My 10 week old puppy is having housetraining issues. I live alone, and work 25 miles away with no break during?

House Training

House training your dog is simple if you follow a few basic rules. Remember that puppies younger than 10 to 12 weeks have little control. Accidents will always happen when teaching puppies to be clean in the house. Be kind and patient, and reward handsomely all outdoor elimination. Always remember that dogs do what works for them. Make outdoor pottying work really well for your puppy.

1) The puppy must have NO time unsupervised in your home. NONE. If you are not directly watching the puppy, it should be in the crate, or outside in a safe area. You MUST watch the puppy at ALL times when loose in the house. Use baby gates, crates, or tie the leash to your belt.

2) The puppy should sleep inside the crate by your bedside. This way you can hear if the puppy should happen to need to go out during the night.

3) You must go WITH the puppy outside for ALL trips for elimination. You must have treats with you. When the puppy is urinating, say "GO PEE PEE" in a nice praise tone of voice the entire time. When she is finished, pop the treat into her mouth at once, and praise praise praise. This should be something she gets at no other time, like tiny pieces of string cheese or boiled chicken. Same for defecation. Say "GO POOP" while she is going, and food reward and praise afterwards. You must observe and reward ALL outdoor potty time.

4) Keep a schedule. Feed at the same time, and walk outside at the same times. Your pup needs at least 4 trips outdoors each day, and 5 is probably better. Pup needs to go out at wake up time, lunch time, 4-5 PM, after dinner or any other meals, and before bed. Younger puppies may need to go out much more often.

5) Use a key word each time you go out. I say "Let's go out!!" in a happy tone of voice each time I'm opening the door to go out with the dog.

6) If you catch the puppy IN THE ACT of eliminating in your house, CLAP YOUR HANDS, say AH AH, OUTSIDE!! And immediately rush her outside. If she finishes there, do your usual food reward and praise.

The keys to getting your dog reliably housetrained are:

SUPERVISION: NO loose time in the house if you are not watching

REWARDS: ALL outdoor elimination MUST be observed and rewarded. If you only do this ONE thing, your puppy will get housetrained.

PATIENCE: Anger and punishment have no place in dog training. Elimination is a natural and pleasurable experience for your dog. You can teach her to not soil your house, but punishment will NOT help. It will only teach the dog to hide when she needs to eliminate.

If you have applied these techniques carefully for 4 weeks and you are still finding spots or piles after the fact, it's time for stronger measures. Roll up a newspaper and fasten both ends with a rubber band. Keep it handy. The very next time you find a spot of a pile that the dog has left behind, whip out that newspaper, and hit YOURSELF over the head firmly several times as you repeat "I FORGOT TO WATCH MY PUPPY".

Works every time.

:D

This article copyright 2004/2007, RedyreRottweilers. Free for unlimited distribution as long as copyright info remains intact.

I am not in any way a fan of puppy pads. Most likely the reason he is going inside instead of out side when you take him is because you are teaching him to go inside by leaving him in the kitchen with pads. Chis and doxies can both be difficult to potty train. I highly recommend switching to a kennel method and getting someone (like a dog sitter or neighbor) to take him out during the day while you are at work. Using Susan's advise is great, but if you are still making that he goes unsupervised during the day while your gone it will not work very well. You might also consider doggy day care until he is older.

A friend of mine had a small breed dog and she had a pen that she set up in a corner of her room. One end had the dogs bed and the other end had a large litter-box with a section cut out so the puppy could get in it without having to jump. In the litter-box she put a puppy pad. This worked great while she was at work and the puppy would go potty in the litter-box. You don't want to give the puppy the run of the kitchen or yes he will go everywhere.

Ha Ha Sue B, that last part was funny,,, well put.

Sorry I did not answer more to the going in house when you are home. I used the training method that Sue B wrote. I would say hurry up, potty, and lots of peaise when he went outside. It took patience and time.

Good luck!

He pooping inside simply because the potty pads are teaching him it's OK to poop inside the house, and he's getting mixed signals about going outside or inside. Stop the potty pads altogether, and concentrate on outside potty-ing.

With your living alone, I realize how hard, and possibly how costly it might be just starting out with an untrained puppy, but if you can tough it out and spend the extra time/money it takes, the companionship and loyalty by the dog down the road will be so rewarding to you. Hang in there!

Crate training him will help HIM learn to control HIS own bladder and bowels. You may need to arrange a dog-walker or a day kennel -(doggy daycare) (The day care folks can help with the crate training) for a few weeks til the crate training starts working, but consistency (not allowing him to potty inside) will pay off in the long run.

CRATE TRAINING

Crate training is very essential to housebreaking a dog.

For your and your dog's future happiness, you need to crate train the dog, This will allow him to self train his bladder and bowels, to hold for more extended times if and when you can't be there or can't walk him

By instinct a dog doesn't like to soil it's bedding (den) area, so instinctively it will self train to wait longer and longer periods of time before it potties, just to prevent soiling. This helps the dog learn to get through the night without pottying, and allows you some freedom if you need to be gone or are at work/school.

Put a blanket, or cushion in the crate for the dog to lay on. Simply walk your pup before you put it in the crate(Cage) and slowly over a few weeks or months extend the lengths of time you leave it in the crate. Walk it immediately upon release and offer treats for a job well done. Eventually the pup can stay all night without needing to potty, and it causes the dog no pain or discomfort because it is training itself to wait.

It's quite simple if you are patient, and realize it won't learn control overnight.

PS: A10 week old puppy is just getting old enough to start housebreaking. Be patient with it and give the Crate training time to work! Good Luck.

PPS: Puppy pads generally don't work well. When you are home, walk him outside on a leash. This leash trains him and gives you and the dog some good time together. The crate will be much more effective if you don't allow the dog to potty indoors (on wee-pads)

You can't possibly house-train a puppy if he is left alone for 9 or 10 hours every day. You can take him to doggie-day care, or hire a dog walker to come and take him out every few hours during the day, or take some time off to house-train the puppy, or accept having an untrained dog.

I think you are being totally unrealistic. Firstly he should be on 3 meals a day and secondly should not be left alone for such a long period of time. Then you confuse him by taking him out and leaving down puppy pads! How's he supposed to know what is right? Feed when you come home, not when he's going to be left (apart from something light) leave it an hour and then take him out........

I know you are not going to want to hear this and I am not saying it to hurt your feelings, but you do not have a schedule that is conducive to having a dog. NO DOG can be expected to hold it for that long, much less a 10 week old puppy. And teaching them to use pads is just as time consuming as teaching them to go outside.

Truly, do yourself and the puppy a favor and find him a good home with someone who has time for him. You'd do much better with a cat.

Take a couple of weeks off to properly potty train him. Hire someone to come in during the day to let him out a couple of times. Look into doggy daycare.

sorry- you should have thought long and hard before getting a puppy. if youre gone 9-10 hours a day, its not really fair to leave a puppy alone for that long of a time....

that being said- put him in a smaller area (i cant believe i said that). maybe he doesn't know he's supposed to go on a pad...

honestly- i dont blame him for peeing and pooping everywhere. he's probably bored to death.

Leave him in a smaller room so the pads are harder to miss. When you have walked him and he doesn't go, crate him for 20-30 minutes after you get back home then walk him again.