Kameron, at this stage (10 wks old), I wouldn't worry about a puppy making lasting forever bad habits. He'll get it, he just needs time to put it all together in his mind. And EXERCISE in the morning before you go to work.

He's obviously just a little confused, since you say it seems the potty training deteriorated. It's a good sign that he doesn't like peeing in his crate. I would just make sure he gets lots of outdoor time before you go to work and when you get home.

A 10 wk old just can't pee and poo on command so he needs time outside and exercise.

One more note: frustration on your part will further confuse and possibly alarm him.

Kameron, is there any way for you to build a small dog run outside? At 10 weeks I think the small wire frame units you can buy at the local chains would be big enough and secure enough...a couple of them have shade covers, too...just a thought

also, our dog HAS to have excercise before she'll have a bm...she loves to play fetch so we run run run her (if she doesn't go) as soon as she's let outside...nearly all the time that's all it takes for her to relieve herself and we immediately give her the "good girl, good outside potty"

she also doesn't really drink that much water...I was concerned when we first got her because this is the first dog that I've done raw/prey diet with and it seemed she wasn't drinking alot of water, but I realized after a while that she was getting plenty from her food...is your pup drinking cause he's thirsty or because you're leading him to the water alot?

it's just me, but I wouldn't use pads or paper...I think that just reinforces going inside on something.

I'll tell you what I wish I would've done at this point, though...I wish that I'd taught mine to signal me with a bell or a bark to go outside. Brenna hardly EVER barks and it's very, very hard to get her to do so even playing with her. If it were me, I'd start teaching your little guy to hit a bell on a string with his paw when he goes outside...it may take a little while for him to catch on, but once he understands that he has to go outside to pee/poop, he'll be able to signal you instead of you finding an accident because you had your head turned for 20 seconds looking at the news or the stove...but that's just me. I know some here that don't like that method for various reasons.

anyway, I hope that helps a little

 Quote: Kameron Bean

..I'm just afraid he's beginning to see urinating in his kennel as a way to get out of his kennel. Any advice?

I missed that part before.

No, your puppy doesn't have that kind of thought process....

He's young. If you are patient and consistent and calm (not frustrated), this phase will end.

Thanks for all the advice - I do know it's mostly because of his age and hopefully he'll grow out of it. I do get frustrated, mentally, but I try my hardest not to transmit that to Bart. Now, I have another question... I put a towel back in his kennel (crate) with him to try to absorb any accidents and now I'm noticing he's suckling it! I got him at eight and a half weeks of age, but I'm unsure how old he was when mom was separated from the litter (I've already written the breeder to ask.) When I gave him towels before, they were always wet and I assumed it was urine, but now I wonder if he was suckling them then. Should I take the towel away, or is this a behavior he'll grow out of as well?

Sorry for all the questions - this is my first puppy - all my other dogs have been older adoptions.

Kameron

Its fine. Just be glad he's not shredding them. Although I am kind of surprised that he isnt shredding them.

My pup likes to suck, chew, shred and hump towels ....

Ok. Bart is now 12 weeks old and his peeing in the crate is not improving. We took his towel away, hoping the added wetness would be an incentive for him to 'hold it' longer. He did go several nights without urinating (approx 8-9 hours) but even that has stopped now, and he's back to needing to go out once during the night. Problem with that is, he's in the living room and we don't hear him whining until it's too late, and he's already urinated. During a work day, he's in his kennel from about 7am (he gets playtime and breakfast from 6-7am) until I can come home from work for lunch, which is about 12:30. Invariably he has urinated in that time. In fact, the other day I was off and my husband went to work, so he did the feed/play thing before he left (he leaves a little earlier, like 6:15) and I tried to sleep in a little, but by 7:30 I heard him whining, and he had urinated. Even at 12 weeks he should be able to hold it longer than that! When someone is home all day he does fairly well, and we can usually catch him before he urinates in his kennel, but I need advice (or reassurance) that it will get better for when we work/at night! I don't want Bart to be an outside dog, but if he doesn't eventually (several months left, I know) grow out of this, or if he's 'gotten used to' being in his own urine, he's going to have to go outside.

Should I give him back his towel, since it kind of soaks up the urine, or is it better to have him experience the discomfort of a wet kennel? Does it matter? I've read different things that say a 12 week old has bladder control, and then again some say they don't. Which is it? I even asked Bart's breeder, and she said sometimes 'summer' puppies are harder to housbreak because they drink more water during the heat.

I'm trying not to be impatient, but I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to set Bart up for success.

Kameron

Hi Kameron,

Check out this link. It could be the best $12 you spend
http://leerburg.com/housetrainingebook.htm

With that said, I believe you need to go back to square one with housebreaking. However; before you even go there....I think you need to let go of expectations of what owning a puppy should be and what living with Bart is. That is a personal comment and in no way is it meant to be a critism of you. Everyone here has been a first time puppy owner, we feel your pain and know the reality isn't quite what you were expecting.

Now clear your mind of what the "experts" say a puppy's bladder is capable of. Those are broad guidelines and they don't really matter anyway; because all you need to care about is what Bart is capable of.

In all respects he seems to be doing okay with the exception of when you are at work. To me that is a clear sign; he is not ready to go that long. It is unfair to let him lie in it. So if you have the crate divided I would give him access to the whole crate during the time you are at work so he can relieve himself away from where he is resting. Another poster mentioned that they had a raised platform. I'm not sure how that works but it sounds like a great idea. Ok you have now gotten him out of his urine and made his time a little less stressful while you are gone.

When you are home: back to every two hours potty break and set your alarm at night for a 4 hour potty call. I am not sure if you have corrected him for relieving himself in the house but if you have don't do that anymore. He is a baby he needs to be interrupted not scolded, sometimes a pup can become frightened, and start to hide that they are urinating from you because they don't understand it is not the urinating but the place that is offending you.

Try tethering him to you when you are home instead of putting him back into the crate or leaving him to roam free. Easier to catch him in the act. If in between those two hours he starts to go, say something like "Oops" to interrupt him and scoot him out to where he should be going. And go wild when he does, praise, treats, sing allelulia. This goes for anytime he does his business outside "HUGE SHOW OF SUPPORT" Also play with him for a couple of minutes outside afterwards, you want him to associate potty outside with all that is good in the world. By the way no cheating on the 2 hour rule even if he starts to have an accident in between it is still 2 hours from the original time. Someone else mentioned the "trust" factor in knowing relief is coming your consistancy will reinforce that.

If you have a successful week tack 15 minutes on during the day and 30 minutes at night. Another successful week extend the time by 15 and 30.

What will eventually happen is he will get to the point where he can hold it for the time you are at work and since going outside is so rewarding he will want to hold it and only go outside. I know you are nervous about it being ok for him to go in the crate but you don't have a choice as long as his going in the crate is always neutral, nothing good comes of it and no attention earned, as his bladder matures he will wean away from it.

By the way anyone who tells you their puppy was housebroken at 12 weeks is either lying; or they were trained to a very similar schedule to the one I just laid out for you

Kameron I know it sounds like a lot of work but it goes by quickly. This stage does not last forever. By the way once my dog had reached the 8 hour mark by day and 10 hours at night I still took him out on scheduled potty breaks and used the crate when I was at work. It wasn't until he was about 1 1/2 that I felt I should be able to expect reliability. I let him signal when he needed to go and left the door of his crate open. I'm proud to say he was housebroken "no accidentss"

While this sounds like a very sound plan, it's simply not feasable with my schedule. Don't get me wrong, I do spend as much time as I can with him, but I have another dog as well as a sizable reptile collection to care for on top of the normal household stuff. I can try to tether him to me as much as I can, but with other chores, I don't think that will be for any length of time per day.

We do praise him every time he goes potty outside, but maybe I should ramp it up a notch and actually use food rewards to get the point across.

So, you really think it's wise to increase the amount of space he has in his kennel to give him a potty area? That really goes against almost everything you read about housebreaking. I was actually thinking about going smaller...but I feel bad about it. What about giving him back his towel to absorb his accidents? Will that do more harm than good?

I've actually seriously thought about getting an outdoor dog run and keeping him out there during the day until he gets a bit older and trying again then...

Kameron

"So, you really think it's wise to increase the amount of space he has in his kennel to give him a potty area? That really goes against almost everything you read about housebreaking. I was actually thinking about going smaller"

In a perfect world absolutely not, however; very few of us have an ideal situation so we make do with what we have. Bart is not physically able to hold it for the time you are at work. You mentioned he does not like it when he wets his crate thus I don't believe it is fair to make him uncomfortable for something he has no control over. I'm not sure you understand the crate and housebreaking concept. Going smaller at this point will not help. A smaller area is not going to increase his bladder capacity, only growth and development will do that for him. If the outdoor run is an option, that's great. Less stressful for both of you

I understand the constraints on your time, if not tethered to you, how about tethered in the room you are working in? It is just easier to catch him if he starts to have an accident than if he is away from you in a crate. Also, having him accompany you while you do chores is a good bonding activity for the two of you. If you can not watch him closely when you are home; or follow a set schedule, realize the housebreaking process will take longer because of a lack of consistency. It will get done but not anytime soon.

Kameron, this too will pass Bart has his limitations and you have yours on what you can do for him at this time. If you can accept those limitations and relax you will see everything will fall into place.