# Potty training!!



## Patrick Stowell (Jul 16, 2017)

I need help. I know there's probably another thread out there similar to mine, but I just can't seem to find an answer for the way I'm doing it. 

Milly is 9 weeks old. I got her TWO Sunday's ago (I got her July 2nd 2017). Since beginning, I've been crate potty training her. Given her bladder at her age, I let her out on a leash to a spot I designated about every 3 hours, when she does the duty, I praise her with tons of belly rubs, encouraging voice, etc. When finished, I let her back in and she's allowed to play with my two girls for about 5-10 min, as well as eat and replenish on fluids. Then it's back in the kennel for her. Iv'e been doing this for 2 weeks, and she's gotten great at sleeping all through the night, and only cries when I put her in the kennel for 5 min. My issue is, shouldn't she at least have some idea of what I'm trying to accomplish with her? Today, I was thinking, "It's been 2 weeks, maybe she's a LITTLE more ready", so I allowed her to be out of the kennel for about 20 min. Well, she did her business on my carpet. I'm asking you all for help, because she didn't even let me know she needed to go by going by our door, scratching, etc. She just sniffed around, and let it all out on the carpet. Please tell me what I'm doing wrong. Or maybe it's just too early to assume that she's getting the potty training routine down. Thanks!


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

The light bulb for potty training doesn't usually happen until around 4 months. That's when they really start to get it. May I suggest taking her out more often. No reason to keep her crated 3 hrs in between potty breaks. Usually they need to be taken out every half hour to hour if you are home. Take her out after napping, eating, and playing. Also maybe a xpen or use a baby gate to confine to a area with hard floors so she isn't in the crate so much.


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## usually lurking (Apr 21, 2017)

Unless I am misunderstanding, your puppy is in the crate way for way too much time. She's only out for about 5-10 min + eating a few times a day? She needs to be out whenever you are around and watching her or she isn't getting the exercise she needs. You are isolating her, and that will lead to a host of problems that will be much worse than her peeing on your carpet.

As for the housetraining, you've taught her to hold it in her crate, not in your house. Get her out of the crate, and take her outside to potty every 15 minutes. When she's successful at the 15 minute mark for a few days, move to 20, then 30, etc. How would she even know to go to the door if she's always in her crate? If you want to teach that, then get her out of the crate, and EVERY SINGLE time she is near the door, take her out. She'll learn that if she wants to go out, she should go to the door.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Your puppy is a tiny baby and will not be trust worthy on carpet for a few months. You need to back it up and realize that it will take 2 months of work on your part to potty trainer her, not two weeks.


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## Vika the Golden ! (Jun 18, 2017)

To be honest I never used a crate for potty training but a bell ! She could walk around the house and when it was time she rung the bell and we let her go to her puppy pad which was on the balcony! Now at 7 month she is fully Potty trained! 

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## G-bear (Oct 6, 2015)

A 9 week old puppy doesn't have the bladder control to be housebroken even if it understood the concept. She is a baby and her bladder is not developed enough for her to have control yet. It will take time for that to happen. In the meantime you need to take her out MUCH more often than every 3 hours. At that age she should be taken out, on a leash, to the same spot, every 30 minutes or so. When she goes potty praise her. Not just a "good girl" but as if she had won you the NY lottery. 
You are probably feeding her 3 times a day. With my puppies I have fed them at 6 AM, noon and 6 PM. I took them out within 15 minutes of eating. Her access to water should be limited 4 hours before you put her to bed at night. So assuming you go to bed at 11 PM take up her water at 7 PM. No more water until morning. 
If she cries at night take her out. Assuming you have a small crate for her she generally will not soil where she sleeps. If she cries at night pick her up (most puppies will not poop or pee while being carried) put a leash on her and take her to her potty spot in your yard. Praise her when she goes potty. No play time. Take her back and put her in her crate.
Please do not crate her so much. Puppies, especially goldens, really need to interact with their people. By not doing this with her you are truly missing one of the great joys of having a puppy. If you can gate off an area of your home which is not carpeted. Or buy an x-pen. I have seen them very cheap on Craigs list. 
Lastly-- housebreaking, as any other training, does not happen overnight. It, like any training, is a process. There will be days where you are absolutely sure she gets it and is well on her way to being housebroken but there will be accidents. It is part of having a puppy. 
My rule of thumb for housebreaking is that I consider my dogs housebroken when the can go for 2 months without an accident in the house. For some of the dogs I have had I have considered them housebroken at 5 months...for others it has been a year. It depends on the dog. Don't give up hope. It will happen it just takes time. And in the meantime get that little girl out of her crate and have fun with her. You will be so glad that you did!


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## NothingbutGold (Apr 2, 2017)

I too, got our new puppy at 8 weeks on July 2nd. He has had very few accidents in our home. Early on, I read an article stating that it is important, when potty training, to bring a puppy out after a change in activity. So if he eats, 15 minutes later, I bring him out. If he plays as soon as he is calm, out he goes. As soon as he wakes up from a nap, out he goes. He usually wakes up once overnight in an 8 hour period. When he fusses for more than I few moment, I bring him out. I keep him in a crate at night. During the day, he is gated in our family room if I can keep an eye on him. If I can't keep and eye on him, I have a playpen to keep him in. When he falls asleep for a nap during the day, I put him in his crate. Realizing time is not a factor when it comes to potty training but observations, has help a lot.


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