my pom wee wee habits

Question
Please can you help my 9 week old pom splash keeps
wee wee on the carpet and not the wee wee pad how
can I get him to go on the wee pad.I have had him since my
other pom gave birth to him. Its getting to me whats the best way to train him.thank you,sunni and Merry Christmas to you..........
12-08-09

Answer

Hi Sunni,

Your puppy is an infant, and doesn't have the first idea that there even is a correct place for him to relieve himself. Because of this, you need to supervise him constantly, and crate or otherwise contain him to an area in your home whenever you can't be watching him like a hawk.

There are several ways to housebreak a puppy, using pads or newspaper is one of them. Whenever you see your puppy starting to walk around and sniffing the floor, gently pick him up without talking and carry them over to the papers/pad area and then praise them when he goes to the bathroom. Be consistent when you feed your puppy so you can predict when he'll need to relieve himself. Plan your trips outside around these patterns. Puppies have very little bowel or bladder control before 4 months of age, so you need to be on your toes and alert to the needs of your pup. He'll need to go to the bathroom within 15 or 20 minutes after eating or drinking, upon waking up from sleeping, and after active play.

Another popular method of house training involves the use of a crate or cage. The often-stated reasoning is that the animal is placed in a cage that is just large enough to be a bed. Dogs do not like to soil their beds because they would be forced to lay in the mess. During housebreaking, whenever the puppy is inside the home but cannot be watched, he should be placed in the crate. This might be while you are cooking, reading, or even away from the home. The last thing you do before you put the puppy in the crate is take him outside to his favorite spot. The first thing you do when you take your puppy out of the crate is another trip outside. No food or water goes in the crate, just a blanket and maybe a chew toy to occupy his time. Overnight is definitely crate time. As you can trust your puppy more and more not to have accidents, you can leave him out for longer and longer periods of time. The length of time a puppy should be crated depends on it's age. A good rule of thumb is the puppy's age in months plus one. By this guide you can see that a two month old puppy shouldn't be crated for more than 3 hours at a clip.

Most people do not recognize an important advantage of crate training. It does more than just stop the puppy from messing in the house. It also teaches the puppy something very important: when the urge to urinate or defecate occurs, he can hold it. House training pads do not teach a puppy this important lesson. Also, many puppies do not understand the concept that one area of the house is acceptable to soil in, while others are not. To a puppy, inside is inside. It's best to get the puppy used to going to the bathroom outside, which will mean frequent trips outside for you, but your puppy will learn that it's wrong to go to the bathroom inside.

Specific verbal communications will also help you and your puppy of you understand what is desired. It is an excellent idea to always use a "cue" word when it is time to head to the bathroom, such as "Outside?", or "Go Potty". Remember that whenever you use a verbal command or signal, it is important that everybody in the family always uses the same word in the same way. Once outside, try to encourage the puppy to get on with the act in question. Use a phrase such as "Do your business", "Do It", "Go Potty" etc. As soon as your pup eliminates, it is very important to praise him and even give a tiny treat. Use the same cue word every time you take him out. If your puppy didn't do everything that needed to be done on the walk, put him right in his containment area when you get back to the house, and take him outside in another 15 minutes. Again, make this trip that started outside with a specific word "Outside" be for a purpose. If your are taking the pup out to play with a ball or go for a walk don't use the cue word even if you know he will eliminate while you are outside.

Read more about house training your puppy here:

http://www.inch.com/~dogs/housebreaking.html

http://www.perfectpaws.com/htrp.html

One of the most important rules in house breaking is if you don't catch your puppy in the act of doing it - then you can't punish him for it! This applies to soiling on the rug, or chewing your best shoes! Another important rule is supervise, supervise, supervise!

Discipline will not help after an accident is detected unless you catch the puppy in the act, he will have no idea what the scolding is for. Especially if he did it more than 30 seconds ago!

Best of luck!
Patti