Puppy Housetraining Milestones

Updated on November 23, 2009
K.H. asks from Cameron, NC
6 answers

Hi, I have had my beagle puppy a week. I have read a million books on housetraining and I am doing all the standard stuff. What I can't find anywhere is a guide to knowing whether or not the puppy is actually getting the idea. I know how long it takes depends on the puppy, the breed...a lot of factors...so I am not looking for a set time it should take to housetrain her, although I wouldn't mind hearing how long other beagles have taken so I can get an idea of what I am in for. But I would love some hints to look for to encourage ME and let ME know that she is starting to figure it out. For example, when she pees in the right spot outside, she looks to me for a treat...but not when she pees anywhere else. So she knows that spot is preferred, yet she still pees wherever is most convenient. Is this a good thing, or does it indicate that she is going to ignore the rule and just get a treat when she feels like getting a treat? Are there any other encouraging signs?

Also a lot of books contradict themselves - they say keep her in a crate or a confined space until she is housebroken, but that you know she is housebroken when she starts going to the door. Ummmm...so how does she get to the door if she is in her crate or her area in the kitchen? How can I tell the difference between whining because she needs to pee and whining because she just wants attention?

Clarification (added 23 November)

Thanks all for your details responses. Let me clarify a few things. I do keep her in a crate any time I can't watch her. Our schedule is wake up, potty outside, breakfast, play outside until she potties again, then inside for a bit of play/training/cuddling. Crate. 1-1.5 hours after her last potty, another potty and play. Repeat throughout the day. Three meals, 3-4 training sessions, otherwise just play. She gets a potty break outside every 1-1.5 hours unless she is sleeping, or unless I have to run an errand in which case I ensure I am gone no more than three hours at a time. The crate is in my office so I can be watchful and take her out as soon as she wakes up. At night the crate is in my room. I am a light sleeper so I actually wake up when I hear her shuffling around and take her out to potty before she even starts whining. Usually this is just once a night, though sometimes it is twice.

She gets a treat and praise if she potties in the right spot (which she usually does, because that is where I put her down), and praise if she potties ANYWHERE outside.

As a beagle, she sniffs constantly, so sniffing is useless as an indication that she is about to pee. She also sits a lot even though I have not trained her to. She sits when she wants something, when she is waiting for something (like the cat to come down from the dresser!), when she is pondering which toy to attack...she sits. A lot. Which means half the time I can't tell if she is squatting or just sitting. I kind of just go by instinct when I think she is due for a pee, and so far she has had very few messes in the house. Thankfully she prefers hard floor so the messes she has had were all easy to clean.

I am not looking for advice on HOW to potty train her, as I think our routine is a pretty good one. What I am looking for is advice on how to know where she stands on the potty training progress scale. People, books, and websites all talk as if they woke up one morning and BINGO!! the puppy is potty trained. I am pretty sure it is not an instant transformation like that. So how do you know when this miraculous moment has occurred? Are there any signs that let me know we are on our way? Since we do have such a solid routine, I can't see a whole lot of change in her behavior and have no idea if we are making progress or if I will be in potty training limbo forever.

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.M.

answers from Louisville on

sounds liek you are doing the right things... i too have a beagle puppy well 1 year and a month now i got her when she was so tiny she couldnt even get up a step! adorable anyway it took at least 4 months to get her to let us know when she had to go potty. if you take her to the door and make sure she goes potty and praise her she will learn that when she goes outside to potty shes not yelled at or put in her crate. i know it seems odd that she will do that but i promise she will! holly still pees in my daughters room if unattended im not sure on that one why she does it there i have just learned to keep that room closed when shes out and she lets us know she has to go out... have funn enjoy her they are great dogs!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.B.

answers from Greensboro on

Hi K.,
I have a mixed breed of bassett hound and border collie. When she was a puppy, she took a very long time to housebreak. My vet informed me that sometimes the hounds can be very stubborn in this regard. It was a relief as it was also winter and lots of snow on ground at the time so I took my time and we got through it. Sounds like you are doing the right things. I had to catch my puppy in the act of starting to pee in the house and say" no, no, nooooo" while dragging her to the door or out the door and get her to stop and bring her outside so she could finish. She was also crated. Best of luck and maybe your vet can confirm about hounds being stubborn.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.K.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi K.,

Are you trying to train her to go potty in a certain spot outside? If she's not housebroken yet, I think it wouldnt be a good idea to set such strict guidelines yet. Maybe when she learns that going potty inside the house is off limits, then you can start to train which spot outside she's supposed to go potty on.

Here is what i did with my puppies. Ive had many many year of experience with puppies and dogs and I hope I can help.
I made sure I had alteast a couple of weeks time off from everything and that includes working so I know to have enough time to potty train. And for the next couple of months I made sure there was always someone that could walk my puppies every couple of hours because puppies are not good at holding their potty as well as grown dogs. Also, I kept them in crates when I couldnt keep a close eye on them because most dogs and puppies will not soil where they sleep or eat.

I used to take my dogs outside to potty years ago. These days ive decided potty training them to go inside on a pad or litter box is a lot easier for me. Right now, I have a 6 pound maltese that uses a pad inside the house. Never had an accident except when she was a puppy in training. But also knows that she can go potty anywhere outside.

So when I brought my puppies home, I made sure I kept a close eye on them ALL THE TIME. 24 hours a day. Every two hours, i took them outside to potty. I always used the cue "Go Potty". I waited until they pottied and ALWAYS gave them treats and said "Good girl, or Good boy", Positive reinforcment really works. Right after they ate or after naps, i took them outside and waited for them to potty. If i saw them sniffing the carpet too much or circling around, I took them outside asap before they got a chance to soil the carpet. Right before bedtime, i took them out. At night, I put them in the crate and I would wake up every 4 hours to take them outside to potty because young puppies really cannot hold in their potty for too long. I would say Most of my puppies (i've never had a beagle but had many other breeds) were almost housebroken within two weeks of this strict routine. I say Almost because puppies will still have some accidents. But atleast they know that they did something wrong if they potty in the wrong spot. When they did ahve accidents inside, I would stomp my foot in front of them to kind of scare them and sternly say NO!!!!You ahve to catch them IN THE ACT. Not afterwards. It has to be during the accident. Or if I'm close enough to catch them in the act, I would grab the scruff of their neck and shake them gently and say NO!! A neighbor of mine taught me this trick when i was in elementary school. She said thats what momma dog does to their offsprings when they do something bad. I've never seen this happen, but it worked on my puppies.

Remember to say a cue like "Go potty" when you take her to her potty area, so she knows you mean business and always give her praises and treats afterwards. Repitition and positive reinforcemnt is a powerful tool when training dogs.

Since we cant read dogs' minds, you just just have to set a schedule to take your puppy out for potty breaks. Use your judgement. Its hard now if you've never had a dog before, but you'll become a pro in no time.

BTW, if your puppy is young enough to still have puppy breath, enjoy it as LONG AS POSSIBLE. I LOVE PUPPY BREATH!!!!!!! I think thats why i had soo many dogs in the past. Now after having my son, I"m addicted to baby breath!! Im going to enjoy it for as long as i can.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.L.

answers from Lexington on

you give her a treat when she pees in a "preferred spot" - think about it, any spot outside is "preferred" - also stop giving food treats, and give praise WHENEVER she pees outside not in. A quick NO when she is caught peeing inside and then get her out side

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.P.

answers from Fayetteville on

Personally, I think using a pad inside is confusing to puppies. With our dog we crated her when we weren't home and at night. When we were home, we kept her in an area where we could keep an eye on her at all times, so if she started to go inside we scooped her up and took her out right away. She is a golden retriever (this breed are people pleasers and fairly intelligent) so she learned FAST, in about 2 weeks. We both worked F/T at that time so my husband (who worked close to home) came home during lunch to let her out. The first few days she did mess the crate during the day and needed baths when we got home from work. But, like any young child--they can't hold it very long! Plus, she had to get used to the schedule, and learn that we WILL be there to take her out. I don't recommend trying to train without a crate. It took months when we tried that in the past.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.S.

answers from Raleigh on

Puppies are like babies. They are unpredictable for awhile.
You take her out. Then you can play with her for maybe 30 min. Remember, she is a baby and needs to sleep alot. Take her out of the crate on the hour or 1.5 hr. Then cuddle and play. Then crate, sleep, and out again. As the weeks go by, increase potty time intervals, to 2, then 2.5 etc. Remember, this breed is not the brightest star on the planet but, it will come. They are sweet lovable dogs,

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions