4 months old and still not house broken

We got our first pomeranian on Jan. 18th, 2010 and she was 4 months old. Unfortunately, the puppy was around 12 other pom's....4 were puppies and the other were adults. The dogs stayed inside, but had a lot of freedom. The consistency for potty training wasn't reinforced, and the dogs eliminated in the house and outside. This puppy was in a crate with his brother at night, but during the day they had a lot of free time.

On Feb. 18th, she will be 5 months old and needless to say she isn't potty trained. She does eliminate outside, but she also eliminates frequently inside. We use nature's miracle after each accident and use consistent words such as: Go outside! Go Potty, and then praise her when she does the act. She comes in the house, and then a few minutes later she may defecate. I have a Norwegian Elkhound who was 5 months old when we got him, and he lived on a farm and elimated outside because that is where he was all day. However, when we brought him home potty training wasn't fun, but he was trained within a month w/ very few accidents.

Potty training this dog is very exhausting. We are going to follow some tips I found on internet, but am hoping for more tips. During the week only she is in her crate from 9 a.m. until 1:30 & someone takes her out & then i get home around 5 o'clock and take her out. One problem is that she is having too much freedom in the house, so this will be stopped.

I have a question about those who recommend putting her in her crate when we are home during the day for x amount of time and then take her outside. If she goes then give her 1 hr of free time off the leash and inside the house. then put her back in her crate for an hour, and follow the same procedure. Also, 2 give dog a treat after she goes potty.

However when i put her in the crate and she starts barking and jumping all over the place what should we do? At Night, her crate is in our bedroom and after a week of having her she finally sleeps in it without barking/whining. Unless she has to go outside which is usually 1x during the night and then we put her right back into her crate and she goes back to sleep. Please help us!

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4 months old and still not house broken

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Feb 17, 2010

Crate Trainning
by: Anonymous

I have a 4 month old Shiranian (Shih Tzu/Pomeranian)like you I am having trouble house breaking her. I believe it's too soon to expect too much from the dogs. It can take months for a puppy to finally realize where to potty and where not to. Consistency is the key, It sounds like your doing all the right things, your not letting the dog roam the house for too long, and you take her out at the same time.

A little about what I'm doing: Im trying to train my pup to eliminate on training pads. I purchased a door blocker from Petco and I place it in the bathroom underneath my mirror. It keeps the dog exactly where I want her to eliminate. Every time I want to give her freedom in the house I regret it when she poops on the floor. So to get the dog house broken I am taking away her options. I only let her eliminate inside the bathroom in her little spot, as well as when I walk her outside.

I would suggest when you take the dog outside, pick her her up so she dosen't eliminate on the way out. I would also suggest picking her up when you bring her in the house. Unless your letting the dog play outside I would not suggest letting the dog roam the house at any time until your certain she is crate trained.

As far as the barking. You unfortunantely must ignore the dog when it is barking in the kennel. If you let it out, the pup will quickly learn that if she makes alot of noise, you will reward her by letting her out. So when you put the dog in the crate, DO NOT let the dog out until it is calm for a little whille. Then praise the pup and reward them for being quiet.

Treats go a looooong way.I trained my 4 month old to go into her crate on command.
First I let the dog sniff the food, then I say CRATE, I point her in the direction of the Crate, I say it again and lead her inside. don't let the dog get out until she has sat down or have laid down. When she does reward her by praising verbally and leading her out and give her a treat. repeat the process. But after the second time you actually close the crate door. When the dog is calm, let him out and praise again.

Repeat from a distance...have a treat...let the dog smell it and say: CRATE. only repeate the command 3 times if the dog dosen't move, after the third say the word again and place the dog in the kennel yourself.

After a few excercises from a distance the dog will associate the word with going into there crate, and then getting a treat. So it won't feel like a punishment, but a good thing.

I hope this helped.

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