# Potty Training Question



## MNL (Jul 29, 2016)

Hello everyone. I have many months to go before getting a Hav puppy and I'm using this time to plan and purchase supplies. This will be my first Havanese, but second dog (who passed away 2 years ago) It’s been 15 years since a puppy. I do have the Focused puppy book – which helps a lot!
My question - we want to train our dog to potty outside. So if I use an ex-pen for “independence” training when I am there (so I can do house chores or whatnot) – I should NOT put potty pads within the ex-pen – is that correct? Because if I use potty pads, that will just confuse the puppy. So, would the use of ex-pen still be a good idea? (I will still need to be very diligent in taking puppy outside) 
I only want to use the ex-pen if the dog pottied outside and I can watch him. I plan on crate training (from day 1) for when we leave the house. Some background - I work at home full time and my husband works at home 3 days a week. I will be the primary caretaker. I realize we'll need to take puppy out after meals, snacks, drinking water, playing inside, etc. Plus, every 30 minutes to ensure no accidents. We plan on crate training from day 1 as well (and I'll have to make a real effort to ensure to leave the house to really accomplish this training so puppy feels comfortable alone). I have not used an ex-pen before – I gave too much freedom to my first dog and it took a year to potty train him! This time around, I hope to fine tune this part as much as I can. Your feedback will be appreciated.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

I will defer to the others because I think we didn't crate train the best because Shama's crate was within her ex pen and we never confined her to a really small space in the name of teaching her to wait to potty outside. She had access to a Ritchell training tray at the begininng while we were at work even though a dog walker came at noon, but we eventually got rid of the training tray and put a fluffy bed in its place. Now she very rarely goes into her crate as she prefers the fluffy bed or the alley between her crate and the side of the ex pen. She hasn't had an accident within her ex pen at our house since she was very young (she did have an accident in the ex pen at my parents' house last fall when we overslept and didn't hear barking to go out). We do love having the ex pen as Shama can stay in her little apartment while we're at work and because we can take the ex pen with us when we go places overnight.

Here's where we got her ex pen:

The Best Wooden Dog Crates | Pupperton - Home

Here's a great resource for you to read before your puppy arrives:

http://www.dogstardaily.com/files/BEFORE You Get Your Puppy.pdf

And for after the puppy arrives:

https://www.dogstardaily.com/files/downloads/AFTER_You_Get_Your_Puppy.pdf

Hopefully the others will reply more directly to your post.

GOOD LUCK!


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

With our Leo we did not put a pee pad in his expen, however, one of us was always with him so he could let us know if he needed to go out. He would not pottt in his expen. He had a specific very urgent bark when he needed to potty. He also came to work with me and had an expen there as well. We took him out very frequently for many months.
With Rex we used a Ugodog potty tray in his expen. He used it from the beginning. As he got older and could hold it longer, he began waiting until he could go outside and only occasionally using the potty tray. Now at 17 months he almost never uses it. It has been a couple months since he had used it at all. I leave it in his expen where he hangs out when we can't watch him. Both Leo and Rexhad less than a handful of accidents while they were learning expected potty habits but close supervision and consistent routines as well as praise/treats for appropriate pottying helped them figure out what we expected.


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## MNL (Jul 29, 2016)

Thank you for your responses! I just realized another twist that I'm looking to get help with - I forgot that the Breeder I'm going with - uses indoor potty piddle pads with the Richell Paw Trax. Does this mean I won't be able to train my dog to potty outside? Or does it just mean I should continue this method until our dog is fully reliable outside? Thanks so much again.


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

You can start training for outside from the beginning but keep an indoor tray in the expen as well. Praise the use of both. As your puppy gets older you will most likely see that he gravitated more and more to using the outdoors. At some point around a year or so you will find that he really doesn't use the indoor option at all and you can put it away. I expect that you will find that by 8-9 months his use of the indoor option decreases a lot. The indoor option does give you a bit more freedom as they are growing up because you know the puppy can get to an acceptable potty option while you are away from home.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Here's what Shama used, except hers was pink.

Amazon.com : Richell Paw Trax Mesh Training Tray, Brown : Richell : Pet Supplies

When we noticed the pads within the tray weren't being used, and when we wanted to put the fluffy bed in the space that had been occupied by the tray (following her spay), we got rid of the tray. Now she potties outside except for on the rare occasion when we miss her signal that she wants to go outside. (Then we thank our lucky stars for Nature's Miracle Urine Destroyer!)

I have heard that dogs normally prefer to potty outside if given the choice . . .


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

Dogs are smart, and I think people forget that sometimes. Nino was fully trained for pads and litter when he came home at 12 weeks. He never had any issue going potty outside (Pottying on grass is pretty natural for dogs  ). The pee pads ensured that he always had a potty option in case we didn't hear his signal (or when he didn't have one). Because of the pads, he had maybe 12 accidents during potty training. Probably fewer. For awhile now he has been a strictly outside pottier by his own choice, but he will use a pad if necessary which is amazing for travel and hotel stays.


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## Askavi (Nov 5, 2015)

Sassy has been trained to pad/potty tray (in her ex-pen) and has done really well. At 16 weeks she's reliable enough to be allowed into the carpeted areas of our house with some supervision. That said, she's already beginning to choose outside over inside of her own volition. Raffy wasn't much different and is about 99% on going outside. He still uses a pad/tray on occasion, but it's very rare, and is usually when it's just TOO wet outside for his highness. Funny enough, my 8 year old cockapoo who was never indoor potty-trained will use a pad now if she can't get outside for whatever reason. She was incredibly difficult to keep consistent with potty training, especially during the winter. I wish I'd known about indoor options when she was a puppy. 

Essentially, the indoor option has helped all of our dogs be more successful at not having accidents, even if they prefer to go outside most of the time.


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

I used a crate to train Molly to go potty outside. I also used an expen as a place to put her after she had pottied to give her more space than the crate - when I couldn't keep eyes on her every minute. This worked out well for us. When she did have an accident in the house it was in the pen however, never the crate. I don't know how the weather is where you live but you may want to consider keeping the indoor option available inside the pen for now. There have been many horrible weather days here when I wish I had this option for Molly. I finally did have to set up an emergency potty area in the basement. I laid down a tarp under her expen and covered the floor with newspapers(she would shred potty pads). She is ok with using this set up when it is not practical to go outside to potty.


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## MNL (Jul 29, 2016)

Thank you everyone for your feedback - invaluable! I'm in Southern Maine and yes - we get lots of snow. So I appreciate the feedback regarding terrible weather and an inside ex-pen option. Two years ago when during a blizzard, it took 20 minutes just to put boots on my dog, his coat and hat (in his last year - he wouldn't go potty at all outside in bad weather - he just refused, but would have nothing to do with any inside potty area either because he didn't have that option as a puppy). 
He had to go 4 -5 times a day. We had to shovel out a large enough area for him to potty in the backyard as well because he wouldn't go if it was too small of an area. In any event, it was tiring, but a labor of love. As much as my husband doesn't like the idea of an inside ex-pen potty area, it may be helpful at times as I'm reading everyone's responses. I always thought though it was an all or none and the dog would get confused. But as long as a potty option is available only inside the ex-pen when in there (and I'll still be taking puppy out every 30 minutes), then it won't be as confusing as I thought. 

Thank you again everyone. More questions to come. I'll look at previous threads so to minimize duplicate questions!


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## Barbara Levy (Apr 22, 2016)

Loki is like all the others - he much prefers to go outside but will use the indoor option if he doesn't have the choice to go outside. I never used a traditional crate/expen set up (that said, I should have because he isn't very crate trained.) I have a Richell Expandable crate. It is 3' x 6'. It has an UGODOG at one end. He was pee pad trained at the breeder but I started the UGODOG the day we came home. I also started outside training. He would run in the crate to use the UGODOG when we were playing but it didn't take long before he would ring the bell instead. He would use it when in the crate during the day between dog walks. Once it was dry most days, he got the run of the puppy proofed family room/kitchen. I would say that was about 7 months - plus he hated being locked in the crate. At the same time he started sleeping in our bed. I still have 2x a day dog walkers. He will use the UGODOG maybe once a week. Also, I give him a kong with his morning wet food when I go upstairs to dress in the morning. If I take too long or don't hear the bell, he will use the UGODOG. No accidents in months. I would highly recommend giving him an inside option too. He won't use it though if I am there. One night recently it was raining and cold, and I didn't want to have to dry him before bed. I put him on the UGODOG and told him to go potty. He looked at me like I was crazy and ran to the door. He doesn't mind the rain at all.


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## MNL (Jul 29, 2016)

Barbara - thank you for that information about Loki. That's funny about his look at you! I also want to use the bell training method too because I have a mud room, but where my at home office is - back of the house and I'll be able to hear a bell though. I rather that than bark. My last dog - I could always tell by "the look". But this time I'd prefer to try better communication. Thanks again!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

MNL said:


> Hello everyone. I have many months to go before getting a Hav puppy and I'm using this time to plan and purchase supplies. This will be my first Havanese, but second dog (who passed away 2 years ago) It's been 15 years since a puppy. I do have the Focused puppy book - which helps a lot!
> My question - we want to train our dog to potty outside. So if I use an ex-pen for "independence" training when I am there (so I can do house chores or whatnot) - I should NOT put potty pads within the ex-pen - is that correct? Because if I use potty pads, that will just confuse the puppy. So, would the use of ex-pen still be a good idea? (I will still need to be very diligent in taking puppy outside)
> I only want to use the ex-pen if the dog pottied outside and I can watch him. I plan on crate training (from day 1) for when we leave the house. Some background - I work at home full time and my husband works at home 3 days a week. I will be the primary caretaker. I realize we'll need to take puppy out after meals, snacks, drinking water, playing inside, etc. Plus, every 30 minutes to ensure no accidents. We plan on crate training from day 1 as well (and I'll have to make a real effort to ensure to leave the house to really accomplish this training so puppy feels comfortable alone). I have not used an ex-pen before - I gave too much freedom to my first dog and it took a year to potty train him! This time around, I hope to fine tune this part as much as I can. Your feedback will be appreciated.


In my experience, it won't confuse your puppy AT ALL. The puppy will just learn there are two "right" places to go, and LOTS of "not right" places.  I have not PURPOSELY worked on "outdoor potty training" with ANY of mine, and they ALL prefer going outside. They learn to go outside quite naturally over time. You let them do it, and praise them for it, and that's that.

My experience, and that of many people I know is that it is all too easy to allow them to lose INTEREST in an indoor potty solution, and many (if not most) people end up regretting the fact that the dog will no longer use an indoor potty option at times when weather becomes and issue, when traveling, or in an emergency, when you MUST leave the dog longer than they would be comfortable holding it. (like when my husband had a heart attack and I needed to be at the hospital with him for one days, and I couldn't find dog care on short notice... I felt comfortable leaving Kodi gated in my office with toys, a chew, a water bottle and his litter pan. Neither of us LIKED it, but he did fine for a few 8 hour days in a row)

My dogs go outside almost all the time. But in emergencies, or when the snow is piled too deep for them to get out the door, or when we have stayed on the 14th floor of a hotel... an indoor potty has been a godsend!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

MNL said:


> Thank you for your responses! I just realized another twist that I'm looking to get help with - I forgot that the Breeder I'm going with - uses indoor potty piddle pads with the Richell Paw Trax. Does this mean I won't be able to train my dog to potty outside? Or does it just mean I should continue this method until our dog is fully reliable outside? Thanks so much again.


It absolutely DOESN'T mean that your dog can't be trained to go outside, even if you don't take my advice to keep both options.  Puppies that understand that there are "right" places and "wrong" places to potty are MUCH easier to potty train, no matter what final decision you make about WHERE they should potty.

My feeling on how my dogs view their potties (we use litter boxes, not pee pads, because like most Havanese, ours are ALL paper shredders!) is sort of the way WE view port-a-potties. They are a court of last resort. They'd MUCH rather go outside, but if that's not an option, they will sigh and use the litter box.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

MNL said:


> Thank you everyone for your feedback - invaluable! I'm in Southern Maine and yes - we get lots of snow. So I appreciate the feedback regarding terrible weather and an inside ex-pen option. Two years ago when during a blizzard, it took 20 minutes just to put boots on my dog, his coat and hat (in his last year - he wouldn't go potty at all outside in bad weather - he just refused, but would have nothing to do with any inside potty area either because he didn't have that option as a puppy).
> He had to go 4 -5 times a day. We had to shovel out a large enough area for him to potty in the backyard as well because he wouldn't go if it was too small of an area. In any event, it was tiring, but a labor of love. As much as my husband doesn't like the idea of an inside ex-pen potty area, it may be helpful at times as I'm reading everyone's responses. I always thought though it was an all or none and the dog would get confused. But as long as a potty option is available only inside the ex-pen when in there (and I'll still be taking puppy out every 30 minutes), then it won't be as confusing as I thought.
> 
> Thank you again everyone. More questions to come. I'll look at previous threads so to minimize duplicate questions!


It doesn't have to be in the ex-pen not to confuse them! We have one in the corner of our bed room from when Panda (and Pixel before her) were younger... They never use it anymore, and I could probably remove it, but it was REALLY nice for those middle-of-the-night emergency potty calls when they were little. We have another in my office, which is where they are gated when we are not home, and another in the corner of the kitchen, which seems only to be used in the most foul weather. They are not the LEAST bit confused but his.

Dogs learn in a binary way. "OK", "not OK". Outdoors is OK, Potty boxes are OK, any other indoor space is not OK. By the same token, city dogs quickly learn to eliminate on pavement, because there is no other option. My dogs are "country dogs" and wouldn't DREAM of eliminating on pavement... or even a dirt path in the woods. They immediately swerve to the edge, to find grass, mulch or leaves to potty on.


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## MNL (Jul 29, 2016)

Thanks so much Karen! All makes more sense. That definitely leads me to rethink this and have the indoor potty option in general and not just in the ex-pen, but still train for potty outside. This past blizzard had me thinking this through more and then started discussing with my husband on the benefits of indoor potty option. Do you use the Richell Paw Trax pad holder or something else - litter box? What about the smell - I'm assuming the smell is minimal as long as it's picked up/empty right away? Thanks again.


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

I hear people asking about "confusing" a puppy.

My advice is to forget about confusion being an issue with a puppy.

Pottying is all about habit with a puppy. They have NO reasoning about it. Your job is to develop their habit to be something you want.

They can all go both inside and outside. The main habit to work on is that they develop the habit you want inside.

Their instinct from a very early age is to leave their bed area, and no other instinct about it, but even that one is easily lost if given conditions to fail.


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## MNL (Jul 29, 2016)

Perfect Tom - thank you so much for that!


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## whata_dog (Sep 10, 2015)

My pup trained both ways when I brought her home in the summer -and I am so glad as we have had more rain this winter than the past 6 years combined.
The ugodog is getting a LOT of use this winter. She is 8months and will pee on command when I snap over it and say "go potty".
Then she gets access to the living room which she loves with little fuss! 
- unlike the wet grass in the rain where she is OCD about finding her scent and takes Forever, ends up with wet face, feet and belly and then has to be cleaned up & dry before she is free. 
We have not had ONE single poop accident. I know her schedule :wink2: and she knows where to go if I missed it. 
I have no worries that she will enjoy going on the dry grass quickly when Spring & Summer rolls around again.

Also our dog training club has a doggy potty run which is a fenced in concrete patio on the side of the building and she goes there no issues either. 
She can smell the other dogs have used it and instinctively knew it was ok the first day we went there.


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## MNL (Jul 29, 2016)

I figured out a nice spot for an indoor potty area (permanent spot) - in our mudroom which is easy access and opens into our kitchen. Love this mudroom!! My husband's on board with that. And I'll use one in the ex-pen as well. Now I'll just work on making the rest of the mudroom safe - rearrange things that puppies may like to get into - out of reach (which I'm doing in each room as well). Thank you everyone!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

MNL said:


> Thanks so much Karen! All makes more sense. That definitely leads me to rethink this and have the indoor potty option in general and not just in the ex-pen, but still train for potty outside. This past blizzard had me thinking this through more and then started discussing with my husband on the benefits of indoor potty option. Do you use the Richell Paw Trax pad holder or something else - litter box? What about the smell - I'm assuming the smell is minimal as long as it's picked up/empty right away? Thanks again.


I use the Ugo-Dog, and an older style litter box which is, unfortunately, no longer available in the US (though maybe you could find a used one on Ebay... It's called the Rascal Dog, and is, IMO, the best of all.

The Ugo-Dog is designed for use with pee pads under the grate, as is the Richell. However, I can't STAND the smell of pee pads that have been used even once. The Ugo-Dog is deep enough that you can fit a thin layer of wood pellets (pine pellets for horse bedding... "Equine Pine" is the brand name, but Tractor Supply Store has their own version too) under the grate, and with pellets, there is absolutely NO smell. Scoop any wet pellets daily (you can tell easily, because they swell and turn to sawdust when they are damp) and replace with more pellets. Pick up poop from the top as soon as you see it, and you'll have a completely odorless system.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

MNL said:


> I figured out a nice spot for an indoor potty area (permanent spot) - in our mudroom which is easy access and opens into our kitchen. Love this mudroom!! My husband's on board with that. And I'll use one in the ex-pen as well. Now I'll just work on making the rest of the mudroom safe - rearrange things that puppies may like to get into - out of reach (which I'm doing in each room as well). Thank you everyone!


That is a good long-term solution, but remember that it will take longer to teach her to use a place that she has to "go find", than it will to use a place that happens to be within eye sight and a short distance while she is still learning!


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## MNL (Jul 29, 2016)

Good point about making sure it's easy to find. I'll try it this way first though because the mudroom is the way out to going potty outside as well - so it's the area we're in and out of a great deal. There's no door from the mudroom to the kitchen and it's right close by the kitchen which is where his crate and ex-pen will be when we're not around and the kitchen can easily be gated off from the rest of the house (obviously more house privileges come later after more reliable). My husband, Dan, agreed to this space - which is a HUGE step :smile2: I will definitely look into the Ugodog and use of pellets because if the smell can be taken out of the picture, my husband will absolutely be on board for use of this for the long run. And I'm starting to love this idea as it will provide a lot more options for us when we travel as well. Super awesome to get clarity on all of this finally!


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## jingerb (Aug 9, 2015)

Stanley (16 weeks) is training with potty pads and outside. He does fine going both places (actually seems to prefer inside lately, oddly). His problem is his UTI, which is not totally gone after two weeks, so he has some trouble holding it. We are resorting to far more time than I'd like in his playpen and crate. His playpen has a potty pad in a holder in it.

I have to have potty pads for my yorkie, who is just 3.5 lbs. and cannot hold it long. She even has a pad in the bedroom, and gets up off the bed every night to go potty and then goes back to bed She's totally potty pad trained, but will go outside if she happens to be out there or on walks, and I've never trained her to do so...so I can agree that they just naturally potty on grass. 

Here are two issues...if anyone has ideas, since we're on the topic. Zoe (yorkie) does NOT like the holders...just a pad on the floor. So I will have to teach Stanley not to shred it. So far so good, but he does try. I'm wondering if Zoe can learn to use the pad in a holder. (She is the finickiest, most particular dog I've ever encountered...)

Also, I have a sensitive nose and this two-dog thing is creating a potty smell I readily pick up on! Yuck! I'm wondering if I can switch to krandall's method at his point for both of them? And, how to do so?

You are going to LOVE having a Havanese, btw! My last month with Stanley in the fam has been great...if full of potty. :/


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## jingerb (Aug 9, 2015)

krandall said:


> I use the Ugo-Dog, and an older style litter box which is, unfortunately, no longer available in the US (though maybe you could find a used one on Ebay... It's called the Rascal Dog, and is, IMO, the best of all.
> 
> The Ugo-Dog is designed for use with pee pads under the grate, as is the Richell. However, I can't STAND the smell of pee pads that have been used even once. The Ugo-Dog is deep enough that you can fit a thin layer of wood pellets (pine pellets for horse bedding... "Equine Pine" is the brand name, but Tractor Supply Store has their own version too) under the grate, and with pellets, there is absolutely NO smell. Scoop any wet pellets daily (you can tell easily, because they swell and turn to sawdust when they are damp) and replace with more pellets. Pick up poop from the top as soon as you see it, and you'll have a completely odorless system.


Karen, do you put a pad under the pellets as well, or just the pellets?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

jingerb said:


> Karen, do you put a pad under the pellets as well, or just the pellets?


No, I just use the pellets.

Good luck trying to keep Stanley from shredding pads... That's a tall order for many Havanese. Don't know what to tell you about the Yorkie... I know they are one of the harder breeds to potty train, though. Maybe if she smells Stanley's pee in a litter box or UgoDog tray, it will give her the idea!


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

Rex started using just a pee pad then I switched to using a pee pad under the grate of the Ugodog. I switched over a couple of weeks by initially laying a pee pad on top of the Ugodog grate. Then after Rex used this for a week I started slowly cutting the pee pad to make it smaller and smaller then eliminated it all together. Go slowly. I tried switching to pine pellets under the grate. Text used the Ugodog normally for about 2 days and then avoided it like the plaque. For whatever reason he wouldn't go anywhere near the Ugodog again when the pine pellets were in it. So no pine pellets for him and back to a pee pad under the grate. Rexy went right back to using the potty tray. 
The other issue we went through with Rex and the Ugodog was that he would position himself with his back legs on the Ugodog and his front feet on the floor so that the urine would end up partially in the potty tray and partially in the floor. We were taking him out often at this point so he was only using the potty tray if we weren't home. Within a couple to three months he was holding his urine until he could go outside. He hasn't peed on the potty tray in many months now. It's been 3-4 months since he pooped on it. I leave the potty tray in his expen just in case he needs it when we aren't home but I really think he's completely fone with it.


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## Roz (Mar 27, 2008)

When we first brought our puppy Chico home, I put his pee pad in his 2 X 4 expen with his towel (bed) and his food and water dish. He used it once then never used it again. I put a second pad in a corner of the kitchen and he uses that. Only two times in six months has he used the pad in his expen when he was enclosed in it because we were out longer than normal. Many people told me that "dogs don't like to go where they sleep and eat". Maybe I should have removed his food and water bowls from the expen? I would have preferred to keep only one pad in the expen. My biggest issue now is that Chico, at 8 months old, doesn't communicate when he needs to go outside. Not even a special "look". He is crated at night and when he wakes in the morning he sort of "huffs" under his breath to be let out. I wish he would do that during the day when he needs to go. I'm thinking of trying the bells. At what age do they normally let you know they need to go?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Roz said:


> When we first brought our puppy Chico home, I put his pee pad in his 2 X 4 expen with his towel (bed) and his food and water dish. He used it once then never used it again. I put a second pad in a corner of the kitchen and he uses that. Only two times in six months has he used the pad in his expen when he was enclosed in it because we were out longer than normal. Many people told me that "dogs don't like to go where they sleep and eat". Maybe I should have removed his food and water bowls from the expen? I would have preferred to keep only one pad in the expen. My biggest issue now is that Chico, at 8 months old, doesn't communicate when he needs to go outside. Not even a special "look". He is crated at night and when he wakes in the morning he sort of "huffs" under his breath to be let out. I wish he would do that during the day when he needs to go. I'm thinking of trying the bells. At what age do they normally let you know they need to go?


As with every thing else, they do it when they are ready. Kodi didn't have accidents because I made sure to get him out on schedule. But he didn't TELL us he needed to go out until he was close to 2 years old. Pixel let us know earlier, by scratching at the door. ...In fact, she does it when Panda wants to go in or out too... Which is probably why Panda still has no signal of her own! :laugh:


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## Cassandra (Dec 29, 2015)

Ok, the fact that Pixel signals when Panda needs to go out made me laugh out loud...what clever little dogs!


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## Roz (Mar 27, 2008)

I need a Pixel:smile2: Chico doesn't have many accidents (and if he does it's on his pad) because I keep a schedule too. He needs to go every 3 hours unless he has been playing vigorously and drinking more often in which he case he only lasts 2 hours. When people ask if he is housebroken I say no, I am.


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## MNL (Jul 29, 2016)

Ha - yes - we're all house trained aren't we? That's funny. We all need a Pixel! I'm going to try the bell training - we'll see how that goes. 
It's mostly to train my husband though because with our first dog (Buddy), he never believed me that Buddy needed to go potty outside as much as he did - my husband, Dan, would ask me - how do you know? He just went out a few hours ago! I would say - I know (mother's intuition) and I was correct about 99.9% of the time. This time, it would be great if there was a bell ringing, then I can say - "honey - our dog is talking to us"! :laugh2: 
It may be easier to later get a second Havanese (because it just seems like from what I see, you can't just have one) - and train the first dog to communicate for the second dog!! Such fun - I'm less overwhelmed now and looking forward to adding a new family member.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Roz said:


> I need a Pixel:smile2: Chico doesn't have many accidents (and if he does it's on his pad) because I keep a schedule too. He needs to go every 3 hours unless he has been playing vigorously and drinking more often in which he case he only lasts 2 hours. When people ask if he is housebroken I say no, I am.


Execpt... if he ONLY goes on his potty pad, it isn't really an accident. He is purposefully using a place that you've taught him is "OK" to potty. To me, that's pretty clearly "potty trained"


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

MNL said:


> Ha - yes - we're all house trained aren't we? That's funny. We all need a Pixel! I'm going to try the bell training - we'll see how that goes.
> It's mostly to train my husband though because with our first dog (Buddy), he never believed me that Buddy needed to go potty outside as much as he did - my husband, Dan, would ask me - how do you know? He just went out a few hours ago! I would say - I know (mother's intuition) and I was correct about 99.9% of the time. This time, it would be great if there was a bell ringing, then I can say - "honey - our dog is talking to us"! :laugh2:
> It may be easier to later get a second Havanese (because it just seems like from what I see, you can't just have one) - and train the first dog to communicate for the second dog!! Such fun - I'm less overwhelmed now and looking forward to adding a new family member.


I do NOT think that one dog really "communicates" potty needs with another. I think later puppies learn to potty outside more easily because they just tend to naturally follow the older ones in and out, and go when they go.

In the case of Pixel, I also don't think that she is knowingly trying to "help" Panda. They spend a lot of time together, and I suspect what happens is that she sees Panda at the door (not making any noise) and decides she wants to go out too, which is why she starts scratching. Likewise, if Panda is out and Pixel is in, I don't think there is any altruism involved... I think Pixel just wants her sister back on her side of the door.


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## MNL (Jul 29, 2016)

Ahh - how really smart of Pixel! Thanks for sharing!


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## MNL (Jul 29, 2016)

Karen, 
Just a couple of follow-up questions if you will - when you switched to using the "litter" instead of pee pads in your Ugodog - did you do this gradually or right away? Also, is there an some sort of an "attractant" that you used? I'm asking because the pee pads have a smell as I understand it that attracts a dog to go there. Just wanted to clarify how to attract a puppy to use with litter instead. Thanks in advance.


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## CaroleG (Aug 13, 2016)

Your approach sounds great. My pup is 9 months. My goal is outside only. I want to be able to go with my dog ANYWHERE and not have a piddle pad. We are "working" on it. Havanese are intelligent small dogs, and I hope, believe, that they will get it in time.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

MNL said:


> Karen,
> Just a couple of follow-up questions if you will - when you switched to using the "litter" instead of pee pads in your Ugodog - did you do this gradually or right away? Also, is there an some sort of an "attractant" that you used? I'm asking because the pee pads have a smell as I understand it that attracts a dog to go there. Just wanted to clarify how to attract a puppy to use with litter instead. Thanks in advance.


I didn't really "switch". I only tried the pee pads for a couple of days. My dogs were all trained to wood pellets, and always had access to them. When I tried the UgoDog with Pee pads, I just put a sprinkling of litter on top of the pads and under the grate so they would smell something familiar. Once they'd used the pads a couple of times, they understood it. But it only took a couple of days before _I_ realized that _I_ couldn't stand the smell of the pee pads!!! So at that point, I just filled the bottom tray with pellets, and never used pee pads again! 

If I were going in the other direction... getting a dog used to pellets, when they WERE used to pee pads, I'd do the same... Put a few pellets on the pads, then a few more. Before long, you should be able to use all pellets and dispense with the pad.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

CaroleG said:


> Your approach sounds great. My pup is 9 months. My goal is outside only. I want to be able to go with my dog ANYWHERE and not have a piddle pad. We are "working" on it. Havanese are intelligent small dogs, and I hope, believe, that they will get it in time.


They will get it... They are CERTAINLY smart enough!  But when you are talking about traveling with a dog, believe me, it is VERY nice to wake up at 6 AM on the 14th floor of a hotel to a dog who needs to pee, and NOT need to get dressed, take them down the elevator, etc.


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## MNL (Jul 29, 2016)

Thanks so much Karen! My husband is really starting to see the benefits of this!!


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## smemft (Feb 22, 2017)

*Excellent resources shared...*



ShamaMama said:


> I will defer to the others because I think we didn't crate train the best because Shama's crate was within her ex pen and we never confined her to a really small space in the name of teaching her to wait to potty outside. She had access to a Ritchell training tray at the begininng while we were at work even though a dog walker came at noon, but we eventually got rid of the training tray and put a fluffy bed in its place. Now she very rarely goes into her crate as she prefers the fluffy bed or the alley between her crate and the side of the ex pen. She hasn't had an accident within her ex pen at our house since she was very young (she did have an accident in the ex pen at my parents' house last fall when we overslept and didn't hear barking to go out). We do love having the ex pen as Shama can stay in her little apartment while we're at work and because we can take the ex pen with us when we go places overnight.
> 
> Here's where we got her ex pen:
> 
> ...


- - -

Thank you for sharing these WONDERFUL resources! 
:grouphug:


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