# HELP Potty Training and Running Away



## Pockets (Feb 19, 2013)

HELP! Our beautiful baby (7 months old) 

1- Our baby- rings a bell to go out 90% of the time but still 1x a day she either pees or poops in the house when I’m not looking. I dont want to leave her in a crate all day, but I can’t take her messing up our beautiful home. We never used a pee pad b/c the vet said then we are training her that it’s ok to go in the house. Any suggestions.

2- We don’t have a fenced yard and some days its freezing or windy (and she goes out like 6-8 times a day)- So I’ll let her run outside and then she’ll “run away” into a neighbors yard. We do try to put her on a leash but will i have to do this forever? 

Any advise??


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## Tuss (Apr 22, 2012)

She's at that tough adolescent age! It will get better. I wouldn't let her off leash yet. It is all a fun game (i run away, mommy chases me, yeah, this is so much fun)... As for the peeing; once a week isn't too bad at that age. It can take up to 2 years for this breed to be fully housebroken. If you can't keep a close eye on her then crate her, or keep her confined to one small room. Gradually give her more freedom as she earns it.


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## Pockets (Feb 19, 2013)

She pees or poops 1x a day in the house!! uggg I should have confined her more from the get go probably. We have given her the “run of the house"


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## BearsMom (Jul 16, 2012)

I also gave Bear too much freedom in the beginning and he took a while to fully housebreak. I was VERY consistent though with taking him out. Rain, snow, wind...you name it, we went out in it. I also use a leash with Bear when we go out. He is now 11 months and I still don't want to chance it. I think Pockets may be too young to go off leash while outside. 

Good luck  ...PS, she is adorable!!!


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## Miss Paige (Apr 4, 2008)

I would never let a dog off lead in an unfenced yard. They can be gone in a flash. My friend lost her girl a year ago in a yard with a open gate- we never found her. Go back to the beginning with the potty training and start fresh. I have always thought a light bulb will go off in their darling head at some point and then they are trained.


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## Pockets (Feb 19, 2013)

Thank you!!! She does use a crate to sleep in at night (in our room) and thankfully she has never gone to the bathroom in that. And when I’m out during the day she is in a crate. But possibly I need to give a fenced area in the house so that she doesn’t have full run of the house-


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

Welcome. She is adorable. She should never have full run of the house until she is 100% housebroken. I would go back to the basics with her. I would also keep her on a leash when outside. She could chase a bunny and get hit by a car


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

Awww.....she is a little doll...I agree with what everyone is saying. Whimsy is piddle pad trained and she has never gone anywhere else except on that pad and she is almost 3 years old.
Good luck and keep us posted!!!


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

Your vet gave bad advice. Search the forums for expen setup topics. People who only expect them to go outside, especially to start with, are the ones who have the most accidents in the house.


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

You can use her time in the pen to teach her potty on command. Search for "potty on command" by my user name (actual name). Once you have success, she can come out to play for a while and then go back in the pen to rest. It won't take long with proper training. It is training though, they don't learn it on their own. The metal expens allow you to fold them into different sizes and configurations. We always start with 2x4, and then go up in size. I think you may even be able to find pictures in threads here.


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

I have that playpen in pink and Emmie loves hanging out in it when we're home or away. It's easy to pick up and move from room to room (if necessary) and I've also packed it in my suitcase and taken it with us when we've flown to the East Coast for visits.


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## Pockets (Feb 19, 2013)

Where did you buy it in pink!!!


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Amazon - Amazon.com: Pet Travel, Indoor or Outdoor Dog Cat Puppies Kitten Play Yard *Pink Plaid* *Medium*: Pet Supplies


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## lise (Sep 1, 2006)

You have to walk her. I don't have a fenced yard and now have Ted down to 3 walks a day. We have our back deck blocked off so he goes there about another 3 or 4 times a day. I'm also in snow and freezing rain and cold but the walking is keeping me fit! Lol


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## lise (Sep 1, 2006)

Ted chose to go outside. I had him in an expen with a crate and a peepad. He used it once! He likes to go outside.


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

My puppy came to me potty trained on pee pads but her favorite substrate is grass. I live in the city so I take her outside for 4-5 walks a day (rain, snow, or shine). I have a small enclosed patio but she ends up getting into the planter beds and really dirty so it works out better to take her for walks in the neighborhood and visit local parks. The upside is that I'm getting more exercise and Emmie is meeting all kinds of people.


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## Ewokpup (Nov 3, 2012)

Pockets said:


> Do you advise going back to the pee pad? Or if she is only going 1x a day should I stick with taking her out? I was considering buying something like this for the house to keep her in during the day- I think her crate is too small to keep her in it other than sleep and when we are out for long periods of time. I was thinking that maybe when we are home we should try this type of play pen b/c hubby does not want to baby gate the house.... thoughts


We have a playpen like that. It didn't quite catch on. Bama always wanted to be out with us. Of course, we never tried leaving her in it alone...we kept it in my husband's office....and she would always want out to play when she was over there. But I definitely think it is worth a try!


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## lkwilson (Mar 6, 2011)

Coach loved to poop in the dining room because of course we never sit in there so he considered it non living space. I put up baby gates and that helped a lot. Also, if I was in our office working I kept him in there with me with the door closed. He's two now and finally seems to have the whole thing down. But it took a long time.


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## Tuss (Apr 22, 2012)

I luckily have an old house which means every room has a door so it's easy to close off the house. It's only been in the past month or so that i've cautiously allowed Gemma to have the "run of the house" and she's 14 months old. And, she's still crated when I'm not home. I've started letting her out of the crate when i'm out for short periods of time (less than 2 hours) but only if she's confined to 1 or 2 rooms. She's still not completely trustworthy, but she's getting it. Too much freedom just confuses them and sets them back.

The dining room was also her favorite "poop room" also because it's the least used room and therefore not "living space" in her mind. 

I don't believe in "pee pad/litter boxes for dogs". I think dogs should go outside. I do allow her to go on my deck right outside the patio door in the winter (especially if it's snowy or windy) but dogs are dogs, even if they're little. It's a controversial subject i know, just my opinion.


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

Ewokpup said:


> We have a playpen like that. It didn't quite catch on. Bama always wanted to be out with us. Of course, we never tried leaving her in it alone...we kept it in my husband's office....and she would always want out to play when she was over there. But I definitely think it is worth a try!


Of course she wants to be out and with you. They all always do. But if they have more freedom than they have earned the right to, things won't go the way they are required in your household.

You always have to Train them to accept staying in the expen calmly and quietly. This is one of the easiest things to train. You simply do nothing. Absolutely nothing, including feeling no anxiety. Any input you give them just prolongs it. Without ANY input, they learn very quickly. This is one of the most important things to teach them as early as possible.

I'm sure I have gone over how to do this a number of times over the years since these forums have been here. Please try the search function.

edited to add: I just tried doing an advanced search for "staying in expen" and putting in my user name, and many pages of stuff came right up.


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

Because she is pretty reliable most of the time, I would continue taking her out. If you can't keep an eye on her, and I mean a close eye on her, she should be in an x pen. Put her bed, toys, water, pee pad, etc in x pen. I know your husband is frustrated with her, but sadly he is a big part of the problem. By giving her too much room in the beginning, it's created bad habits. Baby gates are only temporary. If he allowed them in the first place, she probably would have been housebroken by now and the gates would be gone. Good luck!


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## Odieo (Jan 1, 2013)

We just got our puppy last Friday and he has been such a good boy. He did have couple of accidents when my husband was watching him (well, he wasn't watching per-se, he was on his laptop:brick But we have him in an ex-pen for 2-3 hours at a time and then take him out for 1/2 hr and let him play with us and then he goes back to pen. He uses his pee-pad pretty consistently. Since he wasn't crated at the breeder first 2 days I had a bed for him in the pen, he loves his bed so since Monday I moved his bed to the crate in the pen, he now sleeps in his crate with door open (and the crate is still in the pen). Here is the pen I got for him from Amazon, it is pretty big.

Amazon.com: North States Industries Superyard Classic Play Yard, Ivory, 8 Panel: Baby


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## swillis (Oct 4, 2006)

*This is what worked for me.....FINALLY!*

It took a very, VERY long time to housebreak my darling male Hav. They need to be taken outside often. I also tried (foolishly) to take him out without the leash and he was unreliable about staying with me and coming back when called; I was lucky that nothing bad happened. So now when the backyard is too muddy I take him out in the front yard on a leash to be sure he does his business. And going for walks helps, too! I work full time and he is in the sun porch for eight hours.....but there has never been an accident because he is in a metal exercise pen which is much bigger than a crate and not as claustrophobic. I learned that this is one area where they need real consistency as to when they go out and how often, etc.


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## gaylestarkey (Aug 23, 2020)

Pockets said:


> HELP! Our beautiful baby (7 months old)
> 
> 1- Our baby- rings a bell to go out 90% of the time but still 1x a day she either pees or poops in the house when I’m not looking. I dont want to leave her in a crate all day, but I can’t take her messing up our beautiful home. We never used a pee pad b/c the vet said then we are training her that it’s ok to go in the house. Any suggestions.
> 
> ...


This breed takes time! Whoever said about t o years is right on the mark! We have to work it. And buy Nature’s Miracle by the gallon. I’m serious! We are at two years now and I recently realized it’s just not a problem anymore! Patience and diligence, my friend! It’s so worth it…


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

gaylestarkey said:


> This breed takes time! Whoever said about t o years is right on the mark! We have to work it. And buy Nature’s Miracle by the gallon. I’m serious! We are at two years now and I recently realized it’s just not a problem anymore! Patience and diligence, my friend! It’s so worth it…



You are replying to a nine year old post.


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