Hello i am new here, but have beeen reading this site for a month or so. I will be bringing my 7wk old Doberman Pinshcer home in the next couple of weeks. I have been reading about the different methods of housebreaking a puppy and they all seem to be same. Consistent, persistant, positive reinforcement, yadda yadda. I understand that part... most of it is common sense.

Here's my dilemma: I work all day and have no one to walk the dog in the middle of the afternoon and do not want to explore dog walkers at this point.

Which method would be the best in your opinion:
1. x-pen in the kitchen with lots of newspapers when I'm not there.
2. xpen outside. I would rather keep him inside, but I understand that could be teaching him to use the bathroom inside and that's exactly what we're trying to prevent, but I've read other articles to the contrary.

After he's 4 months old I can arrange to make the necessary trip at lunch to walk him, but until then, I cannot make the trips hourly to let him do his business.

I don't mind ordering the Leerburg 8 to 8 video if it addresses my issue (housebreaking while working), but I see no reference to that at all on this site.

Thanks and any advice is appreciated.

Welcome to the forum, Craig.

Not knowing how cold it is where you live, personally I wouldn't want a puppy that young out during the day. Besides the cold, there are other things that can happen - theft of puppy, knocking over the pen and then having access to all sorts of things he should not be eating, etc. Unsupervised puppy = big potential for disaster.

Even though the situation isn't the best, in your situation I would opt for the pen in the kitchen. But I would get a pen large enough that I could put a small crate in the pen so the pup can already begin his crate training, going in there to sleep and learning not to pee in the crate since he'll have another area he can use (hopefully this will work - it may not but it's worth a try). He should have a den-like place to sleep anyway (crate).

I would also not trust a pen to hold a pup up until he's 4 months old. They get pretty strong pretty fast. My pup knocked over a pen I was hoping to use when he was 10 weeks old (so I returned it).

Also, just to interject a thought here, if there's any way the breeder will keep the pup until he's 8 weeks old at least, it's better for the pup's development.

Thanks for the response. I agree. I am looking at a x-pen that is 46" high from a local pet store.

On your other thought. Just to add a little back info. I am actually taking time off from work from 12/21 - 1/3. I wanted to take as much time as I could, while I'm off, to adjust him to his new environment. I actually had that conversation with the breeder. He was born on 11/7/2007.

I would like to get the board's opinion on that subject as well. Would it be better to grab him as soon as I can (he would be exacly 6 weeks old) to get him adjusted or wait until he's a little older for development purposes? I understand that 7wks is an ideal timeframe to remove a puppy from the litter, but opinions differ by a week earlier to 5 weeks later.

Thank you very much.

I am a lot less knowledgeable about this than other people here, but I'd say 8 weeks is a better bet than 6, for most dogs. There are probably a lot of dogs that would be ok getting pulled at 6 weeks, but why chance it? It's just two weeks. It's worth waiting for.

Hi there and welcome!!!

First I’m gonna address the age issue. I know it sucks if you already took the time off of work, but it is way better to wait until 8 weeks. If not, then try to find a nice, calm, and very well behaved adult to help you socialize. If are near the breeder, then is there a way you can go back and visit? Those extra weeks are important for the pup to learn social skills and how to behave like a dog. But that is a whole ‘nuther thread.

As for the potty training, I had some luck using a baby wading pool (not the four foot across but the maybe two foot size) filled with a absorbant medium like Woody Pet. It was easy to clean and sanitize, but made a specific “potty area.” I know it means a larger area, but lets face it, you have a larger dog! (I know the feeling :cool

Your little guy will be growing fast, and that may be a lot of waste that he is playing in. He will make a mess and force himself to exist in it. Not so great when you get home to a smelly puppy or later when you try to really crate train.

O yeah, and how long are we talking that he will be alone? Hours? Just curious.

Any way you do it, I know that you will make it work. And those videos, they are a great investment!! Even if you don’t think they cover your topic.

Do not remove your puppy from its litter before 8 weeks if at all possible. Puppies do some crucial learning and training by mother and littermates until that age. Frankly I am concerned that your breeder would even let you take a puppy at (SIX WEEKS?!?) that is way too young. My pups are still nursing a little at six weeks. I did not force-wean my litter nor did I remove the mother, they nursed all the way until 8 weeks of age.

As for the ex-pen, I had three all hooked together to form a large puppy pen in my basement. I had four pups (about the same size as Dobermann puppies) and by 10 weeks of age one of them could climb out. I would not want to risk a climbing puppy if you left him outside.

Also puppies do not have the ability that adults do to keep warm outside, I don't know where you live but if it's cold, unless you have a heated doghouse, I'd keep him inside and worry about house training when he's old enough to hold it. If you use a pen, and give him a place to pee and a separate place to sleep, he will at least learn to keep his bed clean and will be easier to housebreak when old enough to leave crated.

 Quote: Angela Burrell

Frankly I am concerned that your breeder would even let you take a puppy at (SIX WEEKS?!?) that is way too young.

Hi. Thanks for the information. And, I might have overstated this fact. I don't know if he would actually let me take him at that point or not.

Another thing Craig, I would suggest you go home at lunch when you get the puppy and not waiting to do that until he's 4 mos old. Nine or ten hours is a long time for a puppy to be alone and I think it would be in his best interest to not have to wait that long all day without seeing you and interacting with you.

Remember, he's going to be coming from a place where's he's never been alone, always with his littermates and mother. Four hours alone is going to be hard for him to handle, much less 8-10 hours. It may cause some issues that you will end up dealing with later.

I like Jessica's idea of the baby wading pool, as long as you see the puppy can get in AND get out on his own.

Thanks for everyone's advice. I have told the breeder to hold him until he is 8wks old, so that's one issue averted.

On to the other... I know consistency is the key to housebreaking a puppy. Since I work during the week, what is the protocol for the weekends? Do I break into a non-working household schedule (out every hour or so) or do I keep on with what goes on during the week.

I think I know what to do (non-working schedule), but it also seems counter-productive to change the schedule for two of the seven days. Does this make sense? It would seem he'd be like where did everybody go come Monday??

Thanks all.

So Craig,
Excuse me for asking, but where is all the time going to come from for raising this puppy to a well balanced adult?


If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy