# Potty training frustrations!! He gives not hints etc....



## Brinkley & Neyland's Mom (Jun 14, 2004)

First of all...let me start by saying this....."I KNOOOOOOW he is just a baby!"

But....potty training makes me









Brinkley (granted he was 3-4 weeks older when we got him) was SO much easier...









Neyland isn't even pretending to get it.








First of all...he gives no warning signs. There is no sniffing....no circling...NOTHING!
He will just be trotting along in that little puppy trot (so cute!







) like he is on a mission (he usually is!) and just STOP and go! No warning! How can I catch that?























Secondly...I am afraid he may have a "stubborn" streak.








For example...here is the scenario....(happened three times already today!)


_**I pick him up-knowing it is a potty time- and take him to the living area where I have a pad on either side of me. One close...one about a foot away. I set him on the pad and say "Go potty"....he trots away....I catch him, set him back down and repeat..."Go potty"....I repeat this process 6-10 times and then finally let him walk away, thinking perhaps he prefers another wee pad, or maybe he really doesn't have to go.
So he trots away and....(SEE THE FIRST







above!) Again, no warning and he JUST walked by TWO pads and there were two more within a few feet ahead of him!
_

Now, here comes the funny part....  
In the four days he has been here, I can count on one hand the number of times he has made the pad on his own. (imagine how many times I have cleaned up!







)
But when he DOES make the pad and I do my happy dance







and act all crazy and offer him a treat...he ALREADY knows where to trot his butt off to and receive the treat....very eagerly!

So it is obviously not a lack of brain cells problem...but more a "driving you nuts because I KNOW you think I'm so cute and I can get away with it!" problem.









Brinkley spoiled me BIG time.








I know we had issues...but at least he seemed like he "got it" more than he didn't for the first several weeks. He also seemed quite upset at my stern "NO!" To which Neyland pup just does his cute puppy trot away to find something to steal from Brinkley or terrorize whichever cat he can find.
















OH! And when I DO catch him mid-stream and tell him "NO"...most of the time if I move him to the pad, he doesn't finish...so how in the heck can I know when he is going to stop mid-trot (with no sniffing/circling warning) and decide to FINISH the deed?!









Ok, so you know I absolutely ADORE this little fluffy butt...(and it is a CUTE little fluffy butt!














) but I swear that potty training has got to be one of the most frustrating parts of owning a dog.

Ok...venting moment is over....I know many of you will empathize with me!!!
But please....NOBODY tell me he is "just a baby"....I KNOW that!


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## sheila2182 (Nov 28, 2004)

Traci you are too funny







But I feel for ya girl,maybe till he "gets"it better you should confine him a bit more?? But wait ,didnt you say you dont crate train? I tell ya I was never a big believer in it until I got Bailey,and I swear they seem to learn faster that way.I would never do it any other way now.They are in their crate unless I can watch them like a hawk.They of couse come out,but when they do its off to potty,and durning play you have to watch close cause they tinkle alot durning that time,and of course after meals etc. All I can say is it worked better than any other way and faster too.
Oh and did ya notice,I never mentioned...he is just a baby


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## Brinkley & Neyland's Mom (Jun 14, 2004)

> Traci you are too funny
> 
> 
> 
> ...



This usually happens AFTER I take him out of his pen...(in which an unused pad is contained







)
He is sleeping in a crate at night...and when he wakes up in the middle of the night, I do take him to the pad, and after a few minutes, he will use it. I don't treat the night potty...should I? I figure all the excitement will wake him up too much....so I whisper a "good puppy" to him...give him love...and back in the crate he goes.

He is more confined really than Brinkley was.
Brink had the whole kitchen...Neyland just has a small pen.
He is always supervised when he is out...


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## sheila2182 (Nov 28, 2004)

Yea,I would treat the night potty.After all he did his job,maybe just dont be as loud with excitement.That way maybe he will go back to sleep but will have learned when he uses his pad he gets a treat.


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## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

I never thought Matilda would get it, then one day it just seemed she got it







She is 7 months old and yesterday she looked at me and my husband and just went pee.







My poor carpet. So who knows what she was thinking







I feel for ya


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## wizzyb (May 24, 2005)

I too understand. My parents' new little Lhasas are driving them nuts with the potty-training! Seems like they have to go every 3 minutes! No joke! Plus, its really hard to tell when they're saying time to go potty or please come pay me attention. Cuz we'll leave them alone when they start to bark, and sometimes we'll find a mess when we check on them and sometimes there is nothing. And my parents are trying the crate training! Wish I could be more helpful, but Codi was a nightmare too! Except, he would pee on my bed consistently! But then again, one day he just got it. After his neutering we had some problems, but all in all, things are pretty stable. So I wish you loads of luck and all the patience in the world. When you're frustrated, just laugh at the thought of my parents having to do this with two of them, and you'll think of how lucky you really are!!! HA HA HA


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Let's try something a little different. 

1. Not all dogs have the obvious signs. This pup I have now is the same way...she'll just walk along and go if you don't take her out. So, when she's playing, she can go 20-30 minutes. I set a timer and take her out every 25 minutes and tada, no accidents (and we have an elevator ride to get outside!). I carry her from her crate to outside when she gets released from the crate. Depending on his age, it may be every 15 minutes for him now. 

2. Let's make is impossible for him not to succeed. Take a small x-pen (2x4ft) or bathroom w/baby gate and cover the whole bottom with pads. Put him in there at potty time and wait. If he doesn't go within a few minutes, CRATE him for 10 and try again. Be stubborn! Repeat, repeat, repeat. Don't forget a really great treat when he goes in the right spot and, let him out as soon as he goes. Using this method most pups figure out fast that they get out if they go and it speeds things up. I used this method with my poop smearer. 

3. Set a schedule for crate time, play time, etc. This will help him learn to go at certain times and hold it. 

The rule in my house is don't give the pup a chance for an accident. It means we go potty a whole lot so she succeeds a whole lot. It also means if I'm not standing their watching and she's peed within the last 25 minutes, she has to be in her crate. It takes a lot of discipline (and a timer LOL) on my part, but the only time she has accidents is if I slack off.


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

> Let's try something a little different.
> 
> 1. Not all dogs have the obvious signs. This pup I have now is the same way...she'll just walk along and go if you don't take her out. So, when she's playing, she can go 20-30 minutes. I set a timer and take her out every 25 minutes and tada, no accidents (and we have an elevator ride to get outside!). I carry her from her crate to outside when she gets released from the crate. Depending on his age, it may be every 15 minutes for him now.
> 
> ...


Oh, I forgot about JMM's #2 idea above. That's what I did with my first Maltese, Rosebud, and she ended up being potty trained really, really fast... it was totally painless for me. That really works great.


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## Brinkley & Neyland's Mom (Jun 14, 2004)

Thanks for the suggestions...








Maybe my venting sent some signals...he has done two "good potties" on his own this evening...


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## saltymalty (Sep 14, 2004)

Jmm has said it all...we used (and still use) the cabana method (crate on a schedule) and it works! Good luck!


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## MaxMommy (Nov 1, 2005)

I have been doing a poor job of potty training, myself. He knows to go there, and even on command at times, BUT I have a really hard time confining him...I feel too guilty hearing him cry and wimper and usually end up letting him out in minutes. The kitchen is about 6 x 4 so it is small and safe enough for him...but, I feel soooooo bad.

Catching them in the middle of an "accident"....I say "no Max, No Max, no no no no...." and pick him up in the middle of it...and sometimes he finishes on the pad mostly not. 

I did read, though....if you catch them in the middle of their "business" and startle them, the next time they are more likely to HIDE from you when they go.....I noticed this was true. He hides when he has to go poo now....so, if he's too quiet, I know something is up or he is sleeping under my chair.









I MUST get him used to being confined....trying to convince myself....but i love seeing him play freely.


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

> I have been doing a poor job of potty training, myself. He knows to go there, and even on command at times, BUT I have a really hard time confining him...I feel too guilty hearing him cry and wimper and usually end up letting him out in minutes. The kitchen is about 6 x 4 so it is small and safe enough for him...but, I feel soooooo bad.
> 
> Catching them in the middle of an "accident"....I say "no Max, No Max, no no no no...." and pick him up in the middle of it...and sometimes he finishes on the pad mostly not.
> 
> ...


MaxMommmy, I have read not to say "no" or reprimand when they go in the wrong place ... but rather to make a noise (such as clapping your hands) to sort of startle them in to stopping mid-stream and then quickly putting them in the right spot and then praising them to high heaven! Use no emotion or negativity -- just matter of factly take him to the right place and then praise. It's best if he doesn't associate the noise with you or get any scolding whatsoever for going in front of you.


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## bklynlatina (Nov 16, 2005)

WOW!!!! You are certainly have a hard and frustrating time. I think that you are for the most part doing what you need to do. I think what makes it hard is that he gives you NO SIGNALS. I must say after reading some of the posts here I must of been REALLY, REALLY LUCKY with Chulita. She had it down like a pro in 1 week. 

When I got her at 11 almost 12 weeks...the breeder had already started her on the pads. So when I got her home the first day I put the pad down and used the word potty. Like I said on a pervious thread....she of course would have to EXPLORE the house and left little presents on my carpet. I normally did catch her in the middle of it and would grab her mid way and sternly say NO and put her on her pad and say GO POTTY. I did this every time I caught her doing number 2. She seemed to get number 1 down right away on the pad but not number 2. 

I think what worked for me was that she was in her Play Pen most of the day almost from day one and her bed was there on one end, her food, water, toys and then her pad on the other end. I seriously think that's why she trained so fast. She had no choice I was at work for 8 hours and she was in her play pen for 8 hours so she kind of figured out to go on her pad. When my daughter gets home from school she takes her out her play pen and would take her upstairs and would show her where her "upstairs" potty was and keep a close eye on her and she would just go right on it. 

NOW I MOVED THE POTTY PAD to the bathroom just this past Sunday....so I'm SORT of starting over again. Yesterday at 10:30pm just when I was about ready to bed I found 4 little presents on the floor in the dinning room area..







I was not upset because the living room/dining room area has been her potty area since September and she is not going to get it so fast that she has a new location. What I did this morning before she woke up was gated off the access to the dining room/living room area and it left her very little space to go anyway..the bathroom door was wide open with her puppy pad. I left her alone while I got dressed and sure enough...she went number 1 & 2 on her pad in her new location...once I saw that I took the gate down and let her have access back to the living room/dining room area. 

Why am I rambling on???????







Sorry. Anyway...I think your doing a good job and doing all the right things...I would say to maybe keep him cofined a little longer during the day with a pad and he may get the hang of it a little quicker.


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## Toby's Mom (May 7, 2004)

I feel for ya Traci! Remember all the problems I had with Toby? Maybe the leash thing would work for you too. It cut Toby's accidents by 75%--immediately! Good Luck!


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## Brinkley & Neyland's Mom (Jun 14, 2004)

> I feel for ya Traci! Remember all the problems I had with Toby? Maybe the leash thing would work for you too. It cut Toby's accidents by 75%--immediately! Good Luck![/B]



If I decide to do that, I may ask you for advice.
Today has been better...MUCH better...so we'll see...








He SUUUURRRRE likes those treats when he does good!


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