Potty training/Housebreaking

Question
QUESTION: We have a 10 week old puppy. We got her when she was 8 weeks. We are crate training her. She does well in the crate-no accidents overnight. She can tolerate 2.5-3 hours at a time in the crate during the day. We have her on a schedule where she gets an allotted amount of free time every 2.5-3 hours. When we let her out of her crate we immediately let her out to potty. We watch her to make sure she goes. The problem is that during free time, she is very unpredictable with her potty habits. I have read that when puppies are active they need to go more frequently, so I try to take her out about every 20 minutes. Today I had the timer set for 20 minutes, but after about 10 minutes, she squatted and wet. How can I ever trust her inside if she goes so frequently? Also, at what point should she indicate to us in some way(barking, going to the door, etc.) that she needs to go out? Thanks in advance for any advice.

ANSWER: Hello Jennifer,

I red-flagged your question as sounding very frustrated and am wondering if you're a first-time dog/puppy owner. Usually when questioners don't greet me or thank me in advance, what sounds like someone being impolite is often frustration. So, chalking that tone up to frustration, I've decided to answer your question, and I'll assume you don't really mean to sound impolite or brusque. :-)

I've previously answered many questions on this AllExperts site on house training a puppy. In addition to the above, you may want to take a look at my previous responses to questioners on the same topic and see if you can get a head start on what the trainer you hire (more on that in my next paragraph) may also impart to you. In fact, I took a quick look at my previous responses on this topic, and there is a response I offered to a questioner on page 4 of my 'Answered Questions' to "Gina" which can help get you started before you meet with your trainer. You are also welcome to look at the subject headings of my responses to find additional responses of mine on this topic.

I think you're expecting too much from a very young puppy. The general rule is that a pup can hold her bladder contents for as many hours as weeks old she is, plus one, so your Internet research has informed you well on the three hours of crating you mentioned. However, the rule is general, and may not apply to every pup, particularly as bladder sizes vary.  I also suggest you need to hire a trainer to educate you on developmental periods in dogs so you can have reasonable and realistic expectations, and show you how to recognize the body language signs your pup is giving which will alert you she has to potty. As well, if she is squatting that frequently and, perhaps, giving no discernible warning beforehand which you may be missing, you may want to take her to the vet to find out if there may be a medical reason for her pottying so frequently.

Best of luck, and remember to be patient with such a young pup.

Best regards,
Madeline Friedman, M.A.
Hoboken Dog Training
Hobokem Dog Trainer
Middlesex County NJ Dog Trainer
Bergen County NJ Dog Trainer

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Many apologies if I sounded impolite. That was not my intention at all. I am a bit frustrated, but also new to using a site/forum such as this. I apologize for not greeting you before going into my question. I added a "thank you in advance" at the end, but maybe should have started with that, so again I am sorry.
I am not new to owning a dog, but this is our first puppy. We currently have a 15 year old Lhasa Apso, who we acquired at one year old, so she was already housebroken. Before our Lhasa we had a Terrier mix. We got her when she was 4 years old, so she was also housebroken. This is our first experience with housebreaking a dog. I have found it extremely stressful. Thank you for replying, and I will look at some of the other responses you mentioned.
    Jennifer

Answer
Thank you, Jennifer. I appreciate your response. I figured you were a first-time puppy owner. Some pups are easy to housetrain, and some take longer. The first few months can be stressful. Working with a trainer can help take some of the stress out of it for you. Thanks again, and best to you and your pup.