# Potty training



## Holliberry (Feb 5, 2005)

I know I am posting too soon about the potty training, since we really have had no formal training yet. I am relying on this board and the books I am reading to figure out the best way to do this.

Phoebe sometimes gets it and sometimes not. I am making sure to praise her up and down when she pees on the pad. It is *usually* not a problem when she is already blocked in the kitchen, but if the gate is open and she has run of the house (with me watching of course), she will not even make an attempt to go TO the kitchen to the pad. She just stops and squats. Is this normal for a 16 week old? I so much want to do the right thing and hope its not me and that its because she’s still a baby, but I want to nip it in the bud if its not. 

Anyway, last night when I knew she might soon need to go, I put up the gate and her and I hung out in the kitchen with her pad. I was dead tired and really really wanted to cozy up on the couch, but I am determined. Anyway, I ignored her sometimes, sometimes said “go pee” but after 30 minutes had to get the camera out. She acts like she has no idea whats going on. Gallery photos of her in her new shawl. She finally went, but jeeee!


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## Sisses Momma (Dec 29, 2004)

I certainly am NO EXPERT, but we really found that confining Sisse to her "casita" was the best way for US to get potty trained!!







LOL, she does NOT have free reign anywhere yet. We take her out first thing in the a.m., right out of the casita, to the pee pad. We always know now that about 30 minutes after her first trip out she has to do her "big business". So, after the first pee trip, she goes right back in the casita....she actually now goes back in on her own. She usually snoozes for another 1/2 hour or so and then right back out to the pad. She 99% of the time does #2 and THEN she can play/eat etc. We really have ourselves on a schedual with her, but now we are finding she is going to the door and whinning to go out. Last night we had the sliding door open (we live in Tucson and it was about 70 here), she was playing on the floor in the family room, she dropped her ball and ran outside on the porch to her pee pad and went on her own!! The only problem we seem to be having is what Herb on the My-Maltese site told me was called "submissive urination". She will just of gone, but I find she squats and pees on the kitchen floor at night while I am busy making dinner. I had never heard of it before, and can now see where she must want my attention because I have been gone all day. So, I think they are all different, they mature differently and how they were handled BEFORE you got them makes a difference too.....I think just plain old consistancy on your part works the best and limiting the places they can go. I was really against the "crate" training thing, thought it was cruel....but I'll tell you, I'm a convert, I LOVE THE CRATE!! Sometimes when she is playing with us, she just gets tired. She'll pick up one of her toys and runs right in there and goes to sleep!!


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

> _Originally posted by Holliberry_@Feb 25 2005, 03:47 PM
> *I know I am posting too soon about the potty training, since we really have had no formal training yet.  I am relying on this board and the books I am reading to figure out the best way to do this.
> 
> Phoebe sometimes gets it and sometimes not.  I am making sure to praise her up and down when she pees on the pad.  It is *usually* not a problem when she is already blocked in the kitchen, but if the gate is open and she has run of the house (with me watching of course), she will not even make an attempt to go TO the kitchen to the pad.  She just stops and squats.  Is this normal for a 16 week old?  I so much want to do the right thing and hope its not me and that its because she’s still a baby, but I want to nip it in the bud if its not.
> ...


[/QUOTE]

Well, sounds like Phoebe is about on track... She sounds just like Kallie. I've posted in another thread a while back how I would stay in the laundry room with her for my whole lunch hour (her pads are in the laundry room) waiting for her to finally go. I would keep saying "hurry up" her "word" to go. Then I finally put two and two together and if I turned away from her and acted busy, she would then go. I think she didn't want me "pushing" her to go and she wanted to do it when she thought I wasn't interested! 

Just an interesting aside: While I was in the laundry room waiting for her to go, I would use that time to put cuticle oil on my nails and cuticles. I would rub in in my nails while waiting for her to go. Well, she started associating my rubbing my nails with "going" and I noticed that when I rubbed my nails, she would "go"!!









It took one full year for her to get trained but now she is totally 100% reliable KNOCK ON WOOD! Catcher is 99.9% trained at 9 months.

EDIT: I just saw your new Gallery photos... they are so cute! Oh, she is a living doll....


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## kodie (Aug 24, 2004)

i'm not an expert or anything but one thing you can try is to put a puppy pad in her usual spot and in another place throughout the house... our house is a long rancher so when kodie was that little... i didnt make him run or find his usual pad... i always had a pad in the room we were in and i made sure he knew it was there.


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## littlepeanut (Dec 5, 2004)

Peanut was about 80% trained when I got him, and we also used 3 pads around the house. He was never confined to one area, unless he was to be left in his crate or ex-pen. Our house is on the big side and we started with one pad, but he could never make it to the one pad, so we kept them in the rooms he spent the most time in, and little by little we took away a pad, and now he's down to one. I'm not saying this is the 'right' way to do it, but it did work for us. It sounds like you are doing things right. The crate training or confining might be faster, but it depends on what you want to do. Just be consistant and keep the pad in the same place all the time. 

Peanut got so confused after our house got remodeled and I basically had to retrain him with the treats and praise. Now sometimes he fakes a pee to get a treat. It's too cute to see him circle on the pad, squat, stay still for a sec but no pee, and then he comes running for the treat.

Good luck!!!!!


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

She has too much freedom when she has free run of the house. At this point, it is up to you to take her back to her pad periodically. This is why I like using the small x-pen because I let them out as soon as they go and that is a big incentive for them to go as soon as I put them in.


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## Chelsey (Dec 17, 2004)

What I found very helpful was putting chelsey on a leash with me all day. I know where she is and if she is about to have an accident I can catch her. Someone here suggested I do that .. and it is working. We also have more bonding time too. Now she follows me everywhere even without the leash.


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## maltlover (Feb 1, 2005)

You know what this is exactly what happens with my puppy too he is 4mo old. I also wonder why he does this


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## Harleysmom (Jan 26, 2005)

we've got Harley almost completley potty trained on the pee pads. How we did this was by rewarding with treats when he went. Well,he's gained a few # so now what? Is there a low calorie snack we could use? He hardly ever makes a mess anymore-what a piggy


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

A small piece of no sodium rice cake, a small piece of carrot, a small piece of apple, a green bean, a tiny piece of bread, or just reduce his food intake and increase his exercise.


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## Holliberry (Feb 5, 2005)

Thanks everyone. Here is where we are. Well, actually we are messed up because I have been off sick for two days and am at home with her all day. We actually had a great day yesterday, no accidents, but today for some reason we are missing. 

Our routine is usually up in the am, out of the crate to the pad. Gate up in the kitchen where the crate and pad are. She does both of her business relatively quickly and I praise for both and treat. After this the gate comes down and oh happy day for everyone. Rinse and repeat 2 hours later. Back to crate for the day and repeat again after work. I will then wait a couple of hours and block her in the kitchen for a repeat, but this is usually when it takes a long time. 

There are times we are out of the kitchen and I’ll catch her in the act. What do you do when you catch them going where they should not be? It feels strange just ignoring it? I feel like I need to do something. All ideas are appreciated!

I have a trainer coming to the house but she can’t come for two weeks and I really don’t want to mess up!

Thanks!

Janet and the humper (oh that is ANOTHER story)


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## Holliberry (Feb 5, 2005)

p.s. I put pads in other rooms too. So far she doesnt seem interested


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## littlepeanut (Dec 5, 2004)

You should try to distract her while she's having the accident. Some shake a soda can with pennies in it. You shouldn't yell though because then eventually she may be too afraid to 'go' while you are around. It could cause even more problems. It's still early though, she'll get it eventually


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

> _Originally posted by Holliberry_@Mar 1 2005, 09:08 PM
> *Thanks everyone.  Here is where we are.  Well, actually we are messed up because I have been off sick for two days and am at home with her all day.  We actually had a great day yesterday, no accidents, but today for some reason we are missing.
> 
> Our routine is usually up in the am, out of the crate to the pad.  Gate up in the kitchen where the crate and pad are.  She does both of her business relatively quickly and I praise for both and treat.  After this the gate comes down and oh happy day for everyone.  Rinse and repeat 2 hours later.  Back to crate for the day and repeat again after work.  I will then wait a couple of hours and block her in the kitchen for a repeat, but this is usually when it takes a long time.
> ...


[/QUOTE]

All I can say is that it took a year for Kallie to be trained. I had a bottle of Enzyme spray in every room in the house. I was always spraying and cleaning up. I blamed myself as the books say to do! I just gave her too much freedom, I guess. And she didn't want to go on the pads in my laundry room. I sort of think she thought I was going to close the door on her and leave her in there.. I don't know... she didn't trust me!

My first Maltese, Rosebud, was trained in a couple days... it was weird... but Kallie was very stubborn. It took Catcher almost 9 months but he was fairly reliable at about 5 months or so... 

Oh, if you catch her going... clap your hands or make a noise to startle her so she'll stop the flow... then take her to the place she should go and praise to high heaven when she finishes there. The main thing is if you catch her going in the wrong place ... take her to the right place right then... that is a great opportunity for her to learn ......


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




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## doctorcathy (May 17, 2004)

and its all about consistancy. every couple of hours take her outside or to the wee wee pad and give her a little while to see if she needs to potty--if she does, praise and give a treat. if she doesnt, WATCH HER LIKE A HAWK. you may think that she's not giving a signal...but she MIGHT have a slight one. and if she's about to go, or if she's already peeing...jump around like a gorilla and get her distracted and pick her up and run to the wee wee pad. 


and just like nichole said--you're giving way too much freedom. and buy natures miracle. GOOD LUCK!!! BE PATIENT!!!


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## 020202 (Jan 26, 2005)

We are working with Izzy. Up until Sunday she was in a playpen when we weren't holding or playing with her and she would go everytime on her pee pad in the playpen. (Big deal, it was three steps from her at all times LOL) We've done away with the playpen but gated her to a small section within sight of everything. When we aren't playing with her or watching her like a hawk she's in her _gated community._ 80% of the time she will pee on her pee pad. Other times she will just squat in front of us and start to go. It's so frustrating. When she does pee on the pee pad, we click as soon as she starts to pee and she comes running for her treat as soon as she's done. But still, it's only 80% of the time she even goes to the pee pad on her own. Izzy is 3 months old.


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## littlepeanut (Dec 5, 2004)

> _Originally posted by 20202_@Mar 2 2005, 12:22 AM
> *But still, it's only 80% of the time she even goes to the pee pad on her own.  Izzy is 3 months old.
> <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=39156*


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Wow 80% she gets the pad?!?! Sounds like Izzy is doing GREAT!!!!







She's so young!! Wow, Peanut was like 80% pee pad trained when we got him at 12 weeks!! You guys are sure on top of training! What a smart baby!!!!


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## Holliberry (Feb 5, 2005)

> _Originally posted by 20202_@Mar 2 2005, 12:22 AM
> *  When we aren't playing with her or watching her like a hawk she's in her gated community.  80% of the time she will pee on her pee pad.  Other times she will just squat in front of us and start to go.  It's so frustrating.  <div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=39156*


[/QUOTE]

That is exactly whats happening with us. She is in her gated community (hehe) until she goes, and she only is free to roam for about 30 minutes or so after she is completely empty (both #1 and 2 finished). Then she is in my arms or playing with me and 2 hours later shes back in the gated community (kitchen) until she goes again. Thats the strange part, most times she will get the pad, but there are times even in there that she just squats and drops. I guess its the patience thing









Clapping hands and making a fuss is ok then (if I catch her in the act)? Good. I just don't want her to fear going in front of me or I'm sure I'll start finding hidden *presents* eventually. 

Thanks!!!


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## kimmie (Feb 23, 2005)

My Keeko is 11 weeks old and from day 1 when we bought him home (9weeks) has always run out side to do a poop. I take him outside about every half hour when hes awake and he always goes straight away for me. He has only wet his crate once and I that was my fault for sleeping in a bit later. He has had the odd accident inside tho. Not sure if he is just lazy or simply doesnt realise. He gets lots of praise and a treat when he goes outside. LOL I think he fakes it sometimes to get the treat as well. Sneaky arent they.


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## 020202 (Jan 26, 2005)

> Peanut was like 80% pee pad trained when we got him at 12 weeks!![/B]


If I'm not mistaken Izzy, Phoebe and Sisse are all at 12 weeks or slightly older. Last night I told Izzy that I read on here that her peers have gone three days with no accident. So far today, we haven't had any accidents. Do ya think I shamed her? LOL She was playing this morning and actually stopped suddenly, turned and ran to her pee pad and squatted. Thankfully I had been watching her so I was able to praise and treat her with a very special treat. And I do profusely praise her and clap my hands and smile broadly and sing. I act like she just found a cure for the common cold.


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## 020202 (Jan 26, 2005)

Oops, double post.


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## littlepeanut (Dec 5, 2004)

> _Originally posted by 20202_@Mar 3 2005, 10:22 AM
> *QUOTE*


*



Peanut was like 80% pee pad trained when we got him at 12 weeks!!

Click to expand...

*If I'm not mistaken Izzy, Phoebe and Sisse are all at 12 weeks or slightly older. Last night I told Izzy that I read on here that her peers have gone three days with no accident. So far today, we haven't had any accidents. Do ya think I shamed her? LOL She was playing this morning and actually stopped suddenly, turned and ran to her pee pad and squatted. Thankfully I had been watching her so I was able to praise and treat her with a very special treat. And I do profusely praise her and clap my hands and smile broadly and sing. I act like she just found a cure for the common cold.
<div align="right">index.php?act=findpost&pid=39531
[/B][/QUOTE]
Awww...Izzy just doesn't want to disappoint you! Sounds like everything is going well for Izzy!!!! It's so great to see them be so independent!


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