You said I could ask for help! Quesion please...

[Beth]

OK guys…several of you told me I could ask questions  so here they are!

After having two days of potty training success (I am diligently taking KoKo out every time you turn around and lavishing loads of praise!), KoKo had two pee accidents last night that were COMPLETELY my fault since I didn’t have my eye on her (I rolled up a newspaper and smacked MYSELF over the head!) and I am mad at myself I was not able to “catch” her. 

I made the decision to put her water outside and limit her access to it because she was drinking ALL  the time and everywhere and I felt if I didn’t do that I would never get her housebreaking under control.  Again, she is outside about every 15 or 30 minutes and I don’t limit what she wants outside so I feel like that is ok? 

My next question is this:
She is still peeing in her crate at night but I am not sure what I would call it…its not enough to even puddle but when I get her in the morning she is “damp” and I can see it on her blanket.  The problem is her crate is smelling which of course is making her smell. I know I have read you should not bath them often but am hoping someone will tell me that is more for an adult coat rather than a puppy’s coat?  She smelled SO bad yesterday I gave her a bath last night and then I completely wiped down her crate with just a little Pine Sol (The only think I had that didn’t have ammonia in it) and dried it.  I could still detect “the smell” but certainly better than what it was.  This morning it was once again stronger and Koko smelled again. 

Any suggestions??

Thanks!

[greek4]

You could get puppy training pads for the bottom of her crate or use newspaper to hopefully soak up a lot of the pee so she doesn't soak it up.  You can rinse her off.  Try to use shampoos that don't contain soap, I think.  Maybe get up at different times at night and take her out and figure out around what time she is peeing so you can catch her before then and break the cycle.

[ZoesMama]

Maybe get up at different times at night and take her out and figure out around what time she is peeing so you can catch her before then and break the cycle.

I agree about getting up at night also.  I know it's a pain, but necessary.  It's like having a newborn baby.  Probably the biggest piece of advice I have about potty training is to just stick with it.  One day she will "get it" and then it will be done.  At least that has been my experience.  Good luck!

[lins_saving_grace]

puppies pee A LOT!  Grace did the 30 minute pee marathon forever and stopped wetting her blanket maybe 4 months ago. 
Try doggy deodorant spray if you want to take care of the smell.  Or...set your alarm for 2am and get up and take KoKo out pee then until she is able to contain herself. 

[newflvr]

Is her crate in your room?  I could always hear with the pup started moving around...and would get him/her out FAST.  In the beginning, it was a couple of times a night and then, at about 3 months it would be once a night and by 4 months it's all night!

Maybe she's trying her best to hold it and just a little bit comes out?  That would be why you don't find puddles... 
Just a guess

Good luck!

[lins_saving_grace]

Lady was great about sleeping through the night. 
Grace...well.. .I didn't sleep for about 8 months.  she was up and down and up and down. and is still an early riser.  I haven't slept past 6 am since we got her and she started sleeping.  some pups and dogs are just plain morning dogs.  It's a waiting process and each puppy is different.  it'll get better in time. 

[lins_saving_grace]

I forgot about the pads!    Great idea!  Those are a god send.  and we put newspaper or blanket on top of them too so Lady would eat them.  Those are great. 

[Beth]

 I will be honest in saying that before getting her I had thought about getting up in the night but she HATES crating so bad that I didn’t do it. (And I am working with all sorts of fun and entertaining reinforcement in regard to that)  I just didn’t want to get her all upset when I had to put her back.  However, reading the posts I feel like she really must be trying not to wet her area because it isn’t an outright puddle.  I will have to try getting up in the night with her to see if we can help… Bless her heart…she is only 12 weeks!
And…OMG…hot spots!  I had a Golden years ago plagued with them and had forgotten all about that!  I certainly don’t want to get that started! 

Last night we ran to Sams.  Since we had just gotten home from work anyway I hated the thought of crating her again.  Knowing that I would only be gone 30 minutes I thought I would give her a try in just gating her in the laundry room but while we were gone she jumped over it! (And then of course I was upset hoping she hadn’t damaged her legs!!)

I love Bava in the pool!  My daughter is SO excited about getting to buy her a baby pool!  That’s just been something really important to her (She insists half the fun of having a dog is getting to buy all the dog stuff!)

Thanks guys for all the support and help.   (And it helps knowing others have gone through this too!)

[lins_saving_grace]

 I will be honest in saying that before getting her I had thought about getting up in the night but she HATES crating so bad that I didn’t do it. (And I am working with all sorts of fun and entertaining reinforcement in regard to that)�  I just didn’t want to get her all upset when I had to put her back.�  However, reading the posts I feel like she really must be trying not to wet her area because it isn’t an outright puddle.�  I will have to try getting up in the night with her to see if we can help… Bless her heart…she is only 12 weeks!
And…OMG…hot spots!�  I had a Golden years ago plagued with them and had forgotten all about that!�  I certainly don’t want to get that started!� 

Last night we ran to Sams.�  Since we had just gotten home from work anyway I hated the thought of crating her again.�  Knowing that I would only be gone 30 minutes I thought I would give her a try in just gating her in the laundry room but while we were gone she jumped over it! (And then of course I was upset hoping she hadn’t damaged her legs!!)

I love Bava in the pool!�  My daughter is SO excited about getting to buy her a baby pool!�  That’s just been something really important to her (She insists half the fun of having a dog is getting to buy all the dog stuff!)

Thanks guys for all the support and help.�  � (And it helps knowing others have gone through this too!)

Good luck with the crate!  She will have to get used to it. 
I taught Lady and Grace to like their crates and it was surprisingly easy. 
They get a bone for going in there and now that's one of the places they love being.    try that too...she should start treating it like "her room" soon. 
Patience is a virute and Ko Ko is still so young.    She's a cutie too!

[Winslow 151]

Hi,

How big is the crate? Not big enough soon I'm sure but if it is very large you might need to get a partition to shrink the area some. Koko will try not to wet where she sleeps.  They learn really quick at 3 months and just small accidents overnight is FABULOUS, really what can we expect from a baby.  Although they look huge they are still infants and will get the hang of out side for their business.

[dufus]

You know what, i think that they pretty much figure it out on their own.  I am from England and in England not so many folk crate train.  But we bought the crate for Day-z and tried, but it did not work, she did whatever she wanted in the crate and she would end up covered in it.  When she was a baby she had her own room downstairs and so i started leaving her in their and not in the crate.  She would sleep one end and go pee the other.  I got her when she was 10 weeks old and she was driven down from Alabama to Miami and the dog psychologist thought that she had become a "dirty" puppy as when she was travelling down she pretty much had to go in the crate.

Anyway, I would hear her moving in her room and would take her out and after about 4 months she was pretty much able to sleep through the night.

If i did it again though, I would have the puppy in my room with me at night - we did not do this as she could not climb the stairs (and i did not want her to for her hips) and she was soon too heavy to carry.

However, I did buy a steam cleaner to sterilise her room and we got through gallons of natures miracle to get rid of the smell reminding her where to go.

I think what i am saying is - they figure it out for themselves and baby bladders need emptying often.

Everytime she walked anywhere when she was a baby i was so worried that she was about to go potty - but eventually it worked and she is all dry now (apart from very minor accidents).

Even though it does not feel like it at the time, it really does get better.  But, sometimes i wonder what it would be like to stay in bed past 7.

Jill

[Nicole]

Just a few other suggestions on the crate....

I left the door open to it all day long, and gave Eddie my foster puppy constant access. I would at some point during the day or evening hide little treats in there without him knowing. So, if he ever accidentally went in there on his own, he discovered treats. That just reinforced the idea that the crate might be a cool place to hang out.

I also did the thing where I just put him in really quickly, and gave him treats each time. No calling or command. Just plopped him in with a cheery voice and said, "Yay! Eddie! Good boy! See you in a little while!" And I always said that. Or, at night when I put him in, I always said, "Night-night Eddie! Love you!" (same cheery voice) and then turn out the lights. I made the whole thing very routine. The routine seemed to help. Always the same time, always the same statement, always a treat, and then always turn out the lights.

Also, I hate to say it again, but you HAVE to get up a few times in the night when they're babies to let them out. I got up every three hours with Eddie (set the alarm) got up, took him to the potty spot, let him go, PRAISE PRAISE and then IMMEDIATELY back to the crate. No stopping to sniff, no playing, no drinks of water, nothing else.

You just have to be super consistent. Dogs are always looking for ways to get around the rules, and if they suspect ANY options (crying in the crate until you let them out, letting them play when they should be pottying, etc.) they'll try to use that technique. Don't EVER let Koko out of the crate when she's crying....even when its time to take her out. Wait until the moment she stops. You don't want her to think that crying will produce results.

Anyway..hahah. .that was lengthy. But, don't worry..she'll get it. Personally, I wouldn't use the pads, cuz that just trains them to go on the pads IN THE CRATE...I would just put the work in to take her out of it enough...that's just my HUMBLE HUMBLE opinion..but the way I see it, its like training her twice. Why not just train her that we go outside right away? But, you've got to do what works, and if that works, I say go for it.

Good luck!

[horsepoor21]

About the bathing question , I've had issues with my newfie girl pottying in her kennel and she gets a bath at least once a week now .... It's been as often as every day before though and I've never once had problems with her having dry skin or anything . I just use a puppy shampoo on her and towel dry her ... She's 9 and 1/2 months old now and no skin probs yet anyways ! Just my 2 cents 

[horsepoor21]

I do 

[chaos270]

Kali got bathed at least once a week (sometimes twice or more) as a pup...because she was a brat and would lay in her pee...or she'd get other stuff all over her and she was fine.  She also went into her kiddy pool or played in the sprinkler or 'helped' water the plants every nice day last summer.  The main thing is to dry thoroughly which is easier with a puppy coat.  Nature's Miracle is an awesome cleaner as far as removing the smell.  We used to take Kali's water away well before bedtime and took her out before crating her and it helped alot but my brother would take her out when he got back from work in the middle of the night so that helped.