# Housetraining



## IvanD (Mar 25, 2007)

Hey all,

Micah just had another accident in the middle of the living room :no: 

Which brought me to ask this question, how do you actually teach a pup WHERE *not* to go?

I mean, he *knows* that he can go in his toilet area, after a nap I could carry him to the area and he would immediately pee there. He knows he is supposed to pee there, but how can I teach the pup to know that the rest of the house is "restricted" area for doing his buisness?

Also, how do you teach your pup to go to the toilet area by himself? Since I live in a flat (18th floor) my unused toilet is his toilet area. Will he someday learn to just rush into the toilet and pee there? Or do I have to teach that?

Thanks!
Ivan


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## IvanD (Mar 25, 2007)

Anyone... I'm at a loss here... Lucky my mom wasn't home when that happened... phew.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Zero Unspervised Time.

He learns the right place to go by us making it impossible for him to go anywhere else.

Are you sure you really want an adult Golden peeing in your bathroom for his entire life? EW! I know it's a pain to schlep him outside everytime, but as an adult, it's totally realistic to think he can hold it during the day and go pee when you walk him (first thing in the morning, when you get home from school and a quickie pee walk before bed). I'd only be using that bathroom newspaper as an emergency last resort right now.

The problem is you can't give him too much freedom right now b/c he doesn't yet know you want him to travel to the paper in the bathroom when he has to pee. And he's still so young, by the time he realizes he has to pee, if he's too far from the paper (like in the living room) there's no way he'd be able to make it there on time. He may know you want him to pee on the paper when you bring him into the bathroom but dogs are lousy generalizers, so in his mind, that doesn't mean you want him to first FIND the paper when he's elsewhere and had to pee.

All comes back to management, supervision and anticipating his needs... coupled with Zero Unsupervised Time.

And really, I'd strongly recommend teaching him to go OUTSIDE. Is there a grassy parkway ourside your bldg. door or will he be going on concrete outside? Housetraining is about preferred surfaces, too... so if he goes too long peeing on newspaper, he won't want to go on grass. You'll take him outside and he'll be looking for the newspaper!

-S


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## IvanD (Mar 25, 2007)

What do you suggest I do though...

I mean living on the 18th floor doesn't make things easier. And outside my buildings there are no grassy areas. All concrete...

What I had in mind was before he can walk (he's only had his first vaccination) I'll train him to go in the bathroom... And when he gets used to the paper, I can slowly reduce the size of the paper and maybe make a specific area for him then later on maybe the only place with newspaper would be a tray where he can pee or poo.

That way, even if for some reason he can't go out for the whole day he can have somewhere to do his buisness?

Also, is it possible to teach a dog to go on both on his walks and in the house?

Is this actually a good idea? It's quite hard to bring him down out of the building too as it would take approx. 2-3 minutes to take the lift and not to mention waiting for the lift...


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## goldencity (May 26, 2005)

At the risk of sounding too blunt, you chose to get a dog when you live 18 floors up, so now its YOUR responsibility to put up with the inconvinience!

OK, at the moment Micah cant go out as he needs to have had his injections. So for now, its constant vigilence on your part! Pups dont think in advance "Oh, I'm going to need to pee soon, better find the paper" they just pee when and where they have too! You sound like you are making headway with training him to use the paper, so keep up the good work.

BUT you do need to start taking him out as soon as you can, you cant keep an adult Golden indoors all the time! I know its a pain with the lift and everything, but you will have to do it. As an adult, Micah should be OK going out first thing, several times during the day and at bedtime. Dogs will "go" on concrete and I'm sure you will "poop scoop" after him. He will also need a proper walk, not much as a pup, but an hour a day at least as an adult. Is there a park/open space you could walk to? You are going to have to build your routine round him- Walk in the morning before school/college/work, then another when you get home. 
You will also find dog training classes fun and usefull, Micah will enjoy them as well! Think of it this way, you will be so much fitter from all that excercise.


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## IvanD (Mar 25, 2007)

I am putting up with the inconvenience, what do you think I'm paper training him for?

And yes I understand about the walking your dog concept. I never disagreed on it.


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## goldencity (May 26, 2005)

Dont get cross, Ivan, only trying to help! You are obviously working hard at the paper training [by the way you can get thick disposable training pads here rather than newspaper which might be better as Micah gets older]. Glad to hear you will be walking when he is bigger- perhaps you like bike riding or running? Lots of adult GR's do this with their owners.


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## IvanD (Mar 25, 2007)

Yea, but I would have to wait for awhile before I can actually run or bike with him or else I'll risk hip dysplasia in Micah...


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Just a thought -- I'd start taking him down and asking him to pee outside on the concrete even with one set of shots. Unless you live in an area where there are lots of shady, feral dogs running around, he should be fine.

My own dogs actually go lots of places with me when I first get them with one set of shots. I don't go to the park or hang out in questionable neighborhoods with "seedy dogs". If you're in a high rise district in Hong Kong - plus if there isn't lots of grass around for poop and stuff to be in... A personal decision, of course, but getting out would do wonders for a lot of stuff:

Helpful for housetraining.
Great socialization - expousre to sights, sounds, smells, surfaces
A bit of exercise - a tired puppy is a good puppy.

If you don't want to do that, then you need to aim for Zero Unsupervised Time, which means exactly that. Until you've had 3 months of no accidents in the flat, he's only EVER alowed to be one of three places:

1. Somewhere he's allowed to pee. Closed up in your bathroom with the paper.

2. Somwwhere he won't want to pee. The crate.

3. 150% supervised. Leashed to you so he's with you wherever you go.

Take him to the potty area every 30-40 mins right now and also right after he's had water, played, had a nap, etc.

-S


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Ivan,

Right now do you carry him to the papers? If you do, maybe you should have him walk there, so he knows how he is supposed to get there.

When I take Brady out of his crate, he will follow me right to the door to go potty outside. On days he feels like chasing a cat or child before going out, I just grab his collar and help him in the correct direction.


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## IvanD (Mar 25, 2007)

I do carry him. I'll take your advice and start walking him there...

Thanks


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## Cam's Mom (Apr 13, 2007)

*peeing*

Hey Ivan,

First, newspaper is great if it's for a short while. As he gets older, and still can't wait till he's outside...and realistically and reliably asking him to hold it till he's 5-6 months would be asking a bit much. I've never lived in Hong Kong, so am not sure what materials you have readily available...but I'd invest in a large tray (plastic under the bed storage container?)of some sort...thinking 30 ins by 45-50 ins that could be filled with some type of disposable, absorbant material for him to pee and poop in. Cat litter? soil? mulch? Cedar or pine chips (used for rodent bedding...and naturally oder stopping) Sand is not absorbant. Newspaper would work for now. Poop can be removed, litter changed as often as it gets smelly. Baking Soda is a good odor absorber and cheap...mix it with the absorbant material

How to teach him where not to pee....in order to do that you must expect a few accidents(you'll need your mom's co-operation on this one). Play with him preferably in a place with an easily washable floor or put down a washable tarpauline)...while playing he'll need to pee more frequently than while resting or sleeping. While you're playing with him watch him carefully, but do not take him to his potty spot. When he's about to pee, he may begin to squat, stop playing and look for what he thinks is a great spot to pee, make an almost imperceptible whimper, look at you...all pups have their own way of letting you know....you need to be very observant and catch that marker...then exactly at the moment he is about to pee, scoop him up (gently but urgently...that will stop him peeing), say "uh oh" at the same time, and move very quickly to his pee spot. have lots of yummy treats available in his "bathroom", and reward him liberally if he goes there of his own accord. Yummy means something special, chicken, small cubes of cheese, cooked liver...not cookies. But make sure if you use lots of treats to decrease his food ration a bit.

"Uh oh" cannot be said crossly...and it's a great way of generally letting him know he's doing something not acceptable..keep it for peeing in the wrong place for now. If you anticipate him peeing and take him all the time, he won't learn so quickly to let you know. However, you should always take him as soon as you let him out of his crate, when he wakes up from a nap, after you've been palying with him etc...the more times he gets praised and rewarded for going in the right place the faster you'll have success.

If you get mad with him, he will learn that it's not safe to pee in front of you, and hide to pee...you want to avoid that tactic...and you certainly don't want him to be scared to come to you.

Some pups get it between 9-10 weeks...some can be 3-4 months before they're reliable...all I can add is that, he has to be physically able to know when he feels the need to pee, and also realise that his Potty spot is the place to go to pee....not all puppies develop physically at the same rate...and first and foremost he needs to reach that stage...then all the training you've been doing will magically kick in!

Do you take him outside. I have a friend who lives in an appartment in New York, and when she got her pup she had a buggy for him so he could be socialised and get used to sounds and smells, meet the neighbors etc without "gettin his feet dirty" Be careful, very careful around the 11 week mark...it's a fear period for puppies and anything that freaks him out at this time will be difficult to remedy. Slamming doors, shouting, the cookie tin falling, a bulldozer crashing through a wall, fire sirens , going on an elevator ofr the first time etc. He needs to feel very safe for this couple of weeks...but still be socialised...this next three weeks is critical for you to socialize him with people, places, other animals..as much as you possibly can. Having friends over is an easy way to get him to meet lots of people. Putting hats or glasses on yourself, or your mom wearing something unusual will get him used to strange looking people...we have a lot of fun with dress up when we have puppies, just to get them used to weird looking characters!! And the faces they make when they see you dressed up will make for some wonderful photos.

Are there puppy classes available? Getting him with other puppies will be great for socialising, and use up lots of energy! Remeber if you go anywhere with him to take his "Pee on" material with you, or he won't know where to pee... if in the futrue he will need to pee in the gutter, then that is where you should put his paper or litter for him to practise.

Good luck and let us know how it goes

Margaret


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## IvanD (Mar 25, 2007)

Darn. You are pro.

Just a slight question about socialisation with dogs...

Micah has seen quite a lot of humans and were pretty good around them. Excited and all and always jumping on people (we ARE in the proccess of discouraging that) but he's never played with another dog...

As I've been told its not safe for Micah until he gets all his shots... Is this true? And if so, would waiting until he gets all his shots be too late to socialize?


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## Cam's Mom (Apr 13, 2007)

No, don't wait, he should socialize..just be careful who with...try and find local people who have dogs that you know are vaccinated. Ask your vet for some people who might be willing to meet you and Micah, or ask a dog trainer if they have a puppy socializing class...if it's all puppies they might need to have had at least the second set of shots, but you could go and watch older dogs training in an indoor area...and meet and greet before and after the training session...it's a good idea to talk to the instructor first! I think you said you helped in a recue...do any of those people have vaccinated dogs Micah could play with? Do you have freinds who have dogs? That would be a good place to start. 

In California dogs have to be vaccinated to attend classes...Of course I do not know about Hong Kong...you'd need to check.

Margaret


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## IvanD (Mar 25, 2007)

Well my aunt does have a Yorkshire Terrier who is fully vaccinated. But sure that might be fine, but convincing my mom and my aunt is another story. I don't think Micah would be able to socialize with dogs until he is fully vaccinated... which might be 2 months later...


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