# how to get him to hold it



## sam'sbestfriend (May 8, 2010)

Hi Everyone - I am a new member. We have a 6 month old hav named Sam. He has been really great for the most part. We are trying to get him to hold his pee for longer, but since he has wee wee pads at his disposal he doesnt really need to. I have tried taking the pads away from him but then he pees on the floor where they normally are. The other factor is, he is home all day while we are at work. So he will still have access to pads when we are away. 

Any advice...oh also we live in an apt building. Ive read ppl move the pads closer and closer to the door, but that doesnt seem like an option for us, bc we cant just let him out. 

Any help or tips would be greatly appreciaited! Thanks!


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## Mom2Izzo (Jul 1, 2009)

Hi and a warm welcome to the forum! Your Sam is just beautiful! 
As far as the potty/work situation, is there some way to come home for lunch and let him out? I am thinking as he gets older he will be able to hold it longer. I would hate to see him in a crate all day while no one is home. I do not work and my husband is in and out during the day so we are able to let our Izzo out when we are home. He is very good when we are gone for extended periods of time in his crate. He was also sleeping thru the night w/o having to potty even as a young puppy. I would assume as your boy grows he will be able to hold it longer. Best of luck!!!


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## sam'sbestfriend (May 8, 2010)

Hi and thanks! We think he is the cutest! He isnt in a crate all day. He has a lot of space to himself when we arent there. Unfortunately we cant go home during the day. He seems to be ok when we arent there. He never goes #2 in the house anymore, so its really getting him to hold his pee. He goes maybe once at night...id like to get him to hold it more at night too...Im hoping as he gets older he will get better. 

Ive also read a lot about the bell..anyone have experience with that?


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Welcome to the forum! Sam is such a cutie pie! It took my Ricky a good 6-7 months to be about 90% trustworthy during the day and he was gated in the kitchen and I was home almost all the time. It can take a while for them to hold it in for hours, but 2,3 or even 4 hours should be feasible soon. If you are both away for 9-10 hours then there is very little chance Sam will ever be able to hold it in that long. It's just not in them to make this possible. 

When you say "get him to hold it for longer", how many hours do you mean? At night, it's normal for them to hold it either all night long or about 7-9 hours, but they can't do that during the day. Everyone I knew who had a dog, had a big dog and they could hold it in for 10 hrs. a day by the time they were 4 months. Ain't gonna happen with a Hav though! lol


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

Sam is adorable, welcome to the forum.

He is still very young and he is home all day, I would think it's too soon to have him hold it in all day long while you are at work. Is it possible to have a dog walker or maybe a high school student who is on the summer brake, come in and let your puppy out to potty and play with him. This would help with not using the pad and would be a lot of fun for the puppy. My friend who got a new yorkie puppy has her enrolled in daycare twice a week and three times a week her inlaws come in. It works out great for her and the puppy. 

Good luck,


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## sam'sbestfriend (May 8, 2010)

Thanks everyone! I dont expect him to hold it all day while we are at work,but when we are home he goes on the pads more than we would like. I dont expect him to hold it all day for 8 hours. That is just cruel. 

I would like to get a dog walker, but my BF doesnt feel comfortable having someone come into our home...and for the most part Sam doesnt really make mistakes when we are gone. He consistently goes on the pads. I just want him to be better at waiting for his scheduled walks when we are home.


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

O.k, I understand what you mean now. I didn't mean to insinuate anything. I'm sorry if it was taken that way. 

I think it's going to be a question of time and, hate to say it, but you might just have to take him outdoors more often. How many times do you leave the apt. to take Sam out? If he is using the pee pad more often than you'd like while you're home, then try to increase the number of times you go out and that will mean fewer trips to his pad. If you do that for a week or two, then slowly space the outings out by 10-20 mins. then eventually, you can skip one outing, then another.... 

You know, Carolina (Lina) would have great suggestions as she lives in an apt. in NY city with two Havs and uses pads for the odd time they need it. 
I'll PM her and see if she can give you ideas.


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## sam'sbestfriend (May 8, 2010)

Thank you! We take him out in the morning, as soon as we get home from work (appx. 6) and then he eats around 7, take him out around 8-830 and then again around 10. I was thinking of taking him out first thing in the AM and again right before we leave. 

I would appreciate any suggestions from those with similiar exp. thanks again!


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

First off, :welcome: to the forum! Sam is absolutely adorable!

Marj drew my attention to this thread (thanks, Marj!) because both of my dogs use pee pads and go outside (we are also in an apartment). I hate to say it, but you are expecting too much to have a dog understand that when you take a pee pad away it means that he should hold it for you. He doesn't understand what that means - to him, you just forgot to give him a new one! When I was teaching Kubrick to hold it for longer periods of time, I had to watch him like a hawk when I took the pee pad away. In fact, I treated him like I did when he wasn't potty trained (when he still had accidents). In my line of vision at all times! If you take the pee pad away and then let Sam have run of his area and/or the house without watching him, of course he will try to pee there again!

Also, I never took the pee pad up for 3 hours at a time and just expected him to understand what that means - most dogs don't get that all at once like that! I just did it for longer and longer periods of time. So you say you take him out the minute you get home from work? I would take him out then take the pee pad away as soon as you get back inside. Watch him like a hawk during that time! Take it away for however long you've seen him hold for (let's say 30 minutes) plus 5 minutes or so. The next day, increase that time to 40 minutes. The next day 45 minutes and so on. If you see him going for the pee pad area, take him outside! Yes, it will suck for you to have to do that, but you're trying to teach him that he either pees outside OR on the pee pad - when it's there. Eventually he will learn to hold it for you. It takes a lot of time and patience, though. At 6 months he should be able to hold his pee for 2 hours, but he doesn't know why he should at this point... you just need to keep working on him until he understands this better.

For what it's worth, they do get this by themselves with time. I never did the taking the pad away with Hitchcock, but he does hold his pee for hours at a time without me asking him to do it. I noticed he did this by himself as he got older. If you want to train him to do it earlier then it will take more work on your part. It can be done, though!

Also I did want to add that using a crate in this instance when you are home will teach him much more quickly. I didn't want to do this myself as I thought it was sad to put him in a crate when we were home as we both worked. You might feel the same way, I'm not sure, but if you don't mind using a crate, teaching him to hold it for longer periods of time (while taking him out) will be faster.

Good luck!


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## sam'sbestfriend (May 8, 2010)

Thank you very much for your reply! It is much appreciated. I figured it was a long shot to get him to understand what holding it means. Ill try taking it away for a half hour tonight like you said and increase it by 5 minutes ever day.

Thanks again...here is another pic bc I cant resist how cute he is and love showing him off!


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Welcome to the forum! Same is to cute!

Ryan


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## susieg (Aug 28, 2009)

I didn't pad train Lola.... but as far as "holding it" goes I think she just started to learn to hold it on her own. I let her out constantly b/c I wanted to set her up for success by not having accidents in the house. I was worried she was never going to learn to hold it and would always be peeing every hour. But, as she got older and more trustworthy, I let her out only when she gave me a sign she needed to go. And now at a year I only have to let her out a few times a day. At 6 months she was still going every hour. I think it wasn't until about 10 months or so that she could really go a long time during the day without going potty. I think as they get older, they just naturally learn to hold it and don't have the urge to pee as often.

Good luck! Sam is a cutie patootie!!


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## galaxie (Dec 1, 2009)

I agree with what Lina said.

We live in a condo and our pups are trained on wee pads. Roscoe LOVES to potty outside because we give him so much praise when he does. He is 8 months old and still uses his wee pads inside, but he usually only goes 4-5 times per day. When he was Sam's age, he was going a lot more often. It's only within the last month or so that he has really gotten good at holding it.

Personally, I don't mind if he uses the wee pad or goes outside. The beauty of the wee pads, especially here in Miami, is that it storms like crazy in the afternoons during a good part of the summer. There is no way I'm taking my pups outside in one of those bloody monsoons, so the wee pads are essential.

If you don't want a wee pad just laid out on the floor all the time, you might want to consider transitioning to a litter box with a wee pad in it. We use the Purina Second Nature dog litter pans, which I think are a lot better than just laying a wee pad out on the floor.


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## sam'sbestfriend (May 8, 2010)

Thanks everyone...maybe I am expecting too much out of the lil guy! Hes so smart though and catches on to tricks so easily....


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## Me+Sydney (Mar 5, 2010)

You've had lots of great responses already, but I'll throw my two cents in too.

I live in an apartment with Sydney and she now does not have a pee pad inside. I keep a pee pad in one of those plastic holders out on my balcony. That way she has to ask to go "outside" to use that one. Sydney uses the pee pad first thing in the morning and right before bed. I take her out for a quick walk before I leave for work, and I do have a dog walker that takes her out mid-day. When I get home, we go out again, and then she generally is good until bedtime (with an occasional evening pee on the pad/outside depending on what is going on here). I used to leave a pee pad for her during the day (she has always been confined to my kitchen) and it did take quite a while to transition that out. We went through several weeks of accidents on the floor where the pad used to be until she finally figured out the routine. I don't have a magic formula for you, but one day it just clicked and we were in the clear. Sydney really does seem to prefer going outside now, so I try to do that as much as possible (but selfishly - the pad on the balcony is sooo handy for the early morning/late night trips!)

I know you mentioned that you aren't comfortable with having someone have access to your place but I must say that the dog walker has really made my life a LOT easier. I interviewed several, ensured that insurance/bonding were in place, and checked several references (including a couple of my neighbours). After I did all that, I felt comfortable handing over a key - but I understand if you aren't. 

At this point (11 months old), I think Sydney could probably make it the whole day without the walk, but it helps alleviate my guilt to know she is getting an outing.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

If Sam is being left alone many days for 8 hours at a time, unfortunately, your potty-training is going to take a lot longer, so just plan on that. It will ease your frustration. If you can manage to break up his day with only 4 hours at a time of being left alone, you can easily work in crate training. Yes, it does bother some people, as Carolina has already admitted, but it will put you far ahead of the game in regard to getting the potty-training and housebreaking done in a very fast method.

Best wishes to you and Sam. He's adorable.


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## sam'sbestfriend (May 8, 2010)

Thanks again everyone for the sound advice. Its so weird, but yesterday when I got home there was only one pee on the pad and then I took him out and he had a nice big pee...which to me indicated that he was holding it. And then he didnt pee again until his 830 walk. THEN this morning I woke up and there was no pee on the pad! He did pee on it this AM but thats bc Ive been under the weather, and couldnt get myself out of bed in time to get dressed for his morning walk...hes so smart!


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## SnickersDad (Apr 9, 2010)

Hi and welcome to the forum - from another relatively new member.

Just yesterday Snickers had her first Vet appointment and we discussed how her potty training was going. I expressed some frustration in that she never gives me a real good sign that she needs to go.

I was contributing to the problem by having her crate open to her exercise pen. She would be asleep in her crate and use the pee pad 'at will' rather than trying to hold it. It was worse when I allowed her free roam of the two rooms she has access to (Kitchen and Family room).

Vet recommended that I re-arrange her living quarters. She now has a bed in her Ex-pen, and her crate has been moved away from the pen. I have new rules to follow -- 
1) If I can't have her in direct line of sight then she's to be in the Ex-pen.
2) If I'm gone for 4 hours or less she's to be in her crate - no food - no water.
3) If I'm gone for 4 hours or more she's to be in her ex-pen with a pee pad and water.
4) I take her outside hourly (carry her to her potty spot and keep her on a leash. If she does either pee or poop we have a party with treats and praise. 
If she does nothing for 5-6 minutes then I pick her up and put her back into her crate for 30 minutes and then try it again.
5) If she's successful in voiding her bladder and colon then she's allowed to be off leash and in the house for an hour before we start the process over - except she doesn't have to go into her crate until she's gone 2 hours without going potty again. This is the time when she's most likely to have accidents, and the time where I must keep her in line of site at all times.

We started this yesterday and today she's been very very good.

Now, I wrote all of that not as an answer to your question, but to give you some additional insight to the amount of effort it takes to get these puppy's house broken. Leaving Sam alone while you are at work will delay the process probably significantly. No doubt as Sam gets older he will be able to hold it longer and that might be just enough of what you are looking for.

BTW - Snickers was 4 months old last week.

Hope that helps!


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Great post, Snickersdad!


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

another 2 cents from a new forum member 

My little guy is 6 months old this week, and he's completely potty trained. EXCEPT he sometimes marks, in other ppl's houses, usually if something else has pee'd there.

To answer your specific question, I think it's a developmental thing. My pup started to wake up from a nap or in the middle of the night when he had to pee, at about 12-14 weeks old.

As for puppy pads, I kept only 1 after 9 weeks of age, b/c he preferred to pee by the sliding glass door to the backyard. His accidents would be when he would have to go in the middle of the night, he didn't want to walk twice the distance to the backyard door, instead he'd take a leak or poop in the spare bedroom which is empty, 10 steps from my bedroom, and I hardly go in (b/c my roommate just got married and I've been too lazy to furnish it). There used to be the 2nd pee pad in there, but that was only for 2 weeks.
I think some would say he's lazy, but I see it as he's tired and doesn't want to walk all the way to the door. he comes right back to where he was sleeping and resumes his nap or nite sleeping. I stopped restricting his water intake at night or any other time at 10 wks old, I felt guilty. I mean water is a necessity. I know I'm too soft.

He has now learned that outside is the preferred pee place, and when he's at other ppl's houses, he always asks to go outside to do his thing (1 or 2). At home he has accidents, usually if he's had an overnighter at his gf's house, and it's in the same place, the spare bedroom.

No accidents for over a week. He pees about 6-7x more (fluid) than when he was 8 weeks old, 3.5 lbs, now 10 lbs.

hope that helps.


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

sam'sbestfriend said:


> Thanks again everyone for the sound advice. Its so weird, but yesterday when I got home there was only one pee on the pad and then I took him out and he had a nice big pee...which to me indicated that he was holding it. And then he didnt pee again until his 830 walk. THEN this morning I woke up and there was no pee on the pad! He did pee on it this AM but thats bc Ive been under the weather, and couldnt get myself out of bed in time to get dressed for his morning walk...hes so smart!


That's because Sam's been coming on the forum while you're away and learning from all the other Havs.  LOL Smart dogs!


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

My input.....

Jack is 5 months, potty training is getting better, but he still does not get it (mature enough to hold bowels). These little guys take awhile to learn and there is no rushing it, it just takes maturity on their part. I do not expect Jack to start getting it until after 6 months. 

There are times when Jack will poo outside (80%) if I am outside long enough...he likes to smell stuff first. If you rush his own little system....he will potty inside....at least it is near the door!

Patience and time...the little guys will get it hopefully after 6 months or so. It takes lots of work on your part. My boys are both outside (potty). Dexter (20 months) was very reliable after at least 8 months.


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