Potty Training 8 week old puppy. Is it possible?

[denvercross]

We adopted an eight week old puppy on Wednesday and immediately started working on potty training. So far he hasn’t pooped in the house, but he pees A LOT. We take him outside ever 20-30 minutes, but sometimes we don’t catch it in time. He also doesn’t like to go outside. He looks scared and I have to pretty much drag him into the grass. Then it’s usually a struggle to get him to walk around. We did order a bell off Amazon as a suggestion from a neighbor. But does anyone have any other tips? I know he’s young, but any advice or tips for moving forward would be great!

 

[kris8585]

@denvercross It'll take a few weeks to get them toilet trained, bring lots of treats with you and give loads of praise when he goes outside. Don't scold him for going indoors, just pop him outside when you catch him in the act and clean up whatever he did inside. If you scold for going inside he might get nervous about peeing in front of you entirely. Just use lots of positive encouragement and like go crazy with a happy "good boy" voice when he goes outside. It does take some time. I think ours got the hang at 14 weeks or so. But keep at it with the positive reinforcement

 

[denvercross]

@kris8585 Thanks! We have been positively encouraging so hopefully that helps him understand he needs to go outside.

So, is it the same for crate training? Right now he’s in the crate while we’re at work and then at night since he can’t be trusted. He’s crying and whining a lot. We have put a blanket over his crate and turned a radio on to hopefully soothe him, but last night he just wouldn’t stop. He did well the first night we had him, but last night was rough

 

[kris8585]

@denvercross We didn't crate train our guy so I'd be no help with that one! We just limited ours to rooms and when we could trust him he got a little more space, and then a little more. We like puppy proofed the entire place, everything up high and anti chewing spray on the furniture.

 

[belyse]

@denvercross This sounds like way too much of the day for a small puppy to be in a crate.

 

[savvy41716]

@belyse They do sleep a lot at that age…but yeah.

Also, house training isn't just one thing, it's a 'don't pee in this space' thing. Start with the crate because dogs are unlikely to our there. When they're reliable in a small space, make the space a bit bigger - the more rooms mentioned above. Eventually they figure out YOUR HOUSE then you work on other indoor spaces. I can leave Bennie at home loose for hours but have to watch him closely when we go to pet stores, vets or dog hotels because he may pee there.

 

[denvercross]

@savvy41716 We do plan to let him out at night once he can control his bladder. This is our first young puppy mine or my fiancé have ever trained. I don’t want him to feel neglected or anything. So your suggestion would be to keep him in a bigger area during the day as well?