New Sheltie Puppy! Need some assistance on..

[drunkmike]

well.. potty training!

My gf and I have aquired a beautiful 3 1/2 month old pure bred sheltie puppy name Cali and she is AWESOME! We are trying to teach her to do the "paper" thing for the potty when we are not home during the day. She seems to be doing great so far, but she rarely gets it on the paper.. she only gets close to it! She is great about going outside when we get home but since she is so young she cant be expected to hold it for the entire day while we are gone. I refuse to crate her because it seems so mean so I keep her in the kitchen with a "baby gate" so she has a bit of space to move around along with her crate for hiding, bed for sleeping, and toys for playing along with her paper for going potty. Am I doing this all wrong or what? I know I cant expect her to potty on the paper when we arent home and outside when I am so I am kinda stuck on what to do. What do you guys suggest? I am open for anything to give the best for my new girl!

Thanks all!

[Amandasmom]

The rule for dogs and paper training is that if the dog can read the paper, they are close enough. There isn’t much you can do if the puppy misses the paper other then using something with walls. They do make dog litter trays. Or maybe you can put up a small gate type thing that the dog walks into to use the paper. By the way, if you read the paper, don’t ever leave it lying on the floor, your dog won’t know which paper is hers and which is yours.

[drunkmike]

Yeah I figured it was about as good as I was going to get. Atleast she is close right! The only thing that gets me is that she will pee on or around the paper but will almost never poop on or around it.. its on a totally different side of the kitchen. I have tried getting rid of the smell, disinfecting and what not so she doesnt think that is her spot but have had no success. if I could get her to do everything on or around the paper I would be set! Maybe a low litter pan lined with paper is worth a shot. Thanks!

[Amandasmom]

They do have the pee pads for dogs. They have a scent that is supposed to help. If she is pooping on the other side of the room then she isn't getting it and you have to start over. You may have to make her area smaller until she is peeing and pooping on or near the paper. Leave a little poop on the paper to remind her. When you know she has to poop, like right after eating, take her to the paper and give her a poop command. I like "poopers". When she poops, praise her. When she is big enough, you can take her outside and say poopers, she'll know what you mean.

You can definaltey train her to use a litter tray like a cat, just right now, she isn't getting the message. Shelties are very smart, I have a sheltie mix. He is the smartest dog in the world. The problem is you aren't making it clear to Cali. Start over, regroup, she'll get it.

[Traci]

That's why most people use crate training, the pup has to use the paper/liner, etc. Although it can be tough on some pups and dogs to be crated, with some patience, it can be done and the pup can stil be comfortable. Only thing is, one should never leave the pup crated for long periods of time especially when the paper etc is soiled. You have to keep him/her clean, fur clean, etc.

Getting on a consistent schedule helps too. For example, feed, water, allow outside, then crate before leaving for work. Ideally, coming home for lunch to let him/her out again would be good. Then, when home from work, do the same thing in reverse: let outside to potty, let her run around or play, then feed. You don't want to feed and water her and then let her play, overexhert herself because this is hard on the stomach/GI tract and in dogs, this can lead to bloat. If crating, leave water in her dish but use a large enough crate so that she is less likely to spill the water and make a mess. (the clamp-on water dishes are nice for this). The crate should be large enough to accomodate her able to stand, turn around, lay down in comfort and enough room where one end of the crate is lined with paper for elimination, the other end with a small blanket. Although, depending on her age, the blanket might not be a good idea because pups chew on everything, especially when bored, and you don't want her ingesting things that could cause obstruction.

If you don't want to crate her, then at least try to get her on a consistent schedule for outside duty, so that she associates the routine. Not much you can do to avoid urine/stool all over unless it is in a confined space, have lots of paper on the floor, etc which it sounds like you're doing anyway.

Please, don't use heavy cleaners or strong chemicals to clean the floor, etc, since both your pup and Baxter are very sensitive to these things. Most all household cleaners contain chemicals that can aggrivate sensitive mucous membranes and upper respiratory tracts in pets, so if you use anything, dilute it with water and rinse after use, and make sure surface is dry before allowing the pets on the surface. Also make sure pup has been dewormed, etc. and follow up on her vaccination boosters, etc.

[Amandasmom]

On crate training, I was also against it until my dog was eating the house. Its really not bad. The dog cries a little in the beginning but soon learns to like the crate. My 15 month old Akita/rotti mix is currently in a crate. He is fine, he doesn't fight when he goes in. He see's it as a quiet place to sleep. The crate is about the size of a small car so he has room to stand and move around. Consider a crate, they aren't that bad plus there is a huge safety aspect. Cali couldn't chew or eat anything she shouldn't.