Dog Community

In the morning before work - question re: pee

Posted : 12/7/2006 10:03:08 AM

I just want to make sure I'm doing this right.
Whippet, 11 wks
We're doing the usual housebreaking stuff: taking him outside every 2 or 3 hours, big praise and a treat for peeing outside, saying "Outside to go pee?" about a zillion times while we wait for the elevator, and some more once we're outside.
We go a few days without any accidents, then he'll have 2 in 1 day. It's inconsistent but I understand that he's still young and this is part of the deal. We crate him at night in our bedroom while we sleep and he sleeps all night long, no trips outside. We crate him while we eat, or can't pay full attention to him. He doesn't mind his crate at all.
This is the problem with weekday mornings...
BF gets up at 5am to feed him and let him out. Then he comes back in and puts him in his crate and gets ready/leaves for work, and Leroi sleeps with me until I get up at 7:15am. I take him outside the minute I wake up. Then I have to get ready for work. I put him in the bathroom with me and a chew toy to play with while I shower and stuff. I try to toss a toy around a bit for him so he expends some energy after sleeping all night. Problem is, I HAVE TO GET READY FOR WORK! I am getting up earlier so I have more time to play with him, but this morning we were playing around and he squatted and started to pee an hour after I took him out. I know it's because he guzzled back the food and water around 5:15am, and we were playing and I was picking him up, etc. Normally I will go out with him again at 8:30am right before I head to work, but he beat me to it...friggen dog couldn't wait 10 mins! I interrupted him and snapped the leash on and took him right outside. We went thru the "outside to pee" and treat routine. It's frustrating because I'm trying to make it work on time, AND play with the dog, AND make sure he doesn't pee on the carpet.
My BF says I should be crating him in the morning to make sure he doesn't pee before I take him out for that last time at 8:30am. I feel bad because he's crated at night while he sleeps (even though he definitely likes his little bedroom), he's crated while I'm at work until I come from for lunch, and he's crated after I go back to work after lunch until my bf gets home at 3pm. If I crate him in the morning while I get ready for work, he'll surely whine and cry because he's awake and wants to play. Am I being cruel if I stick him in the crate then, too? It's cold out where I live so he's not too keen on going for a nice long walk in the morning.
How much crate is too much? Is the point to crate training that he spends A LOT of time in the crate? I'm confused and I REALLY want him to housebreak and we're still struggling.....

jones

Posted : 12/7/2006 1:04:06 PM

Sorry, I gotta agree with the boyfriend and say it's better to crate him while you're in the shower than to let him have the accident. Playing is a surefire way to make a puppy pee... what I would do is either time it so your last walk is immediately after playtime, or just turn playtime into an extended walk so that he gets that exercise and gets to eliminate one last time. In that morning time when you're trying to get ready, try crating him and giving him a puppy Kong with his breakfast in it (if you use kibble you can "plug" the end with a bit of peanut butter)... this will create a positive association with the crate, give him breakfast, and give you a chance to get ready, all at once.

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Posted : 12/7/2006 1:33:03 PM

I agree about crating him while on shower but if ANY way possible you can exercise him mor ein the morning it would help out a lot. He really needs something that gets his heart rate up and leaves him panting. I know its hard, especially since winter is here and its colder but if it were a human child you would never consider that little of interaction. Again I know its hard but you will defintly see a improvement in his behavior, obediance, and he will be able to focus better on his training because he wont be so wired up. Plus its good for you too, in reality a extra 30 minutes dosnt give you THAT much more sleep (sshh, at least thats what I have to tell myself to get up on these cold winter mornings) he he! I've had Rory for almost 2 years and I have made a point to walk her everymorning and I can see such a difference in my body and even look forward to our walks.
When my husband gets home he can tell first thing wether I walked her or not just by her energy level, it makes that much of a difference!

dogslyfe

Posted : 12/7/2006 2:02:20 PM

If your pup is holding it an hour at a time, while playing, at that age - be grateful. When Nick was 11 weeks old, he could only go about 30 mins between pee trips if he was playing.

At 11 weeks this was our schedule:

Get up 2 hours before time to leave for work. Potty puppy.

Feed, then Potty puppy.

Play 15-20 mins, potty puppy.

Play 15-20 mins more, potty puppy.

Puppy in Ex-Pen with toys while I take a shower and get ready.

When I'm ready, potty puppy, crate puppy, then leave.

Remember - puppies will need to eliminate after sleeping, eating, and playing.

Erin B

Posted : 12/7/2006 3:35:16 PM

Ya, I agree. Maybe after taking her out after I wake up, I'll crate him while I shower/makeup/get dressed, and then play with him/walk him more. A friend of ours bought him a jacket as a gift, which would really come in handy since he freezes in this weather! I swear it's necessity, not a fashion statement. Plus after he gets his second shots tomorrow I can take him to the nearby dog park ALL THE TIME which I hven't been able to do. If he's meeting tons of dogs and chasing his ball he won't be worried about the cold.
Thing is, the little bugger always knows when I've turned my head so he can squat. Plus he doesn't always have to pee every hour. We are normally on a 2.5-3hour per day schedule (he can hold it all night long), so when he pees after an hour in the morning, I know it's because he just ate and drank a ton of water.
He's an EXTREMELY thirsty pup and we only let him drink at 5:15am when he wakes up and gets his breakfast, and then again from 3-5pm when he gets his dinner. Other than that, no food, no water. If we let him have water all the time we'd be pulling our hair out.
Like I said, he doesn't have accidents every day, so he makes me think he finally gets it, only for me to catch him squatting and realize he totally doesn't!!! The day he scratches at the door to go out will be the HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE.

dogslyfe

Posted : 12/7/2006 4:12:33 PM

He's an EXTREMELY thirsty pup and we only let him drink at 5:15am when he wakes up and gets his breakfast, and then again from 3-5pm when he gets his dinner. Other than that, no food, no water. If we let him have water all the time we'd be pulling our hair out.

I suspect he's an extremely thirsty puppy because he's not getting enough water. I don't give my puppy water at night (ie 10pm-6am, when we sleep) but otherwise he gets free water in the AM, at lunchtime, and in the PM until about 9 or 9:30 - with one last SMALL sip before bed-time. Withholding water to the extent that you are may not be good for him. Yeah, its an extra hassle to take the pup out to pee more, but he NEEDS water to develop and survive. Because my pup used to be a recreational drinker, he has a rabbit waterer in his crate during the day.

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Posted : 12/7/2006 4:21:44 PM

Ditto Dogslyfe, he defintly needs more access to water, that is just too little of an amount.
Also Leroi, I think the switcharoo with the shower timing is a great idea!
Yup once he is able to play at the dog park it will wear him out so much faster and you'll see a huge improvement and the socialization is great too, Well your heading in the right direction!

jones

Posted : 12/7/2006 5:05:10 PM

I think it's best to allow free access to water with a cutoff point about 2 hours before he's in for the night. Typically puppies that age can hold their bladders about 3 hours while crated, longer overnight, but only a half hour to an hour while out of the crate.