# Potty Dept.and PuppyPen



## whitzend (Dec 1, 2011)

I know cooper has been with us only a few days and he is 8 1/2 weeks old but I have some questions...

1. His potty dept is going down hill..he has missed more than hit plus he drags his toys on the tray :frusty:

2. He will not go in his crate during the day, only at night with some calming. He drags the crate bed out and sleeps on that in his pen. Do I remove his bed he likes from the pen and leave his crate in the pen?

3. Does he stay in his pen UNTIL he is 100% potty trained? I do take him out to cuddle and we are starting brushing his coat and a calming method the breeder showed me.

4. I have read all the info on here that has been posted. Now I think it's time to read them to Cooper because I am doing my part but he isn't LOL

5. What special treats to give for good deeds and where do you all purchase them?

I have lot's of patience and time plus he is so much fun. But crating and puppy pens are new to me. 16 yrs. ago we didn't use them. Now onto me..what is a good wine to have at the end of the day ound:ound:

Linda Cooper's Mom


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Hi Linda, I know how you feel. I tried crate training but didn't last very long. One suggestion is at night put him in a travel crate by your bed and take him out or to the area you have decided to have him go potty. He can be created that way for awhile and then maybe when he is accident free in his crate you can open the door for extra room. Also maybe some Velcro to hold down his bedding . The toys well he will probably drag them around.Do you want him to be a indoor potty dog or a outdoor ?


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## whitzend (Dec 1, 2011)

Training him to go inside.

Linda


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

Havs can be very tricky to potty train,and Cooper is very young,neither of our Havs were reliable until they were 8 months old.Where as other dogs we have had in the past got the hang of it in a matter of weeks.


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## DeeDee (Sep 4, 2011)

Hi Linda. Know you said you did a lot of reading but posting a link to a thread that was helpful to me.



I didn't use treats for going potty, only praise.

I was lucky and my pup took to the crate immediately with no whining whatsoever (maybe because she was totally exhausted?) but I have seen some good articles or tips on getting a puppy/dog accustomed to the crate. If only I could remember where ... if I stumble across them again, I'll let you know.

Good luck!


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

Do you have an ex pen set up? If not, that's always a good choice. I had an x pen that contained a crate with bed, food & water, toys, literbox. I took my guys out every 30 min. I also took them out after they woke up from a nap, got done playing, after drinking & eating and in the middle of the night. I would let them play under my watchful eye after they did their business. If I couldn't watch them, I would put them in their pen. I also kept a bell on their collars so I knew when they woke up or were on the run. Be patient, I've heard of some havanese that took up to 2 years! 
If your pup doesn't like his crate, try putting treats in there


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## whitzend (Dec 1, 2011)

Today I made the ex pen smaller, removed the bed and placed some fleece in the crate. He has been sleeping on the floor in pen AND more in his crate :whoo: Thinking I might have to make the pen smaller or different shape. It's 50/50 going in the potty tray. So basically I think it's been a pretty good day..did some brushing of his coat and crate wise starting to work lol. 

Thanks for the article DeeDee 

Thanks everyone for the support, hope I don't come across as complaining. Just want to do the best I can and try the crate and ex pen this time around. You all have so many ideas and experience.

Linda


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

You did the right thing by downsizing the expen. You might have to go all the way back to where there is only room for the bed and the potty area. You have to go back in size until it works 100% of the time. Only then can you enlarge the area, and even then in small amounts.

Did you find my old post on teaching to go potty on command? It would be the time to do that, and they learn quickly to go potty on command if it means they get to come out to play.

Even with the boy we are keeping, we still take him back to his sleeping pen to remind him that he needs to go potty if he's been out for a good while and hasn't done anything. He's spending most of his time out in the house, but when we notice that he's getting tired, he goes back into his pen. We've downsized it to 4x4 since his brother left. It's plenty big enough for him to eat and sleep in, since he spends most of his time out. Once he starts getting tired, we watch him closely.

At 8 1/2 weeks, he shouldn't be over about 8 feet from a proper potty area even once he has developed the right habit.

We dont use treats for teaching potty habits. It's something they have to do anyway, and treats aren't necessary.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Tom King said:


> You did the right thing by downsizing the expen. You might have to go all the way back to where there is only room for the bed and the potty area. You have to go back in size until it works 100% of the time. Only then can you enlarge the area, and even then in small amounts.
> 
> Did you find my old post on teaching to go potty on command? It would be the time to do that, and they learn quickly to go potty on command if it means they get to come out to play.
> 
> ...


And boy, that potty on command comes in SO handy. Kodi loves to ride in the car, but just like a little kid, we don't want to be half an hour from the house and have him whining that he has to pee. No problem as long as WE remember to tell him to "go pee" before he gets in the car. Same thing, when we visit someone else's house and there is no litter box available, we just make sure he empties out befor eentering the house. You can almost see him roll his eyes and say, "you know, I don't REALLY have to go... I'm just doing this to humor you!":biggrin1:

Now, if he would always just poop on command. But I guess with that, if you don't have to go, you just don't have to go!:biggrin1:


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## whitzend (Dec 1, 2011)

Downsizing the ex pen has helped a lot. He goes in his crate now to sleep and is really trying to hit the pee tray more. There are still misses which I think are my fault. He doesn't go right after waking up and I try to watch for signs and sometimes he takes so long to go lol. He loves to be brushed and loves sleeping on our laps. At night he lets me know he has to go by whining  I guess each day is a step forward and today is the vacuum cleaner test. Slow and easy and lots of patience on my part. He's such a lovable little guy in every way, just have to get the potty training down better on my part. We are looking toward the day he gets it 100% and can have the run of the kitchen. 
Linda


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