Housebreaking 7 wk old boxer

[avaboxer]

My puppy is seven weeks and I will take her outside every 15-30 minutes and she will come back in and pee. It's really could outside so I think could be root of problem. Should I crate train her? How do you crate train? Everytime I put her inside or around me when she is awake she pees no matter where. I try to catch her if she is smelling, but occasionally she won't smell or anything just relieve herself. Please Help. I appreciate any advice because I have had labs before.

 

[avaboxer]

A better morning :-P

Hello. Well I took Ava out this morning and she is doing some better. She seems to be really stubborn. Ava will go pee reserve some and come back in and try to go pee. We finally got diapers so when she squats we can catch her hopefully. It has worked twice when she squated and was trying to go. She tries to sneak around when she does it. I would hate to crate train her because that teaches them to stay in a certain place and to me, crates seem confined. I think its ok for when you have to go somewhere occasionally but not all the time or potty training. Any thoughts would be helpful because we can't diaper her forever. We have a siberian husky 8 wk pup who is already asking to go outside.

 

[ehayes21]

The problem with diapers is that you are still letting her go in the house, which is not the point of potty training - you want to teach her NOT to go in the house. At 7 weeks your pup has little to no bladder control on top of little to no warning of when she actually needs to go. Crates are an awesome tool, but you have to use them correctly for it to be effective. You're not supposed to just keep the pup in the crate all the time, it's mainly to be used for situations when you can't watch them or when you leave the house.

Here is a great training article on crate training:

ClickerSolutions Training Articles -- Crate Training

And a great training article on housetraining:

ClickerSolutions Training Articles -- Housetraining Your Puppy

These should be a big help.

The main thing to remember is to not make a big deal when she has an accident inside the house and don't scold or punish. Some dogs catch on quickly some dogs don't, just strap on that patience!

Good luck!

 

[avaboxer]

Thanks...

She is doing much better today. I only have the diaper on for the occasional oops. She has never had a full pee on the floor. She is very good natured, but she is a little stubborn as all of my dogs seem to be. She did go outside immediately after my husband and I having to walk her around for a good ten minutes outside. We would pick her up to warm her back up. I think she got the idea more than. She seems to be catching on and Misha, the husky, seems to be rubbing off on her. Maybe this will be good.

 

[LillyBear]

This is what worked for Lilly:

We put her on a feeding and watering schedule. When she ate and drank we gave her a few minutes and took her outside. When she used it outside we praised her like crazy and gave her a treat. Make the treat something she loves. Also, while she was in the "act" of using it outside, we would say "outside" and so she came to learn that "outside" was where she used it.

It takes alot of patience and consitency. Also, when she potties inside, after you clean it up, use a really good odor remover to clean that spot. Something that will eliminate the scent for the dog so that they don't go back to that spot.

As far as crate training, I think you should only crate them one hour per month age of the dog. So at this point I wouldn't leave her in the crate longer than an hour and a half.

I hope this helps and hang in there. She'll get it.

 

[Marleysboys]

I agree with the previous post..
Putting her on a feeding/water schedule will really help!

That's what I did with my two pups.. They ate and drank at certain times and then 5 mins after they were done I would take them outside. Bring them back in, take them back out after 10-15 mins. The cold can affect them not wanting to go outside (when I got mine, they didn't even want to go outside when it was raining!!) but take her out for 5 mins, bring her in for a few, take her out again. Now mine are 4 months old and now I allow them to have more water throughout the day since they can hold more and hold it longer, however, I still take them out every 30-45 mins.

You have to stay on top of it since they don't have control of their bladder just yet.. You're not only training them but you're training yourself to take them outside constantly. It's a lot of work but it WILL pay off in the end. Be patient and hope things work out well!

 

[stephaneew]

When we first got our boy boxer he was a gem!! I dont even remember having any accidents in the house. It was like he knew what to do all along..
Fast forward a year...we got our second boxer, a girl, and holy cow it was a *nightmare*
It seemed like she had absolutely no concept of peeing on the grass opposed to peeing on carpet. Every chance she got she was going inside. #1 and #2. I came to the forum desperate for help and the best advice I received was "it will get better!!" It felt like months of accidents when in fact it was only about a week and a half. We even had egg timers going off every 15 minutes so we could go outside, and try again!
Some other great advice I received was:
-(like mentioned above) Never scold,yell, or run at them when they have an accident. Just pick her up and take her outside. Obviously they just pee'd so that wont happen, but it gets the association with peeing and being outside...
-when she does go outside and go potty, have your treats with you and give them to her as soon as she's done squating, and of course, lots and LOTS of praise.
- If she seems to be having a set back with the accidents, attach her lead and clip it to you. That way she will be right next to you at all times and you can at least know where she would be having an accident if it did happen. (When I used this technique, she never had any accidents while cliped to me. I thought that was interesting)
Sorry this is so long! I have just gone through all of this too, so it hit home. Ha!

 

[avaboxer]

patience

Hello,
Well Ava had her biggest accident last night she does better during the day. I was playing with her for about a minute and decided she would probably need to go out as she has a couple of accidents now and than. As I reached down to put her leash on she moved on the bed and barely squated. I picked her up and got pee all over me. Misha looked at me like what is she doing? She's rubbing off on the husky pup, but Ava is doing better with crate.

 

[avaboxer]

Thank you everyone

Ava is doing much better. I put her in crate while busy because hubby still hasn't mastered the skill of watching two. Today I came from washing my hands after putting her in crate and her throwing a big fit and she was fast asleep. She is doing much better. I have her on a feeding schedule for now.

 

[LillyBear]

LOL. I think the majority of us have had that issue with family/household members not being used to doing what we know our four legged babies need. There are five of us at home with our three kids and I still have to remind them constantly when I'm not home what needs to be done for and with Luke and Lilly!

She will get there!