Thank you all for the help!! My 2 little girls made it through the night without any accidents. Thank you all for helping me. I have another question though. How do I get them to let me know when they have to go outside? Like scratch at the door or bark or something so i don't have to watch them 24/7.

Hi Craig,

sorry, but i think you will have to watch them (or build an outside dog-run). I took my pups out after every play session, after they ate & after they woke up from a snooze/sleep.

Now, one of my dogs (the female) will scratch at the door when she wants out. The male circles around and sniffs the ground. When I say "Pee Pee's" they both know to run to the door & go outside in the yard & do their business (I trained this right from the start).

My dogs are 1.5 yrs & 8 months old - and I still take them out in the yard every 2 hours when I am home. (they also go out for 2 hours walking a day)

You can put papers down & train them to go on there, but you will still have to watch them to make sure that you get them to go on the papers! :rolleyes: .

It's better to get them used to going outside in the first place, or you can confuse the little blighters.

The mistake that some people make, is that they do not accompany the pup outside to:-

1). Make sure they actually do their business.
2). To praise the pup for doing their business.

I still accompany my dogs outside & I still give them both a treat & say good girl/boy for doing the right thing.

There is no short-cut if you want a good indoor dog.

I heard a saying that goes "you get the dog you deserve" - I think thats a pretty good remark. If you put in the hard yakka at the start, it saves you a million times in the future.

JMHO <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Craig-
Ed's got a nice puppy video for sale that may be of immense help. You should really check it out.
Most (not all) pups on a schedule for going outside will start to let you know pretty quick when they need to go potty-they know if you're a minute late! YOU are the key-you MUST put them on a schedule and stick to it. But for teaching them to give you a specific clue, try the video.
Tell your pups before you go outside that they are going out for "Potty Outside". Don't muck it up with alot of other talk. Run your nails on the door with your hand before you open the door. Give them lots of "good potty outside!" praise when they go outside. They usually catch on quick, at the very least they should fairly quickly learn to go to the door and look at you when they need to go. Don't ignore tham if they start seeming real restless or too eager for attention-it probably means "hey dad-I gotta go!". They need time to learn the schedule, and their bladders aren't too strong right now either. Praise praise praise when they alert you at the door-and continue to say "potty outside" and run your hand on the door before going out. Chances are good they'll pick it up-and of course, strip the paint off your door pretty quick too-think whether you REALLY want that paw on the door!
Don't expect too much-they WILL have accidents. Don't scare them and yell and stuff-just ignore it and keep on with the crate and consistent outside breaks with praise. Always use the same words for potty breaks.
But I say again-buy the video if you can-you say you want to protection train. The more basics you learn now, the better and more reliable your dog will be later, and the better representative you will be for your breed later. Pit ownership carries an enormous responsibility. Especially if you intend to train them for protection-and good luck, because they're not bred for that-and maybe it's wrong to try to make them do it-a confirmation champion background does not mean you have a protection prospect-but you no doubt have a very beautiful and loyal pet! Please don't fail your dogs=buy a video, take them to obedience classes, and then decide what you want your dogs to be when they're older.
I think pits are great dogs. Many of the people in my life have or had at least one. They are NOT natural protection dogs. They are, trained responsibly, an ideal family dog. I hate to see them get a bad rap by being trained wrong. Educate yourself with a video.
I am assuming now that you have spayed Nala, the mixed breed in your house? You got a lot of bitches in there, dude. I don't like the sound of things for later...
trust me, I've lived with lots'o dogs-things can get super nasty with three bitches.

thanks for the imput you 2 i will put it to use. I don't have nala spayed yet but that is coming soon. And trust me I already know that it is gonna get nasty in here because it already is!!! I am guessing that this is just a preview of things to come!! So protection training them is not a good idea? I have been second guessing that idea myself and I don't think I am gonna do it. Are pibulls protective of there house? That is what I want basically. I want them to protect the house if someone breaks in. Will this happen if I don't train them?

i put a small bell on a string and tied it to the doorknob. everytime my pup acted like he had to go or if i was taking him out before bed, etc. i'd say "outside" and ring the bell.

didn't take long to pick it up - he rings the bell with his nose when he needs to go out.

saves the paint on the door and you can hear it through the house so you don't miss it...

chris that is an excellant idea I think I am gonna start to do that!! Thanks for the help!

I have another problem. My 2 little girls made it through the night but when I let them out of the cage they can't hold it untill we get outside and 1 or both of them pee on the carpet. How can I prevent this from happening?

tuck one under each arm and run...

Put a leash on them and don't let them stop until they are outside. This means you have to be quick getting that door open. Also encourage them to hurry by saying in a cheerful and consistant voice "potty or outside". Keep them jazzed at going out and they should be able to make it outside. This also lets them know that yes you are going outside, so wait before squating.

Fotgot to add this. Your dog will pretty much let you know how it wants to go out. You have to learn to read your dog. I tried teaching mine to scratch the door to go out, but neither one will do that. Maybe my dogs are just stubborn.I even bought a doggy door bell (ya, that went over big, the pup decided it made a great chew toy). My male will go to the door, sit there and make a high pitched noise that I think only other dogs can hear. If I don't respond, he comes and stares at me. My female will jump on my lap. If I'm asleep she jumps on my head, either way she really gets my attention. So be aware.