How long does it take to potty train?

[Jiffer]

We've never had to potty train an "inside" dog before. We had a shepherd/rott mix years ago, but he was an outside dog. Shortly after that we got a Chow, and Chows come potty trained. No kidding! My husband had been told this, but we couldn't believe it when we experienced it. We kept her in our bathroom the first night, all night, and she never went potty until the second we let her outside! They are very particular about "where" they go potty and that nobody watches them.

Anyways, that Chow became an inside dog and our new boxer, Kronk, will be an inside dog as well. (We're getting him a week from tomorrow!) So, my big question is, how long does it generally take to potty train a male boxer? I read somewhere what age it is that they have the physicaly ability to actually control this, but I don't remember what it was. Was it 12 weeks? But, of course, being "able" to do it ... and actually DO it, are two different things!

I'm pretty sure I want to crate train. I'm trying to figure out what this whole potty training process actually looks like. I understand that I need to take him out to go potty after eating, playing and first thing in the morning. I'm already planning to set an alarm clock in the middle of the night to get up and let him out. But, I envision coming downstairs to find he's already gone in his crate. Then dealing with cleaning that up, etc. And, while we're on the subject of cleaning up the crate. I planned on getting a little doggie bed for the crate, but it sounds like that will be a pain to clean if he soils it? What do you guys recommend for comfy bedding while potty training that is easy to clean?

Okay, I guess that's enough questions for now. (There are so many!) Any tips you guys have about potty training, crate training, etc. ... I'll take them all. I have a week to prepare for my baby!

 

[gmacleod]

Well, it depends on exactly what you mean by potty train. IMHO no puppy is really capable of fully understanding potty training, as in you-must-go-potty-outside-without-exception until a minimum of six months, and more usually around 7-8 months.

It is, however, quite possible for you to be accident-free very quickly. But you have to understand that this relies on *you*, not on the puppy.

The basics of potty training are that you need to take your puppy outside to pee/poop as often as she needs to go. That means every 30 minutes to an hour with a baby puppy (unless she's asleep, in which case she'll need to go immediately upon waking up), PLUS immediately after or during playing, and about 5 minutes after any time she eats or drinks.

You can see pretty quickly that this requires a LOT of vigilence on your part. If you want to be accident-free, then you have to anticipate your pup's needs (you can't rely on her to tell you, and if she does that's a bonus ). Any time you can't be watching her, then she should be in her crate - that's to minimise the opportunities for her to make a mistake.

Lastly, successful potty training relies also on you letting your pup know when she does things right. Make an idiot of yourself praising her when she potties outside - she'll soon get the idea that this is a good thing

If there are accidents - nothing you can do if you don't catch her doing it. Chalk that up to being your fault for not watching/anticipating, and just clean it up. If you do catch her in the act, a loud and firm 'no' accompanied by scooping her up and racing her outdoors is the appropriate response. Then praise lavishly if you can get her to finish up out there.

Well, that's the basics There's plenty more information and advice in previous threads here. All you need is to do a search

 

[neraknna]

I would definately suggest getting a crate with a divider. If your pup has too much room in her crate, he will likely have accidents in it. With my puppy, she started out with a bed in her crate and had 3 or 4 accidents on the bedding, then she would push it aside and cry. After the first week I got tired of washing her bed and took it out completely. while she wasn't happy at first, she got used to the crate with no bed and has not had and accident in her crate since. She is now 4 months and is doing great with the potty training so I put the bed back in her crate.
At 4 months, my puppy has not had and accident in the house in over a month but she is still always in my sight. If I cannot watch her I will put her in her crate. Sometimes I keep her on her leash in the house just to keep her were I can see her.

 

[Jiffer]

Another question

Thanks for all your advice. Now I have another question.

Someone I know, who has a boxer puppy, says they get up in the middle of the night to take the dog out to go potty. It just so happens that her husband gets home from work around 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning and takes the puppy out then.

Is it normal to get up in the night to take a puppy out to go potty and when do you know when to take him? Do you set an alarm clock or listen for him to cry or what? Do most puppies sleep through the night and, therefore, don't need to be taken in the middle of the night?

Thanks!

 

[neraknna]

My girl came home at 9 weeks and slept through the night by night 2. I did not set my alarm, Decided to see if she would wake me up, which she did for 2 nights then stopped. I did limit her water intake after 6pm and took her out the last thing before I went to bed about 11 pm and she would wake be up around 6 am.

 

[Jiffer]

Thanks, nerrakna.

So, if I don't set an alarm, can I assume (or at least hope) the puppy will wake me up when he needs to go potty?

 

[neraknna]

Well, I am a light sleeper and my dogs both sleep in crates in my room so if they wake up and start to move aroung or whine, I will hear them. It depends on your situation and your puppy. You said earlier that yor puppy would be sleeping downstairs, in which case you probably won't hear him. If you plan on him sleeping in your room, you could try not setting the alarm and see what he does. The first couple of nights will be the toughest as he will have to get used to all the changes.

 

[gmacleod]

Well, I would actually recommend that you set an alarm With an 8 week old puppy, it is very unlikely that she's going to sleep through the night anytime soon. The occassional puppy does it quickly, but it's a factor of bladder size and most are around 13-16 weeks before they can last all night.

The main advantages to using an alarm are:

• You always know how long your pup can hold it, and can adjust the schedule as she grows by gradually pushing back the potty time until you reach normal getting-up time;
• If it is you waking her up, rather than you responding to her crying, your pup won't learn that crying gets her out of her crate;
• If you're the one waking her up, she's more likely to go back to sleep quickly since she hasn't had to be awake crying to wake you up;
• There is less chance of an accident, since your pup doesn't have to cry to get you up and wait to potty till you get there.

 

[Doja's Mommy]

Super lucky I guess.....

I am too working on potty training my pup, she is now 4 months old. From what I read, I guess I just got lucky, my furbaby has slept through the night since day one. And to top it off, she slept next to me in bed. After about the 3rd week, I decided to crate train her. She easily made the transistion to the crate. Slept all night long with no accidents.... She has had maybe one or two accidents in the crate since we started using it all night and while I am at work. The accidents happened while I was at work...... But like I said, only maybe 2 times.... She doesn't sleep in the crate any more.... I just hate having her in there.... Except while I'm at work. Otherwise, shes out of the crate.......

You could get lucky and get a pup who sleeps all night..... And I definately suggest the crate with the devider. They are so big in the beginning the pup can't use the whole thing, or they will more than likely use the restroom at one end and sleep at the other

GOOD LUCK~!

 

[pinkpuppy]

I used to set the alarm for Chloe! We (the adults) went to bed by 12 and got up by 6:30 -- and we woke up to potty the puppy 2 in between that: then slowly reduced it once... But - yeah 12:00 a.m., 2 a.m., 4:15 a.m -- and then 6:30... I would pick her up, carry her out in my arms, put her down - watch her make a little puddle the second she hit the grass, and then I carried her back in... (I sort of miss that time).... But we did at night same as we did during the day. Chloe slept in her crate - so it wasn't an issue of peeing on the bedroom floor; but I think if she woke up (and cried) - it was because she had already wet her blankies - not because she wanted to go outside....

We noticed that with time - maybe by 12 weeks - or later - I can't remember -- but during the day, she started to go towards the door to our back yard and paced few times (before she would squat down); so we ran and jumped through everything in the way - just to get that door opened and let her go outside: and then we praised her like crazy...

Anyway, I was trying to say that frequent potty breaks make for happy puppy and proud mom and dad :D