Tammi's World

When our dog was a pup, we blocked off a section of the kitchen and put down newspapers (having the dog relieve himself on that leftwing rag seemed oddly appropriate). We didn't let him roam unsupervised until he was pretty much housebroken. Count on at least a month before Cody gets the routine down.

I am so in love with your dog, it's not funny.

Tammi: I know that it is hard with your first pup...but you HAVE to get a crate. Mark my words: You WILL regret it later if you don't...once a MALE dog starts peeing in the house they won't stop. I resisted with my first dog (even though I worked at a vet and told everyone else to do it) and with our new pup we decided to give it a go. It was wonderful and I am annoyed that I didn't save myself a lot of hassle (and carpet cleaner) by doing it the first time... She was totally trained in two weeks and after that we left the door to the crate open and three years later she still sleeps in there and whines if the door gets closed accidentally and she can't get in. Dogs are pack/cave animals by nature and the crate gives the a 'safe' place that is just theirs. I never bought into it before and thought it was mean --but I am a born again dog owner!

You've been cleaning up the spots with the odor eliminator right? If you haven't been - just using regular floor cleaner... he still smells the old stuff and thinks that he can go in the house!

ALa is right. A crate is essential. My dog still hangs out in his crate, and he's eleven years old (he still thinks he's a puppy, though). You just have to make sure that the crate is the right size for your dog. If it's too large at this stage, he'll go to the bathroom in one side and sleep in the other. He just needs enough room to be able to stand up and turn around while he's inside it.

I got a crate for up to 25lbs. BUT it has the divider panel so I have it sized down for him at this stage. It's big enough for him to lay down in, has the wind-up alarm clock and a blanky. I also always put his stuffed puppy in there with him, and he usually ends up curled up with that.

I think my problem is in when he should be in it. Honest to goodness dummy here was only keeping him in there when I'm gone and at night. Then I get him out, play with him and try to spend time with him. Then put him back in there and take him out in an hour again.....

I need to get the video. I'm going to PetSmart tomorrow.

Really - I'm a very bright girl - honest to goodness. :-(

We won't go into how long it took to get Jake *mostly* house trained. We tried the crate, but all he did was whine and cry - even with a clock. So consider yourself luck.

It's all part of the process and you're not doing anything wrong. Keep him on a routine when you're home. Set the kitchen timer for 45 minutes. Every 45 minutes take him out and let him go potty and praise him, make a HUGE deal out of it (roll him around in the grass, pet him all over his body all the positive reinforcements), even give him a little puppy treat when you bring him back in the house for going potty outside.

Accidents will happen. There is nothing you can do about it. Like you said, he's 6 weeks old and its all part of a process. (I remember Boo when she was a puppy peeing TWICE on the floor in front of me while I was on the phone...and she'd just been out.) Everyone has good advice and you just need to find what works best for you.

Limit Cody's areas of access. Block of parts of the house (use chairs on their side if you need to) to limit where he can go and only keep him where you can see him. You'll learn to recognize his body language and get him out sometimes before he even realizes whats going on. It's a process and you'll be just fine! This too shall pass.

LeAnn is absolutely right. It just takes a little time. The absolute last set of muscles to develope on a puppy are the ones that control the bladder. If he gets excited...pee. Scared...pee. Playing really hard...pee.They can't help it.

my dog LOVES her crate. My kids love theirs, too! ;-)