Housetraining Puppies … And Kids… What Do You Think?
I start housetraining my pups as soon as they are relatively mobile and have their eyes open (about 3 weeks). For years I used a litterbox, now I use puppy pads (the litter used to get stuck to the puppy blankets and strewn through the house). I’ve had great success. A lot of the training seems to be in noticing when the pups “look” like they have to go… which of course means I have to be actually spending time watching pups….
Today I stumbled across this http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070827/ap_o… and it talks about potty training very young infants. The concept seems very similar to my puppy training.
Do you think more people would be successful housetraining their dogs if they used the same principles as potty training kids?
Tagged with: Housetraining • Kids • Puppies • Think • What
Filed under: Free Baby Stuff
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I don’t know… I start out with newspaper in the whelping box at the end.. By 2 weeks of age they are crawling to the newspaper.. I change paper and blankets constantly thru the day.. Never allowing them to think that blankets should have pee on them.. Leaving small bits of newspaper with pee so that they get the idea that pee belongs over there…
Hehe pee pee outside ! 
Of course when we go out, I make the biggest fuss you can imagine.. Neighbours think I am an absolute nut I am sure.. Clapping and cheering and whoopping it up.. But she pees and comes running and is so darned proud of herself.. Yeah I am proud of her ! 
When they are about 3 weeks of age, I start taking them outside and praising them for going.. In the house I watch them like hawks having only 1 or 2 out at a time .. The second they look like they are going to pee, or if it’s been 1/2 hour or so, back outside.. Praising them when they go.. By 4 weeks of age they are house trained.. Never making a mistake in the house, and going to sit by the door or barking or scratching at the door.. No peeing at all on the carpet so they don’t get to feel what it’s like to pee on carpet, don’t get the satisfaction of peeing where it soaks in, other than on the ground.. Pee only goes outside.. I have a puppy now who has been trained since 4 weeks of age, and now at 6 weeks of age, sits by the door.. If I don’t notice her right away she barks indignantly and I must get my butt over there and let her out.. She is wild for praise and goes outside just to be told how absolutely wonderful she is for peeing out there..
It’s easy, you have to watch them, start as early as possible and never allow them to make mistakes in the house.. If you have never peed in the house, it’s foreign to suddenly start..
Edit : I would likely wait a week longer to start taking puppies out.. BUT we have the front yard all fenced in separately from the rest of the yard.. It’s like hmmm I guess 30 ‘ x 30 ‘ right out the front door.. I can easily go out with them and watch them .. no other animals or anything can make it thru the fence or get into the front puppy area.. Whelping box is in the kitchen.. like 3 feet to the left of the door.. So it’s all close and convenient.. I find that puppies stay in homes better, if they show up at 8 weeks of age already housetrained.
It amazes me to see puppies even with eyes not even open, wiggling off to the newspaper.. I don’t particularly like the newspaper, and never use coloured newspaper, but there is something about it that encourages even very very young puppies to go..
And it is the cutest thing, these little tiny wee guys who weigh less than 10 lbs telling you that they have to pee pee outside! I have an adorable little girl right now, at 6 weeks of age, she’ll come and sit beside my computer chair late at night, if I notice her I take her out, if I miss her, she lets out this little tiny wee whine and that means Pee pee.. I have to giggle each time.. It’s just way too cute that she knows that already and knows that she needs to come and let me know.. I get a kick out of it
I did almost the same as DP. I had the new pups learning the difference as soon as they were able to waddle to the new papers. I had them outside as soon as they could carry themselves out there. Like duck in a row. Mom or me leading the way. Pups know where not to pee. I broke a washing machine after only 3 years of having it brand new with all the dogs and pups bedding. I started out with pine shavings. Soon found out how messy that was to went back to good old new paper. If your attentive to your litters it’s not hard to train them when they are very young. I had my pups at 6 to 7 weeks old trained to not pee in their area. I had to be alert and be steadfast as the litter owner. By the time they went to their new home they were all potty trained. I had them going to the door or they would bark to be let out. Even in the winter months they were fine. I had to snow blow an area out for them but whats that to me if I already had the thing out anyway. If your going to do it than take the time and do it right.
As far as the human babies go, sorry but I don’t see that catching on too quickly. LOL Seems a bit out there to me. Seems like a throw back to the 60ties and the hippies! A bit to earthy for me.
The potty training problems we hear about here are because the new owners aren’t consistant, dont give the pup enough time to potty and the pups aren’t taken out at the right time.
It takes time and everyone want’s instant results and it just doesn’t work that way.