posted 09-12-2003 04:28 AM         

Hi, hope everyone is doing well. Well I am having an issue with housebreaking the puppy and seeking your comments and advice. When I go out I put Nathan in the crate. He has gotten better and not going in the crate anymore. When I go home I take him for a walk outside, we walk for about 20minutes to an hour and he does nothing. Does not poop or piddle. When I bring him up, he goed to the wee wee pad and does his business. I do not understand why he will not go outside. Then sometimes when he is in the kitchen he will piddle on the wee wee pad but sometimes he poops on the pad and other times on the floor. I do not get why he is doing this and the last problem is after he goes to the bathroom, I let him out to play and I watch him but if I do not watch him carefully he is piddling and pooping on the carpet. Why does he not understand that he has to go back to the wee wee pad or let me know that he has to go out? It is only after he poops on the kitchen floor he barks to let me know so I can clean it up. I am getting to my wits end. Any insight you could provide would be helpful.

posted 09-12-2003 06:15 AM         

Why he is missing the pad and weeing on the carpet - well, how old is he? Dogs are not supposed to be reliable until 6 months at least, and some say not to trust them fully until they are a year old. Expecting a puppy to "ask" to go outside is a bit much. When my puppy stands at the back door (which is not often) I praise her ENORMOUSLY. Then again, sometimes she just wants to play out there and not go pee!

All I can offer is to take him wherever it is that you want him to go very often. Wait until he is going and then praise him as he is doing it. You can add a keyword like "go potty" or "get busy" or whatever you want him to learn, and eventually he will learn the word and go on command.

To get him off the papers and outside - I think the process involves gradually moving the papers closer to the door you are going to take him out of. I never trained my puppy to papers since I didn't want the extra step. We leave her crated when we are at work and at night when we are sleeping (crate has to be just big enough for puppy to lie down and turn around, no bigger) and she has never wet in it. When we are home, I am ALWAYS in the same room with her and take her outside very frequently, especially after meals.