Apartment Training

[mcnemo 0]

Hi Guys

Me again ! Has anyone got any tips on what is the best way to go about house training in an apartment ?

Dexter was 14 weeks yesterday and is mostly using his puppy pad.... with a few accidents in between !

Since he now has all his injections we are able to bring him out for walks but he never seems to "go toilet" outside ?

He waits until he comes back into the apartment :signthankspin:

[borzoimom 24]

Well if he has been going potty in the apartment until now- that is why. What should-have-, would have done doesn't matter. Lets deal with the now. Take one of those pee pads and put it out in the yard. One that has been used ( if he tends to reuse the pads- and a clean one if he doesn't. Start with the basics. After he goes and he takes a few steps from it praise calmly- I use cheerios as a treat- they are small and fast to eat, without adding extras too much into the gut.

[Riquena 2]

Edited as I didn't answer your last question

If you take him out and he doesn't potty, and assuming you crate him, when you come back inside don't give him freedom to roam the apartment, crate him for at least 15-20 minutes, maybe a bit more, and then take him outside again (with a pad if it helps) and see if he goes. I'd repeat this a few times until he gets it. If he does go potty, praise him, if not, back inside the crate. Dogs don't like to mess where they sleep so this should work.

I live on a second floor and I tried the pee pads. Mia used them a few times, but Chico, never. Then Mia one day decided no more pee pads!! I tried taking the pee pads outside, but it didn't work at all...but in about 3 weeks mine were pretty much trained... it was tough, but I had to do a routine every day to achieve success. Most important for my babies were NO water after their last potty walk (usually between 10:30 - 11:00 pm) as much as it killed me to not give them water but young pups don't usually have bladder control until they're about 3 months old. Mine sleep in their crates, and in the morning, (around 6:30) I'd take them out of their crates and immediately leash them and say "let's go potty". I found that if I didn't leash them and just let them out free, they would pee in the house. After they went potty outside (and using treats to reward them helps) I'd take them back up, feed them, water and then back outside by 7:00 for another potty. I leave the house at 7:10-7:15 and would crate them again. At 9:00 a.m. my boyfriend took them out one more time for about 20 minutes for another potty session before crating them for the day and he'd let them drink a little water. I get home at around 5:00 pm from work, and then immediately leash them and take them outside to potty, again encouraging "go potty" and treats. After dinner at about 6:00 until bedtime I'd take them out immediately after eating, and about every 1 1/2 to 2 hours because I left water out for them to drink. On weekends when I'm home, I took them out in the morning (same time as they were used to the schedule) and then every 1 1/2 to 2 hours and crate them for about 20-30 minutes every two hours also. They don't like to soil where they sleep and learn to hold it. Not to say they haven't had mistakes inside, but it's been a few weeks now with no accidents inside the crates. I must say it gets easier and they learn! If they have a mistake in the house, AND if you catch them, say "BAD boy/girl" with a strong tone. Trust me, they know the difference between "BAD" and "GOOD" tones and since they want to please you, they will learn. It's a bit trying sometimes, and not easy, but keep it consistent. Mine now let me know they need to go out. Mia is very vocal, and Chico stares at me and then runs to the door or to where I keep the leashes.

Edited March 15, 2009 by Riquena