pottraining for winter???

[ioannemi42]

my dog is only 6 months old.. before summer, I trained him to go to the balcony and do everything.. during summer we were at my summer house where i have a yard.. but now we have to return back to the city, and during autumn and winter its very cold, and i cant keep the balcony doors open all the time, like i did before summer.. so what can i do? i know that he cannot wait for me to take him a walk "to go to the toilet".. what should i do? where can he go to the toilet in the appartment?????????

[Sarah83]

Either take him out onto the balcony regularly or take him for short potty walks regularly.

[ioannemi42]

Yes but when i leave the house for 6 hours to go to class what will he do/?

[Leigha]

Can you hire someone to come halfway between that to come and walk him for you while you're out?

[ioannemi42]

No.. in my country there are no dogwalkers.. and i cant afford to have one anyway.. i am thinking maybe to buy a plastic big box and put some sand on it and put it in the house.. like a cat.. but i dont know if this will work....

[Zeldacorgi]

Do you know how long he can hold it? If not, what you need to do is start taking him outside on a leash now to get an idea of what his pattern is. When you leave the house for 6 hours, at the very least he needs to be confined to his own little area with a dog bed, water and toys that he loves. This will hopefully encourage him to hold it for as long as he can, but 6 hours is pushing a puppy's threshold. The first thing you do when you get home is let him out to wherever you want him to potty. I'm sorry if it's cold, but you really need to be with him to make sure he goes.

Maybe one of the experts has a method for designating a place in the house for pottying, but with you being gone for 6 hours a day, training him to that will be extremely hard. You won't be able to catch him if he makes a mistake or encourage him when he gets it right. At best, I think you'll end up teaching him that relieving himself anywhere inside your apartment is ok.

[ioannemi42]

I am not leaving him alone 6 hours a day.. This is only once a week and sometimes not even once.. the most time i am at home or i take him with me.. he can not hold it... ffffffffff...

[Zeldacorgi]

Well, that's a different situation. So before we continue, it would be really helpful if you would give us a detailed schedule for you and for what you do for your dog, what you feed him, how often you feed him, what you did to teach him to go on the balcony, how often you take him out. We can only give you advice based on what you tell us. And honestly, if he's with you a majority of the time, what's the problem with you just letting him outside to potty? And why can't he hold it? Is he incontinent? We need more details.

[ioannemi42]

Ok, so every day i am out of the house for about 4 hours (not continuously) and sometimes less or more.. I feed him in the morning and in the evening (2 times a day) and sometimes i give him a little treat at noon.In the morning and the evening I cook something for him (boiled chicken, rice or boiled egg) , but most of the time i feed him dog food. I take him out once a day usually in the afternoon for a very long walk (over an hour, sometimes two-three hours).
When i potty trained him, when he pottied into the house i shouted "no" and i put him in the balcony and then when he went to the balcony i praised him. also the first times when he pottied during our walk i praised him there too.
I don't know if he can hold it because i never taught him to hold it, because whenever he wanted, he just went to the balcony.. ( which i clean every day)
The thing is that i can't leave him in the balcony when outside it is snowing.. Can he hold it for 4 whole hours? I just want to think of a solution so he doesnt get cold and he can go to potty when he wants and not to do everything inside the house..

[Zeldacorgi]

The thing is that i can't leave him in the balcony when outside it is snowing.. Can he hold it for 4 whole hours? I just want to think of a solution so he doesnt get cold and he can go to potty when he wants and not to do everything inside the house..

What breed of dog do you have? Is he really skinny or have short hair?

Only you can tell us how long he can hold it. He should, at this age, have some sort of control, but with the free access to potty areas without your supervision, it's hard to say how long. This is why you need to set up a potty schedule that you're actively involved with. No more letting him wander out there when he needs to. You need to leash him or be with him when he goes outside so you can time when he needs to go and how much time is in between. Start with once every hour for a few days, then try two hours for a week, then three hours for a week. If he's still not having any accidents in the house, try taking him out every 4 hours. You can also try hanging a bell next to your balcony door. Any time you take him outside, ring the bell. He'll start to associate ringing the bell with his going outside, and eventually that will be his way he can alert you when he needs to go potty outside.

During the winter, no one here would ask that you just leave him on the balcony so he doesn't mess the house, but unless he's very small and thin, he should at least be able to withstand the cold long enough for him to do his business.

[Zeldacorgi]

Also, anytime you're back at the house during your 4 hour busy time, take him out to give him an opportunity to potty. This will cut down on any accidents when you have to leave again.

[ioannemi42]

he is a french bulldog... thank you that's a pretty good idea with the bell, i will start trying it from now, so when the cold comes, he will be ready, i will let you know how it goes... thank you very much

[Zeldacorgi]

I love french bulldogs!! They're small, but fairly sturdy little dogs. He should be able to withstand the cold long enough to do his business, but as always, keep an eye on him. Especially on those dead of winter days.

[ioannemi42]

i love french bulldogs too!! he is a little stubborn but very cute!