Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
I'm stressing out and don't know what to do, hopefully somenoe can lead me in the right direction.

He's a cockapoo, 9 weeks old and this is day 5 with me. I'm trying to get him pottry trained and crate trained. I've googled and googled and this is what i've been told and tried but it hasnt worked:

develop a schedule for feeding so he gets a schedule for pooping and such, i take him out ever hour and wait till he at least pees. then i reinforce him positively while he pees/poops take him in let him play, repeat.

this morning he peed twice inside and pooped in his crate.

i've also read he cant control his movements so he wont be able to hold it anyways.

ive made the crate homey for him and he sleeps in it at night but he wont go in himself to sleep, i put him in and he sleeps no fuss.

what should i do, im being as patient as i can but i need direction because i need to see some sort of result.

thank you.

This may sound like a strange question, but did you get your puppy from a pet store?

If so, your potty training is going to basically require patience. This puppy is already conditioned to eliminate in small areas and on soft surfaces.

If not, then it's hard to tell from you post, but patience is still the key. I personally like leashing a dog to me in the house so I can supervise while he is out and learn to "read" the subtle signs he has to go to the bathroom. High levels of activity will require him to go out more frequently- say every 30 minutes or so. Always take the puppy outside the moment he wakes up from a nap, about 15 to 30 minutes after eating or drinking, and just for the sake of taking him out when it's convenient do that as well.

Never punish for mistakes in the house- unless they are happening and yo uare catching him in teh act. Even then, it's not a great way to do it and dont' punish too severely.

Pottying outside has always got to be the most fun thing in the world. You can never give too much praise and treats for a job well done. Celebrate each success and know that each week it should get better.

PS- the breed is a bit tough in general in this area. So again I will stress patience. Toddlers make mistakes.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

i got him from a breeder from montreal (i'm in ottawa). he was taken for walks today and went so i figure to get him to go outside, instead of taking him into the backyard and waiting, i'll take him for short walks.

sleepwise, i'm gonna have him sleep in my room at nights and not the crate as i've been doing everynight. i'll crate him in the day for naps i guess.

i'm pretty patient but i just want to make sure i'm doing it right.

thanks for the reply, any more info is much appriciated.

Chelle I disagree having had both cockers and a toy poodle they're both about the same to potty train, and when we had cocker pups they were potty trained at by 9 weeks and were sent to their new homes at 12 weeks.
the poodle we got at 7 weeks and she was trained by 9 weeks, my cocker girl that passed we got at 5 weeks and she like the poodle and the pups was potty trained by 9 weeks.

and a 9 week old puppy is perfectly capable of holding it's movements for 2 hours when at rest 30 mins while not resting. the general rule of thumb is about 1 hour per month after 2 months of age so a 3 month old pup can technically hold it's movements for 3 hours but that doesn't mean it will.

Hi there!

Congratulations on your new pup! I'm sorry you are having problems. Having a puppy is similar to having an infant, don't give up and be patient!

You've received good advice about the pottying. You have to learn to read your pup's body language and each dog has certain signs that it has to go. Once you figure out what it is your dog does when it's ready (some circle, etc) take him/her out every time you notice this sign. Also, take the pup out after every nap as told, after feeding, etc.

As far as the crate goes I don't recommend only having your pup use the crate as a bed sometimes (i.e. naps). If you want your pup to get use to sleeping in a crate you need to be consistent and make the crate the bedtime place for ALL sleeping. Once you've got him/her use to the crate you'll be amazed at how quickly he'll go inside on his own. Our dogs just go to lay in their crates when they feel like it at this point. Also, use a command every time you use the crate (kennel, bed, etc) so you won't have to push your dog in when you want him to use it.

Good luck!