This is my favorite part of sleeping, if I am being honest.
Let's talk Potty Training! What's your experience with your puppy?
- Thread starter MyBuddy
- Start date
Two tips in one here: Yes, with the verbal "go potty", when she goes, praise and good girl and a treat. The other two out there? Tip #2: start giving Z some alone time with you. She needs and deserves it. From my view reading your lines, since Z is not crated at night, she has no reason to tell anyone she needs to go out, just get away from the sleeping area and it's all good. No reason to wake anyone. In a crate she wouldn't want to pee where she sleeps so she will complain: hey, someone take me out so I don't have to sleep in a wet bed! and the "someone" is YOU, not her dog friends. Dogs don't open the door, you do! So she learns to communicate to you as a VIP, knowing only you can provide certain magic. Right now, you aren't providing that magic, she's just doing what a pup in a pack would do: making her own decisions because no one is suggesting how to do it better. Hope this makes sense.
Again, just what I was getting at with the previous statement. She has no reason to tell you because it's not been made clear that OUTside is the best decision.
Just suggestions for you to think about. Dogs, especially puppies, will always choose what's best /easiest unless shown that another way is even better.
MichiH
Hot Topics Subscriber
Have you tried a bell on the door? I left a Christmas decoration up with a bell and Pepper started to hit it. She’ll go up to the door handle where it hangs and bonk it with her snout. She was 3 months at Christmas, but she didn’t start to hit the bell for sometime after. I didn’t teach her and I’m sure if you did train Z it would be faster, than letting her figure it out like I did. I was lazy with it didn’t really understand how to teach that lol.I also want to explain that I am not trying to demonize Z in any way. So she's maybe behind on potty training, but I have not once leashed her at home since April 24th, the day I brought her home (we live in the city on a 125' x 50' lot). Her recall is that awesome and it took 3 years plus to get Katyusha to that. I have the patience for this, as well as enough enzyme cleanerso it's gonna be okay. we can't all be great at everything, or all in the same way. That'd be boring.
@JanS sorry I fat fingered reply on yours
I've kept a light lead on our young pups at night so they can't sneak off to do their business without waking one of us up. The leash is hooked around my wrist so I feel any pressure.
Yam funny right there
Well that IS awesome! You're going to have to start a thread on how you achieved that now! LOL
Even with our 10 acres I'm a little leery about letting her loose. I have a 35 ft long leash that I walk her with and I've started dropping it and just letting her drag it. Sometimes I'll keep walking and she doesn't want to so I thought okay, I'll drop the leash, keep walking and see what she does. And she comes running after me to catch up! I just don't know if she's that attached to me that she wouldn't just go off on her own sniffing and possibly eating something she shouldn't. I walk each of them separate and together and when we are all together she is just chasing and jumping over/on Kali and really not paying attention to me as much. When it's just Annie and I, I can do a little training with her along with just walking and potty.
I always remember with our first Doberman the breeder told me I wouldn't even need a leash on our property. She said he will stay with you and he did! And we were only on an acre. I guess I'm doing it in baby steps. A long leash that she drags. Letting her out for a quick pee with no leash. And when her daddy comes home I get her all excited saying, who's here? And I've been letting her run out to him from the house to the barn with no leash.
If I run in the other direction she will chase me. And I have bent down on one knee with my arms out like a hug and called her, trying to see if she would run to me and she does. Of course pretty soon she's going to bowl me over!
Oh, I can't sleep with an animal in bed with us. I need my space and be able to move! LOL we allowed our first Doberman in our bed and I really hated it. I have a hard time even with Kali! And the only time she really sleeps with us is when there's a storm. We all share the same spot. In our room
Both crates and the dog bed are in here. And when I first got Buddy I had that great dane crate in our bedroom. I like the dogs with us. I just don't want them in my bed. All of them sleep on my side of the bed. On the floor. 
I won't go as far as to say that sometimes my hands are tied on them all being out together, because we all have choices we have to make, but for the first potty out in the morning, I don't want to make any of them wait. With that being said, Toby will often delay his arrival at the door until the others are coming back in, presumably so he doesn't have to be out there with his crazy dobersisters?
I feel like making any of them wait would lead to exactly the thing I want to avoid, the actual accident. Now, the breaks I take from work, I just don't want to divide those by 3 (selfishly) because I want maximum time with any of them who want to be by me or spend my time watching them enjoy each other or learning things in the yard. Evenings and weekends I can pay more attention to this (and I do make efforts to get them each some time alone with me, a walk, or just time in the yard, etc. every day). Night time really is solved by now, I wake up with a high degree of confidence that the house will be accident free, and she's batting close enough to a thousand that I am happy with it. I do have a strip of sleigh bells on the door. Those were Thor's from back in the day and I won't ever get rid of them. Its like he is here every time the door opens or closes and I love hearing them. Thor used them as intended but no one else really caught on. I'll try intentionally ringing them with my hand each time before I open the door, I bet they catch on? I remember buying them in a Walmart roughly 12 years ago for either 99 cents or $1.99, money well spent!
That's just genius and practical right there! That's now in my training arsenal if I ever do this puppy thing again!
Thanks! I will consider doing that.
Yes! These I have both used in training Zastava to be off leash. Another neat one is how instantly concerned she becomes if I just simply lay on my back. Either concerned or just wants to pounce me, but either way that seems to be one they can't resist lol
. Less desirable in wet weather, though.
It's good people can be different. I completely get this. My dobies crowd me, steal blankets (unintentionally I think), heck I even bought a bigger air conditioner to keep up with the extra heat! But none of that compares with the utter sense of peace that can kind of overwhelm me that the spine of a doberman curled up against me gives. They do at least sleep still. I set my alarm earlier than i need to for work just to lay there and enjoy the moment with them. Crazy, i know. Toby used to claim and enforce the spot next to me, but after he lost his vision he lays in the corner opposite me at the very foot of the bed. Each of us has our place and that probably helps too. No spot-jacking round these parts!
Oh that's so funny! But you're right. It seems like when you get down on their level it entices them to come to you. That's why I was getting down on one knee and opening my arms like, "come on, baby!!"Yes! These I have both used in training Zastava to be off leash. Another neat one is how instantly concerned she becomes if I just simply lay on my back. Either concerned or just wants to pounce me, but either way that seems to be one they can't resist lol
I don't think I'm going to risk laying down on my back.
First off, I might not get back up
and the other is she just might trample me! She practically does that when I get down on one knee. I'm not as young as I used to be! I'll never forget with my first Doberman I went to a class with my breeder just to observe and somebody did a little demonstration of obedience. At the end, the dog ran to her (while she was standing) and jumped in her arms and she caught her! I was so impressed even back then and I was so much younger! If I tried to do that now she would probably knock me down flat on my ass!
Me too! I have no ill thoughts on somebody wanting their dog in their bed. Actually I always hated when people wouldn't let their dogs in their house! I could never do that.
A lot of times you can when they're young and used to you but sometimes between 4 and 6 months they start getting really independent and exploring a little farther than I care for. At least that was the case with Phoebe. She would also get distracted in her exploring and forget to go potty.
This is what I fear with Zastava. The dobermans too. I hope she doesn't reverse course on this. Although there's an e-collar standing by for her when she's old enough.
Kaiser2016
Well-Known Member
This one seems like an easy problem to solve. Finish mowing, and only then let them have free water. At Z's age, they pee within 5 minutes of drinking lol.
Kaiser2016
Well-Known Member
It was the same with Kaiser and actually, he never outgrew it lol. Even now, if he is busy playing, he won't think about peeing as his sole focus is on fun activities. I've seen him be outside for plenty of time, come inside and within minutes be standing at the back door asking to go for a potty break.
looks great on paper! My optimism for her is more than what realism is, and it shoots me in the foot sometimes. Think: "oh she did so good yesterday.... maybe she's catching on...."
autocorrected from "doberteens"
Abner’s Dad
Notable member
My pup, Theo, is now 5 months. My breeder, Starlaine, started to crate train them after cropping at 8 weeks. I picked him up at 10 weeks or so. To my amazement he has slept 8 hours in the crate since the first night. The first couple nights I’d try to let him out after 3-4 hours, but he’d just look at me in sleepy confusion and lay his head back down. My past pups weren’t this easy. He’s only had four accidents since and none in the last month- all those were my fault because I was distracted and didn’t pick up on his cues.
Good for you! Sounds like a good pup! Learning their cues and watching them like a hawk really helps!
I left the house at 7:30, everyone was uncrated, and returned home at 10:30 to a clean and dry house! She did it! I think she might be catching on!
This is a huge happy moment for me, and I made sure she knew it!
This is a huge happy moment for me, and I made sure she knew it!
