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We brought Finnley home this morning and the kids just adore him!
We arrived at our house after a 50 minute drive and I brought him back to the "potty spot" in the backyard. He did a little pee pee so we made a big song and dance and treated him. After about 10 minutes we brought him inside and 5 minutes he pooped on the floor in his play yard.
I matter-of-factly told him "NO" while he was in the act and then I cleaned it up and wiped the floor with vinegar to get rid of the odor (any other suggestions for a safe deodorizer or will vinegar do the trick?).
Since then we've gotten him to pee twice outside in his potty spot so we went through the treat/praise routine. The last trip outside I waited another 10 minutes, figuring if he had to poop we'd get him to do it there.
After 10 minutes we figured we'd take a walk to the mailbox and on the way there he squatted and pooped in the driveway.
So, I did treat him. He didn't go in the desired spot but it was at least outside! I cleaned up the mess and discarded it in the garbage.
Now I'm second guessing myself. The goal is to have him go outside, so I felt the treat was definitely earned, but then I wonder if I should have put the "mess" in his potty spot and let him sniff it in there so he would hopefully know to go there next time??
Any feedback or suggestions would be great! I am not so good at reading his potty cues yet so I've just been taking him outside every 1.5 to 2 hours (he's 8 weeks old). He doesn't seem to do the sniff and circle bit...but I'm keeping a close eye so I can try and figure out his cues.
Have you thought of a potty word? That may help as well. When we first got Sydney, we would bring him outside to this one spot and tell him "Party time" and if he went he got praise. We repeated this over and over again and after about a month he'll go almost on command when we say "Party time". I don't think you did the wrong thing by praising him when he went outside..it is better than when he went inside, but repetition will be the key. If you develop a regular routine, he will eventually get it, and I'm sure you'll start recognizing his cues soon enough. Good lyck! Make sure to post lots of pictures of your new little guy!
Just a comment...when you catch him in the act and say "no" make it just a little startling to catch his attention, make sure he doesn't hear a "scolding". And when I caught mine in the act I would scoop her up right then and take her to the correct place to let her finish if possible.
Just a tip if you're anything like me. I used to get so excited when she was going potty that it was very difficult for me to wait until she was done to show excitement. And if I showed any enthusiasm whatsoever, she would stop going potty and respond to me. So standing still and being boring until the second they are done is really important.
Sounds like your little guy is doing a great job so far (which means you are, too).
With both my training efforts, I used the crate. Everytime I took the youngster from the crate, we went immediately to the potty spot. I commanded "Go potty," and rewarded just as you did.
Then, I watched them like a hawk while they played, until they started taking an interest in the floor. Then, outside to potty spot, again. When I cannot watch him, he goes to the crate.
EVERY time we go outside, for any reason, we FIRST go to the potty spot. Everything else is second priority.
Bigun (Beagle-Spaniel mix) was much harder than my earlier dog, SengKye (Lhasa Apso), but I think part of that was because of the differences in their personalities. Big' is much more independent, and focused on his own agenda. SengKye was dependent and focused on me.
Just keep at it, and you will get there. We ALL make mistakes, sometimes it is us, sometimes its there. That's life.
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