# Litter box training my new puppy.



## CalvinAndHobbes (Aug 23, 2011)

Hi, I just got my first puppy and me and my girlfriend would like to litterbox train him. I am in a wheelchair so it would make things immeasurably easier for me. His name is Hobbes and he's 9 weeks old, we just got him yesterday.

We have him set up in a gated area about 4x4 feet with a potty pad area in one corner, his kennel in the other, and food / water dishes in another corner. When he is in his area for long enough, for example when we're both at work, he uses the pad most of the time. However when we're home and have him out, he pees VERY quickly haha. We watch him constantly yet it seems neither of us is fast enough to catch him and bring him to his pen before he unloads. I feel like this is undermining any attempt to train him.

Can anyone give us some advice?


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## CalvinAndHobbes (Aug 23, 2011)

Well, we've started to pick up on some of his signs that he wants to go. He starts sniffing around and gets more whiney. The problem is that if we take him to his pen, he seems to think we're going to leave him and gets too anxious to pee. Ive waited with him by the pen for up to 45 minutes and he doesn't go. But as soon as I take him out, he pees on the floor.

So we've decided to keep one pad in his pen for when we're not there, and one in the living room under a chair where we can watch him when he's out. He has already used the pad twice, and we praised him a ton. He still had quite a few accidents though.

Our plan is to slowly move the pad closer to his pen as he gets used to using it. Does this sound like a reasonable idea?


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

You need an enclosed area that has no extra room around the litter pan-like an expen folded all the way in to the smallest size and any extra space outside the box filled with something that he can't get on.

First thing in the morning, and any time you see his signs, he goes into the litter box. Wait with absolutely no input to him from you like babytalk, or even facial expressions. His world stops turning until the INSTANT he finishes. At that INSTANT when he starts to raise up, lavish him with praise, pats, loving, and have a big party for 5 seconds.

Absolutely no reprimand or any kind of input for anything that he does wrong about pottying.

After success a few times like this, start to add a command as you are putting him in the box. We use "go potty".

If your timing in good, which has to be spot on, he will learn quickly.

We start them at 3 weeks, so don't know exactly how long it would take to train one that has learned otherwise.

Good luck,


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

CalvinAndHobbes said:


> Well, we've started to pick up on some of his signs that he wants to go. He starts sniffing around and gets more whiney. The problem is that if we take him to his pen, he seems to think we're going to leave him and gets too anxious to pee. Ive waited with him by the pen for up to 45 minutes and he doesn't go. But as soon as I take him out, he pees on the floor.
> 
> So we've decided to keep one pad in his pen for when we're not there, and one in the living room under a chair where we can watch him when he's out. He has already used the pad twice, and we praised him a ton. He still had quite a few accidents though.
> 
> Our plan is to slowly move the pad closer to his pen as he gets used to using it. Does this sound like a reasonable idea?


I'm glad you are starting to see his signs. They always give some warning, but it may be only for 2 or 3 seconds.

The second part of your post makes no sense to me. The main cause of accidents is too much freedom. If he is peeing on the floor, he has not earned that much freedom yet. Take him out to play only right after he has pottied correctly, and put him back in periodically during a play session to remind him to go, then immediately take him back out to play.


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