# Training an 8 week old puppy,please help!!



## dotndani (Mar 19, 2007)

I have read 2 books on Havanese to be prepared,have done tons of research on the internet and still I am confused.I even bought a book on housebreaking a puppy.
It seems that there are 2 schools of thought.The first being a puppy of 8 weeks cannot be trained so be prepared to clean up messes till the puppy is 6 months.
The other being start right from the beginning.
I basically need some advice from people who have been there,done that.
I would rather teach Duncan it's not OK to go inside.We have a patio door that is a straight run from where is crate/kennel will be place and it's about 12 feet.There are stairs to go down onto the grass.
So when I get him do I just carry him outside onto the grass or put a pee pad right outside the door onto the deck and gradually move the pee pad closer to the stairs and so on...
I am planning to be home with him for the first few days while my daughters are in school and when they get home they will be helping along.
Sorry this got so long.
As usual,any and all advice at this point would be very helpful.
I think my brain is hurting from all the reading and research I have been doing.


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

You can absolutely train an 8 week old puppy but it increases the difficultly a lot by only training to the outside. We train ours to the litterbox and from there it's an easy transition to the outside. When they wake up in the morning they need to go ASAP. Depending on sleeping dress and how close the bedroom is to the outside would make a big difference. It wouldn't work for us.


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## dotndani (Mar 19, 2007)

Ok then,taking him outside in the morning is very doable,especially since the weather is getting warmer.Would it just be easier to put a pee pad by the door and once he's mastered that move it outside? Won't he get confused?
I know Havs have a rep for being very smart,but I just want to do the right thing.Do you have any other suggestions TOm?Thanks so much


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

No confusion from multiple methods. They will all go outside. To me, a reliable method inside is the place to start. Early training is most important.


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## dotndani (Mar 19, 2007)

thanks Tom


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## dotndani (Mar 19, 2007)

Reece,
a door bell,how ingenious!!!Tell me how,I know I'm asking alot.It most definitely will be easy to read about it but implementing it will probably be a difficult task. But I have come to learn that having anything worthwhile is work and in the end it pays off!


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

We have to go through the dogroom to get outside from the bedroom, unless we go another way which would take too long, and would also have to get dressed first. So with 12 dogs barking (no way they wouldn't with one of us running through with a puppy early in the morning-which would not be the best for a puppy) and time to dress it wouldn't work too good for us.


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## dboudreau (Jan 12, 2007)

I too have always trained my dogs to go outside from day one. I carry them to where I want them to go. (Just off the grass). I haven't heard about waiting until they are 6 months old. I would think it would be harder housetrain them if they are used to going were ever they want. Yuk 

There is a thread here some where about Bell training.

Good luck


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## whitBmom (Nov 27, 2006)

I started Oreo on pads when I got him, we live in a condo, so getting all our coats (we got him in January) and boots, then going down stairs to get to the outside of our place - it just wasn't feesible for us, but now, at 5 months, he goes out doors exclusively. I still have a lot of pads left and I decided to put one out on our balcony and low and behold, Oreo did not forget!! I could always take one with me whenever there is no place for him to potty  
Dotndani, really it is up to you to see what will work for your puppy. I think all of us new puppy owners asked the same question at one point - I know I did  Best of luck to you


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

I also trained Bugsy to go outide exclusively. I actually did try the pee pads, but with two standard poodles going outside, Bugsy just wasn't too interested in pee pads in any other way than to shred them. lol


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## DAJsMom (Oct 27, 2006)

The pee pads or litter box come in handy if you can't be home for longer than they can hold it. Dusty was trained to pee pads, but we don't have them out unless we think she might need one for some reason-if we will be away from home for more than the usual few hours. She goes outside as long as she can get there and it's not raining. She does not like to go out in the rain.


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## dotndani (Mar 19, 2007)

Gucci's mom.
It looks like you read as many books as me on Havanese!!!


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## EMarie (Apr 11, 2007)

It is no impossible to train an 8 wk old puppy. If you get him on a good schedule and stick to it he should pick it up quite quickly. The biggest problem I have seen is when you start and they the people get lazy or impatient. I have train 4 havanese ( 2 puppies and 2 adults ) the adults I had trained in 1 weekend, the puppies were both trained in 2 weeks. One I uesed the litterbox method and then moved him outside the other went straight outside, both worked quickly. Good Luck and don't get discouraged and be patient!!! With all of my dogs we used a wire crate at night, when we are not home and just when we could not watch them. IE: when I am cleaning the house or doing school work. And all of my dogs love their kennels so he won't learn to hate it.


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## Cosmosmom (Jan 12, 2007)

I used pee pee pads at the door in the kitchen and also I took him outside .. They do make mistakes so it is good to have some kind of a back up .
It is easier for you now as the weather is getting warmer . It was hard to take him outside at night when It was so cold dark and rainy and I do not even live in Canada but he was such a little guy .. Wait to hear what they went through 
There are other old threads about potty training that you might want to look up as well as I know it is hard being a new Mom but it has been discussed before and there is a lot of great information ..


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Dot, it can get overwhelming and we so want to do the "right" thing, afraid we'll mess the pup up somehow. Don't worry. 

We trained Ricky to the outdoors only, but to do it again with a young pup of 8-10 weeks, we'd have pee pads. I agree that it makes it easier in case it is freezing outdoors or if we aren't home but have a small area the pup can stay in. We also crate trained Ricky, but he had too much space to be in at too young an age, so there were many 'accidents'. He was about 5 months when it finally petered out and by 6 mths. he was only peeing outdoors with no more puddles in the house. 

We carried him dnstrs. from the deck cuz he was so small when we got him and he'd do his business in the yard, us saying "go pee" and praising when he did. We installed bells by the door when he was 4 months old, but I would have put them there much sooner if I'd thought of it. It took me a while to finally do it. By the 2nd day, Ricky knew that the bells meant the door would open and he'd go outside.

Good luck!


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

Mine are trained for both. I started bringing them outside from dat one, but also use pee pads. I find this works in case we go somewhere, like on vacation, and we can't get the outside as often. Kodi is using the pads less and less. Maybe once a day. Shelby is using them more, which is a good thing, because that means she is not going on the floor  Hopefully, they will stop using them on their own, but it works for us. When I had my big dogs, they only went outside.

Bottom line is you have to do what works for you and your lifestyle.


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