puppy crate training help

[CorgiTalan]

Hi! I just got a 8 week corgi puppy and I have never raised a dog before. I have read and followed everything about crate training. He is really good about not going to the bathroom in the crate at night, and he always uses the bathroom when I take him outside. However, the I will be playing with the puppy and he will look right at me and go to the bathroom on the floor/rug/blanket in the house. I don't know how to fix this. Can anyone help?:king:

[~michelle~]

he's only 8 weeks so he's going to take a while to housetrain him... really your just going to have to PRAISE HIM LIKE CRAZY when he goes outside..... treat every outdoor pee and poo like its more important then the queen if you need to, if you catch him going in the house during the act just give him a firm yet gentle no (only if you catch him in the act) and then immediately take him outside. since the outdoor world can be big and scary to an outdoor pup, try to take him to the same place with the fewest distractions possible good luck and pls post some pics......
Im sure other people here would have some more and better advice for you.

[jessi76]

Originally Posted by CorgiTalan

Hi! I just got a 8 week corgi puppy and...... However, the I will be playing with the puppy and he will look right at me and go to the bathroom on the floor/rug/blanket in the house. I don't know how to fix this.

your pup is 8-wks old. you need to TEACH him. for the next couple of MONTHS, you should be very consistant - take your pup out AT LEAST 1 or 2 times an hour. after waking, after each meal, after any playtime, etc... an 8 wk old pup WILL HAVE MANY ACCIDENTS. keep your pup in a place that easily cleaned and keep a very close eye on him. at any sign of needing to go out (sniffing, circling, squatting) take him out to go. and PRAISE him lavishly when he does go outside. he'll catch on, but not overnight, it will take TIME, PATIENCE, CONSISTANCY, AND SOME CARPET/FLOOR CLEANER.

there are many threads on housebreaking tips on here, just search, and you should find many helpful posts.

[Goldens4Ever]

In addition to what the other's have mentioned, when your let your pup outside to go to the bathroom, when it actually happens, put a NAME to the BEHAVIOR: when he goes pee say, "Good boy, you go POTTY, Good boy, you go POTTY."

If you are really consistent with saying this everytime he pees, he will eventually understand that what he is doing is called POTTY. We did this with both of our girls, and they will pee and poop on command (if they actually have to go). When they bark to go outside or if we want them to go pee before we leave the house, we will let them out and give them the command, "Go POTTY," and they go because they understand what we are telling them to do. This is a really useful tool and it doesn't take long for them make an association between the NAME of the desired BEHAVIOR (action).

[MyBirdIsEvil]

I agree with everyone else.
I would also like to add that puppies very very often will pee after or during play. So before you start playing excitedly with your puppy you need to take him outside and make sure he pees. In fact, the playing can be a reward for going potty outside.

When I got my first puppy it never failed, EVERY time she started playing with either us or another dog if she hadn't been taken outside she'd pee on the floor about 30 seconds in. Even sometimes after we'd taken her outside she would do it. Young puppies get excited and pee, they have weak bladders, so make sure you take them outside before play, and give them potty breaks about every 10-20 minutes if they're playing really hard. You should also never wait more than about 30 minutes to take her outside at that age because she can't hold it very long, so an accident isn't necessarily her not listening.

[ByronsMum]

First off, congrats on choosing to crate train your puppy!!

Hubby and I adopted Byron when he was 12 weeks old...he'd had very little housetraining to begin with, so we opted on crate training as well. Even so, he would still pee inside the house every once in a while, even though we'd just taken him out 1/2 hour ago, etc. There WILL be accidents, but it is important to never YELL at the puppy or physically punish him. Just be patient, be consistent, and like everyone else has said, PRAISE LIKE CRAZY when he goes outside. If you find yourself getting frustrated, just post and all the beanie-lovers will come to the rescue with encouragement!!!

Oh, and the "cue word" is also useful. Some people use "hurry up!"..I just stick with "go pee"

[brandynva]

Everybody has said what I would, so I wanted to offer up some encouragement. It may seem like FOREVER until your pup is fully trained. However, it will seem like no time when you look back on it. We adopted two puppies at 8 weeks within one year. Now they are both housebroken and crate trained and it seems like it went by so fast looking back. So I guess I want to say DON'T GIVE UP! They are so worth the time and effort to have a lifetime loyal companion who loves you unconditionally. Good luck!