# House training n an apartment



## Searcher (Aug 7, 2009)

Yes, it is doable. After the first few weeks we never had an accident & all of the ones we had in those first 2 weeks were our fault for not reading her signals. You do have to be very diligent about getting your dog out. As a puppy we started with every hour, then every 2 hours, etc. We have a standard poodle & live on the second floor with lots of steps. Night were a bit difficult at first but it really didn't take long for her to sleep thru the night. If I remember correctly it was about a month. 
What type of apartment are you in? Do you have a porch? What story are you on? Where do you live? What size poodle are you planning on? All those may make a difference in the approach you use.


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## sparkyjoe (Oct 26, 2011)

Can you maybe give a little more information about your apartment situation (I take it that you're not on the first floor? Is there a patio?).

Also what size Poodle you have or are thinking of getting?

I live in a townhome condo, so I have easy access to the outdoors, but my patio area is currently not fenced, so there is the need to always take the time to leash before going out.

I got my SPoo when he was around 4 months and I don't seem to remember putting paper or pads in his kennel when I had to go out, but I came home every day at lunch to run him outside for the first several months.

I've dreamed of those indoor potty spots when the temps were in the extreme negatives, or it was raining like a monsoon, but it didn't seem practical for a male SPoo who occasionally lifted his leg to piddle. For a smaller dog I could imagine that they are more realistic.

I think I've heard of folks with a medium sized dog training it to use the bathtub as it's toilet when they lived in a highrise or it wasn't easy for the human to get outside for some reason like a disability. (I'm not saying it's ideal or even pleasant to think of, but I've heard of it. Really!) 

Maybe there's a trustworthy neighbor in your building who's home during the day that you could have take your dog out during the day?

Use your imagination and keep an open mind.


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## sparkyjoe (Oct 26, 2011)

Ah, I just read that you have an 8wk old mini.


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

Housetraining in an apartment shouldn't be any different than housetraining in a house. I lived for decades in apartments with dogs, and there's nothing very different about taking a dog out from an apartment or a house, other than not having the convenience of a fenced yard. I know some people train a dog to eliminate in a special place, litter box or pad, in an apartment, but that has always seemed super icky to me :smile:.

However, if the puppy is that young, and there is no one around all day until the pup is about 4 or 5 months old, you may have to provide an appropriate place to eliminate until the puppy can physically hold it.

If I were housetraining a dog in an apartment, I would just be extremely scrupulous about providing PLENTY of opportunities to eliminate outside. Every hour at least, at that age.


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## khowie (Nov 24, 2011)

*Thanks*

Thanks for the reassurance that it is doable. He is an 8 week old mini and there is always someone home with him except for the occasional hour where I need to go out for groceries or what not, at which point he goes into his crate which he is fabulous in now, just goes right to sleep. 
I really just wanted to hear that it could be done as I kept reading about the newspaper and pad method being used in apartments so I was unsure. We live on the 6th floor so it does take a bit of time to get outside.


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## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

We live in a high-rise and we have a patio. Nickel came home when he was 9 wks old and has become reliably bell-trained and litterbox trained within a few weeks. The dog litter is getting expensive and more difficult to find (only Petsmart carries it and the closest store is 10 miles away) so we recently switched to the Potty Park. Nickel got the idea within the same day.

My mini boy has no problem using the Potty Park and outdoor on grass and/or gravels. When we are not home, he can hold it in until we are back.


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## khowie (Nov 24, 2011)

Thanks for the replies! I forgot to mention that we do not have a patio. We are finding house training difficult as sometimes our lil guy goes 4 times in one hour. We will take him out, he appears done and then within 10 minutes He is peeing inside again. Sometimes he doesn't even stop and sniff, it's just playing one second and then peeing the next. I think perhaps his blatter just needs to mature more. He is already catching on with others things like sitting and he does pee on command when outside so he is a smart lil guy.


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## dcyk (Nov 30, 2011)

I stay in an apartment too, and i have a cage with a tray for my TPOO instead of a crate, the cage is quite spacious for him, so he tends to eliminate one side and sleep on the other.

I kinda encourage him to do his business in the cage giving him much praise everytime he does it. Now everytime he's out playing or feeding in the hall, he will just run back into the cage to do his business big or small, and that's just in 2 weeks time. Allow for mistakes, it will still happen 

Don't overfeed, more goes in more comes out, just feed enough


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## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

This is the first time I live in a high-rise with a patio. In the past 20 years, I live in condos with no patio and all my dogs were house trained. You just have to take him out every hour (when he's young). I will also bring his favorite toy and play with him in the public space (hallway, lobby, elevator, etc.) and hang around those places, that way he will get the idea those are part of his den and that he should hold his bladder until we are out of the building.


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## petitpie (Nov 16, 2011)

*apartment training*

I trained my mini poo puppy in a puppy playpen in my apartment in college. It's was larger and I lined it with piddle pads. I also took her out often on a leash and it seemed to all work OK.


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## wickednag (Nov 30, 2011)

I am going to ask a really dumb question having never lived in an apt that allowed pets... why would the training be any different? I would think you have to go out with all pups to tell them what a good job they did and you crate train for no accidents while you are home. Curious if anyone has an answer. Thanks!

Read all the responses and did read from a member who did say it would be no different. Thanks for the insight.


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

khowie said:


> We are finding house training difficult as sometimes our lil guy goes 4 times in one hour. We will take him out, he appears done and then within 10 minutes He is peeing inside again. Sometimes he doesn't even stop and sniff, it's just playing one second and then peeing the next. I think perhaps his blatter just needs to mature more. He is already catching on with others things like sitting and he does pee on command when outside so he is a smart lil guy.


The Fountain of Youth is way overrated :smile:.

Yes, his ability to hold it will increase with age. As will his ability to recognise BEFORE the event that he has to pee. 

Poodles are FANTASTIC to work with. He's not too young to start training; if you search on Kikopup on Youtube, there are some great videos of clicker training puppies.


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## dcyk (Nov 30, 2011)

I use his tray for his business as I live at a high rise. he learned how to go back the same spot within 2 weeks. now he seldom make mistake except for yesterday when he was over excited and wet himself greeting me home. I was late home haha


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## dcyk (Nov 30, 2011)

I use his tray for his business as I live at a high rise. he learned how to go back the same spot within 2 weeks. now he seldom make mistake except for yesterday when he was over excited and wet himself greeting me home. I was late home haha


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## khowie (Nov 24, 2011)

So I just wanted to follow up/vent a little about our struggle with housetraining in an apartment. We have now had our miniature poodle for almost 2 months and he is 16 weeks old. He is such a great little guy but we are still struggling with him peeing in the apartment. We are trying so hard to follow all the suggestions on house training (keeping him in a confined area, tethering him, taking him out frequently etc.) but he still has an accident about once a day in the house, usually in the evening. I wonder if maybe he just gets tired and that is playing a factor. I still can't figure out any signals that he needs to pee either, he doesn't sniff or anything. I do feel like sometimes he has to go very suddenly. 
The frusterating thing is when we have stayed with family in a house he does not have any accidents and picks up where to go right away. I'm still meddling with the idea of getting a litter box for him but would rather he just go outside.

Is it bad that he is still struggling with this? I feel like he should have caught on by now.


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## petitpie (Nov 16, 2011)

Maybe you can start ruling out and trying some things:

He has his accidents in the same place with remaining odor.....
Something is happening in the household about the same time, triggering the behavior.....
Try something completely new like a litter box......
Have your vet check him for infection......
Take him out more often......
Watch him more closely......

Keep posting......


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