# Outdoor potty training



## dooly (Nov 12, 2004)

My husband and I decided to stop using wee wee pads, and train Lilo and Stitch to go outside exclusively. Since they're both great with the wee wee pads, we figured if we're ever in a desperate situation where we haev to be out for a long time and cant' get our dog walker to come, or if it's way too cold, or rainy, we'll put down the pads for them.
However on a regular basis, we want them to go outside.
We have become accustomed to cleaning our floors every day since we're neat freaks, but what really hit the nail on the head was a trainer we worked with on Thursday. She asked us if we ever wanted to have kids (which we do in a year or two), and she asked if we would want them to worry about them crawling and finding the wee wee pads and playing with them







Well of course not!!
Anyway, it's been SUCH a huge treat not having to clean the bathroom floor when they miss, or when we change the potty pads!! And they're doing great so far!! We've had to restrict their freedom so they don't just run to where the potty pad used to go...
My question is, once they know to wait til they go outside, do you think when we start giving them freedom, that they'll still try running back to where the potty pad used to be?? Is there a way to train them not to go there unless we have the pad down? I feel so guilty about it, like we're going to super confuse them. Any thoughts?


----------



## fach (Jun 27, 2005)

> _Originally posted by dooly_@Sep 26 2005, 06:42 AM
> *My husband and I decided to stop using wee wee pads, and train Lilo and Stitch to go outside exclusively.  Since they're both great with the wee wee pads, we figured if we're ever in a desperate situation where we haev to be out for a long time and cant' get our dog walker to come, or if it's way too cold, or rainy, we'll put down the pads  for them.
> However on a regular basis, we want them to go outside.
> We have become accustomed to cleaning our floors every day since we're neat freaks, but what really hit the nail on the head was a trainer we worked with on Thursday.  She asked us if we ever wanted to have kids (which we do in a year or two), and she asked if we would want them to worry about them crawling and finding the wee wee pads and playing with them
> ...


[/QUOTE]
Sorry can't help with your question, but I am interested in the replies. I still can't get my furbaby to wait. if she heads for the door i had better be right behind her as she will go on the floor rather than wait 30 seconds for me. [I actually have thought of reversing to the pad b/c of this ] I wish she would learn to alert me of the need to go out. Good luck to you. 

PS Your pictures are so cute.


----------



## Chelsey (Dec 17, 2004)

Maltese are very smart . Chelsey is trained to got out side and inside. She mostly goes inside, but if the pad is not there she knows it outside time. She has nerver attemted to go to on the spot were the was unless it is visible to her. She will ring the bell on the sliding door to go outside.

I think your puppies wil get it. Just make sure the area were they use to go is very clean and all the sent is removed.


----------



## abbey (Apr 4, 2005)

I would suggest moving your pee pad in front of the door you want them to go out of and then slowly creep them to where you want them to potty at. This is how I trained Abbey to potty outside - she was paper trained by breeder. I had a pee pad under a rock for almost 2 weeks in my yard!









I am having the opposite problem with Abbey now. I would like her to use the pee pads when it's yucky out (like today - we both got soaking wet) but she won't have anything to do with them. She'll use them when we're away and she's locked up in the bathroom though, so who knows?









Good Luck!


----------



## ButterCloudandNoriko (Aug 26, 2004)

I don't know how well the potty smell will stay on the floor, but I assume if you clean well, then it wont be there at all. My babes were trained on the pads first and then I got sick of the WHOLE house smelling like a toilet *green sick smiley here*. So then, I started training them to go outside. My dummie self decided to start on a cold rainy day and I stayed out there with them for a good 1.5 hrs waiting for them to go. You know I was overcome with joy when they both finally pooped. It's sooo worth it. 

The problem is that I USE to put pads on the CARPET! And even after I steam cleaned it, they still have there hotspots (some places I cant even find







). And when the bathroom door is open, even without pads, they would go when noone's watching. I know they know it's wrong because they ONLY do it when we're not watching. 

I still have problems from time to time. Sorry, I can't help you much. But when they are watched carefully, they don't potty inside the house. So they don't have the run of the house like they use to. 

I hope you have better luck than me.


----------



## fach (Jun 27, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Chelsey_@Sep 26 2005, 08:45 AM
> *Maltese are very smart .  Chelsey is trained to got out side and inside.  She mostly goes inside, but if the pad is not there she knows it outside time.  She has nerver attemted to go to on the spot were the was unless it is visible to her.  She will ring the bell on the sliding door to go outside.
> 
> I think your puppies wil get it.  Just make sure the area were they use to go is very clean and all the sent is removed.
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=103462*


[/QUOTE]
off topic, but how do you train to ring the bell for going outside? THAT would be great


----------



## littlepeanut (Dec 5, 2004)

You could put a doggy bed or a bowl of food or water where their pee pad used to be since most dogs won't 'go' near their bed or where they eat.


----------



## dooly (Nov 12, 2004)

> _Originally posted by littlepeanut_@Sep 26 2005, 12:37 PM
> *You could put a doggy bed or a bowl of food or water where their pee pad used to be since most dogs won't 'go' near their bed or where they eat.
> 
> 
> ...


[/QUOTE]
OOOH good idea!!!


----------



## doctorcathy (May 17, 2004)

the girls learned that they get A LOT of praise when they go outside....so they just stopped going inside. it was a few weeks of work, but they're really good at it. we still put pads down at night because they still go in th emiddle of the night sometimes. during the day, my mom is always busy cleaning or cooking, so we put one pad down and the girls will wait for my mom (they also walk near the blinds so that my mom can see that they're waiting)....but if my mom doesnt notice....they'll go on the pad. but that usually doesnt happen. 

good luck


----------



## Chelsey (Dec 17, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Fach_@Sep 26 2005, 01:18 PM
> *
> 
> 
> ...


*
off topic, but how do you train to ring the bell for going outside? THAT would be great








<div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=103519
*[/QUOTE]

I bought a small bell on a look and put it on one of those hooks you can get from the hardware store that leave no marks on your wall when you remove it.
I measured were to put it so that chelsey and hit it with her paw.

What i did was everytime I let her out to go potty. I would let her stand near the door. I would ring the bell with her paw and give her a treat and then say out side.

Well I think I did this for two weeks. And then one day I had given her her food and closed her crate or at least I though I did. I went outside to the garage came back and was doing the dishes.. and hearing this ring, ding, ring. I could not figure out what it was. After ten min I went to investigate an I saw Chelsey at the back door hiting the bell with her paw... WOWO.

Well now she rings the bell more to go out and play not so much as potty.
Chester does not ring it at all. I tried with him too, but I guess he doesn't care he just likes the treats. the bell was like $2 bucks. you can use anything. X-mass bells just put it on a loop and hang from the door or wall close to the door where they will go out.


----------



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

Matilda ia potty trained to go outside, she is so cute she goes to the door and stands on her two back feet trying to open the door.







I dod keep a pad in the bedroom but she hasn't used it in a long time. Guess it's time to throw it away







I am soooooo happy she is trained.


----------



## ilove_d&m (Apr 7, 2004)

> _Originally posted by dooly_@Sep 26 2005, 06:42 AM
> *My husband and I decided to stop using wee wee pads, and train Lilo and Stitch to go outside exclusively.  Since they're both great with the wee wee pads, we figured if we're ever in a desperate situation where we haev to be out for a long time and cant' get our dog walker to come, or if it's way too cold, or rainy, we'll put down the pads  for them.
> However on a regular basis, we want them to go outside.
> We have become accustomed to cleaning our floors every day since we're neat freaks, but what really hit the nail on the head was a trainer we worked with on Thursday.  She asked us if we ever wanted to have kids (which we do in a year or two), and she asked if we would want them to worry about them crawling and finding the wee wee pads and playing with them
> ...


[/QUOTE]

I started trainning the girls to go potty outside early this summer. They are doing ok but they still go back to the place they used to go potty. I always have to watch them. they know how to go outside and they do it on their own but sometimes Maya just wants to go where she used to so I block the stairs so they dont have access to the bathtroom upstairs, this has help but we still have to work on this.

So far we go to our last potty brake at 10:30 at night and they hold it untill the moring but for thsi to happen they have to eat dinner around 6pm and take their water away at 9:30 other wise they will go on the carpet or the bathtroom in the middle of the night.

Since we started to go outside until now I'm very happy with the results. they still have more learning to do but is just normal it take persistance and patience.

Good luck!


----------



## Bijousmom (May 29, 2005)

> _Originally posted by dooly_@Sep 26 2005, 06:42 AM
> *My husband and I decided to stop using wee wee pads, and train Lilo and Stitch to go outside exclusively.  Since they're both great with the wee wee pads, we figured if we're ever in a desperate situation where we haev to be out for a long time and cant' get our dog walker to come, or if it's way too cold, or rainy, we'll put down the pads  for them.
> However on a regular basis, we want them to go outside.
> We have become accustomed to cleaning our floors every day since we're neat freaks, but what really hit the nail on the head was a trainer we worked with on Thursday.  She asked us if we ever wanted to have kids (which we do in a year or two), and she asked if we would want them to worry about them crawling and finding the wee wee pads and playing with them
> ...


[/QUOTE]

My first thought about the trainer's comment is that if you can't watch your child you should use a playpen to prevent "accidents" my children are now adults now but this is the voice of experence. If you can't watch your child then you should make sure that no danger is possible. Your child getting into wee wee pads or dog food would be the least of your problems in the home. 

Bijou prefers going outside but I do also use the pads. Last night he stood up in his crate with the door open and a pad within sight and urinated in his bed. I'm glad he doesn't sleep with us.


----------



## mpd (Jun 2, 2005)

Hi Dooly,

I read your post about training your dogs to be strictly outside. I would caution you to be careful.







I did that with my first dog, Lucky. He had been using the pads inside and my husband urged me to train him to go strictly outside. Well, I followed that advice and now Lucky does not want anything to do with the pads/puppy potty. The second puppy has been so great going to the puppy potty (pads under the cat welcome mat which I now fill with kitty litter), that I wish I had never spent any time teaching Lucky to be stricly an outdoor housebroken dog. Mia, the little one, does not have any accidents in the house. By the same token, without any urging or training when we are outside if she feels the need to go she will go outside circles and all :lol: with no problem. 

I am finding it quite difficult to retrain him to do it on pads (or should I say the grid). However, yesterday he seemed to do it in the right place and did his poop on it also (which was earlier than his normal time since I tend to I take them out for walks so they poop outdoors) (progress at last!) He sees Mia doing it, but he will try to hold it and hold it. He has one accident every now and then in the kitchen which makes it so I do not trust him all over the house like I can Mia. She will stop whatever she is doing and make a bee line for the puppy







potty.

I do take them both out. And if Mia needs to go while we are out she will go without any prompting. I tend to take them out at times when they need to poop. However, I like the peace of mind of having the puppy if they need to go. 

The house and the dogs stay much cleaner with them not having to go out in the rain, mud, etc... When Lucky gets the message like Mia did, then I will have more flexibility in terms of my schedule. It is quite a pain to have to time my errands around Lucky's outings. If he was like Mia I would simply go run my errands whenever without having to take the time to walk him outside in case he will go. Sometimes I take him out and he will not need to do it just then. It is easier to take care of a dog that simply can go in the appropriate potty when I am not around if the need arises. Also, you have different size dogs like I do, I find Lucky (the huge maltese) can hold it a lot longer than Mia. Making outside trips based on two puppies can be overwhelming for a wimp like me. Having 2 cats spoiled me about potty training. 

I think I would take them out but not make a big deal of them going potty outside. I know that lately when we outside to play they tend to try to do their business. 

Good luck whatever you decide.


----------



## miko's mommy (Feb 8, 2005)

Miko was originally trained to go inside but once he started going for walks, he will definitely poop and pee outside as well. While visiting family last year, he easily converted to just going outside without any inside accidents. And now he does both but I have a feeling he prefers to pee/poop outside since he seems to wait for his walks and will only go on the pad if its been too long (and no walk). He definitely will not go if there is no pad around. But he is 2.5 yrs old so he may just be extremely well trained by now.

We also plan to have children in a few years but I am more concerned about Miko getting along with children than our kids crawling into his dirty pad!!!!!


----------



## NC's Mom (Oct 23, 2004)

Little C was trained to use piddle pads, but one day, she decided that she didn't want to anymore. She demanded to go outside and has never piddled on the piddle pad since that day in spring of this year. (She was barely a year old.) She has also only made one "mistake" since then. 

She will NOT piddle on a piddle pad anymore. She doensn't like rain, so when it's raining, she holds it until the rain dies down enough for us to make a quick dash outside to the park. She refuses to pee in a typhoon. I'm wondering how things will go when winter hits. She HATES the cold. I'm hoping she'll start peeing on the bathroom floor like Sir N does. (my floor has a drain--clean-up is minimal)


----------

