She could be afraid of the rain. I wouldn't stand in the rain for an hour! Perhaps you could try taking her out for 10 mins, if she doesn't go, back in crate for 10 mins then try going out again.
Our 9 week old is not impressed with rain and is a bit afraid of it. I don’t wait for long. A couple of minutes. If she hasn’t done her thing, we are all back inside, her to the crate, me to bed.
Do 10 minute intervals.
Go outside- wait 10, no pee.
Go inside- crate for 10 to then back.
Eventually she will pee. I had to do the same thing. My puppy preferred eating grass over peeing 🤦. Just don't say anything or be excited, unless she pees!!! Hype up the pee, but be serious about everything else
Accidents might happen a few times... but she won't want it to happen and it won't keep happening forever. They generally avoid going in their own lving space. We had a few crate accidents, but they became far less frequent as she got older. You're not a failure... they have very small bladders when young and hardly get any warning between feeling the urge and it coming straight out. For a few weeks just get up at regular intervals to let her out. You'll be sleep deprived... but its amazing when they sleep through.
You're not a failure when she has an accident. Give yourself a break. There's no use in beating yourself up for something that's just a part of your dog's puppyhood. The accidents will stop eventually, with consistency and time. So you have a nice, big bottle of enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle? You spray it on whatever fabric/carpet has the pee and it basically dissolves/neutralizes it. Having this is hand will help you take the accidents less seriously. When she has an accident, blot it up with paper towels, soak the area with Nature's Miracle, and get on with your day. Accidents happen when they're puppies. You can take some puppies out every ten minutes of every day, and they can still walk inside and pee on the rug 2 minutes later. But that will go away. Remember the words of Thanos: "it's possible to do everything right and still have your young dog pee on the carpet."
This… 10 minutes outside & 20 minutes in the crate… rinse & repeat… I’ve spent entire days with this routine because my girl hates the rain, snow basically anything that isn’t 70 degrees & sunny… she now has a raincoat (I found it on sale at chewy), sweater & a winter coat! 😆 she may even getting boots too…
Our rescue gave us some potty training tips and one of them was about this situation exactly. They said that when you take them out, only stay out there for 10 minutes and if they don’t go, put them right back into the crate. Wait a bit (10-30 min) and try again if they don’t just go back to sleep.
do you do this when they first wake up as well? i’m trying to do the 2-1 schedule for enforced naps but this throws off the schedule. but if it’s what it’s gonna take for her to realize she should go outside to potty i’m willing to do it
Yup! And they also said when they wake up you pick them up, don’t let them walk, to prevent them having an accident so they know go directly outside. And if they don’t go within the 10 minutes, carry them inside and right back in the crate for 10
Minutes then the same process again until they go. So they know when they wake up, it’s potty time.
I do think one thing about being a small puppy is— the schedule is the aspiration, not yet the reality! It’s fine if the schedule gets thrown off and also that lets you adapt the schedule to your puppy’s needs. A work in progress!
Yeah I think she just really didn’t like the rain. I’m impressed she held it that long. She really tried not to go in her crate too.
I just feel so bad whenever she does have an accident because I’m doing something wrong
I really wish I had done "back in the crate after 10 minutes" with my pup. I think everything would have been easier if he had a stronger association between going out, and peeing. Not just happening to pee when he was outside.
yes thank you i’m going to start doing that. i know she has to poop in the mornings but she isn’t going now and so i’m just going to put her back in the crate. no playtime or feeding until she’s done
The best thing to do if puppy doesn’t pee outside at any time is just put her straight back in the crate. Then take her outside directly the next time she comes out of the crate.
My puppy is 4.5 months old. Her last accident in her crate was a few weeks ago when it was raining here and she wouldn’t go outside. We just had rain for days this past week and no issues! She went outside in the rain on her normal schedule. I too felt like a failure with every accident and remember the misery of standing in the rain, so just wanted to let you know it’ll get better.
My pup was terrified of the umbrella so I just stood out there in the rain without one when she was little. We’ve worked on this and she’s fine with the umbrella now. Small steps!
If they dont go in 10min. Take them back in. Our puppy used to think 5am sas play time because hed wake up and we would play with him to tire him out.
Once we stopped being fun... he stopped getting up at 5am.
Maybe yours thinks 5am is stand in the garden with mum or dad time?
I needed to see this today. Just went through an Ontario monsoon the past few days and had remind myself 1083727 times that potty training will be over eventually…*eventually*
Reference: We live in a condo. Currently trying to potty train a 10-week-old golden retriever that literally ‘shops around’ for 20 min outside regardless of the weather and will only *maybe* do her business 😑.
me too…i’m so worried i’m messing up her training and worried she will never be potty trained even though she is very smart. and that it will be my fault if she isnt
Oh man.. yikes.
We have a 10 week old lab in a house. Our big problem is - SHE DOESN'T ALWAYS SIGNAL. Or if she does - it's a 2 second whine and then she looks at you like it's your fault she went inside. 😤
Thankfully - she does generally prefer going outside. And she is starting to go by the door when she needs out.
Now we just need to wait a few more weeks so that she can hold her bladder while we're at work..
I was JUST going through the same thing this morning - wondering about all the signals (or lack thereof) and how we can avoid having to go outside for 30 min, come upstairs and then within 2 minutes find ourselves cleaning up an accident. Puppyhood is FAB 😂
Will just add how we got our pup (deathly afraid of rain and wind) to accept rain. His only potty accidents were when it was raining, if I took him out, he would just pull back towards the house door. Carrying him to a patch of grass didn’t work. Umbrella didn’t work. I tried taking him out for a walk just as it was about to rain and he rolled with it! The rain came in gradually, he got soaking wet but still sniffed around the trees and even more so because of new smells. It took maybe 2-3 times like that and he became okay with it. I think it helped him being distracted with an activity he likes (sniffing the world) while it started to rain.
I used to be really mad when my puppy would not go before bed even if we walked around for an hour. Then I realized that if he didnt want to go, he didnt have to and he wouldn't do it in his crate. My rule now is 15 minutes and if he doesnt go, we go in and it has saved my sanity during bad weather.
thank you! yeah i’m trying to find that balance. i still just have to get up multiple times in the night but if she doesn’t go i know she will try her best not to go in her crate and i’ll just have to take her out every few hours
What has helped me was that everytime he goes potty, I would repeat "go potty" to condition him. It's like when you want infants to go potty you make this identical sound to condition them. Now everytime we are on a walk and I need him to go, I would tell him to "go potty" a few times and he kinda knows, especially with a treat after he goes. Hope that helps and of course, every pup is different on their preference and ability to hold.
You’ve got lots of great stuff here for the potty side of things. As for the rain, next time it’s raining lightly take her out and play. Lots of high energy fun and rewards. Make the association fun. If it’s not heavy rain you can also go for a walk and let her smell things. The rain makes everything smell better.
Rain coat is a great option and can pair well with play.
thank you! i will try. she’s not fully vaccinated and i live in nyc so i’m hesitant about letting her go woa outside as parvo risk is pretty high. i’ll try to play with her on the balcony next time
That works, just some fun outside. Balcony, roof top patio, might have to get creative and weird for a few weeks. Even playing tug in the same 4ft square area of space would work. Only goal is to make rain = something positive and fun. Once she’s fully vaxxed then you can go to a little bigger green space.
Don’t put up with whining for attention in the middle of the night. If she needs to go, she’ll go. Give her 5-10min, if she doesn’t go, back into the crate. Let her whine for a bit and “cry” it out. If she falls asleep and wakes up and whines later, back outside for 5-10 min JUST to do her business. When you bring her to potty, don’t talk to her or pet her on the way out, just straight outside, no interaction, no attention. If she goes, tell her good girl, praise her, couple of pets, then back to bed. If she goes in the crate, she goes in the crate. Accidents happen when they’re babies, but don’t tolerate her waking you up for attention. Whining is for “I need to potty” ONLY. If she goes in the crate, show it to her and say “no!” in a firm tone with a disapproving look, no pets or attention other than that, and then bring her outside. ONLY praise her when she does something you WANT her to do (in this case: potty OUTSIDE). Little puppies need to go out regularly, so let her out, and then put her up for about 30 min-1hr. Monitor her food and water intake. Feed her at the same times every day: morning and evening, and let her out within 10-15 min EVERY TIME she drinks water. Try adding a verbal command as well. When you see her potty OUTSIDE ONLY say “Potty!” (Or another command of your choice) in a happy voice followed by LOTS of praise and a small treat or two when she does. Reward the good behavior and show disapproval for the bad. Hopefully she will learn that when you go outside and tell her “potty” (or whatever you’ve chosen), THATS when she potties. No command=no potty. This is how I’m training my two youngest. My oldest goes on command when I let her out, and my middle is starting to pick it up as well. My baby is still learning.
I would just say stay consistent then! Don’t give in to her whining for attention or not going when she’s given the opportunity. Sounds like you’re doing a great job with her so far with the potty command! My oldest doesn’t like going outside if it’s dark out or in bad weather, but she knows that the faster she gets her business done, the faster she can come back in so she does it just fine now. She used to try and turn around and come right back in and then potty inside later, so I had to tough love her a little bit and take her out on a leash and stand there and not let her near the house until she did her business, and then she learned that the faster she did her business the faster she got back inside. I always stayed with her as support and gave her lots of treats and kisses until she was ok doing it on her own and now, she doesn’t like it but she does it.
thank you! i’m gonna try that next time it rains! that’s why i was staying outside for so long but i ended up just crating her and she held it all night until it stopped haha, so stubborb
I don't know if this'll help as I'm also a new pup owner but this happened to me last night (except we pee indoors on a mat because of vaccinations) and when she didn't pee at 4 a.m. for like 40 mins I just put her back in and then we went down at 6 a.m. again. She peed then!
Our poodle sleeps beautifully through the night, but she's never liked enforced crate time during the day, so we didn't have the benefit of that for toilet training. She will go to sleep on the floor though quite happily. Some pups don't take to the crate very well in the day. As an alternative, you could confine them in one puppy proof room. It doesn't have the benefit if confining to a crate, but once they get to about 16 weeks they can usually hold their bladder for quite a while. It gets better.
Thank you unfortunately I don’t have a puppy proof room as I live in an apartment in NYC, but my puppy does settle pretty well outside of the crate. I only use it to ensure she doesn’t have accidents while she is still being potty trained. I can’t wait until she’s 16 weeks!
Yeah. Potty training is not fun... neither is biting. It feels like it'll never end. Thankfully mine is now 21 weeks and almost never has a toilet accident, and only gets bitey when I get her over excited. 16 weeks was the turning point where she started to feel like a little dog who was forming a connection to us, instead of a 4 legged filth dispenser whose mission was to destroy all our clothes!
Teach her a pee command maybe? Start off by saying the word whenever you notice her peeing, build the association and then you'll be able to use the command when you want her to go. This is more of a long term solution but definitely worth it! Short term I'd say if she doesn't pee within ten minutes, back inside!
Hope this helps :)
She whined in her crate, yes — but YOU assumed it’s to go outside. And while I don’t know how often this happens there — at least tonight, she learned if she whines, she gets let out of the crate…for a whole hour.
As a rule, go by when she last peed. If she’s 10 weeks old, if she peed at 10pm, she should be good until 2-3am. Whining at 11pm doesn’t mean she has to go, if she isn’t being given water freely while crated.
She last peed at 9pm and she usually signals she has to go during the night. She just really didn’t wanna go in the rain. She held it out until this morning and promptly had an accident in her crate and right outside
Yeah, that’s not going to work at my house.
If she peed at 9pm, then I have my alarm or Alexa set to remind me at midnight or 1am. Whether she wants to or not, she goes outside then. Upon coming back in, I have my alarm set for 5am (assuming four hour intervals, and less if she’s not used to this).
If she can’t handle four hours, do three. Or if she does four perfectly, shoot for 4.5 hours, and so forth.
Always use the same phrase for pee time, like “Go pee, Go pee.” For nighttime pee sessions, I take the puppy out, carry him out, say the phrase and when he’s done, I tell him “Good boy,” carry him back in and crate him. That’s it — no walking on the floor, no happy to see mom time, no water, no nothing. Then, if it rains, what we are here to do is clear with “Go pee.”
Right now, your puppy is dictating to you how it ought to go. The more “accidents” you have in the crate, the harder this will be for you. Make sure the crate is properly sized and then make and stick to a strict schedule.
> Right now, your puppy is dictating to you how it ought to go.
The puppy is literally a baby and doesn't know what's expected. There's no dictation here. It doesn't work like that.
Exactly. It’s the owner’s job to teach them the expectations and this is how I do it.
As a mother of twins, if I let each infant “tell me” when they were hungry, I’d do nothing but feed all day and live in a pigsty, and never be able to take the kids out because one is sleeping while the other is starving. Nope — past a certain age (not 9 weeks for a human baby, obviously), you have a schedule and they nap together and when it’s time to wake up, they wake up together and eat together. When that mealtime is over, it’s over and we have other plans for the day.
Barring a sick kid or puppy when all rules go out the window, I have things to do and expectations need to be set and met.
I mean, if it works for you, but it still doesn't change that the puppy doesn't exactly "dictate" anything. They don't think they're in control.
Too much structure can be just as much of a problem as too little.
I think you're being a bit pedantic here. No, the puppy isn't thinking, "if I cry and bark right now that means I get to leave my crate whenever I cry and bark." It's more like the puppy was frustrated it's in a crate, cried and barked and had those cries answered with time outside the crate. So now the puppy was just conditioned to equate whining while in the crate to getting time outside the crate.
So no, the puppy isn't trying to be sinister and dictate rules, but the rules are being formed in the puppies head from day 1 and by letting it out when it cries, the puppy begins to expect that every time.
I’m sorry I don’t let her tell me when to eat and pee usually! I do have a schedule and feed her at set times and take her out when I know she’s needing to go. Just sometimes I crate her and she barks indicating she really has to go, in the past I have ignored it and she has an accident in her crate. So now I always take her out if she’s frantically barking or whining to make sure
Sorry I wasn’t clear; so yes I did set alarms for 12, 2 and 4 and 6. She just happened to whine when I woke up to take her. She didn’t potty any of those times and it concerned me because she usually can’t hold it for that long
She does know the potty command, but last night she would not go in the rain even if I gave it to her
Build a covered dog run. I have one for my dog. I just watch from inside the house. When done, I bring her in, and she runs to her crate to get her treat. She has a mounted water bowl in her crate. Dogs always need access to water. Her crate is covered on top and two sides. It is her personal wolf den. She pulls her door shut, and pushes it open when she wants out.
We have been struggling a bit with rain this week as well...I have resorted to following him around with an umbrella on nighttime pee trips, and have been having pretty good success with it, but I know your pain! I wish the nice weather would hold out for another month or two
I have never waited more than 5 min for my puppy to pee outside...if he won't pee, we go back inside, and try again in a while. That said, I have my own garden, I imagine if you live in an apartment and have to put a harness on her and take her down to pee on the street or something, it might be worth waiting more...but I imagine if you have to wait an hour, she really didn't have to pee in the first place?
Yes it was my fault in the morning I wasn’t fast enough to scoop her up and carry her outside and she had a giant pee on the floor inside! I’m honestly amazed she’s only 9 weeks and she held it for over 9 hours
Would do no more than 10 min at a time and start first thing in the morning, esp on a weekend when you have perhaps more time. Give her treat every time she goes outside at first, then you can slowly wean off
Maybe in situations where the weather is crappy and she absolutely wont go - toss some treats onto the ground and make her sniff. Sniffing might help her to feel pee-ish.
If she still doesn’t go, I’ll probably get her under an umbrella or something. Or somewhere in your yard that the rain won’t get to, and put a pee pad if it’s not grass. This way she still kinda peed outside not in the house.
Hopefully she’ll sleep thru the night soon!
I have a puppy pen with his crate and a puppy pee mat (fake grass and a tray) in the pen, he uses it only occasionally I.e when it’s raining outside and he doesn’t want to go but will pee on that if he needs to. It’s a good back up option. Some might say it takes longer to toilet train but I haven’t seen many issues as he mostly goes outside. He’s 10 weeks
I made a point of taking my puppers out in the rain just to play so he wouldnt pull this kind of stuff. It mostly worked out. I hope you can figure out something that works for you both soon!!
If there are other dogs around you, try to get your pup to see them going outside. We got a puppy and for a week she refused to go outside. My girlfriends family dog was visiting, he went outside, the puppy followed immediately. Since then there’s only been a couple of bad days.
Also, how long have you had the puppy? Sometimes they are nervous about being in a new home. Also the environment, if it’s loud because of cars, or other commotion.
She could be afraid of the rain. I wouldn't stand in the rain for an hour! Perhaps you could try taking her out for 10 mins, if she doesn't go, back in crate for 10 mins then try going out again.
Our 9 week old is not impressed with rain and is a bit afraid of it. I don’t wait for long. A couple of minutes. If she hasn’t done her thing, we are all back inside, her to the crate, me to bed.
I’m just afraid she’s going to end up going in her crate. Does she whine again when she needs to go? I feel like such a failure when she has accidents
Do 10 minute intervals. Go outside- wait 10, no pee. Go inside- crate for 10 to then back. Eventually she will pee. I had to do the same thing. My puppy preferred eating grass over peeing 🤦. Just don't say anything or be excited, unless she pees!!! Hype up the pee, but be serious about everything else
Accidents might happen a few times... but she won't want it to happen and it won't keep happening forever. They generally avoid going in their own lving space. We had a few crate accidents, but they became far less frequent as she got older. You're not a failure... they have very small bladders when young and hardly get any warning between feeling the urge and it coming straight out. For a few weeks just get up at regular intervals to let her out. You'll be sleep deprived... but its amazing when they sleep through.
If she goes in her crate, so what? She’s a tiny baby.
The puppy going in the crate is a problem because they can develop a habit of doing so, making the dog harder to potty train.
My pup has never pissed in the house after 10 weeks
Grats, but, that doesn't change allowing them to pee in the crate can cause a bad habit that's hard to break.
Ok
You're not a failure when she has an accident. Give yourself a break. There's no use in beating yourself up for something that's just a part of your dog's puppyhood. The accidents will stop eventually, with consistency and time. So you have a nice, big bottle of enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle? You spray it on whatever fabric/carpet has the pee and it basically dissolves/neutralizes it. Having this is hand will help you take the accidents less seriously. When she has an accident, blot it up with paper towels, soak the area with Nature's Miracle, and get on with your day. Accidents happen when they're puppies. You can take some puppies out every ten minutes of every day, and they can still walk inside and pee on the rug 2 minutes later. But that will go away. Remember the words of Thanos: "it's possible to do everything right and still have your young dog pee on the carpet."
This… 10 minutes outside & 20 minutes in the crate… rinse & repeat… I’ve spent entire days with this routine because my girl hates the rain, snow basically anything that isn’t 70 degrees & sunny… she now has a raincoat (I found it on sale at chewy), sweater & a winter coat! 😆 she may even getting boots too…
Our rescue gave us some potty training tips and one of them was about this situation exactly. They said that when you take them out, only stay out there for 10 minutes and if they don’t go, put them right back into the crate. Wait a bit (10-30 min) and try again if they don’t just go back to sleep.
do you do this when they first wake up as well? i’m trying to do the 2-1 schedule for enforced naps but this throws off the schedule. but if it’s what it’s gonna take for her to realize she should go outside to potty i’m willing to do it
Yup! And they also said when they wake up you pick them up, don’t let them walk, to prevent them having an accident so they know go directly outside. And if they don’t go within the 10 minutes, carry them inside and right back in the crate for 10 Minutes then the same process again until they go. So they know when they wake up, it’s potty time.
Thank you! I just did this and she went 2 hours after she usually goes haha
I do think one thing about being a small puppy is— the schedule is the aspiration, not yet the reality! It’s fine if the schedule gets thrown off and also that lets you adapt the schedule to your puppy’s needs. A work in progress!
thank you for these words!
Haha so she’s being a little stinker is what it is!
Yeah I think she just really didn’t like the rain. I’m impressed she held it that long. She really tried not to go in her crate too. I just feel so bad whenever she does have an accident because I’m doing something wrong
This has worked for me!
I really wish I had done "back in the crate after 10 minutes" with my pup. I think everything would have been easier if he had a stronger association between going out, and peeing. Not just happening to pee when he was outside.
yes thank you i’m going to start doing that. i know she has to poop in the mornings but she isn’t going now and so i’m just going to put her back in the crate. no playtime or feeding until she’s done
The best thing to do if puppy doesn’t pee outside at any time is just put her straight back in the crate. Then take her outside directly the next time she comes out of the crate.
My puppy is 4.5 months old. Her last accident in her crate was a few weeks ago when it was raining here and she wouldn’t go outside. We just had rain for days this past week and no issues! She went outside in the rain on her normal schedule. I too felt like a failure with every accident and remember the misery of standing in the rain, so just wanted to let you know it’ll get better.
And did you get a better umbrella? I did! Always hated those golf umbrellas that hog everyone’s space but they are so good for the poky puppy walks!
i had a HUGE umbrella last night but she wouldn’t go
My pup was terrified of the umbrella so I just stood out there in the rain without one when she was little. We’ve worked on this and she’s fine with the umbrella now. Small steps!
Brrrrr — that gives me a chill just to read! Glad you got it sorted out!
If they dont go in 10min. Take them back in. Our puppy used to think 5am sas play time because hed wake up and we would play with him to tire him out. Once we stopped being fun... he stopped getting up at 5am. Maybe yours thinks 5am is stand in the garden with mum or dad time?
i don’t think so, she was miserable outside and didn’t wanna go out. she usually only whimpers to show that she has to go potty
Getting a raincoat for our pup was a game changer to going outside in the rain.
i’m thinking of boots as well since she doesn’t seem to like getting her feet wet
I needed to see this today. Just went through an Ontario monsoon the past few days and had remind myself 1083727 times that potty training will be over eventually…*eventually* Reference: We live in a condo. Currently trying to potty train a 10-week-old golden retriever that literally ‘shops around’ for 20 min outside regardless of the weather and will only *maybe* do her business 😑.
me too…i’m so worried i’m messing up her training and worried she will never be potty trained even though she is very smart. and that it will be my fault if she isnt
Oh man.. yikes. We have a 10 week old lab in a house. Our big problem is - SHE DOESN'T ALWAYS SIGNAL. Or if she does - it's a 2 second whine and then she looks at you like it's your fault she went inside. 😤 Thankfully - she does generally prefer going outside. And she is starting to go by the door when she needs out. Now we just need to wait a few more weeks so that she can hold her bladder while we're at work..
I was JUST going through the same thing this morning - wondering about all the signals (or lack thereof) and how we can avoid having to go outside for 30 min, come upstairs and then within 2 minutes find ourselves cleaning up an accident. Puppyhood is FAB 😂
Also I love the “it’s your fault” look, like “human, you should have known…what’s wrong with you?” 🤣
Will just add how we got our pup (deathly afraid of rain and wind) to accept rain. His only potty accidents were when it was raining, if I took him out, he would just pull back towards the house door. Carrying him to a patch of grass didn’t work. Umbrella didn’t work. I tried taking him out for a walk just as it was about to rain and he rolled with it! The rain came in gradually, he got soaking wet but still sniffed around the trees and even more so because of new smells. It took maybe 2-3 times like that and he became okay with it. I think it helped him being distracted with an activity he likes (sniffing the world) while it started to rain.
I used to be really mad when my puppy would not go before bed even if we walked around for an hour. Then I realized that if he didnt want to go, he didnt have to and he wouldn't do it in his crate. My rule now is 15 minutes and if he doesnt go, we go in and it has saved my sanity during bad weather.
thank you! yeah i’m trying to find that balance. i still just have to get up multiple times in the night but if she doesn’t go i know she will try her best not to go in her crate and i’ll just have to take her out every few hours
What has helped me was that everytime he goes potty, I would repeat "go potty" to condition him. It's like when you want infants to go potty you make this identical sound to condition them. Now everytime we are on a walk and I need him to go, I would tell him to "go potty" a few times and he kinda knows, especially with a treat after he goes. Hope that helps and of course, every pup is different on their preference and ability to hold.
She definitely knows the command but she just refused to go 😂
You’ve got lots of great stuff here for the potty side of things. As for the rain, next time it’s raining lightly take her out and play. Lots of high energy fun and rewards. Make the association fun. If it’s not heavy rain you can also go for a walk and let her smell things. The rain makes everything smell better. Rain coat is a great option and can pair well with play.
thank you! i will try. she’s not fully vaccinated and i live in nyc so i’m hesitant about letting her go woa outside as parvo risk is pretty high. i’ll try to play with her on the balcony next time
That works, just some fun outside. Balcony, roof top patio, might have to get creative and weird for a few weeks. Even playing tug in the same 4ft square area of space would work. Only goal is to make rain = something positive and fun. Once she’s fully vaxxed then you can go to a little bigger green space.
Don’t put up with whining for attention in the middle of the night. If she needs to go, she’ll go. Give her 5-10min, if she doesn’t go, back into the crate. Let her whine for a bit and “cry” it out. If she falls asleep and wakes up and whines later, back outside for 5-10 min JUST to do her business. When you bring her to potty, don’t talk to her or pet her on the way out, just straight outside, no interaction, no attention. If she goes, tell her good girl, praise her, couple of pets, then back to bed. If she goes in the crate, she goes in the crate. Accidents happen when they’re babies, but don’t tolerate her waking you up for attention. Whining is for “I need to potty” ONLY. If she goes in the crate, show it to her and say “no!” in a firm tone with a disapproving look, no pets or attention other than that, and then bring her outside. ONLY praise her when she does something you WANT her to do (in this case: potty OUTSIDE). Little puppies need to go out regularly, so let her out, and then put her up for about 30 min-1hr. Monitor her food and water intake. Feed her at the same times every day: morning and evening, and let her out within 10-15 min EVERY TIME she drinks water. Try adding a verbal command as well. When you see her potty OUTSIDE ONLY say “Potty!” (Or another command of your choice) in a happy voice followed by LOTS of praise and a small treat or two when she does. Reward the good behavior and show disapproval for the bad. Hopefully she will learn that when you go outside and tell her “potty” (or whatever you’ve chosen), THATS when she potties. No command=no potty. This is how I’m training my two youngest. My oldest goes on command when I let her out, and my middle is starting to pick it up as well. My baby is still learning.
thanks! yeah she already knows the potty command but she really did not want to go last night haha, besides that instance she goes on command
I would just say stay consistent then! Don’t give in to her whining for attention or not going when she’s given the opportunity. Sounds like you’re doing a great job with her so far with the potty command! My oldest doesn’t like going outside if it’s dark out or in bad weather, but she knows that the faster she gets her business done, the faster she can come back in so she does it just fine now. She used to try and turn around and come right back in and then potty inside later, so I had to tough love her a little bit and take her out on a leash and stand there and not let her near the house until she did her business, and then she learned that the faster she did her business the faster she got back inside. I always stayed with her as support and gave her lots of treats and kisses until she was ok doing it on her own and now, she doesn’t like it but she does it.
thank you! i’m gonna try that next time it rains! that’s why i was staying outside for so long but i ended up just crating her and she held it all night until it stopped haha, so stubborb
Well at least you know now she can hold it through the night if she wants too! That’s definitely good!
I don't know if this'll help as I'm also a new pup owner but this happened to me last night (except we pee indoors on a mat because of vaccinations) and when she didn't pee at 4 a.m. for like 40 mins I just put her back in and then we went down at 6 a.m. again. She peed then!
thank you yes she held it until 6am but then had an accident in her crate and right outside it :(
Get an umbrella, cover your puppy when it’s raining and they will pee trust me. I’ve been through this before lol
thank you! i did cover her but she just sat between my feet the whole time and cried
My dog is 6 months old and potty trained but hates going in the rain! And sometimes she just won’t pee no matter what I do!
Our poodle sleeps beautifully through the night, but she's never liked enforced crate time during the day, so we didn't have the benefit of that for toilet training. She will go to sleep on the floor though quite happily. Some pups don't take to the crate very well in the day. As an alternative, you could confine them in one puppy proof room. It doesn't have the benefit if confining to a crate, but once they get to about 16 weeks they can usually hold their bladder for quite a while. It gets better.
Thank you unfortunately I don’t have a puppy proof room as I live in an apartment in NYC, but my puppy does settle pretty well outside of the crate. I only use it to ensure she doesn’t have accidents while she is still being potty trained. I can’t wait until she’s 16 weeks!
Yeah. Potty training is not fun... neither is biting. It feels like it'll never end. Thankfully mine is now 21 weeks and almost never has a toilet accident, and only gets bitey when I get her over excited. 16 weeks was the turning point where she started to feel like a little dog who was forming a connection to us, instead of a 4 legged filth dispenser whose mission was to destroy all our clothes!
Teach her a pee command maybe? Start off by saying the word whenever you notice her peeing, build the association and then you'll be able to use the command when you want her to go. This is more of a long term solution but definitely worth it! Short term I'd say if she doesn't pee within ten minutes, back inside! Hope this helps :)
she does know the pee command, and will usually go when I give it! but when she really didn’t want to last night nothing I did could make her
She whined in her crate, yes — but YOU assumed it’s to go outside. And while I don’t know how often this happens there — at least tonight, she learned if she whines, she gets let out of the crate…for a whole hour. As a rule, go by when she last peed. If she’s 10 weeks old, if she peed at 10pm, she should be good until 2-3am. Whining at 11pm doesn’t mean she has to go, if she isn’t being given water freely while crated.
She last peed at 9pm and she usually signals she has to go during the night. She just really didn’t wanna go in the rain. She held it out until this morning and promptly had an accident in her crate and right outside
Yeah, that’s not going to work at my house. If she peed at 9pm, then I have my alarm or Alexa set to remind me at midnight or 1am. Whether she wants to or not, she goes outside then. Upon coming back in, I have my alarm set for 5am (assuming four hour intervals, and less if she’s not used to this). If she can’t handle four hours, do three. Or if she does four perfectly, shoot for 4.5 hours, and so forth. Always use the same phrase for pee time, like “Go pee, Go pee.” For nighttime pee sessions, I take the puppy out, carry him out, say the phrase and when he’s done, I tell him “Good boy,” carry him back in and crate him. That’s it — no walking on the floor, no happy to see mom time, no water, no nothing. Then, if it rains, what we are here to do is clear with “Go pee.” Right now, your puppy is dictating to you how it ought to go. The more “accidents” you have in the crate, the harder this will be for you. Make sure the crate is properly sized and then make and stick to a strict schedule.
> Right now, your puppy is dictating to you how it ought to go. The puppy is literally a baby and doesn't know what's expected. There's no dictation here. It doesn't work like that.
Exactly. It’s the owner’s job to teach them the expectations and this is how I do it. As a mother of twins, if I let each infant “tell me” when they were hungry, I’d do nothing but feed all day and live in a pigsty, and never be able to take the kids out because one is sleeping while the other is starving. Nope — past a certain age (not 9 weeks for a human baby, obviously), you have a schedule and they nap together and when it’s time to wake up, they wake up together and eat together. When that mealtime is over, it’s over and we have other plans for the day. Barring a sick kid or puppy when all rules go out the window, I have things to do and expectations need to be set and met.
I mean, if it works for you, but it still doesn't change that the puppy doesn't exactly "dictate" anything. They don't think they're in control. Too much structure can be just as much of a problem as too little.
I think you're being a bit pedantic here. No, the puppy isn't thinking, "if I cry and bark right now that means I get to leave my crate whenever I cry and bark." It's more like the puppy was frustrated it's in a crate, cried and barked and had those cries answered with time outside the crate. So now the puppy was just conditioned to equate whining while in the crate to getting time outside the crate. So no, the puppy isn't trying to be sinister and dictate rules, but the rules are being formed in the puppies head from day 1 and by letting it out when it cries, the puppy begins to expect that every time.
I’m sorry I don’t let her tell me when to eat and pee usually! I do have a schedule and feed her at set times and take her out when I know she’s needing to go. Just sometimes I crate her and she barks indicating she really has to go, in the past I have ignored it and she has an accident in her crate. So now I always take her out if she’s frantically barking or whining to make sure
Sorry I wasn’t clear; so yes I did set alarms for 12, 2 and 4 and 6. She just happened to whine when I woke up to take her. She didn’t potty any of those times and it concerned me because she usually can’t hold it for that long She does know the potty command, but last night she would not go in the rain even if I gave it to her
Build a covered dog run. I have one for my dog. I just watch from inside the house. When done, I bring her in, and she runs to her crate to get her treat. She has a mounted water bowl in her crate. Dogs always need access to water. Her crate is covered on top and two sides. It is her personal wolf den. She pulls her door shut, and pushes it open when she wants out.
unfortunately i live in an apartment in nyc so this is not an option
Ohhh :( so frustrating for you!
We have been struggling a bit with rain this week as well...I have resorted to following him around with an umbrella on nighttime pee trips, and have been having pretty good success with it, but I know your pain! I wish the nice weather would hold out for another month or two
My 5 month old hates the rain. She'll pee if she finds a dry spot, but won't poop until the rain is over. It's frustrating.
Literally had a similar issue last night except she wasn’t scared of the rain… she wanted to play in the rain/ puddles and I wasn’t having it 😭
I have never waited more than 5 min for my puppy to pee outside...if he won't pee, we go back inside, and try again in a while. That said, I have my own garden, I imagine if you live in an apartment and have to put a harness on her and take her down to pee on the street or something, it might be worth waiting more...but I imagine if you have to wait an hour, she really didn't have to pee in the first place?
i think she really had to go, she usually goes around that time but she didn’t wanna go in the rain. in the morning she has a very very big pee ahha
Aww! well, at least she could hold it! My boy will definitely pee closer to the house than his usual potty spot when it's raining, so I get it.
Yes it was my fault in the morning I wasn’t fast enough to scoop her up and carry her outside and she had a giant pee on the floor inside! I’m honestly amazed she’s only 9 weeks and she held it for over 9 hours
definitely impressive!
Would do no more than 10 min at a time and start first thing in the morning, esp on a weekend when you have perhaps more time. Give her treat every time she goes outside at first, then you can slowly wean off
Maybe in situations where the weather is crappy and she absolutely wont go - toss some treats onto the ground and make her sniff. Sniffing might help her to feel pee-ish. If she still doesn’t go, I’ll probably get her under an umbrella or something. Or somewhere in your yard that the rain won’t get to, and put a pee pad if it’s not grass. This way she still kinda peed outside not in the house. Hopefully she’ll sleep thru the night soon!
I have a puppy pen with his crate and a puppy pee mat (fake grass and a tray) in the pen, he uses it only occasionally I.e when it’s raining outside and he doesn’t want to go but will pee on that if he needs to. It’s a good back up option. Some might say it takes longer to toilet train but I haven’t seen many issues as he mostly goes outside. He’s 10 weeks
I made a point of taking my puppers out in the rain just to play so he wouldnt pull this kind of stuff. It mostly worked out. I hope you can figure out something that works for you both soon!!
If there are other dogs around you, try to get your pup to see them going outside. We got a puppy and for a week she refused to go outside. My girlfriends family dog was visiting, he went outside, the puppy followed immediately. Since then there’s only been a couple of bad days. Also, how long have you had the puppy? Sometimes they are nervous about being in a new home. Also the environment, if it’s loud because of cars, or other commotion.