I'm new and this is my 3rd post. I'm trying to do all the reading about Maltese and also basic doggie stuff before I get my sweet Skittle. Here is what my plan is but I'm not sure if it's going to work with potty training.

The dog will have an x pen inside the house with her "crate/bed" inside the pen. I want the dog to have a secure place to go and lay if she wants and also will be putting her in the crate at night for sleeping, and when she is home alone while we are all at work/school. I don't want to leave her in the crate when we are home but do want to keep her somewhat confined due to her size and being a puppy. I figure if she is not playing or under supervision she needs to be in the x-pen.

So here is the confusion I have. I know that crate training teaches them not to pee or poop in their "home". However, I would like to use both inside and outside for doing their business. I purchased a new "grass pad training system" I like it because it's not a piece of cloth. I don't like the cloth or disposable pee pads. I would like to use the grass pad inside when it's not nice outside especially with our Michigan winters. Then when spring comes I will transfer the grass pad outside and hopefully she will be able to transfer that to the real grass. 

Do you think this will work? Also, do I keep the pad inside the x-pen or outside it near the door she will be going out through? 

Any suggestions and information you can give me will help. I feel like a new mom bringing home her first child and this is my 3rd. but of a different species. LOL


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

1. Select one method for now and focus on it. Especially since you are getting her to prefer grass, it may be easiest to start inside and then move it out once she's got the hang of it. Constantly going back and forth can be confusing. 

2. Leaving the dog unattended to potty can hinder housetraining. Every time the dog goes and you are not right there to reward is a lost opportunity. The more times you are there to reward, the more consistent your dog will be. 

3. You also will want to teach the dog to walk to the potty spot so that eventually they are not constantly penned. I always walk my dog on leash to the potty pad or whatever spot (though occasionally with a young pup that has little control you have to scoop them up and rush them over). 

Honestly, I don't use pens any more for potty training as far as leaving the dog in the pen. I use pee pads so I cover a 2x4 pen with pee pads and the dog goes in for potty time only. I use a crate otherwise. This has gotten me the fastest results, a dog that will walk to the pad to go, and a dog that goes quickly (as soon as they go, I open the pen as well as rewarding - if they want out, they quickly learn to go immediately).


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## TB.TL (Oct 13, 2010)

Hey, I am in Michigan too!  Where about are you?

My wife and I also recently brought new puppies into our little family... we added two female Maltese pups in the end of September; they are just now three months old. I am much in the same position as you... Crate, pen, piddle pad, indoor, outdoor....? So many options.

First thing I will say... JMM is about the smartest person on here so when she gives you advice, value it!  I was told that when she posted on a question I asked about housetraining my girls and I have noticed her posts always seem very smart. 

I will tell you what we are doing. We bought a crate that is big enough for both pups and we bought a play yard that attaches to the crate. When the pups are in the house unsupervised, they play in the play yard and have the option to go in the crate. We have piddle pads on the floor in the play yard. This has worked out extremely well. They have freedom to go in and out of their crate and play and wrestle... all while having the crate as an option. Since day one, they have not had an accident in the crate AT ALL. They have consistently gone to the pad time after time, even when everything I was reading online was telling me they were too young for that!

Now that they are getting a bit bigger, the crate has been removed and the play yard is enclosed in a circle. We have started taking the piddle pad OUT of the play yard so they no longer have anywhere to go in the bathroom in there so that they get used to having to "hold it" a bit. Instead, they get outdoor potty breaks very regularly... they have caught on very fast. When we will be away from the house without the pups, the piddle pad goes back in the play yard and the pups will use it regularly. Having it sometimes and not others does not seem to confuse them.

At night, they get put in individual crates and again, no accidents. Now, they are in no way ready to run around on the floor without heavy supervision. They will go on the floor if we aren't there to stop them. But when they are in an enclosed area with a piddle pad, they will automatically go there, and when we decide to take them outdoors, they will go right away. Everything says be consistent but as far as the indoor and/or outdoor issue, they seem to know that it's grass or piddle pad and they don't seem confused at all... Maybe we just have super smart pups... hahahahah.

When we decided to get the pups, we were in an upper apartment in the city and decided to use a puppy litter box. We bought the big puppy litter box and the expensive puppy litter but the pups didn't like it at all. They wouldn't use it, they would lay in it or want to chew on it but they never used it to potty. Now we live in the country and have a backyard but we still keep them indoor 99% of the time. I don't mind piddle pads but I don't want them to be their primary potty option. Ideally, they will be going mainly outside but have piddle pad access in certain circumstances. It is A LOT of work though. Sort of tiring at times... hahahahaha.

Anyway, welcome!


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## Dogwriter (Jul 3, 2010)

And remember....things always change.:blink: We use potty pads because our store is surrounded for blocks in every direction by concrete. No way can she go outside there. so they were fine, she did love to go outside with the other dogs and would always do her business out there. But she used the pads.

So my dad kept her while we were out of town, and he taught her to go outside. Only. :innocent: Now I'm at work and the pad, that's been down since yesterday, is dry. Go figure.


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