May 15, 2023

Any ideas or suggestions on potty training a puppy?

Full Question:
Good morning Cindy,
I am currently working with a Dachshund puppy 5-month-old in regard to potty training. So far I was able to work with the client to establish a potty schedule and while client at home with puppy to have the puppy on a drag lead. He does no longer use a diaper as well the potty pads that he was trained on by the breeder are no longer spread out throughout the house. The only place that he frequents now are 2 spots in the kitchen. He lives with 2 other dogs therefore I marked the spots that those dogs are using outside with flags in order to be able to guide him to these areas. He is not dominant enough in order to have the urge to mark the spots ( we were able to have him urinate on it once ). Therefore I collected a huge urine sample from one of my female dogs to introduce a completely different scent to him. He was very exited and marked that spot BUT only once. I will see him one more time and will collect more samples from my 3 dogs ( any ideas/suggestions )
Cindy
Cindy Cindy's Answer:
I confine puppies like this in a crate and take them out on a leash to the area every hour or so using my verbal cue (hurry up) if they don't go, I put them back in the crate or ex-pen (if they are clean in there) I don't use the potty pads in the house at all, ever. I don't want them ever thinking that it's ok to use any part of the home for a bathroom, especially at this age. Dogs that use them will often not go outside and potty unless the weather is perfect, it's raining... I'll go in the kitchen. It's cold... I'll go in to the kitchen. I have found that the potty pads are more for the owner than the dog because in order to be consistent that means going outside with the puppy every single time and the vast majority of people won't do that. Letting them use the house sometimes and expecting them to go out sometimes is too much grey area for a dog.

Maybe anchor a used potty pad outside in the area you want him to use?

100% (3 out of 3)
respondents found this answer helpful
Did you find this Q&A helpful?
Expert Dog Trainer Cindy Rhodes
Scroll to Top