puppy

Question
Sandy, picked up 8 week old lab last friday. i know it's only been 6 days, but he is showing absolutely no desire to be house trained. we keep him in a size appropriated crate when we're not home, but he'll still go to the bathroom in it. he'll also stop and go where ever he is in the house without even trying to make it to the dog door to go outside. wife and I time his food and water to when we're home and can keep an eye on him, but this is getting frustrating. we've had lab pups in the past, granted we got them older (4 or 5 months), but never had this problem. our new pup is awfully laid back for an almost 9 week old puppy. I need to add here, we also have a 12 week old pit that hasn't gone in the house for a month now. he mastered the dog door immediately and understands he needs to go outside. i thought having the older pup would be an advantage as the younger one could learn from him and follow suit. we get the lab out whenever he's showing signs of going, as soon as he wakes and shortly after he eats or drinks. i know he's still pretty young, but he just doesn't seem to be getting it, nor showing the desire to even try to get it. let me know what you think or if you need any more info. thanks, Paul

Answer
Hi Paul,

It would be quite exceptional for a pup to master potty training at 8 weeks. Generally, 12+ weeks is more the norm. My advice would therefore be for you to simply be patient. Labs are usually easy to potty train and I would expect that he will make considerable progress in the next few weeks. You may also want to make sure your crate is small enough. Normally if your pup goes in the crate it would indicate that your crate is too large. You may also want to read my article on potty training on my website at http://www.perfectdogtraining.com/articles/dog-training/dog-potty-training-101

Good Luck!

Sandy