Man, potty training this new puppy has been a real trip. I mean, I love the little guy, but keeping him from peeing in his kennel? That’s been the challenge of the week. I tried a bunch of things, some worked, some, well, not so much.
First thing I did was try to establish a routine. You know, get the pup on a schedule. I started taking him out first thing in the morning, after every meal, after naps, and before bed. I figured if I took him out often enough, he wouldn’t have a chance to go in his kennel. Seemed logical, right?
I also made sure to really praise him when he did his business outside. Treats, “good boy”s, the whole nine yards. I wanted him to associate going outside with good things. And when he did have an accident inside, I didn’t yell or punish him. I just cleaned it up calmly, using some special cleaner that’s supposed to get rid of the smell so he wouldn’t be tempted to go there again.
But even with all that, he was still having accidents in his kennel. So I did some reading, and I found out that sometimes the kennel might be too big. If there’s enough space for them to pee in one corner and sleep in another, they might just do that. So I got a divider and made the space smaller. I also started taking him out more frequently, just to make sure. I even woke him up in the middle of the night to take him out. I made sure I did not feed him or give him water right before crating.
Here’s what I did, step by step:
- Established a consistent potty schedule.
- Used positive reinforcement when he went outside.
- Cleaned up accidents calmly and thoroughly.
- Adjusted the size of the kennel with a divider.
- Increased the frequency of potty breaks, even overnight.
- Cut off food and water intake before crating.
It took some time, and honestly, it was a bit of a pain, but it finally worked! He’s not peeing in his kennel anymore. It’s all about being consistent and patient, I guess. And maybe not giving up on sleep entirely. Now, if only I could get him to stop chewing on my shoes…
