New puppy. Best way to house-train?

Hey all! I just got a beautiful little puppy! She is a ten week old lab-beagle mix. I've had a lot of dogs before, but they were all older before I got them, so house-training wasn't an issue. (oh boy I wish I had realized how lucky I was! ) Anyway, I was wondering what worked best for you with potty training? So far, we have been going on the punishment/reward system. If she goes outside, she gets a treat and lots of praises and cuddles. If she goes inside, we tell her no & take her outside, to where she usually goes, and then put her in her crate for 5 minutes. Am I doing this right? Any ideas on how I could improve this? (please don't respond with physical punishment ideas, (i.e. swatting her butt or nose, etc...) I just couldn't do it. ) Also, she only goes in one spot in the house, so I'm assuming that she's marked that spot as hers.:ack: How do I "unmark" it? Any ideas would be appreciated!

 

Congrats
Oh yes I remember those days well. It sounds like you're doing it right, just need to be patient and consitent with it.

A good clean of the affected area and spraying it with a cleaning spray designed to get rid of the scent [from a pet shop or vets, regular deouderisers like Frebreze won't cut it] should do the trick.

Good luck

 

What did you name your puppy?

An enzyme cleaner will break the urine down and will eventually get rid of the scent. Natures Miracle is a good cleaner. Available at your pet store.

We have a Goldendoodle. She was 2 months when we brought her home. I used the bell method to train her and a timer. I was home so it was a little easier to use the timer. When I wasn't home she was in her crate. I rarely ever used the crate for punishment.

Every 45 minutes to an hour I would take her to the door and ring the bell. I had a bell hanging from the door knob that she could swat. This worked terrific. By the end of the day I was able to show my husband our accomplishments. By 2 weeks she was a pro. Then it became a game but by that time she had already learned to stand at the door when she needed to go out.

Training a puppy is hard but it's very much like training a child. Consistency is the key.

I wish you both the best!

 

Dont punish your dog, she wont understand why you are crating her unless you catch her in the act.

 

Her name is Gypsy Wind. Benot, I do only put her in her crate if I catch her doing it. Otherwise, I just show it to he (not rubbing her nose or anything, just pointing to it) and tell her no. Peanuts, I really like your method. I think I'll have to go and get a bell, and start trying to train her that way. Thanks!

 

your doing things correct, dont worry, do not smack your dog this never helps, a good no will work fine, she will get there in the end.ps great name.

 

Thanks. Her name just seemed to fit her. And you're right, smacking is never the right idea. I don't think I could ever bring myself to do that.

 

I recently got a dog, too. She's now seven months old. I bought a cage for her to sleep in at night, which has just enough room for her to lay down, because she wouldn't want to sleep where she pees. I also bought a little play pen (Which is actually used for children, but I bought it at the pet store. it says so on the back of the box). I keep her in it during the day, when I can keep an eye on her. I use training pads, which she likes to tear apart, so I have to put chairs on either ends of it. I take her outside every couple of hours to make, as well. As for where she urinates, I bought this thing called Simple Solution, which they sell at pet stores. You just spray it once, wherever you want the dog to go (even outside), and hopefully, he or she will make there. I've only used it once, on a training pad, and ever since, she hasn't had any accidents anywhere but there. The training pads are good for the nighttime, or when you're not around, because they don't make a mess. Well, i hope this was helpful. Cheers.

 

I got lucky, my dog basically potty trained herself, with few slip ups.

I've heard a lot of people train their dogs via the crate. The crate isn't my thing but I heard it works. The people I've talked to use it differently then you do. They keep the dog in the crate at night or whenever unattended, and let out to potty. They wont potty in the little space, and will hold it until let out. They eventually figure out where they need to do their duty.

 

Crate training works wonders.. the dog i have now was a pup when i got him and he was an outside kennel dog.. so potty training i thought was gonna be tough when he learned right off the bat he can piss and shit wherever he wanted since he was outside... so i bought a crate.. kept him in it while at work and when in bed.. had a few slips but within 2 weeks had him potty trained.. also some negative reinforcement is good.. i would pinch his neck whenever he did something bad.. even pottying in the house.. since this is what lead bitches do to correct their young

 

It sounds like you're doing everything right. Patience and consistency are key.

Good luck! And may she be potty trained before you lose your mind. I potty trained both of my dogs and let me tell you, there were some dark (stinky) days. lol

 

:lol: Thanks!!! She's getting much closer. She's only had 1 accident in the last couple days. Now if I could only figure out how to get her to stop eating everything she finds on the ground. Dead birds, other animal's poop, rocks tree bark, you name it. lol