# Potty Training Frustrations



## jingerb (Aug 9, 2015)

I'd love, and need, some advice!
Stanley Frederick (3 months) is having some issues that I'd like to address sooner rather than later:
1. He seems to not be able to regulate his water intake. How little water can I give him healthily? If I let him drink at will (even 3-4 ounces at a time), he just goes and goes and goes repeatedly. I'm assuming it's bladder maturity? 
so...
2. When does bladder maturity typically occur in a male?
3. Pooping...I think he thinks he's SUPPOSED to do this inside on the wood floor. I can take him out when I know he has to go and wait well over an hour (repeatedly)...nothing. Let him in and within seconds he's scurried off to poop inside. I mean, I cannot even turn my head away for a moment! :frown2: How to begin this???
Which brings me to:
4. I think I'm a Crate Wimp. Is it truly good to always crate if not playing or training? What about snuggling? Will he learn to want to just sleep off by himself? :crying: It seems that he would spend _hours and hours_ a day in his crate? I really want him to bond to me and be my snuggle buddy! But know I need to do what's right for now. 
5. When to use an Ex Pen? I have an ex pen, and it has his bed, toy, and a chew bone in it. I also feed and water him in it. If I put his piddle pad in there he will piddle on it. If I don't (in an effort to teach him to "hold it," he pees on the sheet that is the "floor" of the pen. Should I use the pen as well?
I feel like I've lost all ability with this potty training business! (But he's worth it!!!)
Thank you so much!


----------



## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

I used a crate to potty train Molly. When you put them in the crate you are training them to "hold it" because they don't like to potty where they sleep. When you take them outside and they go potty they can get supervised freedom in the house. If they don't go potty they must go back in the crate. Then you try again in a little while. I also used an expen. I would put her in there when I wanted her to have a little more space and I couldn't keep my eyes on her every second, like when I was cooking or cleaning, etc. Putting them in a pen does not teach them to "hold it" because it is a much larger space than the crate. They have room to potty in there and get away from it. If you are using potty pads in the house I would definitely put one in the pen with your puppy. Eventually, as your puppy matures they will be able to spend less time in the crate and pen and not have accidents. The more accidents you allow them to have in the house the longer the whole process will take. Allowing them alone time in their crate or pen, even when you are home, will go a long way in teaching them to amuse themself, self soothe, and not develop separation anxiety.


----------



## Askavi (Nov 5, 2015)

I'm sure there will be loads of great advice coming your way!

I never thought to reduce water intake with my pups so I'm not sure if that's a thing. Personally, after having raised small dogs without an indoor option, I've found that training/providing an indoor option is far more successful and far less stressful. My pups did come to me already started on potty pad training in an ex-pen, so that made it easier to go that direction. I always keep a pad/potty tray in the ex-pen. You want to catch your pup doing things right, so whenever they go on the pad/tray/litter box, praise them lots. Have a party about it with treats and everything. If they go in the wrong place, just clean it up and move on. As for the waiting outside for an hour, only to come in and have puppy drop a deuce on the floor immediately, I would suggest carrying puppy straight to the ex-pen with the potty option inside it. When puppy goes on the pad, have a praise party. It may take a while to transfer the behavior to outside, but at least it won't be poop on your floor. 

There's lots more that can be said about crate-training and whatnot. I wasn't that great at it with Raffy for pretty much the same reasons as you. That said, I put my foot down when it came to Sassy, and have found life and separation anxiety issues much easier this time around. I still get plenty of time to cuddle/kiss and play with her.


----------



## Hava Novice (Aug 30, 2016)

Jinger, I know you are very frustrated about now, but I can assure you it will get better...and soon, if you keep him crated when not watching or intensely interacting. I am not an experienced small dog owner, and about the only thing I think I have done successfully with Oreo is potty training. I think your idea of his learning to "hold it" may be one area where you are running into trouble. In those early weeks/months it is more about your learning when he needs to go, and providing that opportunity for him than it is about his learning to "hold it". If he goes on the piddle pads in his expen, by all means keep them in there unless you are planning on him going outside exclusively. If you are planning on his going outside all the time, then a crate or a smaller pen might be needed. I read a lot of articles on potty training when we got Oreo. The best one, and I don't remember where it was, said that they should be taken out after 20 minutes every time they eat or drink, and return them to the crate for another 10 minutes unless they "performed" during that outing. I quickly learned with Oreo, that 20 minutes after breakfast was way too long. He pretty much pooped the first two days within 2 to 3 minutes of his last bite. After that I learned to scoop him up in my arms and carry him out the minute he had finished his breakfast. Those were the only 2 times he ever pooped inside! 
Until he was about 15 weeks, I pretty much kept him in his crate when I wasn't directly interacting with him. Around 16 weeks, I started leaving him in his pen (not really an expen, but an indoor pet playpen) when I wasn't closely watching him. We progressed to gating off the kitchen and letting him have free run of the kitchen, but still putting him in his pen if we went out or were in another part of the house for a prolonged period. Now he has free run of the kitchen and family room, but I still put him in the pen if I am going to leave the house. He hasn't had an accident since he was about 17 or 18 weeks old (sometime in mid-October). I still pay attention to his eating and drinking, and do not leave him until he has adequately eliminated based on what he has consumed. Oreo never took to an indoor option (my failure), so I have made sure someone was around to take him out at least every 3 hours. I had my real test last week when I got hung up with work, and didn't make it home for 5 hours. I was so stressed, and felt so guilty, and was sure that when I got home he would have had an accident, but was amazed to find that he had not. I don't intend to let him go that long again (and have made arrangements with a dog walker to be sure), but it confirmed that he really is now completely potty trained.
As to bonding, during those early days of potty training, he spent a lot of time sitting on our laps, so he never lacked for bonding time.
Hang in there, it does get better!


----------



## jingerb (Aug 9, 2015)

Thank you sooooo much for the advice!!! I will definitely hang in there. I think I just need to learn MYSELF to be okay with crating him when I'm not directly interacting, as you said. I do play with him many times, play fetch with he and his yorkie sister, train him three times, snuggle with him, and go on outings with him every day, so he is getting his fair share of attention! :smile2:


----------

