Michael asked…
“my puppy is 9 weeks old. she has the idea of going to the door when she has to go.
in her crate that is a different story. she will peee and poop in it. the crate Is the proper size for her. she has room to stand turn around and lay down. she will just sit in it. she came from a litter of 13. they were paper trained.”
Our advice:
9 weeks is still quite a young age, but it is good that your pup already understands how to let you know she needs to go when not in her crate.
If she has started soiling the crate, it might be time to go back to basics:
How long does she spend in the crate? (remember, puppies can only last a couple of hours before they need to potty). If she has been soiling because too long a time has gone by for her to hold on, then you need to be a little more vigilant and look for any signs – does she start to circle or scratch while in the crate, if so, that is a sign you need to take her outdoors. Once she knows that you will let her out, she will be more inclined to let you know she needs to go. Reinforce the action by using a command or prompt like “wanna go potty” or something similar when you are about to take her to pee.
You will probably need to give all bedding and the crate a good clean with a detergent that will eradicate the scent of previous soiling before you can start training her again, too.
Otherwise it will be back to the basics: set a routine and stick to it, especially with regards to toilet straight after meals. Give her a few weeks and you will see an improvement.
Tags: crate training, House Training Your Dog, potty training
dog training tips…
It seems that we share similar thoughts….