exhausted, new puppy owner
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exhausted, new puppy owner
We have a new puppy in the house. A 9 week golden doodle we brought home at 8 weeks. During the day he is out every 1 -2 hours with only a few accidents inside but at night unless he is out every 2 hours, pees in his crate. I have been told he can't hold it for longer until he is 16 weeks, so place towel in crate to absorb mess and at 16 weeks, if he still does it, then remove towel an he will learn to hold it. Wondering though if this is going to teach him its ok to pee in crate and will be harder to break. Does everyone with a new puppy REALLY let them out every 2 hours? When does anyone sleep?
Re: exhausted, new puppy owner
Does every new mother REALLY wake up every three hours to feed their baby? Yep. Do new puppy owners REALLY wake up every few hours to let their puppies out potty? Yep. They really can't hold it. Eventually they'll be able to go longer and longer through the night, but it takes a while. One thing that might keep the puppy from messing the crate is to have an appropriately sized crate--crates that are too big give them enough space to potty in and still have a comfie place to lay, so pottying inside their crate's not a big deal. Crates that are the right size will cause the puppy to not want to potty in their crate because otherwise they'd have to lay in it, which they don't want to do. That doesn't mean shove puppy into a small crate and darnit they'll learn to not potty in their crate. You'll still have to get up every few hours to take puppy out potty and watch to make sure puppy goes potty and rewarding puppy for going potty. As much as it stinks, you're just going to have to suck it up and take the puppy out several times at night. It makes the housetraining process a lot easier in the long run.
It'll get better. I just had to go back to potty training 101 with our new rescue. She's about a year old, but was never potty-trained, so I did the night time potty, midnight potty, 5am potty for three weeks. She doesn't potty in her crate anymore, but is still not housebroken.
It'll get better. I just had to go back to potty training 101 with our new rescue. She's about a year old, but was never potty-trained, so I did the night time potty, midnight potty, 5am potty for three weeks. She doesn't potty in her crate anymore, but is still not housebroken.
Re: exhausted, new puppy owner
we do the every 1 -2 hours all day and midnight then again at 2 am and 4 am and up for the day at 6am
crate is appropriate size thanks to the divider bar.
midnight potty then 5 am potty is my dream right now~
crate is appropriate size thanks to the divider bar.
midnight potty then 5 am potty is my dream right now~
Re: exhausted, new puppy owner
Are you going out with puppy to actually watch and make sure puppy goes out? Sometimes they just want to see their person and will do a fake-out. We brought home our beagle at 6 weeks old. He went out potty three times overnight. So we went to bed at let's say 10-ish. He'd potty at 10, would go potty again at midnight, then again at 2, once more around 4, then we got up at 6 so he'd potty again at 6.
The midnight and 5 was only possible because the new rescue's a year old and has developed and grown enough that she can hold it for a length of time.
Puppies need to potty all the time--after they eat, after they have a good drink, after they've finished having a play, in the middle of having a play, when they wake up from a nap. They just have to potty. Think about how often human babies have to potty (I don't have any, but I have babysat, and have changed my share of diapers).
Just stick with it, keep waking up at night to do the potty thing. You'll eventually get to sleep again (if it gives you any glimmer of hope, whenever might was hitting a growth spurt he'd sleep forever and we'd have to drag him out of bed to make him potty, then he'd go back to bed).
The midnight and 5 was only possible because the new rescue's a year old and has developed and grown enough that she can hold it for a length of time.
Puppies need to potty all the time--after they eat, after they have a good drink, after they've finished having a play, in the middle of having a play, when they wake up from a nap. They just have to potty. Think about how often human babies have to potty (I don't have any, but I have babysat, and have changed my share of diapers).
Just stick with it, keep waking up at night to do the potty thing. You'll eventually get to sleep again (if it gives you any glimmer of hope, whenever might was hitting a growth spurt he'd sleep forever and we'd have to drag him out of bed to make him potty, then he'd go back to bed).
Re: exhausted, new puppy owner
oh yes, he pees, and pees and pees and then pees some more~
i have 3 little boys and whoeever said it was like having a new baby has never had one, babies stay where put and wear a diaper, a puppy is like a toddler with no diaper~ hahaha worth it though!
i guess i will sleep in 2011~
i have 3 little boys and whoeever said it was like having a new baby has never had one, babies stay where put and wear a diaper, a puppy is like a toddler with no diaper~ hahaha worth it though!
i guess i will sleep in 2011~
Re: exhausted, new puppy owner
It won't take that long, by the end of summer you should be good.
Re: exhausted, new puppy owner
Oh yeah puppies are way worse than babies!
Its really not much different to housetraining a toddler the er, nakey way (ie without the pull pants of the modern era... like MY mom did it when I was little)... no diaper.... eyes on the toddler AT ALL TIMES.... watch out when he goes behind the sofa or sits on a cushion... runnnnnnnnnnnnnn to the potty the minute things look likely... watch watch watch and praise like mad when poop/pee is produced on potty.
Sub 'outdoors' for 'potty' and its the same deal!
(Except dogs are a lot less likely to misjudge whether its wind or an actual poop... so you cant laugh at them for that, not that you'd laugh if a toddler did it... nooo...)
I do think that two hours is quite a long time for a young pup.. depending on the size of the pup I reckon on half an hour to an hour in the first week, once you get to know them and know their body language you will be able to increase the time a little.
Definitely dont let pup potty in the crate overnight - you may well find that if you start taking him out as soon as he stirs (dont wait till he yells!) during the night he will eliminate all he needs to the first time or two and then be ok for a few hours. Dont forget its only a week, and hes had to get used to new routine, probably new food, new water, looooooads of new people and things..
If you do think he is peeing too much then a vet check wouldnt go amiss in case of an infection.
Definitely stay outside with him and reward toiletting, dont put the dog out on his own, theres wayyyyyy too many things to be distracted by.
Remember the 'double whammy wee'.. (or poo, though usually wee)... pup goes out, toilets, comes in... toilets! Fix this by coming in.. and going straight back out again!
Its really not much different to housetraining a toddler the er, nakey way (ie without the pull pants of the modern era... like MY mom did it when I was little)... no diaper.... eyes on the toddler AT ALL TIMES.... watch out when he goes behind the sofa or sits on a cushion... runnnnnnnnnnnnnn to the potty the minute things look likely... watch watch watch and praise like mad when poop/pee is produced on potty.
Sub 'outdoors' for 'potty' and its the same deal!
(Except dogs are a lot less likely to misjudge whether its wind or an actual poop... so you cant laugh at them for that, not that you'd laugh if a toddler did it... nooo...)
I do think that two hours is quite a long time for a young pup.. depending on the size of the pup I reckon on half an hour to an hour in the first week, once you get to know them and know their body language you will be able to increase the time a little.
Definitely dont let pup potty in the crate overnight - you may well find that if you start taking him out as soon as he stirs (dont wait till he yells!) during the night he will eliminate all he needs to the first time or two and then be ok for a few hours. Dont forget its only a week, and hes had to get used to new routine, probably new food, new water, looooooads of new people and things..
If you do think he is peeing too much then a vet check wouldnt go amiss in case of an infection.
Definitely stay outside with him and reward toiletting, dont put the dog out on his own, theres wayyyyyy too many things to be distracted by.
Remember the 'double whammy wee'.. (or poo, though usually wee)... pup goes out, toilets, comes in... toilets! Fix this by coming in.. and going straight back out again!
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
Re: exhausted, new puppy owner
Hi 
Waaaay harder than you expected isnt it. But dont worry (I know easier said than done) it will get easier I promise.
We felt exactly the same way, we found it so hard, as i said it will get easier with time and before you know it you will be wondering what all the fuss was about.
Until then though a few tips that worked for us....
Put crate in your bedroom so that you can hear pup in the night when he wakes and can take him straight out to the toilet.
You can move the crate out of your room after a while (we moved it after about a week I think)
Look out for the tell tell signs that he needs to go...sniffing, circling, squatting...and take him outside.
If he does go in the house he gets 'rewarded' from the sense of relief he feels when he does.
Stay with him outside until he goes. Dont play with him or anything just stand there until he goes.
As he does quietly and calmly say the word you want to use for it eg 'go potty' (you dont want to startle him into stopping!!)
As he finishes say 'yes' (or click if you are using clicker training) and give him a great treat. That way he should see toileting outside as really really good!
I hope that helps. In the meantime though enjoy your pup, they grow up so so fast, our puppy is 6months now and it still seems like only yesterday that we brought him home.
It is hard work but well worth it.
Good luck!
Waaaay harder than you expected isnt it. But dont worry (I know easier said than done) it will get easier I promise.
We felt exactly the same way, we found it so hard, as i said it will get easier with time and before you know it you will be wondering what all the fuss was about.
Until then though a few tips that worked for us....
Put crate in your bedroom so that you can hear pup in the night when he wakes and can take him straight out to the toilet.
You can move the crate out of your room after a while (we moved it after about a week I think)
Look out for the tell tell signs that he needs to go...sniffing, circling, squatting...and take him outside.
If he does go in the house he gets 'rewarded' from the sense of relief he feels when he does.
Stay with him outside until he goes. Dont play with him or anything just stand there until he goes.
As he does quietly and calmly say the word you want to use for it eg 'go potty' (you dont want to startle him into stopping!!)
As he finishes say 'yes' (or click if you are using clicker training) and give him a great treat. That way he should see toileting outside as really really good!
I hope that helps. In the meantime though enjoy your pup, they grow up so so fast, our puppy is 6months now and it still seems like only yesterday that we brought him home.
It is hard work but well worth it.
Good luck!
Enjoying life with our pup charlie...he had us at 'woof'!
Re: exhausted, new puppy owner
I know exactly how you feel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My lab puppy is 10 weeks old today, he is soooo adorable and loving and we are over the moon to have him with us but he is so much work!! more work than having a baby!!!!
He is doing really well with potty training and getting the idea of going outside but it has taken a while for him to get it! and after 3 1/2 weeks we are still all adjusting to him being here and that includes him too!!
Give it time and things will calm down, everyone on this forum are really helpful! dont hesitate to ask any question, it will be answered!!!
Enjoy this time with your pup! they are only young once and they grow so quickly!
xx
My lab puppy is 10 weeks old today, he is soooo adorable and loving and we are over the moon to have him with us but he is so much work!! more work than having a baby!!!!
He is doing really well with potty training and getting the idea of going outside but it has taken a while for him to get it! and after 3 1/2 weeks we are still all adjusting to him being here and that includes him too!!
Give it time and things will calm down, everyone on this forum are really helpful! dont hesitate to ask any question, it will be answered!!!
Enjoy this time with your pup! they are only young once and they grow so quickly!
xx
