I Need Help Potty Training My Dogs?
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
when my dad got his westie poo lightning, he diddnt pay much attention to him, so he potties in the house, when we take him outside he will only pee, he wont poop, no matter how long i have him out there for, he wont poop outside, but once we come inside, he goes on the carpet 
i also just recently got a new puppy to be a companion to my westie poo and we are trying to house train him, but its so hard since lightning wont go outside, my puppy thinks he doesnt have to either, and i dont want to put them on a food schedule, but i dont know what else to do… does anyone know how i can teach them to potty outside without a food schedule or kenneling??? btw lightning is almost 2 years old, and my puppy is about 13 weeks old we also have tried the housetraining pads, and they worked for a little while but now they wont use them anymore
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Housetraining a dog takes patience and time (and some good humor helps, too!). With understanding, a regular schedule of feedings and “bathroom breaks,” and careful attention to the dog’s body language, housetraining a dog can be a snap. Here are some tips:
Establish a schedule the day you bring the dog home. Take the dog outside first thing in the morning, within a half-hour of eating or drinking, immediately after napping or playing, and right before bedtime. Have the dog sleep in your bedroom at night, so you will be alerted if he or she wakes up and needs to go outside. (Puppies, with their small bladders, often can’t make it through the night without having to relieve themselves.)
When you take Fido outside, lead him to a designated area. (It helps to reinforce the behavior if he can smell where he has gone before.) It may help to “get things going” if you take him for a walk and/or play an energetic game of fetch or chase while outside. After he has relieved himself (but not during the process, as this may distract him), give lots of praise and a treat.
If Fido isn’t inclined to heed the call of nature by the time you’re ready to go back inside, keep a close eye on him. If he starts sniffing around, whining, scratching the door, or acting agitated, whisk him back outside right away.
Remember that the muscles that control elimination do not develop in puppies until they are at least 4 months old. In some dogs, it takes even longer. If the animal is older and has never been housetrained or if the animal was first paper-trained, housetraining may take longer.
Never strike or yell at dogs who have “accidents,” as this will only confuse them and make them think that the act of going to the bathroom is bad. Rubbing Fluffy’s nose in it makes no sense to her whatsoever—she may even think you’re trying to force her to eat her own waste! Punishment will only teach her not to eliminate in front of you, rather than teaching her to communicate her need to go outside. Housetraining works best through prevention (by taking the dog out frequently) coupled with praise.
Once a consistent schedule of eating and bathroom trips has been established, most dogs will show progress within a matter of days or weeks.
Good luck!
I had a dog just like that. My dog would poop behind the door so when we open it, we could see it there. We scooped it up with a dustpan and placed it on a newspaper. Then we put the newspaper to a place where we want him to poop. He kept on pooping behind the door for a long time until he started doing it on the place where the newspaper was. When we removed the newspaper, he still did it there. It works, really, so try it!
My Boston was the same way.
I have a crate for him (the I-crate by midwest) and I put the sectioning bar up to give him just enough space to lay down in. As soon as I got up in the morning, I would take him out. If he didn’t go, but instead came in the house and went inside, I would take him right out again. When I got home from work, first this is take him outside. A few days, and he caught on. Have him sit by the door before you go out. This will help them learn this is the spot that I have to tell mommy I need to potty.
Now, he knows when we take him out of the crate, he is to go outside and potty. And when he does do business, he gets a cookie for going outside.
The whole feeding and then taking them out in 30 minutes, not everyone dogs have that digestive period. Every dog is different.
We feed our dogs Nutro Natural choice. This has been a great food for all my dogs. And yes, some food makes poop smaller and less smelly. (it doesn’t have all the fillers that some of the brands have)
Why don’t people want to use the most proven training methods out there????? (I am not trying to be mean to you – I just don’t get WHY NOT??! I can tell you exactly when my dog will go pee/poop each day/night. I’m not surprised, I know when I need to get up, I carry the appropriate poop bags. We don’t have accidents or “surprises”. If it’s 8am – the dogs are going out. If it’s 11pm at night – we’re having our last run for the evening. This does not mean I will ignore them if they want to go outside — it just means I won’t be cleaning up any gross stuff in my house!!!
Crate training and a food schedule are essential. Some kibble claim to make smaller poops and I know that was true for my older dog. Feed your dogs only at a specific time. You know that they will need to “go” within 15-30 minutes. Depending on the dog – they will poop 1-3 times or more a day. Crate training is essential as it helps the dog learn the feeling of retaining its’ waste until the appropriate time.
I have attached a great training schedule (it has different versions for people who work away from home or for people who are at home more). Also – I like clickertraining – it is a very positive method of dog training.