Question We recently brought home a female Pom puppy, and although she is very healthy and intelligent in every other way, she cannot seem to grasp the idea that relieving herself anywhere she pleases is not acceptable. She needs to "go" very frequently. We take her out regularly, and it seems that even when she does her business outside, she will within seconds of returning indoors relieve herself again. We keep her in portable kennel during the day when we are at work, and at night when we go to bed, and depending on the feeding schedule she may or may not soil the kennel. ANY SUGGESTIONS? PLEASE?
AnswerHello! It sounds like you are having the exact same problem I had with my Pom. I would take her outside to use the bathroom, and she would "tee-tee" but AS SOON as I brought her back into the house, she would do #2! :)
One of my suggestions is when she poops in the house, take her AND the poop outside. Set the poop somewhere on the ground, and show it to her. Let her know that that is where she IS SUPPOSED to go. Pups need to urinate almost every hour and poop every 3rd of 4th hour. Know the times when the Pom has to go, such as RIGHT after she eats, or when she wakes up.
Poms will NOT usually go to the bathroom in the same place they sleep, or even near their sleeping area, or their eating area. The baby Pom should not have free run of the house. Also, physical punishment is not the answer. When you SEE the Pom use the bathroom in the house, in a very firm voice, say "NO". Usually, it's helpful to catch them while they are doing it. Then, take the Pom outside. When she poops or urinates outside, use treats AND LOTS of praise.
I don't know if you have a PetSmart pet store around where you live, but they now sell doggy litter and pans for smaller dogs. It could be worth a try. If not, you can probably check it out at www.petsmart.com.
I understand that housetraining is not easy. There are many different solutions to try. The main thing is that the Pom knows that she is supposed to go outside. Let her run around the yard a little RIGHT after she eats, because that helps along the process of pooping, and makes her have to go. As soon as my Pom wakes up, she has to urinate, and not 2 minutes after she eats, she poops. And have you ever heard a Pom burp? WOAH! Kricket burps and the whole house knows it. :-)
Let me know if you think any of the solutions will work, or if you've tried them. I promise we can figure something out!
Sheri
