# another housebreaking question



## justaddsarah (Jan 14, 2014)

I tried the bells on my spoo when he was really young ~ 12 weeks and it ended up being a chew toy so I removed them. I have recently added them back on around 5-6 months and it took him a couple of weeks - 1 month to catch on. I did the same as you, ring the bells say the command "outside" and let him on his way. I never really used his paws or nose to move the bells, he sort of picked that up on his own. I would just recommend you stay consistent with it and eventually your pup will pick it up. Mine's 7 months old now and hasn't had an accident in over a month. I still take him out regularly although now I wait until he stands over by the door and/or rings his bell (more often if he's drunk a lot of water). If I'm kenneling him, he can hold it 7-8 hours, but when I'm home I'd rather take him out more often and prevent an accident than go through the trouble of cleaning it up.


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## mom2Zoe (Jun 17, 2014)

Thanks for the reply. i was beginning to think I have the only dumb dog here.
It seems everyone else hung the bells and boom their dog rang it. I am glad to hear it took some time.
I really am taking her out every two hours when out of crate so maybe if i extended the time it would giver her a reason to ring the bells. I guess I am nervous to give her the opportunity to have an accident.
I get different opinions from people. Some say if out of crate she will need to go more frequently and a lot of what I read said she can hold it at least her age and maybe one more month. It seems to imply out of crate too. 
I haven't got many replies and my vet is useless so i am switching. A lot of times I feel like a worried new mommy. I never felt that way raising six kids. I even had one at 22 and I always felt secure in my instincts . Go figure.. Lol


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## mom2Zoe (Jun 17, 2014)

So I really didn't get an answer. If Zoe is out of the crate she shouldn't be able to hold it more than two hours and this age? 
She does not like her expen, but I want to get her used to it. So once a week i leave it open with her crate on the outside and a pillow and toys in expen. The thing is she will never go in crate and wait the 4 hours from peeing . However, not really 4 hrs in crate, I play for an hour or so before putting her back.( when I need to go out} She does fine with that. If I leave her in expen she will pee.
She hasn't had an accident in a week or so without being in expen because my eyes are always on her. I take her out every two hrs when out of crate. Should I forget the expen?
How am I doing? Can I be better? what can I improve on?


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

Hi mom2six, I don't think our puppies can hold as long when out of the crate - not so much because they can't physically (because clearly they can when they don't go inside the crate) - I think it is more like there is less motivation to do so when they are not in their crates. I think an expen probably does not have the same effect on her as the crate does - she can probably designate a potty spot for herself in there. 

I still think an expen would be useful for keeping her safely confined but with room while you are otherwise occupied. However, for potting, maybe it is best to think of it as being no different from loose in the house and continue with the every 2 hour potty breaks.

Maybe being in the expen limits her ability to ring the bells a bit, too?


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

P.S. I totally get what you're saying about "parenting" a puppy instead of children! I am the mom of five myself and I had more confidence with my babies than I do with Dulcie. lol Therefore all the studying and asking questions! 
You are an expert on human babies and now you're learning to speak the language of a new species' baby!


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## mom2Zoe (Jun 17, 2014)

The only reason I used the expen at all is to get her used to it cause she rather be in crate while I am out doing errands. I just want to know that eventually she can stay in that area with her crate when I am gone for a longer period one day.
Glad you can relate to what I am saying. How old are your children? Mine are 24, 21, 18, 14, 10 and 6.


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

Oh I hear you on using the expen. I have one too, though I've been using it outdoors to mark a potty space that is away from the hostas in the garden. I think your idea of giving her more space when you need to be out for awhile is a great one.
My daughter did that with her pup. At first there were accidents, but gradually that dried up (). I think my daughter made the area smaller at first (I mean, second - first she tried the whole expen, and then after the pup had accidents, she then went back to square one and made the area smaller), so that the puppy thought of it all as her "den" area. As she was successful with not having accidents in the smaller expen area, my daughter gradually increased the area. I think she just folded sections back onto themselves at first and made a smaller square, then gradually added a section at a time as long as her pup was accident free. If the pup had another accident, she went back a size smaller. Does that sound doable?

My kids are 26, 24, 22, and 18 year old twins. 

ETA MY daughter's pup is a toy too.


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

I agree with others who said that she can hold it longer when crated than not. The rule one hour for each month plus one is what I use for crating purposes during the day. She can obviously hold it longer at night since she is not eating right before bed and is probably sleeping the whole time.

I think you are in a hurry for her to develop communication habits to let you know when she wants to go outside because you want to stop worrying about it. Dogs sometimes learn things better after 6 or 7 months than before. So if she isn't using the bell too much, I don't think now is the time to worry if and when she will use it. Give it months. Try not to think about it. 

You are doing a good job of watching her so accidents don't happen. Try extending the hours but keep her close so you can catch her if she does have an accident. Sometimes you NEED to catch them pottying in the house so that you can let them know, no, this isn't the place to do it. Just so long as you only correct them a time or two and going inside the house isn't a habit.

The x-pen has a lot of uses besides what you are using it for. I use it to block off sections of my house which are too big for a normal baby gate. It can be used outside in the grass if you wanted her to be with you while you are working in the yard but you don't want to watch her all the time.

I have a dog cot in my bedroom even though the dogs sleep on the bed. When a dog is sick, I don't want to have it sleep on the bed and I feel bad crating it. So I put an x-pen around the dog cot when a dog is sick, and they sleep there.

I think it would be great for you if she got use to an x-pen. Have you tried putting pee pads in a holder that prevent her from destroying the pee pad so that if she does have an accident in the x-pen, she is doing it on the pee pad. Some people like their dogs to know how to go outside and also use a pee pad so that if the weather is bad, their small dogs can go inside. Maybe inside an x-pen is the only place in the house she could be allowed to potty. Just something to consider.

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Solution-Training-Holder-21-Inch/dp/B00858W9QC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1405548000&sr=8-4&keywords=dog+wee+wee+pad+holder[/ame]


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

I had never thought of those other uses for an x-pen, minipoo! What great ideas!


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## mom2Zoe (Jun 17, 2014)

i have we wee pads and thought of that as an option in the long run. Right now I think it is sending a mixed message about going in the house.That is why I have been making myself so available to Zoe so she understands that going in house isn't an option.
I heard of people going away for hours and leaving a pee pad. During the week it would never be a problem. The weekends if we have a commitment and would be away for hours that sounds like a great idea eventually.
I wonder what people do? My friend who works full time says her dog holds it for hours. I can't hold it for hours so I wonder if I could ever expect Zoe to.


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## mom2Zoe (Jun 17, 2014)

nifty said:


> Oh I hear you on using the expen. I have one too, though I've been using it outdoors to mark a potty space that is away from the hostas in the garden. I think your idea of giving her more space when you need to be out for awhile is a great one.
> My daughter did that with her pup. At first there were accidents, but gradually that dried up (). I think my daughter made the area smaller at first (I mean, second - first she tried the whole expen, and then after the pup had accidents, she then went back to square one and made the area smaller), so that the puppy thought of it all as her "den" area. As she was successful with not having accidents in the smaller expen area, my daughter gradually increased the area. I think she just folded sections back onto themselves at first and made a smaller square, then gradually added a section at a time as long as her pup was accident free. If the pup had another accident, she went back a size smaller. Does that sound doable?
> 
> My kids are 26, 24, 22, and 18 year old twins.
> ...


Yes, that sounds doable. However, the idea of the expen really was just to give her more space. I probably should just keep her in crate where I know she will keep dry until she is more ready. She hates being down in basement and prefers the crate in the kitchen anyhow. i guess she will get used to the exoen when I am leaving her for a long period. It really wouldn't happen until i know she is fully trained.
Our children are similar ages. Your last three


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

We each do things differently. I would put the xpen where I was located, not in the basement where I was not around. If that is how you are using it, I can see why she isn't getting use to it.

If you don't want to use pee pads in the xpen or reduce the size, yes, I think she would go potty in it this early in her training.

I think a lot of people use both pee pads and outside training with toy dogs at the beginning. It might actually be harder to get her to use pee pads if you try to introduce them later. It would be interesting to get other people's experience who use both pee pads and taking them outside to see when they started to use the pee pads.


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## mom2Zoe (Jun 17, 2014)

Maybe I will put a pee pad in the expen. I just still think it is confusing.
I am only going to use expen once a week to get her used to it long term. She doesn't enjoy being in basement. Who could blame her?
Her crate is in kitchen where all the action is.


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