At my rope's end. PLEASE, advice on house training my puppy?

I am not a fan of puppy pads.

Personally, I would get a crate and housebreak the puppy.

Google crate trainning.

Basically when the pup is not supervised, it is in the crate. The pup must be taken out at frequent times to relieve him/herself. Praise when the pup goes outside, treat if you want.

Take the pup out first thing in the morning and after meals, praise when he/she goes.

Learn the pups routine, when they need to go, every dog has one, stay outside until the dog goes if it should be going. Even if it means being out for a half hour or more.

A pup will tell you everytime when they need to go, you have to learn to recognize it. They will sniff or circle, esp in spots where ther have been accidents before. Take the pup out immediately. This is why it is so important the pup is supervised. If you are distracted, put the pup in the crate.

Clean all accidents with a good cleaner like Nature's miracle.

With consistancy it does not take long at all for the pup to learn. Patience is key.

Do not punish for accients. If caught int he act, a stern no and take the pup right out. It will usually stop in the middle. If he finished outside, praise.

If the accident happened in the past, clean it up and move on. the pup will not associate any punishment with the act after the fact.

ADD-

the one you have should be perfect. It is good that the pup will already be used to it.

The crate should not be too big. If it is they will go in one corner and sleep in the other.

When I first got my puppy at 5 weeks old. She was awesome about letting me know when she needed to pee. She would stop and start whining (which was adorable) but when she got around 3 and 4 months old it stopped and she would just pee when she had to go. And we gave her plenty of attention during the day also, so she was needing to be trained.

So we started taking her outside more often. Like after she would eat and drink her water wait 30min - 1 hour and take her outside. Basically a schedule that would let her know to wait until she goes outside. Now she's 9 months old and the only time she uses the bathroom is over night by herself running loose. So if we're not home for the night stick her in her crate.

Just try a schedule, doesn't have to be perfect just to let the dog know to wait cause he'll be outside soon enough. And also crate training wouldn't hurt. My little baby learned quick, if she's in the crate to either hold it or sit in her own filth.

At 4 months your pet is an "infant" and he does not speak a language. So it is up to you to get him trained. Your problem is that he is being left much to long by himself. Puppies need to pee about every 2 to 3 hours because their bladders are small. When you are home leash him to you so you can make sure you keep a good eye on him and rush him outside as soon as you see him looking for a place.

I personally do not like the pads because you are teaching him to pee in the floor. He doesn't understand the pad thing.

You have several options.

1) crate him (which I personally hate) but he does need someone to come home to let him out at least every 4 hours and closers if you can. Do you have family or friends who will help?

2) Take him out first thing in the morning and the last thing at night.

and approx every 3 hours afte

3) take up his water after 8pm in the evening to keep him with a reasonably dry night time bladder (give him an ice cute or two if he wants water)

4) don't punish him or yell at him, but give him lots of praise when he does the right thing

5) clean all his spots well, any smell left on the floor in an invitation.

And remember he is a baby

Puppy pads are useless! Get rid of them! It only taught your dog it is ok to pee in the house. Crate train your dog!

Also, it is a big waste of time to show your dog the pee and then tell him now and put him on the pad! Unless you catch them in the act of doing it in the wrong place can you do anything at all! What you need is positive reenforcement! Take the pup out every 2 or so hours (your 4 month puppy can NOT hold it more than 5 hours tops). Everytime she goes outside praise her! Make a big deal out of it. Reward her with a treat! She will get the idea real quick where she is supposed to go. If you do catch her in the act, do not YELL. Just scoop her up and take her outside! She will be confused at first and will not go right away. Do NOT go back inside until she finishes!

You need to buy a book on helping you train the dog first so you can see exactly what you need to do. I can tell you that after he's in his crate and you take him outside to do his business and doesn't go. Don't wait more than 10 minutes for him to potty. Make sure you take him to the same spot every time the smell will help him potty. If he doesn't potty put him back inside the crate and wait 20 more minutes and try again. A book will answer all your questions and explain it better than I could. Don't give up on the dog. He needs to be taught and it;s the easiest way to learn-conditional training. The smell of the outside will eventually make him pee and poop. Not inside. Takes practice and practice and practice. I hope I've helped you some. Need a book.

Also suggest crate training him. Depending on how big he is and all, you need to figure out a scedule that is suitable for the both of you. a small dog the size of lets say a dachshund and is 4 months old should be let out every 2 hours in the beginning of the crate training... larger pups let out 3-4hrs. eventually he'll learn but you really need to be patient...

The crate should just be perfect for him to lay down comfortably... no bigger..

It sounds like you are doing the correct things. Maybe you need to focus on positive reinforcement when he does pee on the mat or out side. Maybe he is missing you if you are gone much of the day and negative attention is better than not enough attention. So, try making a big deal about praising him when he does the right thing. Sometimes it takes about 6 months for dogs not to have a "accidents" inside the house. Good Luck

You really need to try crate training. Dogs won't go where they sleep. Get a big enough crate that he can move around during and get up and lay down, but he will not go in there at all.... then as soon as you get home take him outside or put him on his mat....(if you chose not to crate train or even if you do----) Always say "GOOD POTTY" or however you want to word it, when he goes outside or on the mat where he is supposed to. It may feel silly but it really really works.. if you say good boy then everytime you say it he will think its okay to pee... let him know that he is doing a good job pottying outside or on his mat... LOTS and LOTS of compliments and treats RIGHT THEN... not when he comes in... I had this problem with my dog,... he would pee outside but he was six months old and STILL pooping in my aoartment and I could NOT break it for the life of me...my vet told me to take treats outside with me and as soon as he went, pet him and compliment him and give him treats... did that for about two or three days and he hasn't gone in the house since. I still tell him good potty and SOMETIMES give him treats, but I still make sure he knows what he is doing is good so he doesn't revert... Good luck!

Dogs only perceive by the timing of your action. There is no use of telling him to pee on right place 15 minutes after the mistake. He would never understand what you are saying.

Best way: If you catch him peeing at the wrong place. Say "NO" in deepest of your voice, pick him up and put him on the mat. Do not forget to praise him when he does right thing. Praise him with his favourite thing like treat or toy.

He is 4 months old. 16 weeks. At this age they need to urinate frequently. Has he been vetted? If not, I highly suggest you get him started on his puppy shots and de-worming. He also may have a kidney/bladder/urinary tract infection.

Take up the gawd awful pee pads. He is confused. He needs to be taken out OFTEN. This is a puppy!

You are never going to housebreak him without some effort, time and patience on your part.

And if you want to 'cheat', put in a doggie door and teach him how to use it.

The crate should be big enough for him to stand up straight and lie down.