# Accident



## radar_jones (May 6, 2007)

Hi All. Well we had a little bit of a setback today. Radar had a little accident today. This morning at 6 a.m. I let Radar out and put him in the pen. He went pee and I figured he was done. Well I was getting washed up in the bathroom and My Wife let him out of the bedroom where we have his crate. Well he ran ahead of her all excited and almost went completely #2 in the Kitchen. She hadn't even gotten out of the Bedroom yet. She picked him up just in time and placed him in the litter box. He finished in there and then we prased him. Well about ten minutes later he went on the living room floor near the pen while my Wife was in the Kitchen and I was in the bathroom with the door closed getting ready for work. My Wife said that she didn't think he was going to go that soon after going the first time. I explained to her that the fact that she thought that was irrelevant and that whenever she can't "Watch" him as in have both eyes on him she should place him in the pen. I think that she thinks that we place him in there too often and that she wants to have him out more when she's home. I know that she can't always watch the little guy so the only way is to have him in the pen. She said "well why can't we have the pen open a bit so he can go inside when were are home and he's restricted to one area"? I replied well we can't do that becasue then he would not have earned the extra freedom and he might regress and we'll have to start all over again. I hear stories about Hav owners who have little pups that have accidents because of lack of dilligence on their families part. I don't want that to happen. So I'm crossing my fingers today hoping that he has a remaining successful day.

Derek


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

He is still a baby right?? Goodness, Logan is 7 months old & still has the occasional accident. I am sure he will get the hang of it, but probably does need to be restricted. And I think you are right!! Just cause they just went doesnt mean they wont go again in 15 minutes!! It happened a lot with Logan.
Laurie


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## jolynn (Dec 26, 2006)

Heck, I'm 48, and I still have accidents if I laugh too hard! Oops, TMI, as my kids would say! LOL!!:redface:


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Joanne - you are too funny!!!!


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Kodi hasn't had an accident since he's 7 mos and he is 18 mos now. Shelby is another story. She is regressing in her potty training. She has been having lots of accidents lately. And to make matters worse, she has been having the runs since very early this morning. 

I thought she was getting the hang of it, especially since the nice weather is here and she is going out more. But, I guess we'll have to go backwards with her a little.


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## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

I remember with all my Havs having a tough time right around 13-14 weeks. It seems like they peed every 10 minutes! Then all of a sudden, they get over that.
Please be easy on Radar. He is just a baby and he is going to make mistakes. You need to find a happy medium between letting him be a puppy and run around and have fun, and having him be potty trained. I don't think any puppy should have to spend hours and hours in an x-pen. That's just no fun. Yes he is going to pee and poop on your floor. That's all part of the process. He is a baby and still learning. Don't expect perfection as his young age.
None of my Havs were fully trained until closer to 6 months.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

I agree with Katie.

I use the expen and keep it "open" during the day when I am home with her so she can go in and out of it as she pleases and she did really well going in the xpen to use the pad for the first few months, there were a few accidents, but overall, she did great for being so little. Now we are transitioning outside and she'll still use the pad sometimes without letting me know she needs to go, but then other times, she'll come up to me and sort of "whine" to go outside and potty.

It does take some work, and there will be a few setbacks, but I did give her a little more freedom than others and she is doing just fine.

Kara


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## whitBmom (Nov 27, 2006)

The first two weeks was tough for me because I NEVER took my eyes off of him - my head literally hurt. I kept him in the pen about 80% of the time, as he was in the living room where I spent most of my day anyways with my daughter. I found that even in the pen I was keeping an eye on him to make sure he went on the pad!! ( I think I was a little too obsessed:suspicious: ) But what I did do, is that I made sure he went #1 & 2, and then he could come out to a blocked off area with us. As soon as I'd notice any sniffing, circling I put him right back in his pen until he would go potty. Oreo would sometimes ask to come out, but I had made that mistake assuming he didn't need to go, only to find him lower his body to go pee..... LOL Now I can look back and laugh but I learned my lesson to not trust my pup... yet.
Oreo will be 7 months on June 5th and his accidents have been minimal. Now, he will put this look of "oh,no", with big eyes and whine. That "look" says it all to me and we get the leash on and get on out there... LOL The other times I found Oreo has had accidents is when he has had the occasional visit from the "poopy monster" - those are DEFINATELY not fun. :fear: Just be consistent as everyone else has said and you will be fine. It is just a short span to sacrifice a little by putting him in the pen to ensure he potty's well - just until he gets the idea that he must go in there. Then, as he is more trustworty, you can even gate off the room with the expen in it and let him roam - just be sure to keep an eye on your baby and guide him where he needs to "go". Good luck and you have a wonderful community here that is always happy to support you


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## radar_jones (May 6, 2007)

Hi all thanks for the great advice. Sometimes I just think that I should just give him the added freedom but I think what happens if he regresses and then you have to start all over again. I agree that I should be easy on him and that he's just a puppy. I often think that he's trying to tell me something becasue he did so amazing with the peeing in the litter so well. Maybe if I open the pen a little he'll get the message and go inside when he wants to go if he's in a confined area such as the living room. Sometimes I feel bad but I think "hey there like kids" and we do for them what's best for them and not becasue they like it but later on they thanks us for it. 

Oh Well a work in progress I guess.

Derek


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## radar_jones (May 6, 2007)

Yeah I guess I should take a chill pill or something. I guess I just needed to get a perspective on everything. I guess we'll stick with it and nit by bit he'll get the hang of it. Darn adorable pups....:biggrin1: We always love them a stress over them as if they were the last thing in the world we have to hang on to. And then there's always thinking "please don't hate me" I'm doing this becaue I love you. The crazy thing is it's only been a week and a half since we have had him and it feels like a year and a half. What a HellufaHav...:whoo: 

Derek


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

I would just keep a really CLOSE eye on him when he is out of the expen in the room. That's what I did, when they start sniffing around or circling, or give you that "look" then put him directly on the pad and say "go potty". It worked for me. With close supervision outside the expen, he should do fine.

I watched Gucci like a HAWK for the first 3-4 weeks. NOW, her sign is to run to the pad.

Funny, as I was just typing this she started sniffing the pad and I had to jump up and take her outside to go! lol

Kara


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

You'll be fine, Derek. You, Radar and your wife. Things will be slow for a while. It can take many weeks and months for the little guy to be trustworthy around the house.

We gated off our kitchen and dining area. The two rooms are together, an open space and we put gates in the two openings to these rooms. Ricky had his crate but no x-pen. I, like Helen, had my eyes on him ALL the time. So much so, that I didn't even take the time to make phone calls or get on the computer very often. lol We went outdoors 30x/day, at least!

Knowing what I know now, though, I'd have an x-pen and/or a smaller area for a puppy to roam and play in. The two rooms were too much space for Ricky and he often peed in the kitchen behind the counter where we couldn't always see him.

One great way of leaving him outside the x-pen and still go about your business, or your wife's, is to tether him to your waist. It's called umbilical leashing and so wherever you go, the pup goes. He can still play while you sit somewhere, or while you're doing dishes, making dinner... but he can't wander off to some corner of the room and do his business. You will 'catch' him, should he not ask for the litter or the door, about 95% of the time since he'll be right there.

There is info on this type of housetraining : http://www.homevet.com/petcare/puppy3.html#cord

here too: http://www.cal.net/~pamgreen/noonehomehousebreak.html , as well as tips for when you are not at home.

Take things one day at a time and make sure you have plenty of paper towels and a cleanser that will eliminate the smell of urine (so he doesn't get tempted to go to the same spots all the time). I have never bought so much paper towel as I have since we had Ricky last Sept.!!! :biggrin1:


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Hang in there Derek!It will come.......:biggrin1:


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

This doesn't help with training, but if you ever want him to have free run and you can't watch every second, you can put a belly band on him. I have purchased belly bands from many seamstresses and vendors over the years, but my favorite bands come from a woman named Penny that I found on eBay who makes a soft flannel lined belly band and gives the proceeds to her favorite rescue. Her eBay user name is zpenny1, but you can email her directly at [email protected] with the measurement of your puppy's belly circumfrence. She sells them in sets of two for $10 for free shipping in the U.S. (well, that was before the postage hike again, so check on the price to be sure). Since you're in Ontario, it may be worthwhile to find someone up there to save on shipping.


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## radar_jones (May 6, 2007)

As Soon as we started to watch him and keep him in the ex-pen for part of the day he had no accidents. In the morning we are going to keep him in the pen for a good 30 minutes to make sure he's completely done going poop. He's had repeat poops ten-fifteen minutes after going the first time so we have him in there until he's really done. Then he gets out for some playime. My Wife is adamant now about really watching him. I told her maye she should put him in the kitchen and cloe it in which is just off the dining room then she can see him from her peripheral vision. See he lays below her under the dining room table and he snuck over to where the pen was but couldn't get into it and went on the floor. He's not reliable to really be let out on his own at all even when he's got access to the ex-pen. He went the other day on the floor and the ex-pen was completely accessible to him. He went on the floor beside it but not in it. It's reicky sometimes because she has book work to do at home and it's hard for her to keep an eye on him ALL the time. She just can't so it's in the pen when she can't watch and she'll have him out for play time periodically throughout the day. Anyone have any thoughts about a bell attached to the ex-pen........:suspicious: ?

Derek


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## radar_jones (May 6, 2007)

Yeah I hear ya. Well I really like the ex-pen method. It's time consuming but I think it's the best way because it teaches them to go in the box and then they get to earn the extra space and then a little more and a little more and then they get out for playtime and back in for potty. The only tricky part is seeing wether or not they get it when the are out for playtime and know to go back to potty when they have to go. 

Radar had full access to the pen where the litter box was and still went on the floor which proves he can't be trusted yet which means cutting him off. I just long for the day when he will be fully reliable. My Wife and I will be taking him out in the morning when he has had all his shots which will mean a more predictable method because he will anticipate the time to go out. Hopefully the bell method will work then.

Derek


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