Puppy Problems--my Puppy Potties Everywhere!

tx_cowgirl

Honored Member
Staff member
You've spent hundreds of dollars on carpet cleaners to try to get rid of the puppy accident stains, hours coming home and getting in a sour mood because of the pile next to the couch...what to do????

Housetraining Methods
One of the most common and least successful methods is to simply take the puppy out randomly throughout the day...and quite frankly it just doesn't always work. Maybe your childhood dog somehow managed to get housebroken this way, but it's not something I recommend. Paper training is another very common method of housebreaking, where the dog/puppy is taught to use the bathroom on newspapers or potty pads placed somewhere in the house. I personally do not like this method, because you want your dog to not use the bathroom in the house at all, not just have a designated place to soil inside.
Perhaps the most recent housetraining method that is slowly on the rise is litter training. There are many brands of "dog potties"(basically a giant litter box with a turf-like surface), and also many actual dog litter boxes. These are kind of pointless in my opinion unless you own a Chihuahua in Alaska who would freeze to death if they went outside in the winter. Lol. A nice idea that could be very effective, but I think more work than it's worth. I'd rather take my dog outside and clean it's poop there than clean a giant box full of it. Plus it would smell awful.

Crate Training
The typical reaction to crate training is, "I don't want to put my dog in a cage." The fact is, canines of all kinds usually like small spaces. Dogs do not want to soil the same area they sleep in, and with crate training that's exactly the idea. If you can't watch puppy for 20 minutes or so, you don't have to worry that he's free-roaming the house looking for a restroom. I'll post a separate thread on how to crate train soon, as that's a rather lengthy subject. Remember puppies cannot hold their bladders for very long--you can't leave your 12 week old puppy in the house or in the crate for 8 hours while you're at work and expect him not to pee/poop somewhere. He physically CAN'T hold it, period. Someone will have to let him out periodically.

A Proper Crate
Your puppy's crate only needs to be big enough for him to turn around, lie down, and stand, comfortably. If you own a medium/large breed, or anything NOT toy size, then yes--you WILL need to buy another crate. If your crate is too big for your puppy, I can guarantee you he will soil one end and sleep in the other. This completely defeats the purpose of crate training. Many crates come with dividers, so that you can adjust the size of the space he occupies as he grows. A crate and a pet carrier are NOT one and the same. Typically pet carriers are much too big for crate training, and many puppies prefer to be able to see out of their crates.

Benefits of Crate Training:
-Puppy has a place to get away from the stress of new environment, new people, etc.
-Older dog or kids can get a rest from demanding puppy.
-Control over messes in the house.

How and When to Take Your Puppy Out
That's right, take your puppy out. Don't just let him outside and assume he'll do his business. He'll probably go romp outside, then come in and relieve himself. Take your puppy out and wait for him to relieve himself. TONS of praise when he does. Always take him to the same place in the yard so he doesn't learn that ANY place outside will do. Then you'll have a minefield of POO MOUNDS, which is harder to clean and ruins your whole yard. If you have a teacup Poodle it doesn't seem too bad, but if you have a Saint Bernard, you understand why it's important for your dog to use only one area of the yard. If you have a securely fenced yard, a 4-yr-old, well house trained dog can easily be trusted to relieve himself when you just let him outside. But your 1-yr-old is still happy to romp outside before you leave for work, and then not be able to hold it because he didn't relieve himself before coming back in. Not that all 1-yr-olds can't be trusted--just an example.

Take your puppy out the second he wakes up, even if just from a 3-minute-nap. Take him out immediately after play. Right after eating/drinking a lot. Keep a consistent feeding schedule and stick to it for the rest of his life. Take him out first thing in the morning before breakfast, then after breakfast, and after each meal of the day. Always take him out before and after mealtime(for an older dog, this might be 7/8 each morning and 7/8 each night). Consistent feeding and consistent potty breaks are very important to successfully housebreaking a puppy(or dog).

Cleaners
Pet-specific cleaners are the only ones that will get rid of both stain and smell. Regular carpet cleaners will get rid of the stain and what you smell, but not what puppy smells. If puppy can still smell it, puppy will still go there. So get a pet-specific enzymatic cleaner. If your puppy has been using the same rug for three weeks and you keep cleaning it, TOSS IT. The smell is not gone and may not go away so goodbye rug or puppy will keep using it. Some good brands Petsmart carries: Nature's Miracle and PetZyme. These are natural products and shouldn't bleach anything, but they still recommend to test a small area before cleaning the actual spot.

I'm sure I've forgotten something, and will probably end up adding more. Hope you find this helpful! :)
 

snooks

Experienced Member
very helpful...we can stop typing and make a link :) its such a problem for some people that just don't know a good system. a very often posted problem and a great reference.
 

Lindz

New Member
My puppy is 5 months old crested powderpuff (just 7 lbs)
and I just brought her home. I take her out to go potty and she goes potty and sometimes poo too but then comes in a does it again on the carpet. What am I doing wrong?
 

tx_cowgirl

Honored Member
Staff member
Does she come in and immediately potty inside, or is there a time lapse? If she goes outside and relieves herself, then comes inside for 10 minutes and plays, she may need to relieve herself again. When you're housetraining, when you are taking her outside to potty, this time is for pottying, not playing. If she doesn't potty within a few minutes, go inside, play, go back out to try again.

She will probably need to go outside RIGHT after she eats, sleeps, or plays. Potty breaks are only for pottying. If you are taking her for a WALK, playing is fine, but if you are specifically taking her outside to use the bathroom, then this time is only for pottying. Try to take her to the same spot in the yard every time too, so it will encourage her to go and you won't have to clean poo from the entire yard.

If she poos/pees outside and just a 1-2 minutes later comes in an pees, then try staying outside with her for longer. She may still need to pee when you're ready to go back inside, so give her a minute or two more to make sure she's really done.
Any area that she's soiled inside needs to be cleaned with an enzymatic cleaner that will thoroughly get rid of the smell so she isn't tempted to go there again. If she's soiled a rug or something numerous times, it might be best just to throw it away.

Feel free to ask more questions if you have any. :) Good luck!
 

Lindz

New Member
She doesn't go as soon as we come in. Usually about 30 minutes later. I have been setting the timer to remind me to take her out more often. I have restricted where she is allowed to roam in the house. She is still having accidents and I clean them up immediately and then spray with natures remedy. Thanks for your tips and help.
I have another question, it seems she loves to try and eat poo. I always clean up after her but if she finds some cat or another dog's she tries to eat it. I don't get mad I'm just frustrated. Thanks,O_o Lindz
 

lyka_01

Well-Known Member
thanks for sharing that information on puppy pottie training. i have a pug and he pushes our screen door to go out of the house and into the garden on his own when he has to pee. we don't have a puppy door so he just knocks back when he's done. :)

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tigerlily46514

Honored Member
Never noticed this thread before, but, since it's stickied (great idea!)
here one more idea, for those who like videos:
Quickie short video on potty training:
 

sazzy73

Active Member
Hi!
I'm training my 2 puppies to pee/poop in one spot outside.
At the mo its kind of hit and miss...:oops:
I find that they don't 'sniff around' as an indication that they need to go, so sometimes they end up having an accident in the house, which I immediately clean up.
When I put them on a lead and take them to their potty area, they just sit there & do nothing. The minute I take their leads off, they run straight into the house and pee..

On the odd occasion, when they've got it right, I praise them so much & offer a treat & when they get it off the mark I don't react in any way.

Please advise me, how to get this right!!:confused:
Thanks...
 

southerngirl

Honored Member
If they don't pee outside take them straight to there crates for maybe 5- 10 minutes than try taking them outside again. Repeat until they go potty outside. Carry them to the crate if you have to in order to prevent them from going potty in the house. Hope this helps.
 

tx_cowgirl

Honored Member
Staff member
Sounds gross, but you might also try taking the rag/paper towel/whatever you use to clean up an accident in the house out to the potty area. Since they aren't quite getting it just yet, the potty area probably doesn't smell very much like a potty area since they probably haven't pottied there much. So anything you can do to make it more obvious that yes, THIS IS THE SPOT, RIGHT HERE, the quicker they will understand. Southerngirl's advice would be good to incorporate as well. :) Hope this helps!
 

sazzy73

Active Member
Just have to say Thanks for all the advice...
The video was great! It has really helped me so much.
I'm half way there with the potty training...one dog has got it totally sussed...the other almost!
I'll keep ya posted...

Just one other thing...I'm using sand in their potty area.
 
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