Contents of this page include:
Withholding water before bedtime
Hints for getting puppy to go potty outside
Using a harness AND a collar to housetrain
Crate-training
Don't you have to use a crate to housetrain a puppy?
"Crating" is totally unnecessary! For the poor puppies it is both emotionally stressful and physically unsanitary.
And guess what? People have been housetraining puppies for centuries WITHOUT using crates.
The use of crates or "crate training" to housetrain puppies (and even worse - to keep them in) is abhorrent and speaks of the laziness of people today. They want a puppy but they don't want to take the time to train him and make sure he behaves properly in a home.
How would YOU like to stay in a small cage and have to hold it until you were let out (either that or make a mess and have to SIT in it). How would YOU like to be forced to spend hours at a time during the day and/or all night in that cage?
People are using crates as an "easy out" and as an excuse not to spend time training their puppies. If you don't have time to train a puppy - you shouldn't have one. I equate "crate training" the same as keeping a human toddler caged up until he can "learn to behave" in a house. Puppies are babies; they need comfort, companionship and direction - and they aren't going to get these essentials while being confined and isolated in a cage.
Babies (2-legged or 4-legged) take a great deal of time, work, patience and love. If you don't have all of those in abundance, you cannot raise a baby - any baby - properly.
Puppies are 'den animals'
But don't puppies like crates because they are "den animals?"
Where on earth breeders dug that one up is beyond me. Dogs in the wild use dens - but they are family dens - homes where babies snuggle up with their mothers and siblings. How can those loving family homes be compared to a cage which separates a baby puppy away from his family? The answer is - crates can not be compared to dens, in fact, they are the exact opposite of a den. A puppy in a crate is kept isolated from his family - which causes great stress; and a stressed puppy often turns into a sick puppy.
Dogs are social pack animals - they live and find comfort by being part of a family group. YOU are a puppy's family group. An isolated dog feels ostracized. By crating a puppy, or isolating him in a laundry room, or keeping him outside - you are saying "we don't want you around us" and "you are not part of this family."
Not only that, but when puppies in the wild are still babies and in the den, their mother cleans up their urine & feces to keep their sleeping area clean. This is totally opposite of a crate environment, where a puppy is forced to sit in his own urine & feces!
As puppies grow older, their natural instinct is to keep their bed area clean, and they get up and move away from it to eliminate. Matter of fact, most begin to do this as soon as their eyes open at 10 - 14 days of age. By 3 and 4 weeks they are getting up and walking OFF their bed to eliminate. Unfortunately, many breeders KEEP their puppies in crates/cages and never allow them the opportunity to follow their natural instinct of getting off their bedding to eliminate. And many of those puppies are placed in homes where they are kept in cages (crates) where they are STILL not allowed to get off their bedding to go to the bathroom. Is it any wonder that some people say they have a difficult time housetraining these puppies??? The poor puppies have been forced against their natural instinct to keep their area clean - from day 1. They were never allowed to begin the "natural" process of housetraining.
Housetraining without a crate
How do you housetrain a puppy without using a crate?
Successful housetraining depends largely on common sense, consistency, and anticipation on the part of the concerned owner.
Remember, some “mistakes” are to be expected. (And it's just pee and poo, for gosh sake's - it's not nuclear waste.) The puppy does not have the muscular control of an adult dog. And not only that, a little puppy does not have the capacity of water & food intake that an adult dog has. A puppy needs to drink and eat more often, and subsequently needs to go to the bathroom more frequently.
Never hit the puppy for having had an accident in the house.Do not paper train your puppy in his new home and then retrain him to go outside. Train immediately for outside elimination. If you teach a puppy to use newspapers in any part of the home you are establishing a conditioned reflex always to use that spot.
If you wish to set aside a small “easy to clean area” either in the corner of a kitchen or bathroom or laundry room, or near a dogdoor, for elimination, that’s fine – I do it myself. The winters can be cold and I prefer not to force these little guys out into inclement weather – especially the very young or very old ones. The newspapers are picked up immediately and disposed of. There is no lingering odor or mess. However, again – once you do this, you should expect to do it for the rest of the dog’s life. Dachshunds really love routine, and do not accept changes as quickly as other breeds.
The basic rule of thumb is: capitalize on your dog’s natural tendency to keep his living area clean. Anticipate the “danger signs”. They are: grazing the floor constantly in a circling motion, loitering around the door, whining, or what can only be described as “the look” – usually direct, sustained eye contact which is voluntary on the dog’s part.
When the puppy wakes up in the morning or after a nap, he will need to eliminate. Immediately carry the puppy outside. Stay with him and walk to the area of the yard where you would prefer that he eliminate. He will follow you, and almost at once he will eliminate or urinate. When he does, praise him lavishly.
After each meal, he will usually have the urge to urinate or eliminate. As soon as he finishes eating, take him outside to the same area. Dogs are creatures of habit, and when they smell where they have urinated or eliminated, this usually triggers the urge to use the same spot.After playtime, too, the puppy should take his walk outdoors, and before bedtime. Knowing that the puppy will have to go out at these times, getting him outside quickly to the same spot, and being lavish with praise when he performs outdoors, will speed housetraining. Most puppies are easily trained.
Sometimes you know a puppy has to pee or defecate, but he is more interested in exploring or playing. Get him running. Play a game of tag, or bring a ball or toy outside for him to chase. By getting him moving, you will stimulate the urge to go if his bladder or colon is full.
When you let the dog out, watch. Dogs usually urinate first, and then defecate. Once this sequence is completed, call the dog to you and praise him lavishly.The puppy should not simply be put out, but taken to his spot. If he is simply left outside, his interest in the great world will distract him, and the owner will not know whether he has relieved himself or not.
If you discover a mess in the house, go and get the puppy. Take the puppy to the accident and scold him, focusing his attention on the accident. If you are just beginning housetraining, do not make a big event over disciplining the puppy, but express your displeasure by scolding and growling. Never, never rub your puppy’s nose in excrement or urine. You risk infection, encourage stool consumption, and defeat your own purpose. Do not simply hit your puppy when you find a mess and then banish him. This is crude, and non-effective. Take the puppy immediately to the proper place for elimination. This is essential, since the puppy must connect in his mind where to eliminate with the act itself.
Clean up the accident and block off this area with an overturned chair or other object until it is dry. Spots where mistakes have been made should be cleaned up quickly. If the puppy is kept on hardwood or linoleum floors for the first week or two, the problem is simple. But every care should be taken to remove the odor for the smell will always encourage the puppy to use that spot again.
Late parties, sleeping in, vacations and other time irregularities will have to be planned with the puppy in mind, at least until complete house reliability is obtained.
Do make it a habit to pick up the outside droppings at least once daily and dispose of them properly. Do not leave droppings in the yard. They are messy and smelly, attract flies, promote bacteria, parasites, coprography, and are a nuisance to neighbors. You don’t want your dog stepping in it and then coming into the house. Also, by picking up daily, you will be able to check on the puppy’s digestion. Often a puppy (or dog) will hide symptoms of illness, and sometimes the first indication you find of illness will be in the texture or color of the stool. Please pick up after your dog, especially in public, but also in your own yard.
Your puppy learns correct behavior by not having the opportunity to make mistakes. You must help by anticipating the times he needs to eliminate and taking him to the appropriate place. While your puppy is learning, he needs your encouragement, so make sure you accompany him outside.
Rely on careful planning, consistence and praise in housetraining your puppy, and avoid harsh physical discipline. If you experience chronic difficulties, make sure your puppy is eating a top quality food and is in good health. Housetraining is a simple task if approached the right way, not as a trial that never ends.
There is no question that unfixed dogs (male and females) are more difficult to housetrain because they often “mark” (yes, even some females will do so). If you do not plan to breed, there are many advantages to getting your puppy fixed at 6 months; preventing “accidents” in the house is one of them.
Litterboxes for Puppies
Webber's Mom told us how she is housetraining her little boy:
"Housetraining is slow--the puppy pads were not working at all, so I tried doggie litter (they now have special litter for dogs) in a doggie litter box (yep, special litter boxes for dogs), but Webber liked the sound of the litter and decided it must be something good to eat, so that ended that experiment. We are now trying puppy pads inside the doggie litter box and using the squirt gun when we see him doing something on the carpet, in addition to saying "no." ("No" alone doesn't seem to carry much weight with him--he just sort of looks at me with this look that says, "So, and what's your problem?").
"Webber is an absolute DOLL! He is so smart and so much fun. We are on our way to housetraining and finally discovered what seems to be the magical answer--puppy pads inside the doggie litter box. Webber has been with us only just over 2 weeks, and he actually went to the litter box himself this morning to poop instead of me having to catch him to put him there, so we are making good progress. We have to use 2 litter boxes, though, one for peeing and one for pooping. If he has peed and it is not cleaned right away with a new pad put there, he will not use the same pad to poop! (I guess he knows the saying, "Cleanliness is next to godliness"!)"
[Jan's note: Unlike kittens, puppies often nibble on anything different, and I do NOT approve of using any kind of litter for puppies. However, Webber's Mom hit on the perfect compromise - pee pads INSIDE the litter box! Way to go, Webber's Mom!"]
Withholding water before bedtime
Can I withhold water before bedtime to prevent the puppy from peeing?
Are you freakin' kidding me???? Withholding water from a puppy (at ANY TIME) is going to do 3 things:
- It's going to dehydrate him, and dehydration is life-threatening for baby puppies (as it is for human babies).
- It's going to cause his kidneys to work harder, concentrating the urine and causing it to have more odor and more color - and therefore will be MORE difficult to clean out of carpeting.
- It's going to cause thirst. How would YOU like to go to bed thirsty?
I was astounded when I received this question. It never even crossed my mind that people would even consider his.
Hints for getting puppy to go potty outside
Any special hints for getting a brand new baby to go potty outside?
Yes - besides the above, if your new little baby is not used to going outside, he may not realize that he is expected to! If you have another dog already, the new baby will follow him, and eliminate where he does. However, if the baby has been used to going on pee pads and/or newspapers in the breeder's home, and is the ONLY dog in the new home - how on earth is he supposed to KNOW that he is expected to eliminate outdoors????
If he does have an accident in the house, pick it up and take it outside to where you want the puppy to do his business. Leave it there and bring the puppy over to it whenever you bring him outside. I normally ask that owners pick up daily after their dogs, even in their own yard - but during the time of training a new baby it's best to leave it on the ground; that way the baby will smell it and be stimulated to go in that area.
Peeing and Pooping on command
Can a puppy be taught to pee or poop on command?
YES! Leslie, mother of little Harvey and an extraordinary Dachshund named Henry, has always trained her dogs to do that. Her words below:
"Harvey is peeing outside most of the time now. Harvey pooped in the kitchen under the table yesterday and Henry looked sooooooo guilty! Isn't it just like a little brother to try to get his big brother in trouble? He will get it in time. Henry poops and pees "on command" outside, Harvey watches but is busy biting at dandelions and distracted by any little thing right now.
"I found that just teaching them 'what poopie and pee is' and never scolding them for pooping in the house is very effective. (I just clean it up and say "poopie" or "pee" and no attention, praise, or reward is given.) Now, doing it outside brings much excitement and praising and rewards. Soon they are begging to go outside to do their business! It makes for an easy transition to "command" poopie and pee. They will do it to just to please me. It is a great timesaver if I get called in to work and need to poop the dogs right away. All my dogs were trained this way and all were "command" poopers and pee-ers. I do not like to see dogs trained with fear and punishment, it is totally unnecessary! Can you imagine screaming and rubbing your child's face in their dirty diaper to try to potty train them?!?!"
Using a harness AND a collar to housetrain
Using both a harness AND a collar to help housetrain your puppy.
This fantastic method was told to me by Buster's Mom, Melissa:
"I have found it to more effective to use the harness when taking Buster for walks. When the harness goes on him, he knows that he is being taken out for a walk or to the park, versus being taken outside just to go potty. Since I know it's best for the Dachshund breed, I always walk him with a harness and leash. However, when it's time to go outside just to do his business I always put his collar on. By doing that, he KNOWS that he is outside for a specific reason. We all know that puppies can get easily distracted and may forget to go potty while investigating scents and anything new, but I always say to him "Good boy, Buster, go potty!" I think by consistently using those words and putting the collar on him for his "potty times.", it is helping with the process of housetraining. Almost every time I put the collar on him and take him out to potty he goes!"
Excitement peeing
My puppy gets excited when people visit and starts peeing, what can I do?
The puppy is exhibiting "excitement peeing" and it's very typical of very friendly little puppies who get overly excited. They are still toddlers so think of them as little children learning not to use a diaper anymore.....and during times of excitement they just "forget" to make their muscles hold it. Children (human and canine) get "overly excited," they just don't know how to control their emotions well - and emotions influence a lot of bodily functions. It's extremely rare that a spayed or neutered adult will still do "excitement peeing" - I've only seen one in the past 30 years, and this was a little rescue mixed breed who had a horrible beginning to his life...and even then, as an adult it was only very occasional excitement peeing.
The puppy will get better at controlling his/her excitement peeing, especially after he/she has been neutered/spayed. Neutering does not change the personality, but it does "take the edge off." Neutered males control their emotions much better than intact males; intact males "fly" into emotions quickly and sometimes seemingly uncontrollably.
Until then, perhaps your puppy can greet guests in the yard, if possible? Do not pick the puppy up - let the guests bend down to greet him/her, so the puppy can squirt/pee on the grass. This will serve 2 purposes: 1) it will keep pee from flying everywhere and 2) it will reinforce to the puppy that peeing on the grass is where he/she is supposed to go. This will really help the puppy because he KNOWS he's not supposed to pee in the house (or on people), and if he can't help himself - having him in an area where it is appropriate to pee will make him feel better.
Even if he has to greet people inside. Don't pick him up. Have newspapers or peepads in the area on the floor, and have the guests bend down to pet and speak to him. He'll squirt on the newspapers/peepads.
If you anticipate guests are coming, try to get him to pee beforehand, so he has less in his bladder. The fuller the bladder is, the less control you have over it (at least that's the way it is with me....lololol)
Cleaning carpet accidents
What do you use to clean carpeting after "accidents"?
With a lot of dogs and birds, carpeting was just not practical in our home, so I ripped it all out and put down laminate and tiles - easy to clean and the tiles are easily replaced if necessary. But when I began receiving questions about how to clean carpeting from accidents, I went directly to the puppy owners themselves and asked them. They all had terrific suggestions, and here they are:
Alabama's Mom:
When we first got Bama, we went to Pet Supplies and got a "Potty Training Kit". It came with a carpet cleaner that removed all stains and smells plus it was pet safe! I'm not sure what it was called, we just ran out of it. I'm sure any potty training kit would have a great cleaning product.
Buster's Mom:
We use "Nature's Miracle" for accidents. It is kind of pricey but works very well; no stains, no odor.
Charlie's Mom:
When Charlie has an accident I make sure I sop up everything out of the carpet, and then I use "Resolve". It works really well.
Bree's Mom:
What I use for accidents is Foster & Smith "Odor Logic Clean Away." It is a pet stain and odor remover. You first dab up the urine as much as you can and then spray the product on and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then take a towel and dab up the remover. It does really work good for me! [Jan's Note - PLEASE be careful purchasing from Foster & Smith, despite what their website advertises, they import their rawhide from China and Argentina; if you call them on the phone, they will admit it. Be careful of anything edible you purchase from them.]
Leilani's Mom:
I have used many different things to clean carpets. First off, I bet it would depend on the type of carpet you have. I have always had a Berber carpet. First I clean up what I can with paper towels. I have used many types of cleaning solutions for stains and odor. They have special cleaners for accidents; some to remove odors, and others to remove odors AND stains. Those are ok. Personally, I don't think any of them actually remove the smell totally, they just cover it up. I have used carpet cleaners, "Mr. Clean" diluted with water, and plain old hot soapy water. If there is a stain I just use one of the cleaners and a soft brush and scrub the area until it is clean. Of course the best thing is to find the accident as soon as possible and not let it sit on your carpet. We also shampoo the carpets every so often.
Harvey's Mom:
I clean the accident up with a drop of of mild dish soap and a generous amount of water with a splash of vinegar. Then I rinse with plain water, and wipe/dab with a mouthwash solution! I have always been worried about a puppy licking at the cleaned spot and ingesting some toxic detergent, deodorant or disinfectant. I found that using the "cheap" giant bottles of mouthwash from the dollar stores or Wal-Mart is a great deoderizer and disinfectant for floors or carpet. I dilute it, 1/4 cup of mouthwash in one cup of water and use it as a final wipe down on the floor or pat down on the rug after a clean up. If puppy takes a little lick he has kissing sweet breath!
Stanley's Mom:
I throw my rugs in the washer! When we built the new house, I told the builder absolutely no carpet! I bought several of those small, washable rugs, and that's what we have throughout the house now. I never got upset with the boys for accidents, but it was a pain to try to clean it up, and I knew that the urine still soaked into the padding. So now when there's an accident (which is often!), I just throw the rug in the washer. The boys are happy, Mom's happy; so everyone's happy! :)
Magic & Cookie's Mom:
We use the Bissell "Spot Bot" machine, it works wonders! Before that we used just Nature's Miracle found at our local pet store in the mall and good old fashioned paper towels (that Magic loves to try to get from you, lol). The Bissell "Spot Bot" is wonderful. Of course don't leave it in the room with the puppy after you turn it off (or at least not in "Magicland"). Even if puppies are afraid of the noise when turned on, you will find the cord in half when you return to the room 5 min. later, lol and have to repair it. Highly recommend this machine. I know it's an investment but we used to have the Bissell "Green Machine" when we had Peanut which we received as a wedding gift and it was wonderful. Over the years it eventually gave out and broke down. We saw this (the Bissell "Spot Bot") and it is great. You plop it on the spot and it works wonders! Especially great for anyone with arm problems. For puppies, you just plug it in, press the button, and it does the work for you. I give it 5 stars - that's for sure. It's an awesome machine.
Lilli's Dad:
As for carpet cleaning - I have a full size Hoover steam cleaner that cost probably $300-400 when it was new. When Maggie & Molly started having problems I bought a Hoover "Spot-Bot" which is designed to clean small areas. I think the current price is somewhere around $175 at places like Target & Wal-Mart. It does a great job for all small carpet spills and is way easier to take apart and clean when you are done. A 5 Star recommendation.
Snoopy's Mom:
When any of our dogs had an accident (any type) we previously did a basic cleaning of the mess and then used OxiClean. However, we just recently invested in an upright carpet steam cleaner (looks like a vacuum cleaner). They are sold at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, etc. I watched the sale papers and found a great deal on a re-manufactured one at Big Lots. It is definitely worth the money to get a good machine (like around $150.00 or over) - the one we got retails for $168.00, but the deal at Big Lots brought it down to $99.00.
We found that there is no difference in the amount of time it takes to clean up the mess, either using OxiClean or the machine; but the machine does a much better, more complete job. The machine cleans and sanitizes the carpet so there is no worry about residue after the mess is gone, and it only takes about an hour or so to dry. The biggest benefit about the machine is the reduction in stress - we don't get as upset about the whole situation and therefore we aren't conveying the stress, tension or frustration to the little guy who had the accident. He already knows that he's done something wrong, and perhaps he doesn't feel well; so the last thing we want to do is make him feel worse - and that can easily happen when you're faced with an unexpected accident!
Potty Parks
I saw today that there are artificial turf "potty areas." They look very interesting. The dog/puppy pees on an artificial turf mat and the urine is collected in the below container.They seem to vary greatly in price. I purchased a few and will let folks know how they do. If anyone has had experience with them, I'd love to hear about it.
Update: Not impressed at all.
I purchased several of the cheaper versions of the expensive "Potty Park" and have had them down for several weeks. Two dogs have used them - one was a male who lifted his leg and pissed on the edge of one; and the other dog thinks they make a nice, comfy bed....sigh.... Little Dazzle (see Dazzle's page) likes to grab a cookie or rawhide treat and curl up on top of the Potty Park to take her afternoon nap. Good Grief.
Even if the dogs WERE using the Potty Parks, to have to pick up, rinse the 3 separate parts (artificial turf, grate & basin), dry them and put them back is a HECK of a lot more time-consuming than just picking up a pee-pad or newspaper and replacing it.
Another thing that bothered me about the original company in Canada. They called one day to give me a sales pitch about a "breeder's discount" and, thinking to impress me, told me about some breeder in TN (or was it KY?) that had 100 litters a year (!) and recommended it to all her puppy owners. He was a bit taken back when I told him that 100 litters a year kinda smacked of a puppy miller to me.
Also, I had no idea that the original (and very expensive) Potty Parks are also an MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) business. Also breeders can put a "Potty Park" logo on their site and if someone clicks on the logo and purchases a Potty Park, the breeder gets a commission. How sad.
If I feel strongly enough about a product to recommend it, I do so because I honestly would like folks to know about it - I don't recommend it to get some kind of kickback. ALL of the links on our website are just that - plain links with no hidden codes that can be used to collect commissions/referral fees/kickbacks.
Perhaps some folks might like the Potty Parks, but I don't; and just thought I'd give my opinion. And if any of my puppy owners would like some free cheap "Potty Parks" - I have two that haven't been used except one that had the edge pissed on; or purchase an unopened cheap version of "Potty Park", new in package - it's yours for $28 (which is what I paid for it).