# Potty questions



## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

So, Oliver is 16 weeks old on Sunday. We tried to train him on an indoor potty tray, and really did not take to it. Even now, SOMETIMES he'll poop on it, usually he poops somewhere else in his ex pen. I do make sure not to let him roam the house around the time he's going to need to go, so really, he only goes on the tarp I have under the ex-pen. 

Peeing. He wasn't learning the tray. Just peeing in the ex-pen and sloshing through it with his feet. Not good. Then we discovered he preferred the grass outside, regardless of the weather. He can hold it a number of hours, including overnight now. I take him out every 2-3 hours during the day but he's pretty good about indicating that he has to go. We haven't had a pee accident in weeks, and he will occasionally go on the potty tray if he really has to and we don't get to him in time. He's never peed on the carpet. 

Is this really unusual? He sometimes poops on the tray, never poops outside. I added a second tray which helps a little, but I wonder if he only does it because there is less space in the ex-pen. I thought poop would be easier in terms of training, but I guess not. It's better because poop is more predictable, but I'm kind of at a loss as to how to proceed. Is this something that. he'll eventually get or should I try something different?


----------



## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Melissa Woods said:


> So, Oliver is 16 weeks old on Sunday. We tried to train him on an indoor potty tray, and really did not take to it. Even now, SOMETIMES he'll poop on it, usually he poops somewhere else in his ex pen. I do make sure not to let him roam the house around the time he's going to need to go, so really, he only goes on the tarp I have under the ex-pen.
> 
> Peeing. He wasn't learning the tray. Just peeing in the ex-pen and sloshing through it with his feet. Not good. Then we discovered he preferred the grass outside, regardless of the weather. He can hold it a number of hours, including overnight now. I take him out every 2-3 hours during the day but he's pretty good about indicating that he has to go. We haven't had a pee accident in weeks, and he will occasionally go on the potty tray if he really has to and we don't get to him in time. He's never peed on the carpet.
> 
> Is this really unusual? He sometimes poops on the tray, never poops outside. I added a second tray which helps a little, but I wonder if he only does it because there is less space in the ex-pen. I thought poop would be easier in terms of training, but I guess not. It's better because poop is more predictable, but I'm kind of at a loss as to how to proceed. Is this something that. he'll eventually get or should I try something different?


I'm not completely sure, but I think if there's enough room for him to poop somewhere else, that's the problem. I will say mine never pooped on the indoor potty. However, he did try a couple of times and missed. Mine is kind of particular about poop, and it wasn't an issue worth pushing for us because he poops on a very regular schedule, once in the morning and once at night. He just holds it until he's taken outside.

I think you're on the right track with the less space theory. The point is to make it small enough so that there is only enough space for his crate and his potty tray. Since he won't want to go potty in his crate/bed, the only space left for him to go is on the potty tray.

I'm not sure about the time table training it this way. I started late on indoor potty, but my puppy had been paper trained by the breeder and was already trying to pee anytime my kids left a piece of paper on the floor, so he took to it right away.


----------



## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

Oliver is exactly like that with the poop. It’s hit or miss whether it ends up on the tray. I really wanted the indoor potty to work, but we didn’t bring him home till 11 weeks. She says she used shavings, but I feel like I had a choice between cleaning pee all day long or simply taking him out on a leash every few hours, which was a no brainer to me.


----------



## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

It’s kinda funny because mine missed the tray 1-2 times with pee, like right on the edge, while we were first teaching him. He was standing on the tray with just his front paws. A few days later was the last time he missed - he cried about it! He came and got me and led me to it and was like, get rid of this! He never had a problem with pee after that. But the poop he didn’t quite figure out, he just held it. Which is good in it’s own way, but it was inconvenient sometimes.


----------



## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

My husband said, "Sometimes puppies just do things that don't make any sense." I laughed so hard. It's been a long, long time since I've had a puppy. We lost our lab and whippet/ terrier about 5 years ago, within a few months of each other. And they were both rescues at about 4-5 years old and came to us potty trained, etc. So we've waited a long time to get another dog. We have little kids and I wanted my youngest to be potty trained himself before we got Oliver. I researched for a long time, too. All that to say, I feel like a first time mother of a newborn, LOL


----------



## RedSoxFan (Aug 22, 2017)

Our last dog - a Maltese... we trained to use pee pads indoors. Not this time. We trained our Havanese to use the strand of bells hung in the door. She was so trainable and swats the bells with her paw when she wants to go outside. Lots of opinions on this but we feel that once you train them to go indoors, they will. I know some people Need to have dogs go indoors on pads but we are so glad we trained our girl to use the bell. Btw your pup is beautiful. Enjoy. We will never own a different breed and may add a second to our fam


----------



## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

We love Oliver so much! I can’t believe how awesome Havanese dogs are. He’s learning fetch too, which is adorable. Oh, on pottying lol. It would be cool to teach the bell training once I feel he’s reliable to have run of the house. He’s out of the ex-pen more and more especially right after he’s gone out. I tried the pee tray. He just doesn’t do it. And he doesn’t poop outdoors. It’s a work in progress, lol. I think it’ll be easier to work on poop outdoors during the summer. It’d be nice to have the indoor option but I think part of the issue is we got him at 11 weeks and the breeder had begun taking them outside vs the shavings they were going on earlier.


----------



## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I set up a bell a little while ago but the one I used was too heavy! He’s tried to ring it a couple of times, it’s cute. But we still ring it and say “outside potty” when we take him out because I do plan on replacing it with jingle bells or something one of these days.


----------



## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

Aww that is cute!


----------



## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

*accidents*



EvaE1izabeth said:


> ... A few days later was the last time he missed - he cried about it! He came and got me and led me to it and was like, get rid of this! ...


Perry doesn't have accidents in the house. However, a couple of months ago he must have had a poop accident in his crate (he goes in for a couple of hours when I leave for work til my housekeeper gets there). I came home and he was running around like a nut as usual. First stop is the bedroom to get changed out of my work clothes (still in that habit even years after having a shedding dog that made it a necessity! even though it's not necessary now  ) He kept running around and then darting into his crate and back out to stare at me. I had no idea what was up. I got changed and then went into the bathroom, and when I came out there was once piece of poop sitting in front of the door! with him looking at it then at me, then back at it. I can only assume he was trying to tell me there was something in his crate I needed to get out and when I didn't, he got it for me so I could get rid of it! (I have never seen him eat or carry poop around before or after this).


----------



## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Sounds like your ex-pen maybe too big. I had a similar problem in the beginning but figured out pretty quickly there was too much room. Dogs don't typically want to potty where they sleep or hangout. I added two potty trays, one right next to the other, which took up more space. That immediately solved the problem. Patti was 3.5lbs and 8 weeks old. They grow quickly and when she got bigger I removed one of the potty trays. They sometimes stand on the edge of the tray and miss. You might have to rearrange the tray if that's often.

If you want to indoor house break your baby, don't do outdoor potty training. Wait until you little one is totally indoor house broken. That's advice comes from the Experts on this Forum. That's what I did. Patti is now 14 months old. Two months ago we installed a fence and Patti is in and and out of the house all day long. She asks for go outside to potty in the morning @ *5 a.m.!!!* *Ugh*! However, she still occasionally uses the indoor potty tray: When the weather is bad or we're not home to let her out. And, we move to Colorado during the summer where we don't have a yard. Indoor housebreaking is a wonderful alternative. They all eventually prefer and want to go outside. It's difficult to train them to use an indoor potty tray once they become outdoor dogs.

I don't know what you mean about cleaning up "shavings all day long"? You can use potty pads in the trays. Several of us to Equine Horse Pellets. The pellets and potty pads fit under the grate of the trays. The potty pads have an unpleasant odor and need to be changed frequently maybe every day or two with a small puppy. A larger dog every day. The Equine Pellets do not have an odor. When the dog pees on the pellets they expand into saw dust. Highly absorbent and you might change those out once or twice a week.


----------



## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

So I decided against keeping with indoor training. It just wasn’t successful. He’s not had an indoor accident in weeks and easily holds it from about 10 pm to 7 am. When I wake up he’s hopping all over the place and clearly has to go. He has a pretty reliable signal. We went to the store and he stayed in the car with my teen and younger kids and I got a call. I immediately sighed and said, “who has to go potty?” As my kids do this and the 16 yr old calls to let me know. Annoying since he can walk ten feet to the store. Anyway. My son says, “Oliver has to go! He’s jumping around in the booster seat like crazy!”

I do have two potty trays in there that work in a pinch but in general he holds it quite a while. During the day I aim to take him out every 3 hours to be safe, and he has poop down too. I’m so incredibly shocked at how well he’s doing for 4 months old! I have no desire to stop encouraging outside pottying for the sake of litter training, especially because now he can run around for longer periods and play in other areas of the house.


----------



## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

Where did I say “cleaning up shavings all day long”? I didn’t. I said my breeder used shavings. I never used them myself. I put pee pads in the trays. I said cleaning up pee, because that is precisely what I was doing. And I had two potty trays there that he was using to sleep on, not pee. So, I did what works for my family. And my sanity.


----------



## chocohavapup (Apr 18, 2019)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> It's kinda funny because mine missed the tray 1-2 times with pee, like right on the edge, while we were first teaching him. He was standing on the tray with just his front paws. A few days later was the last time he missed - he cried about it! He came and got me and led me to it and was like, get rid of this! He never had a problem with pee after that. But the poop he didn't quite figure out, he just held it. Which is good in it's own way, but it was inconvenient sometimes.


That's our Ferdie!! She always has the best intentions, but sometimes still she only gets her front paws on and pees all over the floor. She doesn't notice, though


----------



## chocohavapup (Apr 18, 2019)

RedSoxFan said:


> Our last dog - a Maltese... we trained to use pee pads indoors. Not this time. We trained our Havanese to use the strand of bells hung in the door. She was so trainable and swats the bells with her paw when she wants to go outside. Lots of opinions on this but we feel that once you train them to go indoors, they will. I know some people Need to have dogs go indoors on pads but we are so glad we trained our girl to use the bell. Btw your pup is beautiful. Enjoy. We will never own a different breed and may add a second to our fam


We wanted to do the same thing, but having to go to work and leave the house for a while at a time doesn't allow for that. Oh, to be retired!


----------



## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

chocohavapup said:


> That's our Ferdie!! She always has the best intentions, but sometimes still she only gets her front paws on and pees all over the floor. She doesn't notice, though


Tip: There's probably too much room around the potty tray.

My little one is 15-months old. She is indoor potty tray trained. She, also, goes outside. It's pouring down rain today and I don't have to worry about how she's going to get outside to do her job because she knows where her potty tray is in the house.

ALL indoor potty trained dogs, eventually go outside. They prefer to go outside. They ask to go outside without training. What you CAN'T do is retrain you dog to use an indoor potty tray .... if you train them to - *first *- go outside.

We travel and move to the mountains during the summer to place with out a yard. All we have to do is show Patti where the potty tray is and she'll use it if she can't get outside for whatever reason.

This is the first dog I've ever indoor potty trained. And, I was somewhat reluctant in the beginning but fortunately Karen kept encouraging me to NOT stop. I'm very! glad I stuck with Indoor Housebreaking Patti. Many dogs and I've seen Havanese owners complain on this website about the difficulty of getting their dogs to go outside during bad weather. Staying outside under an umbrella, waiting and hoping they'll go. :crying: Building covered areas outside for them to use.

Keep in mind - Indoor potty trained dogs are HOUSE BROKEN.


----------



## chocohavapup (Apr 18, 2019)

Mikki said:


> Tip: There's probably too much room around the potty tray.
> 
> My little one is 15-months old. She is indoor potty tray trained. She, also, goes outside. It's pouring down rain today and I don't have to worry about how she's going to get outside to do her job because she knows where her potty tray is in the house.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the anecdote! I'm glad I convinced my fiancée to let us use the pad (help from the vet on that one...) cause I can see it being super useful forever. The problem we're facing now is that when Ferd is upset we're leaving her, say we didn't spend enough time playing or something before we leave her for a few hours or if we come home quickly on lunch, she has taken to pulling her fake turf off the pad and tray underneath and thrashing it all around. I'd like to think it's just a puppy thing but I think she's so smart that it's her way of telling us she's upset with us!

Hoping it'll all get better, but have considered sticking her in her crate (attached to the ex-pen) for when we're gone a few hours. Seems like torture! But should we just let her continue the destructive behavior and hope she grows out of it? So tough. I'm considering one of the real grass patches like doggielawn or fresh patch. Oh, the woes of puppyhood!!


----------



## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

chocohavapup said:


> Thanks for the anecdote! I'm glad I convinced my fiancée to let us use the pad (help from the vet on that one...) cause I can see it being super useful forever. The problem we're facing now is that when Ferd is upset we're leaving her, say we didn't spend enough time playing or something before we leave her for a few hours or if we come home quickly on lunch, she has taken to pulling her fake turf off the pad and tray underneath and thrashing it all around. I'd like to think it's just a puppy thing but I think she's so smart that it's her way of telling us she's upset with us!
> 
> Hoping it'll all get better, but have considered sticking her in her crate (attached to the ex-pen) for when we're gone a few hours. Seems like torture! But should we just let her continue the destructive behavior and hope she grows out of it? So tough. I'm considering one of the real grass patches like doggielawn or fresh patch. Oh, the woes of puppyhood!!


Ferd is a puppy and playing. She is not misbehaving and it's OK to leave her. Leave Ferd in the ex-pen with toys and install a different potty tray. Puppies play with anything that isn't tied down. Use the crate at night or for an established nap time.

You will be able to housebreak Ferd very quickly if you use a potty tray. But, you must also keep her confined, if you don't have eyes on her and do not give her Free Rein around a room until you're confident she will go to the potty tray. Train her one room in the house at a time.

I've tried almost every potty training tray type made including Fake Grass Turf. I didn't like the Fake Grass Turf because it smells. You can wash it but the more the puppy pees and poops on it the harder it is to get the odor out.

I have not tried Real Grass. However, I would think it will smell after the puppy pees and poops on it numerous times. And... Ferd will probably play with the grass, too. :grin2:

This is what I found that works. The UgoDog.net (Company does not sell on Amazon) or the Byliss Klean Paws Potty Tray (Sold on Amazon.com) are my favorites. You can get potty trays with sides that helps keep the puppy inside the tray. If I had a do over - I would try that tray.

You want a trays that clamp down over a paper potty pad or pellets that are put inside the trays. _(The trays I've suggested have enough room for equine horse pellets.)_ With this type of set up a small breed puppy will NOT get into the tray and tear up the paper. Easy clean up. With a small puppy you'll probably need to change out the pad every other day, may every third day. The poop is on top of the tray. Pick it up and throw it away in the stool. As the dog gets older and bigger you'll have to change the paper pad out every day or twice a day because of the odor.

Another option is to use Equine Horse Pellets inside the potty trays. Several of us on the forum prefer the Equine Horse Pellets to paper potty pads, because the pads have an odor. The Equine Horse Pellets are used for horse bedding and has no odor when peed on. As an analogy ... It works like Kitty Litter in dog potty trays.

The Equine Horse Pellets don't have to be changed as often because there's no odor. Just throw it away and put new pellets in the tray. You can buy Equine Horse Pellets at Tractor or Farm stores. It's about $5 for a 40lb bag.


----------



## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

chocohavapup said:


> Thanks for the anecdote! I'm glad I convinced my fiancée to let us use the pad (help from the vet on that one...) cause I can see it being super useful forever. The problem we're facing now is that when Ferd is upset we're leaving her, say we didn't spend enough time playing or something before we leave her for a few hours or if we come home quickly on lunch, she has taken to pulling her fake turf off the pad and tray underneath and thrashing it all around. I'd like to think it's just a puppy thing but I think she's so smart that it's her way of telling us she's upset with us!
> 
> Hoping it'll all get better, but have considered sticking her in her crate (attached to the ex-pen) for when we're gone a few hours. Seems like torture! But should we just let her continue the destructive behavior and hope she grows out of it? So tough. I'm considering one of the real grass patches like doggielawn or fresh patch. Oh, the woes of puppyhood!!


I wanted to do the grass but I didn't want to do a subscription - I have enough of those  I know some people just buy a new piece of sod at the garden center but I would never follow through on that, and I'm not sure if it's feasible in the winter here. In the end the pine pellets worked best for me. I really like them, more than I expected.

Can't really help with that particular behavior but I can relate as mine also isn't thrilled if I forget something and I'm in and out - it's like the excitement doesn't have anywhere to go! How is she greeting you when you get home? Maybe that would be a good place to start if you don't think it's boredom, since working on self control is a something that will translate to other things you may want to teach her. It's hard to find things puppies can chew safely without supervision but maybe giving her something to chew for a while before you leave would help?


----------



## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Melissa Woods said:


> So, I did what works for my family. And my sanity.


That's exactly what you have to do, and it's not the end of the world. If it doesn't work out for you to indoor potty train it doesn't work out, and potty training is going well for you now so I get it! I think the advice is more in the spirit of anyone else reading the thread who might be searching the forum and facing the same challenges and wishes to use a potty tray.

My next puppy will be completely indoor (and outdoor) potty trained because I figured out everything I did wrong! But I'm still thankful my Hav will go potty on command on an indoor potty tray when I need him to, even if he will never poop on it.


----------



## chocohavapup (Apr 18, 2019)

Mikki said:


> Ferd is a puppy and playing. She is not misbehaving and it's OK to leave her. Leave Ferd in the ex-pen with toys and install a different potty tray. Puppies play with anything that isn't tied down. Use the crate at night or for an established nap time.
> 
> You will be able to housebreak Ferd very quickly if you use a potty tray. But, you must also keep her confined, if you don't have eyes on her and do not give her Free Rein around a room until you're confident she will go to the potty tray. Train her one room in the house at a time.
> 
> ...


Going with the Blyss holder cause ugodog is sold out online and I don't think I want an open litter box w/ sides on it. Trying the equine pine pellets, too. Thanks for the suggestions!



EvaE1izabeth said:


> In the end the pine pellets worked best for me. I really like them, more than I expected.
> 
> Can't really help with that particular behavior but I can relate as mine also isn't thrilled if I forget something and I'm in and out - it's like the excitement doesn't have anywhere to go! How is she greeting you when you get home? Maybe that would be a good place to start if you don't think it's boredom, since working on self control is a something that will translate to other things you may want to teach her. It's hard to find things puppies can chew safely without supervision but maybe giving her something to chew for a while before you leave would help?


Trying out the pellets this week! Just need to find them... Looks like I can get them shipped to a local ACE hardware but we don't have any feed stores very close to philly.


----------



## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

We have a second home in Crested Butte, CO which is in Gunnison County. There are horses ALL over the place in this community. And, I could NOT find Equine Pellets in that community. Don't understand Why? However, they sold Equine Shavings instead. That worked, as well. Good Luck!! I'm confident you'll like the potty tray and it works with pee pads. I occasionally use the pee pads when it's not convenient to use the pellets or shavings. Not sure which I prefer but the stores here don't carry the Shavings. I think the pellets might be more absorbent. But, that's not a problem with our small dogs. Would have to ask a Horse person why some use Shavings and others Pellets.


----------



## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

chocohavapup said:


> Trying out the pellets this week! Just need to find them... Looks like I can get them shipped to a local ACE hardware but we don't have any feed stores very close to philly.


With the whole urban farming movement, I bet there are quite a few places near you that carry them but I can imagine actually tracking them down is a pain! It took me a few tries to find them and there are lots of farming and feed stores near me. People actually using equine bedding for horses out here often have them delivered so the first place I went didn't carry them in the store. In the end I found them at Tractor Supply, which is a chain really close to me but I had no idea it existed and I had never been there before.


----------



## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

Interestingly, he has started using the tray if he really really has to pee and we aren’t home or it’s night. We have two ex pens with trays in them that I didn’t realize he would use (they have pee pads in them). He will use those or go outside. The only thing we don’t have down is poop. I still have to time it right. I was wondering how he was managing never to pee in the ex pen, even ten hours overnight.


----------



## LUVmyHava (Apr 16, 2019)

Kojo (at 4 months) is excellent about using pee pad and going outside when weather permits. But he pooped outside just twice. He just keeps holding it while outside until I finally bring him in. Then goes on pee pad. I have tray type with grill over top. Kojo hates the grill so keep it off. When he poops usually gets half on edge. He sometimes has one last little ball of poop which falls when he jumps out of pee pad. Then somehow sits on little ball. Butt wash time.

But I cannot trust him. Even if I just saw him poop and pee, I let him out of ex-pen in limit of roon his pen is in. It is like he saves some just to poop and pee on laminate floor. So won't poop outside and reluctantly uses pee pad for poop. Still has accidents while I am watching him. But I don't get to him fast enough to get him to pee pad. At least it is limited to one room.

I have dining area and hallway to rest of the house barracaded with weighted Chewy boxes. But he is getting so smart. I have a Houdini here. He jumps against boxes moving them just enough to get out through. First thing he does is get bathroom rug and drag it out to where his ex-pen is. I want to put a gate at hallway but that also gives him access to kitchen. But maybe better than him breaking through box barracade to get to rest of house. I thought box barracade a temporary thing. But looks like longer term now.

I read that Havanese are notorious for being difficult to housebreak. They are just so smart and very particular about toileting.


----------



## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

Havanese are NOT hard to housebreak. You have to confine them to a small area to housebreak them to a potty tray. Right now your ex-pen should only have enough room for a small bed area and a potty tray. That will force Kojo to use the potty tray. Put a leash on Kojo when he's not inside the ex-pen so you have control and are watching him. Periodically walk him over to the potty tray and tell him to "do his job" or whatever term you use. When he does give him a treat and a lot of praise. Every time you see him go potty on the tray (or pee pads) give Kojo a treat and lots of praise. 

If he's on a leash Kojo won't pee or poop where he's playing. Don't let Kojo have Free Range in the house. An ex-pen located in a one room gated off from the rest of the house is the ideal. First housebreak Kojo to one room. After you can trust him you can start expanding him to other room areas. 

At one time I had six gates up in my house. Patti did not have Free Range of the entire house until she was 10-11 months old. 

Kojo will pee and poop numerous times a day. He'll outside pee. Come back in and pee or poop again. He'll pee on the pad then got back and pee again. 

The forum has lots of great information on previous threads regarding potty training. Check them out.


----------



## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

LUVmyHava said:


> Kojo (at 4 months) is excellent about using pee pad and going outside when weather permits. But he pooped outside just twice. He just keeps holding it while outside until I finally bring him in. Then goes on pee pad. I have tray type with grill over top. Kojo hates the grill so keep it off. When he poops usually gets half on edge. He sometimes has one last little ball of poop which falls when he jumps out of pee pad. Then somehow sits on little ball. Butt wash time.
> 
> But I cannot trust him. Even if I just saw him poop and pee, I let him out of ex-pen in limit of roon his pen is in. It is like he saves some just to poop and pee on laminate floor. So won't poop outside and reluctantly uses pee pad for poop. Still has accidents while I am watching him. But I don't get to him fast enough to get him to pee pad. At least it is limited to one room.
> 
> ...


Did you talk to the vet about the potty training when he mentioned the anal glands were really full? When my Hav's glands are full he poops a little at a time and he absolutely can't help it. It's how I can tell something is wrong. When he was little he ALWAYS pooped two separate times - at least - before he was finished. My dog is particular about poop but i believe it's because he had these problems when he was little, and he's so smart I think it made him superstitious! It would be really hard to be a puppy trying to figure out potty training, physically immature and having poop issues, and confused by human signals - and not come out the other end a little particular.

I'm not a potty training expert by any means, I've only potty trained one dog ever. But some of the things you've said across multiple threads sound familiar to me, and I was lucky that we figured them out early. If your puppy had soft poop, his anal glands were full, or he couldn't get all his poop out at once, those are all things that can make it difficult for a new owner to read a new puppy and create a lot of confusion, and even if it's resolved now, he learned to accept his mistakes, in part because he is a fast learner.

Fixing it requires backing up to the basics (frequent potty trips, containment) from when you first brought him home, but will require even more fastidious diligence. Don't feel bad about getting someone in to help you hands on. Especially if your family is anything like mine and summer "vacation" is actually more demanding. This forum is fantastic and has such great advice but sometimes you need someone to walk through your setup and routine and help you come up with a plan. It's so helpful to have a neutral, experienced person observe and point out things in the moment.


----------



## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I was just remembering our first summer vacation with our puppy, he was about 6 months old. The first week of summer break I seriously wanted to send my kids to camp for the entire summer! Our puppy had just reached that point where potty training had started to get easy and all of the sudden my kids were home all of the time messing with my routine - they had him all over the house, they were taking him downstairs to go potty and forgetting - so many accidents! But, after a few days we were into a routine and our puppy bounced right back. I didn’t even have to disown my children


----------

