potty training - what am I doing wrong?

[ratdog]

Cody is a 12 week old Doberman female. She is a sweet and seemingly happy puppy. She seems to be smart but when it comes to housebreaking I'm at a loss. I try to take her out every 2 to 3 hours during the day. Sometimes she will go but there have been times when she just goes crazy and will not even attempt to go. Then when she gets inside she goes on the carpet. She even goes in her crate. It is small enough that you would think she would not want to soil her bed space. She is distracted very easily and when I say go crazy, I mean "nuts". Not vicious but just hyper crazy. She gets exercise but this is as if she has been penned up for a week. She is better at doing her poop outside than pee, although sometimes she will do some poop outside and come in and do it again inside right after bringing her in. I praise her when she does her business outside. And on my vet's recommendation I don't react to her doing it inside unless I actually catch her in the act. I scold her then. Is it just that she is young or am I doing something wrong?

Please, any suggestions are appreciated.

Terri

[MagicM3]

Terri

Don't give up these times can be very trying..there are lots of posts about this subject but I'm not sure how to get them maybe someone else can point you in the right direction.

From what you write she sounds like she may be a bit hyper and distractable.. .and sometimes some our our fur babies ....just like our skin babies take a bit longer to figure things out..

You may think about letting her take more time out side..??
It sounds like your vet doesn't think there is any medical problems ..so it is a matter of time and timing.

How often you feed her,,how much she is drinking...

I would start by trying to relax a bit and giving her more time...even when we are in a hurry..we need to take the time..and always reward her when she does things right..they need to know when they are doing things right..

Tricia and the fur kids

[ratdog]

Hey Tricia,

I spend as much as 20 to 30 min outside with her. I throw the ball for her and let her run wild. She needs the exercise. She is distractable, though. I feed her 2 times a day and leave water down until around 9pm. She drinks a fair amount of water. Even when she eats she gets distracted. She will eat for about 30 seconds then go after a toy. And if she sees another toy she may go after it forgetting about the toy she was just playing with. It really is quite comical. But when outside there is just too much stimulation. There are many dogs by our house that bark when we go out. There are cats as well. And now she is starting to bark at people (which is ok with me :^) but she seems to forget why she is out there. The vet is analyzing her poop and I should hear from him Thursday. I think it is just part of the puppy checkup. But her poop has been almost green sometimes and not very hard. Any comments on that?

I love this little girl. She just melts my heart. I only want her to grow up without any issues, especially caused by me. I don't want to do anything to cause her to have bad habits because of my ignorance. She deserves much better than that.

[ratdog]

I should have said that I spend 20 to 30 min outside each time with her every 1 to 3 hours. Sometimes it is as close as 30 min that I take her out.

[mynameislola]

Could you take the pup out more often?  My last two pups, at 12 weeks, were pottying every hour.  The last pup was 6 months old before he could make it 3 to 4 hours.

My experience with a dog pooping outside and then having to poop again right away was either a dog with worms, a recent change in food, or a dog that needed to be walked more often.

Dogs that potty in crates are often from puppy mills that force the pups to soil their bed areas so those start of about impossible to crate train.  Is it possible that your pup came to you through such a place?  When I think that is happening, potty training starts with a portable pen with crate access instead of just the crate.

Keeping the pup out of the main part of the house so it doesn't get soiled will help lots with housebreaking.  Dog gates can help there.

Dobermans are high energy dogs.  The only one I worked with had to run at least five miles before training started or the dog had no focus.  Maybe more exercise will help your pup.  Best of luck.  

[ratdog]

It's funny. The 2 nights I'm home from work and she sleeps with me she can hold it all night most of the time. Sometimes we have to get up around 3:30a but sometimes not.

I got her from a breeder that has a good reputation. I wonder if she goes in her crate from separation anxiety. Or could she be mad? Is she old enough to even process anger in that way?

I hope she doesn't have worms. According to the breeder she was treated for worms. Like I said earlier, the vet is having her poop analyzed. So that should tell us yea or nea on the worms.

Maybe she does need more exercise. That will have to happen.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I have just been concerned that I was not doing things correctly.

[ratdog]

Thanks, Tina. When I got home this morning she had only peed in her crate. That is good news to me. She did a hearty poop when we went outside. I praised her and gave her treats for it. I still don't understand the peeing in the crate business. She usually holds it all night when she sleeps with me. Thanks for the encouragement. I just needed to know if I was way off track.

Holly, I will go to the link asap. Right now I'm dealing with my sweet but hyper pup!!!

Thanks guys for everything,
Terri

I'll keep you posted.

[ratdog]

Here's a couple of pics:

[MagicM3]

I told ya there's lots of help here..and I agree with what every one has said...Do get some books and there are lots of them My favorite for new puppies is *Mother Knows Best* by Carol Lea Benjman  lots of just common sense and very easy to follow...

Your wonderful baby is beautiful and like as been said..once things begin to click in her brain...you will be amazed ...

You will have to stay one step ahead of her..

Tricia and the fur kids
PS did anyone mention we love pictures here

[Ali]

Ditto - at 12 weeks, they typically need to go out more frequently. Staying "dry" at night is great, and you should be proud of that! That is a fabulous first step! There is no rule that says that pups should be house broken by a certain age - think of it like a big continuum of "normal". 12 weeks seems early to me. I'll bet in another month or two she'll be all set, if you keep up the good work!

[ratdog]

Thank you so much everyone. The wisdom and encouragement are so very much appreciated. I'll just keep on keeping on with her. She is smart so she should catch on when it is time. We actually had a very good day yesterday. She peed in her crate while I was at work during the night but she didn't have an accident during the day at all. Mom said that she did cry all night long, though. Some nights she does and some she doesn't. I'm going to get the book mentioned.

Thanks again and I'll keep everyone posted. (With more pics.)

Terri