# Ex-Pen Training Minor Success



## radar_jones (May 6, 2007)

Hi All. Well My Wife and I have embarked on an Ex-Pen Training Journey. Our little guy Radar, bless his heart went #2 in the litter box this morning. At first he wanted out of the litter box but she placed him back inside and then he went. She had him out of the box after that for Breakfast and then he walked over to the pen which had the litter box in it (no access for him) and sat there and gave a little wimper to signal that he had to go....Very good.....:whoo: He got lots of praise and a treat for his first time going in the litter in having him for just a week although in a controlled environment such as the Ex-Pen he could have just wimpered and not gone for us. I'm not sure if he thought "well they've suffered enough so I'll give them some potty for now" and then I'll play with them for a while and mess them up by going somewhere else next time....:frusty: 

"Funny story about me shaving part of my beard and having him not recognize me as well...found it kinda odd". Might have to shave it off and keep it off..... .

Well anyway me being a mad perfectionist and having it rule my life I wanted to get it right with him. I've been driving my sweet Wife Dovanna up the bloody wall with all the requests in order to ensure a proper, anal training madness wthin my own twisted little male mind......:focus:...Well anyway back to it. I really want this method to work. How many of you out there expand the Ex-Pen in say, a day, a week? How long before you get to the phase when the Ex-Pen can be fully opened up so that the pup gets to enter and exit the Pen on a regular basis while playing? And then once the pen method seems to have resulted in an efficient potty training how does the housebreaking element get introduced? Do you gradually expand the pups roaming area while still makig sure that they go in the box and then slowly give them more earned freedom such as letting them into different room of the house gradually? I realize that all these methods are sorta on a case by case basis and that it's different for all so I'm not really looking for answers just opinions and little anecdotes. I would think that the housebreaking method would employ always reminding the pup where the box is at all times or closely monitoring to ensure that the box is always in the back (or front) of the pups mind when it has the urge to go. With Radar it's pretty amazing because even into having him for the first two or three days he was going pee in the litter box without fail. My Wife and I were pretty happy about that because we have a parquet floor in our apartment and it makes it hard to see it sometimes if he were to go on the floor all the time. Once when we were having diffuculty training him to poo in the litter we tried putting newspaper in the box. He got really confused it seemed and then he would pee on the floor for some reason so we put the litter back in and he went pee immediately. He really likes the litter for pee time. Now hopefully He'll get the #2 down hopefully by the end of the week and then we can progess from there. They really are smart dogs....:whoo: 

I'm hoping that when we are able to take him out after all his shots are done that he'll get more used to going #2 on a schedule which will be better for us and since litter training doesn't dissuade him from going outside it'll be perhaps a little more simple for him to go when he wants. One another note he really likes Car Rides. we have had him in the car for a combines time of I would say 5-6 hours in the last week and he only got sick on the trip home from the breeders and any other time he sleeps or just sits quietly. He's such a good puppy, so full of energy and vitaltity. Cheryl Drake has bred quite the amazing breed for us. She should be very happy with her breeding program.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

Derek


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

You just have to use your best judgement about how fast the expansion of area goes. There's no set time line. If you go too fast too soon you will have an accident and then you have to go backwards a bit past the last phase and go again. If helps as you get better at reading his signals of when an event is about to take place and you are quick enough to get to him and put him in the box before there is an accident-part of setting him up to succeed. 

The quickness and distance that he has to go to get back to the box will guide you about how much freedom is the right amount. You want to constantly allow more but not too much. Reading how much is too much is the real art to it. At this early age a bit too slow on the expansion will be better than a bit too fast. A pup needs to learn to feel content to stay in the expen anyway.

Ask Eileen how Ben is about finding the box and how he is when he has to stay in the pen. Both are necessary skills to learn at an early age to become a good citizen. I wish more of our puppy guardians were on this forum but am glad that Eileen participates.


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## radar_jones (May 6, 2007)

Sounds good to me..:biggrin1: . I'm gonna work at it. The little guy usually shows signs he has to go. The "sniff" is usually displayed. He'll circle the area. Today he went #2 in the litter again. I called my Wife and she told me that he went again which sucks because I can't see it and praise him for it. She's getting all the fun. Anyway at least it's working for now.

Derek.....


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## Cheryl (Mar 17, 2007)

Derek--did you ever imagine such exciting telephone calls with your wife?


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## radar_jones (May 6, 2007)

Well not really but it's coming along. Next we plan on speaking about his peeing habits....ooo....hot...ound:. I'm really glad that he has been progressing this well. He went a third time in the litter box when my Wife and I went to the basement of our building to do some Laundry. I wonder about something! He went potty #2 when we were downstairs and when we got back he had already gone. Do we still praise him or wait until we actually see him doing it and then praise him?

Derek


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

He doesn't need praise unless he goes when you tell him to. The rest of the time you want him to use the box on his own. Sounds like he's getting it.


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## radar_jones (May 6, 2007)

Yeah Radar really seems to be getting the hang of it. He has been going all the time now in the litter box. I'm worried a little though. I wonder what will happen when we slowly expand the ex-pen. Will he have an accident? Will he get it right away? At the rate that Radar began going pee in the litter box I often think that he will catch on that fast in the #2 department. My Wife likes to take him into some of the other rooms of the apartment in the day but at the same time she really keeps an eye on him. I always tell her that she should restrict him to the living room only and if she's going to be in the dining room she should place him in the pen. What usually constitutes a good enogh reward for going potty? I read all these threads and responses about how people like to let there Hav run free for a little while while they are home and only use the ex-pen for when they leave the house which I believe is not really effective potty training because of the quickness at which an accident can occur all because someone thought they were going to be quick enough to catch their pup and then they end up losing them under the dining room table and have to grab at them through a maze of chair legs becaue the pup found a spot to go where "even he knows" you can't get at him in time. I find that there is conflict between what people "think" is the best method for potty training and what "is" the best method for potty training.

Derek


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## radar_jones (May 6, 2007)

I Agree totally.


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