Help with House Training

[KPolce]

Hello All!

My husband and I just brought home our first yellow lab puppy. He's almost nine weeks old, and I knew that house training would be work, but we're at a loss as to how to proceed with him. We bring him outside, to a designated corner of our yard 10-15 times per day, including every few hours, right after naps, play, and meals. He always goes at this time and always receives praise and treats from us. However, he continues to try to pee constantly, probably every ten minutes, which is resulting in several small accidents per day. If he's out of his crate, he's making no effort at all to hold it, and we don't know what to do. He's wonderful in his crate, making it through the night without interruption or accidents.

Any guidance or advice would be hugely appreciated at this point! Thanks!

Keri

[Tanya]

welcome and congrats

at 9 weeks it's normal for a baby to not really "make an effort", they are babies. yes some grasp the concept quicker than others but it's not unusual for them to not "try" at that age.

two things: you likely need to take him out more often. durign periods they are more active they need to go outside more often. but if he IS peeing every 10 minutes it may be a health issue like a UTI. has he been to the vet since you get him?

make sure to clean accidents with an odour neutralizing product (most household cleaners dont' remove the smell for a dog's nose) and work to take him out more often than you are currently.

[Annette47]

The breeder of our first lab (almost 20 years ago now!) had suggested giving them an opportunity to have an accident while you are there, then as soon as they start to squat, clap loudly to startle them out of it, say NO, and take them outside and praise like the dickens when they eventually go back to what they are doing.

She said that not only teaches them that it is good to go outside, but that it is NOT good to go inside. It’s not a harsh correction, more of an attention getter than anything. If he is able to have accidents when your back is turned and there are no consequences, he will be learning that pee inside is ok just like it is outside. The key is to catch him in the act - after he is done it would mean nothing to him to then be taken out, so you need to interrupt him.

All of ours have housebroken easily, but our male did take longer to “get it” than the girls. He was pretty good by 9 weeks though - it was more than the girls had the idea within a couple days and it took him a week. Not to say they didn’t have accidents after that point, but they were at least grasping the concept by then.

Good luck!

[Labradorks]

Tanya is right. A nine week old puppy is making as much effort as a one year old baby. Basically none -- he has no clue. He's probably only been potty training for about a week which is not nearly long enough mentally or physically to even begin to get it down. I would not expect much effort until about 12 weeks, which will only increase over time. 100% compliance does not typically happen until 9 months to a year, though you'll see a huge difference between now and that time. Anything after that is behavioral (marking, unclear as to what you want, etc.), physical (UTI, GI upset, etc.) or a real accident (dog played at the river for three hours and drank tons of water).

Be patient. Check for a UTI if you're convinced it's abnormal.

[Labradorks]

The breeder of our first lab (almost 20 years ago now!) had suggested giving them an opportunity to have an accident while you are there, then as soon as they start to squat, clap loudly to startle them out of it, say NO, and take them outside and praise like the dickens when they eventually go back to what they are doing.

She said that not only teaches them that it is good to go outside, but that it is NOT good to go inside. It’s not a harsh correction, more of an attention getter than anything. If he is able to have accidents when your back is turned and there are no consequences, he will be learning that pee inside is ok just like it is outside. The key is to catch him in the act - after he is done it would mean nothing to him to then be taken out, so you need to interrupt him.

All of ours have housebroken easily, but our male did take longer to “get it” than the girls. He was pretty good by 9 weeks though - it was more than the girls had the idea within a couple days and it took him a week. Not to say they didn’t have accidents after that point, but they were at least grasping the concept by then.

Good luck!

I never purposefully gave my puppies the opportunity, but it did happen within the first week anyway as I got to know the puppy and the signs. I typically would say nothing as I scoop them up and take them out, which has always been enough to get their attention. I totally agree that you cannot give the pup the opportunity to potty without you seeing them, both inside and outside. That is key.

[KPolce]

Thank you all for the advice! Perhaps I was expecting too much of him at this age. We'll have to make a conscious effort to get him out more often and keep an eye on his little clues!

Also, he just had his first vet visit yesterday, and all was well there!

[Mudlark]

lol I feel for you, mine is 11 weeks and we are at that stage still, I'm wondering whether I'd forgotten how hard puppies were - or if dogs are much harder than bitches - or both! I was actually convinced he did have a UTI despite coming from a spotless set up - because he literally pees every 5 minutes when he is playing - but I have learned it is just him, the more excited he is , the more he pees, and he doesn't as yet attempt to hold it, so I just have to maneuver him outside in time. He does pretty well overnight though, I still get up twice but I'm hoping that will come down to once soon. I do feed pups four times a day though so I never expect them to go overnight at this age.
I have close neighbours so I can never allow any crying in the crate - hence I get up to beat them to the need to call me!

[Maxx&Emma]

lol I feel for you, mine is 11 weeks and we are at that stage still, I'm wondering whether I'd forgotten how hard puppies were - or if dogs are much harder than bitches - or both! I was actually convinced he did have a UTI despite coming from a spotless set up - because he literally pees every 5 minutes when he is playing - but I have learned it is just him, the more excited he is , the more he pees, and he doesn't as yet attempt to hold it, so I just have to maneuver him outside in time. He does pretty well overnight though, I still get up twice but I'm hoping that will come down to once soon. I do feed pups four times a day though so I never expect them to go overnight at this age.
I have close neighbours so I can never allow any crying in the crate - hence I get up to beat them to the need to call me!

Honestly, I think we really do forget how hard those first weeks can be. Just as us women "forget" the true pain of childbirth and cheerfully get pregnant again, (and again, lol!). It fades with time and we find ourselves wondering what in the world we were thinking at 3 AM on week 2. Thankfully Labs are smart and love to please their humans, once they do figure it out and are physically able to hold it they are good to go.