Ace is almost 9 weeks...I got him really early(5 1/2 weeks) as his litter was abandoned by his mother. That said, I understand that his bladder control is not developed enough to have much control. But the first few weeks, Ace was doing really well. He is not pooping in the house at all anymore, but he seems to be having much more frequent "accidents" peeing in the house. He prefers carpet to wood floors, so I have removed all of our rugs. But he doesn't give the "signals" of having to go outside. When he has to poop he will go to the back door and yelp. But he makes no hints of when he is going to pee. And how many times can one small puppy pee in an hour...geez! I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or tips to help with our potty training process.
Housebreaking Question
- Thread starter terp1022
- Start date
- Status
How often do you take him out? The signals that a puppy gives off that he needs to pee can be very subtle. He's also far too young to understand housetraining, so it's not as though those signals are directed at telling you anything. It's a matter of learning to read his body language - which may indeed be very subtle.
It's generally better to simply take him out on a regular schedule. You already know that a 9 week old puppy is going to need to pee approximately every hour PLUS immediately upon waking up and after (or during) play, and a few minutes after eating or drinking. That's a lot of potty stops - but they're all needed. So instead of waiting for some sort of indication from the pup that he needs to pee, get him outdoors at those times whether he needs to go or not. And praise him madly when he does potty out there (that's the only way inn the world he'll ever figure out that it's a good thing).
If there are ongoing accidents, then you know that's not frequent enough. Keep a log of when he pees (nowhere near as silly as it sounds) and take him outside at the requisite times. If that has to be every half hour or 45 minutes, then take him. He won't hold on (probably can't, and certainly won't understand any need to), so it's best to use the knowledge of when he needs to go to your advantage
It's generally better to simply take him out on a regular schedule. You already know that a 9 week old puppy is going to need to pee approximately every hour PLUS immediately upon waking up and after (or during) play, and a few minutes after eating or drinking. That's a lot of potty stops - but they're all needed. So instead of waiting for some sort of indication from the pup that he needs to pee, get him outdoors at those times whether he needs to go or not. And praise him madly when he does potty out there (that's the only way inn the world he'll ever figure out that it's a good thing).
If there are ongoing accidents, then you know that's not frequent enough. Keep a log of when he pees (nowhere near as silly as it sounds) and take him outside at the requisite times. If that has to be every half hour or 45 minutes, then take him. He won't hold on (probably can't, and certainly won't understand any need to), so it's best to use the knowledge of when he needs to go to your advantage
- Status