Housebreaking I am so confused

[blackrose]

I have been told not to take my puppy outside until 2nd set of shots.
He is 8 weeks now and has had 1st shots on Dec. 23rd.

I have a large backyard that is fenced, can I start potty training him outside??

I did this with my other Boxers but was told and have read several articals that say do not take outside until 2nd shots.

Please tell me what to do.

 

[LeeUmm]

I'd just keep him in trusted areas. So a fenced backyard is fine.

The main concern is public places were other dogs may have been.

 

[Sansal]

Fenced backyard is totally fine.

 

[NateBazooka]

+1 the above posts.

The concern is that your dog will pick up an illness (like parvo) that he has not yet been vaccinated for. This is a valid concern in places like a dog park, where there are lots of dogs around, and lots of stuff like dog feces laying around that might transmit such diseases. Your own backyard, however, is unlikely to pose a hazard. Just keep an eye on what your dog might get into out there, and you probably don't want your dog hanging around with "unknown" dogs. If you've got some redneck neighbors who let their dogs just run around, that's the kind of thing you want to watch out for.

I haven't done a ton of research into this, so I won't offer advice one way or the other, but you might want to read up a bit and decide how you want to weigh concerns for keeping your new puppy isolated to prevent disease vs. concerns for providing your puppy opportunities for healthy socialization with other dogs. Not having your puppy around other dogs is a good thing for susceptibility to illness since he hasn't had all of his shots, but on the other hand, by waiting around until he is old enough to have had all of his shots, you might miss out on some windows of time in which it is good for the pup to learn socialization skills from older dogs. If you have other dogs, this probably isn't as much of a concern, but if you do not and you know someone with healthy, well balanced dogs, you might want to set up some play dates. And you certainly will want to do this once the puppy is fully vaccinated. I think there are some articles on this site about the stages of puppy development, which will help you make decisions about how to raise a healthy puppy that will be a friend to everyone he meets and bring lots of joy to your life.

Congrats on the new pup!!!! They're a total pain in the butt, but also a complete joy : ).

 

[blackrose]

Thank you

I have been told not to take my puppy outside until 2nd set of shots.
He is 8 weeks now and has had 1st shots on Dec. 23rd.

I have a large backyard that is fenced, can I start potty training him outside??

I did this with my other Boxers but was told and have read several articals that say do not take outside until 2nd shots.

Please tell me what to do.

Thank you, I thought it was ok in my yard so I have started to take him out. My only problem is he will not pee or poop outside. He just sits and looks at me or will walk with me on his leash. I have taken his poop out and he just does not even sniff it. I take him out every hour but nothing. He has never peed or pooped on the floor he will go to his pads which is great but I want him to start going outside, any ideas?

 

[Kilby'sMum]

The key to house training is persistence. You're doing the right thing taking your pup outside regularly but you should wait until he has gone potty before taking him back inside. This way you can praise him for peeing/pooping outside. But he's only 8wks (probably 9 now) so you have a LONG way to go until your pup is potty trained. Good luck

In regards to waiting for his second round of shots Vs socialising... we decided to socialise our girls with other dogs we knew had been vaccinated long before they had all their vaccinations and I think it really helped.

 

[Caney Creek]

He's not doing his business outside because he has the option to do it indoors. The pads have got to go! I'd start out putting them outside in the yard for a week or so, just to get him used to the idea of "going" in the yard. Once he's got the hang of it you can toss them. Continue to take him out every hour and watch him VERY closely when he's in the house, especially in the room where he's been using the pads since he will probably want to go back to that spot to eliminate. Remember to give him TONS of praise every time he goes in the appropriate place! :D

 

[Jan]

Definitely remove the potty pad and put it outside, where you would like him to go. When he is consistently going outside, rather than just removing the pad, you might try just making it smaller and smaller until it's gone.

Good luck!

 

[blackrose]

Well I guess Urijah must have known I was talking about him. It has been almost 5 days and he is going outside consistently. We have not had one pee / poop in the house. I know I am not out of the woods but feel it is a good start.

Thanks to all who answered this question and the rest of my questions.