Chuffy
Posted : 1/17/2007 4:41:11 PM
Let the puppy out very soon after eating and drinking and straight after waking as well as after/during any periods of play or chewing. Also let him out every hour on the hour and any time he looks like he needs to go (circling and sniffing).
I always crate train a new pup straight away and shut him in at night. Initially I keep the crate by the bed and get up a few times in the night to prevent acidents. It also prevents the pup crying because he is lonely and scared. I'm not a big fan of dogs in bedrooms, so I move the crate to its permanent spot gradually later on when he has settled and is dry at night. After a few nights I phase nighttime wee breaks out and simply go to bed late and get up early for a while.
The odd accident in the crate won't necessarily sabotage all your hard work but it WILL be extremely distressing for the puppy - I can't emphasise this enough. Make sure he has plaenty of chance to eliminate before being crated and don't crate him for too long without a wee break because forcing him to soil his bed/crate goes against his natural instincts and its cruel.
However, if he has enough accidents in the crate, he will override his natural compunction against soiling on/near his bed and this will impede the training process - and by that I mean it is very likely to set it back by months.
A very young puppy can get the basics of potty training down in a few days provided you are vigilant, prevent acidents, let them out frequently and reward them well for going in the right spot. But their control over their bodily functions is still poor and they still need all the help you can give them, probably for several months - how long until they can be considered "reliable" varies between breeds and individuals although most of it depends on how "right" you can get it in the early days and weeks. They won't necessarily learn to "tell" you they need to go until much later - if they do so at all and its best not to rely on them to let you know - this puts the onus for getting it right on the dog, not the human which is setting them up for failure rather than success.
As long as your boyfriend follows the same routine you do there shound't be a problem.
IMO the best way toa clean, non confused dog is this: if you've ever read Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire, take a leaf from Moody's book -
CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!!!!