# please help with potty training!!



## tomli777 (Jul 5, 2012)

so we bought Max at around 6 months of age in late February...he is almost 10 months now (neutered at around 9 months) and still not potty trained. after about the first two months, he was doing pretty well with going out 4 times a day. tried going to 3 times a day and he was going in the house about once a day, so we went back to 4 times a day and it has not been going well. the wee wee pad doesn't work for him (he tears it up). we use positive reinforcement when he goes outside and tells him "bad boy" and spanks him when he goes in the house. in fact, it has probably gotten worse. the past few days he has gone in the house 3-4 times a day (usually it's a small amount too). with poop, he is doing pretty well (except today, when he went in the house). PLEASE help!!! is there such thing as an overactive bladder for maltese??!


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## pippersmom (May 21, 2012)

Please don't ever ever spank your puppy. All this will succeed in doing is make him scared of you and he will learn not to trust you. Have the patience with the training. 3 or 4 times a day might not be enough times for him to go out. Also do you put him in a crate when you can't watch him. They won't soil their crate. I found when I got Pipper at 10 weeks old, I just didn't give him the chance to pee on the floor. I took him out every hour when he was young and he only ever had 2 accidents. You also said he was just recently neutered. Sometimes it takes a few months for the hormones to settle down so maybe he's marking. Just have patience and don't give him the opportunity to pee on the floor by taking him out more often. Some people here use pee pads which you could try but I didn't. I started Pipper outdoors right from the beginning and this was winter time too. Most of all, please never spank your puppy


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## tomli777 (Jul 5, 2012)

Thanks for the response. Max has gone pee in his crate a few times, unfortunately. He was doing well with four times a day and we are trying to get him to go three times because right now, my mother is taking care of him since I work during the day. But when it is just me without my parents, I will only be able to come home at lunch to take him out (once during the morning, once during lunch, once at night). I have talked to several co workers who manage with three times a day. Also, he doesn't seem to be marking since the neutering, but just has sporadic accidents...


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## pippersmom (May 21, 2012)

I've also heard that when they have an accident, don't say anything to them at all, just clean it up so there is no left over smell. Then when he goes outside keep doing what you're doing....lots and lots of praise and a treat. :chili: :aktion033:


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## tomli777 (Jul 5, 2012)

thanks. we clean it up with clorox wipes but he still goes after the same spots! still don't know why he went in his crate a few times and why his potty training has regressed...we only really crate him at night since we like him to have space to roam too


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## pippersmom (May 21, 2012)

Hopefully someone else here will have more suggestions for you. I'm home all day with Pipper so that made him very easy to potty train so I don't have any more ideas other than I know there is some kind of spray you can buy to totally eliminate the odour so he won't want to keep using the same spot. I would wonder too that if he's peeing more than normal maybe he could possibly have a urinary tract infection.


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## lmillette (Apr 23, 2012)

Welcome to SM! This is a great site filled with wonderful information. 

Now, I don't mean to sound rude but NEVER and I mean never smack a puppy for anything and especially not for an accident!! You may have instilled fear in this sweet baby which could now actually be causing the accidents. Did you rescue your puppy? ONLY use positive training. You want your puppy to be confident in himself and with you. You the person he is supposed to trust the most and his trust may be broken a bit. Hopefully things can be restored.

Establishing a schedule with feeding and potting is very important. Now, the key ingredient in potty training is consistency. You will also need to have lots of patience. If you're consistent and patient then the potty training will go a lot quicker. I don’t think 4 times a day is enough for your 10 month old puppy. 

*Training Tips:* When he goes potty where you want him to make sure he gets a treat right away and lots and lots of praise!! You also want to use a word association like “potty” so when he potties in the right spot, you give her a treat, say “good potty” and praise him. You will want to tell him “potty time” when you are putting his leash on so he will start to understand the word association to potting. When you are outside say “okay potty”, and then “good potty” when he is done and make sure to him a treat and praise. This will help with building the “potty” word association. You always want to use positive training. He may have need a little more time for him to get it completely. 

Now when he has an accident and he still will because training takes time don't say anything to him or spank him. Negative attention is still attention and you don't want him to be nervous about you. Just clean the mess and move one. He will learn that he gets lots of attention and treats when he potties in the proper place.


Now Loco, my Basset Hound took 2 ½ years to full potty train, talk about needing patience’s. With continued consistency, patience, and positive reinforcement she was finally fully potty trained. Don’t let this alarm you, Basset Hounds are very stubborn and hard to train. Maltese aren’t like that.

Again, never smack your puppy. It only instills fear and confidence issues. 

This is a great site filled with resourceful information. You can use the search function to search issues such as “house training” and it will give you tons of information. 

We would love to see pictures of your baby. 

Here is a link to some information on training a puppy. http://www.perfectpaws.com/pupstuff.html

We’re here to help through any other issues or answer questions.


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## Zoe's Mom88 (Apr 25, 2011)

Hi and welcome to SM. I think Lindsay gave you great advice. It does take longer for some pups than others to be fully potty trained. Please do not spank your puppy for reasons others have mentioned. I sure hope you stick around....there is so much helpful information here. Would love to see pics of your furbaby. Good luck, it does take time and patience.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

tomli777 said:


> Thanks for the response. Max has gone pee in his crate a few times, unfortunately. He was doing well with four times a day and we are trying to get him to go three times because right now, my mother is taking care of him since I work during the day. But when it is just me without my parents, I will only be able to come home at lunch to take him out (once during the morning, once during lunch, once at night). I have talked to several co workers who manage with three times a day. Also, he doesn't seem to be marking since the neutering, but just has sporadic accidents...


:exploding::exploding::exploding:

Let me ask you a personal question........

How often do you go to the bathroom during the day? I am sure it is more than three times a day. 

Expecting a small dog to only potty three times a day then spanking him when he has to go more often is cruel. If you only have time to take him out to potty three times a day, you don't have time for a dog.


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## Kaiser (May 10, 2012)

tomli777 said:


> thanks. we clean it up with clorox wipes but he still goes after the same spots! still don't know why he went in his crate a few times and why his potty training has regressed...we only really crate him at night since we like him to have space to roam too


You've been given some great advices so I really hope you won't ever have to resort to spanking your baby again. Also I just wanted to add...Don't use Clorox to clean up accidents. Most house cleaners have ammonia in them so it's like pouring more pee on top of a pee. I would recommend getting an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle Stain and Odor remove. If you notice that he's going to a certain spot very often, you may want to get one of those UV lights so you can check if there's an 'accident' there that you missed. 






Amazon.com: Simple Solution Spot Spotter Ultraviolet Urine Detector: Pet Supplies


Good luck!


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## tomli777 (Jul 5, 2012)

thanks for the advice y'all. now what do you guys suggest for when i am at work? we bought a doggy litter box (rascal box?) so will be giving that a try


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## Kaiser (May 10, 2012)

If there is really no chance of you taking him out more than 3 times a day, I would suggest getting a playpen and putting pee pads in it. If he's ripping the pads, you may want to get a pad holder then. It's not really an ideal situation (you want him to learn how to hold...gradually) but it's better than him making an accident in your house and you getting frustrated with him.


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## lmillette (Apr 23, 2012)

tomli777 said:


> thanks for the advice y'all. now what do you guys suggest for when i am at work? we bought a doggy litter box (rascal box?) so will be giving that a try


The doggy litter boxes are great but don't get mad or disguraged if he doesn't use it. I initially was trying to litter box train Opey but he didn't want much to do with it. You will have to train him to use the litter box. You will want to use the same methods as training him to go out side. See my tips in my previous post. And I can't say it enough, please don't smack your dog. You need to love and cherish him. 

I have a dog walker come in mid way through the day. If you can afford it, it is worth every penny. I'm not sure where you are located but a lot of dog walking services aren't expensive for one dog. Of course you want to meet the dog walker and make sure you're comfortable with the person who will be caring for you dog. 



Kaiser said:


> If there is really no chance of you taking him out more than 3 times a day, I would suggest getting a playpen and putting pee pads in it. If he's ripping the pads, you may want to get a pad holder then. It's not really an ideal situation (you want him to learn how to hold...gradually) but it's better than him making an accident in your house and you getting frustrated with him.


This is also a good idea. You can get holders for the potty pads at Petco or PetSmart. I did use these in the xpen when I first got Opey for during the day before I got a dog walker.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

I know many people who swear by Ugodog:

UGODOG Dog Litter Box Toilet | Indoor Dog Potty | Pee Pee Pad


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## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

I'd also suggest getting him a play yard or puppy pen instead of a crate. I got Grace one at Petsmart... not the prettiest thing LOL but she loves it and it is wonderful for when she needs a safe unsupervised space. It fits her bed, a bowl of water, food, and room for a potty pad. Would probably fit the puppy litter box....

Little dogs have little bladders and it's unrealistic to think they can be okay long term with only 3-4 potty breaks. Grace needs at least 6 a day and she isn't much of a pottier (she doesn't drink enough )

As others have also said - patience. Never reprimand for an accident. It is not the puppy's fault... more a human error - not noticing the signs. If you can't watch him (literally watch him) then he needs to be in the puppy pen or tethered to you.

Set an alarm so that you can take him out every 20 minutes. When he goes potty - lots of praise. But yes - to potty train a dog successfully you have to do it every 20 minutes. Working up to an hour or two in between.

During the day when you can't do that - he needs to be in his pen with potty access.

It's like potty training a toddler. Takes a lot of dedication, patience, and treats....


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