Missjoy

Hello,

I wrote yesterday with some general questions, but here is a specific one. My puppy is about 5 months and she can hold her urine for a while (she is fine overnight in her crate) but she will often pee a little bit when she shouldn't need to. For example. I walked her this morning and had her out until about 7:00. We were inside and she was sleeping then about 8:15 she peed on the carpet, no signal that she wanted to go out. Any suggestions? We do giver he lots of praise for going outside, but how often do I need to take her out?

Thanks so much!

BubbaLeroy

You need to watch for the minute she wakes up, and take her out. Puppies need to go out frequently, the routine goes something like this: Wake up in morning, immediately take outside; feed, take outside; play a bit and take outside (activitiy gets them excited and they go more often); after short naps take outside before playing, etc,; if crated take outside when you let them out; take outside right before bedtime. They will often hold it for a long time while crated, no activity and they don't like soiling their den.

If you are busy, and don't want to crate her, put her on the leash and tie it to you. This way you can watch her and prevent her wandering into another room to do her business. Puppies go alot and Bassets mature later than many breeds, thus takes longer to potty train them.

Lots of praise and a small treat when they do go outside. Be patient while outside and give them time to sniff around and don't take back inside until they go. Use the same word or phrase everytime you want them to go, and when you see them actually going repeat the same phrase, and lots of praise when done. We use "Go potty". Then a short playtime outside as a reward. Potty first then play, Bogie has learned this and now when we let him out he goes right away which is great on rainy or cold snowy days.

You might try using bells. We have several small bells hooked by our back door. You start by taking the puppy to the door and have them nose the bells to ring them. We just walked Bogie up to the bells held his head and moved his nose back and forth with the bells so they rang and said "Go potty". Then go outside to potty. Do this every time you go out and pretty soon they will walk up and ring them on their own when they want to go out. After they learn this it becomes a game for a couple of days " ring the bell and I get to go out", but after the new wore off, he only rang when he really needed to go out.

Have lots of patience, praise, and don't expect her to be totally trustworthy until she is older. Both of ours were around 1 and 1/2 years old before we could totally trust them with total freedom in the house. We did not get them until they were 8 mos, and 10 months old, so we did have a later start training them.
Hope this helps and good luck.

__________________
You don't own a Basset, a Basset owns you!!
Aroooooos from Bogie !! - Trumbull's Who's Teasin Bogart CGC- Born April 21, 2005
ATB: Bubba - (Trumbull's Surley It's Stormin Norman) Sept. 8, 1998 - Dec. 20, 2005

Missjoy

Thank you so much for all that advice. I think the problem might be that I read a lot that puppies can hold it for as many hours as they are months and I thought she could wait longer. I guess I'll just make more frequent trips outside.

I guess I'll have to get some bells as well - seems like a good idea!

clarejon

hi there

when mine was a puppy i just made sure she went out after every activity, i.e chewing a toy, out for a wee, ten minute sleep, out for a wee, visitors arrive (she gets excited), out for a wee etc etc etc

we still get the odd accident now at 17 months but im convinced its out fault every time anyways cos we dont hear her walk to the back door. i just wish she was a 'barker' sometimes so that we'd know that she is waiting there for us to open the door.

maybe i'll try the bell thing too!

Mikey T

yea another old wives tale. One of the better links on house training OMHO
Housetraining Your Puppy
Also of note bassets are much slower to develop sphincter control than other breeds. to expect to house train a basset before it is at least 6 month old is completely unrealistic 1 year or a bit more is typical.

"I guess I'll have to get some bells as well - seems like a good idea"
another alternative but not always practical is a doogy door.