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I am not exactly crate training my new 9 week old cockapoo but he is sleeping in a crate at night. I have had him for 4 days and have let him basically run around my house when I am home. I have cleaned up so much pee and poop despite taking him out every hour. He is going outside sometimes but mostly pees upon re-entering my house! So, today I set him up in a safe place, a bathroom off the kitchen with baby gates so he can see us. He has his crate, wee wee pads, toys, water, etc...this is the place I put him when we leave him alone at home to go out. He is continuously barking and carrying on in there. All the books I have read say to keep the puppy confined during housetraining but I feel like I am being very cruel by keeping him penned up. I just can't stand the constant clean up of having him out and about in the house. Is this the right thing to do? HELP!! I feel terrible, but he is safe and has a big space to be. Any advice? Thanks!!
You should not be giving him the run of the house. When he is not in the crate, he needs to be on a leash and by your side. If need be, carry him from the crate to the outdoors. Feed him in the crate. Afterwards, take him directly outside for a pee. After his naps, again, straight outside. Basically, reduce the opportunities for going on the carpet and increase the opportunities for going outside. Lots of praise over a job well done!
You should absolutely NOT let him have run of the house!!!! You have a very young puppy and you need to be MUCH more patient. See my housetraining method, below, and you and everyone in the house needs to follow it TO THE LETTER. Do that and you'll end up with a trained dog. Not immediately, but eventually.
And for crate training your dog: Crate Training | The Humane Society of the United States (http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/dog_behavior_tip_sheets/crate_training.html - broken link) It's a PROCESS. You can't just put the pup in and close the door!
Here's my housetraining post:
Housetraining your dog (puppy or adult!)
The first thing you need to do is to remember that you’re trying to reinforce a new behavior. That means that the rewards for this behavior must be WONDERFUL. NOT crap from the store. Wonderful treats are poached chicken breast/turkey breast, cheese and steak. And you don’t have to use big pieces. Tiny pieces (about 3mm cubes) are just fine! I poach a whole turkey breast every few weeks, cut it into hunks when it’s cool enough to handle, wrap them well and store them in the freezer. When I need some, I’ll thaw a hunk overnight and cut off pieces and dice finely, storing them in a plastic bag in the fridge. One hunk will last about five days. Cheese is also popular, so variety is fine.
I carry these plastic bags in my jacket pockets in the winter and in a fanny pack in warmer weather. You HAVE to have these with you, or this method won’t work, because you need to reward as soon as the dog finishes pooping or peeing. It’s not going to work if the rewards are in the house.
Remember that you’re trying to change a very ingrained behavior. Some dogs like to feel certain things under their feet when they eliminate, like fabric, or newspaper. This is called a ‘substrate preference.’ What you’re trying to do is change this substrate preference, and to do that you have to make the treats SO wonderful that the dog will change this very well-entrenched behavior. Thus the chicken, cheese, steak.
I love clicker training, but this can be done without clickers. You just need a way to ‘mark’ the behavior you want to reinforce. Use the word ‘YESSSSS!!!!’ very enthusiastically – that works for some.
You’re going to need to GO OUTSIDE WITH your dog and the dog needs to be on a leash. Yes, even in winter. If you don’t reward IMMEDIATELY after the event (when dog immediately finishes pooping or peeing) and wait inside, the dog is going to be reinforced for coming inside, not for doing its business. So, leash up your dog. STAND IN ONE PLACE. Be boring. Bring a book or magazine for yourself.
Eventually, the dog will do what you’re waiting for. The NANOSECOND that the dog is finished, HAVE A PARTY – lots of loud, high-pitched praise, treats and running around. You want to make this memorable for your dog! You’ll find that once the first event is achieved, the others will come more quickly. Keep on treating (you don’t have to throw a party except for milestones – a milestone = if he only pooped outside but now peed, too, or something equivalent to that) until he’s good and used to peeing/pooping outside. Before you know it, you have a trained dog.
Regarding accidents in the house: NO SCOLDING. Just clean them up. If you scold you’ll get the dog to think it’s bad to pee or poop and he’ll do it in places you won’t see. Until you step in it. Invest in a big bottle of Nature’s Miracle or Simple Solution and use it liberally on accidents.
With young puppies, remember they have little control of the muscle that holds the bladder closed. This is something they grow into. Just as it’s not expected that a human baby is toilet trained at six months, don’t expect much from a puppy. Patience, patience, patience!!!! The nervous system in a puppy has to mature, and it won’t have much control over the sphincter (closing muscle) at the neck of the bladder until six or seven months. The same goes for the anal sphincter. Until control is achieved, both of these muscles operate on reflex: there are stretch receptors in the bladder wall. When the bladder is full, it sends impulses to the spinal cord and these, in turn, send signals to the sphincter to open and the dog pees.
In the stomach wall, there are also stretch receptors. So when the dog eats and the stomach is stretched, the impulses again go to the spinal cord, but this time the reflex, outgoing, nerve signals are sent to the anal sphincter, so the dog defecates. This operates in people, too – which is why some people rush to the ‘reading room’ after a meal – especially breakfast.
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I think maybe I didn't ask my question clearly. I absolutely DON'T expect him to already be trained. I am asking INSTEAD of crate training him is it ok to leave him in a contained area or is it better to leave him in a crate all day even when I am home? Don't I want him to socialize with his new family? I guess I just don't understand the whole leaving them in a crate all day except to keep them from peeing and pooping in the house.
He's not to be left in a crate all day, puppies need to interact with their families but you have to watch him like a hawk and stay with him, close doors and invest in some baby gates, you can also tether him to yourself (put a leash on him and attach it to your belt) so that you know what he's doing (he's less likely to 'go' if he's very close to you). Right now he's being fed often and will be pooping and piddling often, he doesnt have bladder and bowel muscle control that he'll have in the months to come. Viralmd's housetraining post is excellent too and Woof's advice was good too. We spent a lot of time in the kitchen (gated) when ours were small puppies, it made life a lot easier as far as cleanup, access to the yard (and we walked them in the yard, they were out there to 'go', not to play, they could play later), we also took them out about every hour, consistency and repetition helps (as do tasty treats and praise). It does get better, eventually he'll figure it out but it takes time. Best of luck.
Dear when you are home the pup is in your lap or you are holding it or you are 100% focused on it. It is just like an infant, not capable of going on command at that age. I often took mine outside every 30 min when they were awake, and as soon as they woke up. It is a pack animal, it needs you and is so new to the family you need it to bond with it first then comes the training, take it easy, listen to your instinct. Good luck.
Good luck with your 'baby.' A lot of this is trial and error. What works for me and my dog (with our personalities, schedules, whatever) will not work for you. I suggest you take everyone's advice and adapt it to you and your doggie's personalities and schedules.
Be aware this is just a small baby. Accidents will happen.
I found a good website which reminded me of "What to Expect When you are Expecting." (for moms having a baby). Only it does months per your puppy. It was helpful to me so I could measure my dog's progress. I will pm you the link.
Taking our dog out every 20-30 minutes when she was a puppy is what I believe helped to quickly train her. It's a pain, and feels like a never ending cycle of trips outside, LOL, but it was a lot better than dealing with the frustration of cleaning up messes. We kept her gated in the kitchen as well when we were home, and then on a leash in the family room and out to "try" very frequently. And give your puppy LOTS of praise when he goes outside. Good luck. I thought ours would never leave the potty training phase, but now she's 2 years old and just fine out in general population.
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