Puppy potty training issues

[Anonymous]

We have had our 14 week old puppy for six weeks. Overall potty training has gone pretty well but I don't understand how to make the final leap. Essentially whenever we take her out she immediately pees or poops and clearly understands the grass outdoors is for peeing and pooping. But she has zero aversions to doing it inside and will not cue us in any way that she needs to go. So today for example she was napping in a pen in our kitchen and we knew she would need to pee when she woke up. However we all got a bit distracted, she woke up and immediately peed in her pen. I find it odd that she won't whimper, bark or otherwise let us know she needs to pee when she so clearly gets that grass is for peeing. I know the answer is mostly that we need to just not get distracted and need to monitor her better/take her out more frequently. But how can we get her to communicate when she needs to go? And yes, we have the bells and tried that, but she hasn't taken to those at all. Or do we just need to wait for her to get older?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have had our 14 week old puppy for six weeks. Overall potty training has gone pretty well but I don't understand how to make the final leap. Essentially whenever we take her out she immediately pees or poops and clearly understands the grass outdoors is for peeing and pooping. But she has zero aversions to doing it inside and will not cue us in any way that she needs to go. So today for example she was napping in a pen in our kitchen and we knew she would need to pee when she woke up. However we all got a bit distracted, she woke up and immediately peed in her pen. I find it odd that she won't whimper, bark or otherwise let us know she needs to pee when she so clearly gets that grass is for peeing. I know the answer is mostly that we need to just not get distracted and need to monitor her better/take her out more frequently. But how can we get her to communicate when she needs to go? And yes, we have the bells and tried that, but she hasn't taken to those at all. Or do we just need to wait for her to get older?

That is your answer. That and crating her so she won't go the bathroom where she sleeps. Sorry! no shortcuts with puppies ( and yes we have one but, older now at 7 months)

[Anonymous]

She will start communicating eventually. She is still young; some dogs take 6 months!

Ours was potty trained around 4 months; one day we realized he was barking to go outside and we took him out and he peed!

[Anonymous]

Are you using a crate?

[Anonymous]

How often does she go in the pen? If it’s happening all the time she has every reason to believe the pen is also an acceptable place to pee.

[Anonymous]

I really think we (I do this too) over emphasize dogs' awareness or appreciation that grass is for peeing when it is really about dogs liking a routine. They are not as rational, just creatures of habit. The more you get them to pee outside (and not pee inside) the more they will avoid peeing inside.

That said, some dogs seem to take longer than others. I have a toy breed right now and she just occasionally poops indoors. Sigh. I have never had this much trouble with any pup before!

[Anonymous]

- Get on a schedule. Immediately after eating, drinking, sleeping (including naps), and play sessions take her out until she pees. If she hasn’t peed, go in and back out again five minutes later.
- Use a crate only big enough for her to turn around in. Naps are in the crate only. They don’t like to pee where they sleep, but will if the space is big enough that they can pee on one side.
- Use the pen only after she’s peed.
- Some people tether puppies to their side so they’re constantly supervised. That way you may be able to see cues you’re not noticing now. Also a reminder to take them out more often when they’re literally always next to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:- Get on a schedule. Immediately after eating, drinking, sleeping (including naps), and play sessions take her out until she pees. If she hasn’t peed, go in and back out again five minutes later.
- Use a crate only big enough for her to turn around in. Naps are in the crate only. They don’t like to pee where they sleep, but will if the space is big enough that they can pee on one side.
- Use the pen only after she’s peed.
- Some people tether puppies to their side so they’re constantly supervised. That way you may be able to see cues you’re not noticing now. Also a reminder to take them out more often when they’re literally always next to you.

I guess my issue is that I don't understand how/when to transition to more freedom.

Like she will go a week with no accidents and then we start letting her nap in her pen or roam the kitchen and then bam, accident.

I guess I just need to accept that this is not a linear process.

In reference to what someone else said, I will say I feel deceived by this notion of "substrate preference" that I read all about. Our dog pees/poops on grass 95% of the time but the other times, she seems unconcerned if it is a flat hard surface, a blanket/bed etc. She has 1-2 accidents a week at this point and we super scrub with deodorizing cleaners to ensure she isn't associating one place with pee spots. But the accidents keep happening at random.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you using a crate?

We use a crate at night but during the day the puppy is typically either in a bed (either on the couch or in the kitchen, depending on where we are) or in her pen, if we aren't outside or such. We tried to do some free roaming in the kitchen but she peed under the table the other day so I stopped doing that for now.

I just feel annoyed that there is no predictability to her accidents - and that some of the things I read/learned don't seem to apply to her. Like she spends a lot of time in her bed but the other night she peed in it. I kept hearing they wouldn't do that, but apparently she didn't get the memo.