sleeping and toileting

Question
we have acquired a 10 wks old maltese shitszu x,breeder let him sleep behind them on their pillows.how do we stop this without all tears?have purchased bed also he whine's to wee nearly alway's but not to poo.grateful for any help.

Answer
Dear Reg,

You'll have to withstand the crying for 1-2 nights and then it'll be over.  I am not a big crate fan other than for housetraining and mouth training (http://www.dogdaysUSA.com) but the bed you got should go into a crate in your bedroom.  The crate should be big enough only for the pup to stand in, turn around in, and lie down in (so that he doesn't learn to potty on one end and sleep in the other)

The pup goes into the crate after the final potty break and only comes out 2x/night for potty breaks, when you determine.  If he goes into the crate at 10pm, he gets a potty break at 1am and then another at 4am for the next 2 weeks.  After that 1:30am and 5am for 2-3 days.  As long as there is no mess in the crate so far you now can switch to a 1x/night potty break, at 2:30am or 3am, for the next week, and after that he should be sleeping through the night.

Please note, if he is sleeping peacefully at potty break times, let him sleep, but you may have to get up an hour later if he does wake up.  Do not play with him after he eliminates.  Just put him back in the crate and endure the whining.  If you hold firm, he will give up and learn that he does not sleep in your bed anymore.

If you don't use the crate you may have more of a problem teaching him to stay out of your bed, although I can't believe he can get up there at his age/size.  You may also have housetraining issues in about a month.  However, if you are against the use of a crate simply ignore the crying no matter what, and follow the potty schedule given above.

Your job is to get him out before he potties, pee or poo, and know that if he has eaten and not pooped yet, it's coming soon, so don't wait for a signal from him.  Go to my Housetraining page at http:www.dogdaysUSA.com for detailed instructions on how to succeed at housetraining immediately.

Thank you and good luck!
Suzanne Harris, BSc, CPDT
http://www.dogdaysUSA.com