My puppy is 3 months old and I have been potty training her for about a month. She is really good early in the morning and at night but I am having problems with her during the day.
I can tell that she needs to go out at certain times so I take her out. The problem is that she likes to play outside. I will stay out with her for 20 minutes without her going and then as soon as I bring her in she messes in the house.
She has figured out that she if she scratches at the door I will take her outside, but she only does it when she wants to play. If she has to go to the bathroom she won't scratch; she'll just mess in the house.
Am I doing something wrong? What can I do to make her "tell" me she has to go out?
Stephen A2010-04-01T07:14:34Z
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Potty training is, to most owners, the first and most important kind of training a puppy needs. When it comes to potty training, all pups are not created equal. Some breeds are known for being easy to potty train while others are more difficult—this should be one of the things you look into as you explore different breeds.
Individual puppies also vary. Be patient. A puppy is a baby, and babies need time to master acceptable potty procedures. Young puppies don't have complete control of their bladders or bowels, and sometimes by the time they realize they have to go, they simply can't hold it any longer. It's your job to keep your puppy off your carpets until he's reliably trained, to teach him where he should go, and to be patient when he has an accident.
She can't mess in the house if you're watching her. You must not be properly supervising her.
When you take your puppy out, leash her. Give her a command that she can associate with going to the bathroom. When she complies, fuss the heck out of her. Do NOT bring her in until she goes. Do NOT allow her to play until she goes to the bathroom.
Your puppy is still young yet. The muscle she uses to hold it has only now just finished developing. Your puppy will have accidents.
It will help if you do everything on a schedule. Meals, out 45 minutes after she eats, after she plays, when she first wakes. Dogs truly creatures of habit and they like to have routine.
Since your dog likes to play outside, it must be very active. That's good. A trick that I did with my pal's dog is put the water bowl outside, so when she gets tired, she will drink the water then have to "go". You can always buy one of those things that they pee on. Then she will think that its like grass and pee outside.