# Potty Training



## Julie718 (Feb 17, 2006)

I have had Tango for almost 1 month now. He is almost 4 months old. I need help getting him potty trained. The breeder told me that he was both trained to go potty on the pads and go outside. He sleeps in his crate at night on the floor next to me. In the morning, my boyfriend takes Tango outside first thing so he can go potty and he usually does. During the day we are both at work for about for about 8 hours and we leave Tango in our kitchen with a pet baby gate. He uses his potty pads and goes on them about 95% of the time. When I get home, I immediately take Tango outside to go potty. He almost never goes for me! I don't know why. Then when we get back inside I allow him to run around with me while I am doing stuff. Well, he usually goes potty on the floor! This happened this weekend when I had JUST taken him outside! It was probably 5 minutes and he peed on the carpet! I need help!!!


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## Guest (Apr 10, 2006)

I think at 4 months old they still are in the learning stages of what to do do and where to do it. If he piddles on the floor when you are there, give him a little spank on the bottom, say"NO" and put him on the pad. Praise him when ever he goes on the pad or outside. I think he is doing fine if he gores on the pad when you are away. Perhaps he gets excited wjen you are home and does not understand he still has to go potty in the right place


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## wagirl98665 (Jan 5, 2006)

Tango DOES NOT need a spanking, that's not a good thing. I think you just need to get a routine and stick with it. For example. When you get home in the evening, take him outside or to the potty pad and stay there until he goes. Then when you come back in he won't pee on the carpet. He also might be confused with inside and outside training. Maybe you should try to get him trained with the pee pads first and then later outside. This is just a thought. He's also really young and sometimes it takes a while for them to get it. Good Luck!


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## Julie718 (Feb 17, 2006)

UGH! I took him outside as soon as I got home tonight and he didn't do anything. As soon as I brought him in the house he peed! So, I told him "NO" and took him back outside. He didn't do anything outside. Then I brought him back inside and had him in the kitchen with me while I made dinner. Then I brought him into the TV room while I was eating. I was playing and then all of a sudden just peed. Then he started circling so I took him outside figuring he had to go poop. There is a park near me that I take him to. It was pretty crowded and then a neighbor was there with her dogs, so he didn't do anything. I brought him inside again and about 10 minutes later he pooped and peed. I'm at a complete loss!!!







I could see if I wasn't taking him outside enough, but I think I am.


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## MaxMommy (Nov 1, 2005)

> UGH! I took him outside as soon as I got home tonight and he didn't do anything. As soon as I brought him in the house he peed! So, I told him "NO" and took him back outside. He didn't do anything outside. Then I brought him back inside and had him in the kitchen with me while I made dinner. Then I brought him into the TV room while I was eating. I was playing and then all of a sudden just peed. Then he started circling so I took him outside figuring he had to go poop. There is a park near me that I take him to. It was pretty crowded and then a neighbor was there with her dogs, so he didn't do anything. I brought him inside again and about 10 minutes later he pooped and peed. I'm at a complete loss!!!
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Spanking at the time of poop or pee accident will make him hand shy and if done while in the act, next time they will hide from you when they go. 

He has to be confined till he gets it. If he doesn't smell his scent outside, he may not go. get those pee drops...maybe that will help.


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## Bailey Luda (Feb 14, 2006)

Bailey was a bit frustrating at first with the potty pads and outside... so we decided to stick to just one (outside) and he is doing great with a few exceptions.

One thing that helped tons is setting up a routine and using the crate method... it helped him to learn to hold it until we get home. I am able to go home for lunch to let him out to potty so he's never crated for more than 4-5 hours at a time (not sure if your able to do that). I agree with sticking to one method (pad or outside) until he gets it... then you can transition him if you need to.

If you stick to the pad... maybe you should take him to it to potty every hour while he is small and developing bladder control AND after every meal, period of play, first thing in the morning and before bed.

ALSO... we made the mistake at first to give him too much freedom to roam in the house and he would leave little surprises upstairs... mine gets lazy when not on the first floor and will pop a squat where ever he is upstairs instead of running downstairs and ringing the bell to go outside (we're still working on that). So we gate off the stairs and he is only allowed upstairs when supervised AND we know he just went potty outside so he will be good for a couple of hours.

If you are going to stick to the outside potty... I suggest hanging a bell from the door you use to let the puppy out... hang it at nose level so he can ring it to let you know he needs to go. This worked great for us and past pups.

I also can't say enough about rewards when he does go potty when/where he's supposed to... I had a hard time getting mine to go potty again before leaving for work but now I say "go potty" and shake his zip-lock bag of Cheerios (his official potty treat) and he will pop a squat like a champ and come running over for his rewards (one Cheerio and smooches)









Sorry for the long reply but wanted to share our experience if it helps at all... we all feel your frustration and have gone through that phase too







... it will get better soon... just be patient and constant... and we are here to hear you vent when you need to!!!









~ Leslie


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## LMJ (Feb 16, 2006)

I gave (and still do) Jeffery a treat everytime he went outside. I work too, but leave pads down just incase he can't hold it. I give Jeffery a treat only whe he goes outside. I very seldom come home to find a wet pad.


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## PreciousPrince (Feb 27, 2006)

Julie--
I feel for you. Perri had a hard time with the potty training as well. Only he would go outside, then like 15 minutes later go again in the house. I thought something might be wrong so I did a urine test, but they found nothing wrong. Anyway, I know how frustrating it can be, sometimes I felt like he'd never get it. Hang in there!
Baily Luda gave good advice. I agree with the crate and treat methods she listed. You really might try doing either outdoor or indoor exclusively until he gets the hang of one--two places might be too confusing for him right now. 
Tango definately has too much space. You shouldn't let him have run of the house (even while you're there) until he is trained. Every time he goes in an inappropriate place, the bad behavior is just reinforced. Also, make sure you have a GOOD enzymatic cleaner to clean up his messes so he won't smell it and keep going there. The key is to have scheduled feed, play, and potty times so he goes at more regular times. 
So, if you decide to outdoor train, just keep him in the crate while you're gone as well. If you use the pads, you might try lining his small confined space with them (such as a bathroom) while your gone and at home for that matter. Then start to take on pad off the floor at a time until you get down to one. Even if you have the whole placed lined and take one away and he goes in the space where there isn't a pad, he hasn't got it yet and you should put it back. I hope this makes sense. My dog is outdoor trained only, but I have read that if you use pads this is a good method. It's just important to keep him crated/confined until he is potty trained. Good luck--let us know how it goes!


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## Julie718 (Feb 17, 2006)

Thanks for all of the advice. Unfortunately, I cannot go home at lunch because I work too far away. I actually called the breeder that I got Tango from last night and talked to her about this problem. She said that when I get home from work and take him outside to go potty, if he doesn't go then I need to bring him inside and put him in his crate for 15 minutes (this is going to be torture because I know he will be barking non-stop) and then take him out again in 15 minutes. She said I will have to keep doing this until he gets it. She suggested too to give him treats when he goes potty outside. She said he is old enough to know and he is just getting is way by going wherever he wants to. 

As far as spanking Tango, I will not be doing that.


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## brendaman (Mar 7, 2006)

Julie718:

I suggest doing the crate method first, perhaps on the weekends. Yes, he'll cry, but you need to shut your ears for that. At four months, he probably needs to go every 3-4 hours. Some Maltese can hold it in longer and the older they get the more bladder control they will have. He also will need to go every time you play with him (i.e., if you play with him for 20-30 minutes or more, he will need to go) and every time there is a new stimulus (e.g. if you have company coming, he will need to go out within 10 minutes). These tips are available from any puppy manual (I used "Puppies for Dummies", but I believe they also have "Housebreaking for "Dummies").

When you take him out, if he does not go within 5-10 minutes, crate him again, and then take him out again, as your breeder suggested. 

I've written below a rather lengthy story of what we've been doing/done with Shayna.

What worked for Shayna was crating her. Since we both worked long hours, we have a doggie walker come in and play/walk/socialize with Shayna. When we first got her (at 15 weeks old), the breeder only had her going outside. We got her on a Friday for which I had off, so I was able to have a long weekend to start an intensive training session. We crated her when we couldn't keep an eye on her and she did cry. We had pee pads also, but it only confused her (she was peeing on the carpet also). I think she thought it was OK to pee ANYWHERE inside the house. So we just focused on taking her outside which was a pain as I was taking her outside ALL THE TIME. I did say "get busy" and paced her back and forth in a small area (not more than 6 ft). While she was going I would say, "get busy", as well as after. When she went, I would praise her and give her a treat. It took her perhaps two weeks to get the idea of what "get busy" meant. Some others have used a clicker rather than saying something. The trainer said we could only really be with her for an hour at a time which was tough in the evening as we wanted more time with her so we really cheated, and paid for it because she would leave us little surprises when we took our eyes off of her. 

I tried to put her on the pee pad and say "get busy" and she would go after a few minutes of coaxing. Still it was a challenge to keep putting her on the pee pads (you had to put at least two to increase the odds she would hit the pee pads), and she would never poop on the pads.

Then our trainer told us to puppy gate her in one of our bathrooms with her crate. He said the kitchen was too big to keep her puppy-gated, unless we wanted to place pee pads all over the place, and not the most savory place to have pee pads. The bathroom we chose is really only big enough to fit her crate, two pee pads, and her food. We puppy gate the bathroom, rather than close the door so that Shayna can peek out. During the workday, we leave the lights on (the bathroom does not have a window) and put on classical music. She has been going on the pee pads, and she seems to play with her toys as they are usually scattered in different areas of the bathroom when we get home. I also place one of my worn t-shirt in her crate (which has a small bed and a shearling liner). It's been about 3 weeks since we've been using this system. At first, when we placed her in there, she cried for a LONG time (20 minutes or more). This is only because she knows we are in the house. When we are home, and I know she needs to go, I do put her in her bathroom and say "get busy" and either stand there or come back to check on her. When I see that she has gone, I then let her out, which is treat enough in itself. If I stand there and say "get busy" and she goes in front of me, I give her a treat and then open the gate. It's worked pretty well as now she will go on pee pads in other areas (e.g. the upstairs bathroom), but she still does have accidents. The trainer said that she will probably be closer to 10 months to 1 year before she can be considered housebroken.

Our objective is for her to go on her own to the bathroom on a pee pad or tell us that she needs to go outside. She does bark and point to the stairs if she needs to go (she still prefers to go #2 outside). The trainer said that the bell was fine, but sometimes you cannot hear it if you live in a multi-storied house as we do. In another week or so, we're supposed to move the food and water, as well as her crate, out of the bathroom and allow her more freedom, but still isolate her to one floor. Eventually, the goal is for her to have her bed and food in one room, but for her to keep going to the bathroom if she has to go (and we're not home). 

Sorry this is soooo long.

Good luck,
Brenda

[attachment=5164:attachment]


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2006)

Hi,

I like to add when my baby was four months old he couldn't hold it too long. I would see him go to the back door, and while he was on his way he peed on the floor. The vet told me that was normal, his bladder was still growing. 

When we were going through potty training I would take him out in the yard on a leash and just wait until he went. If he didn't go within a certain amount of time I brought him back in and tried again a few minutes later. Its a lot of work at first, but if you are consistant he will learn and quickly too. They are very smart. Just remember puppies get confused and make mistakes. Thats ok. He will learn. Besides for training for outside, I also had a pad down, which he did use since he had to go a lot due to his little bladder.

When my baby has to go now, he just knocks on the door. (so cute). If for some reason I don't hear the knock (which I usually do.) He just gives a bark.

Good Luck


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

> I think at 4 months old they still are in the learning stages of what to do do and where to do it. If he piddles on the floor when you are there, give him a little spank on the bottom, say"NO" and put him on the pad. Praise him when ever he goes on the pad or outside. I think he is doing fine if he gores on the pad when you are away. Perhaps he gets excited wjen you are home and does not understand he still has to go potty in the right place[/B]


I hope you don't take his advice. There is no legitiate training book or trainer who would ever recommend "a little spank on the bottom." Here is some training advice from JMM, an SM member who is a training expert, from her previoius posts:

FROM JMM: SM Thread - Potty Training Frustrations</span>
<span style="font-family:Comic">
<span style="font-family:Comic">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.</span></span>


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