jinksd1 Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Hello, everyone! This is my first post here. I've had my 11-week-old Border Collie for about three weeks now, and I think things are going fairly well, but I have a question about potty training. We're crate training, and we of course started potty training as soon as we brought her home. She has it down about 90-95% so far, but she still has accidents inside sometimes. I know her little body is still maturing, so probably some of it is that. She seems to have the most trouble when she's been playing a while. When we let her out of the crate, we immediatly take her outside (where she always at least pees 100% of the time), and then it's play time. When she's been playing a while, sometimes she seems to be so into her play and so active that she suddenly has to pee and will squat right then and there with no warning. Usually we can startle her, and she'll stop mid-stream, at which point we take her out. She also sometimes tries to poop inside, but that's easier to catch, so we haven't had any actual accidents in a while (but I'm concerned that she even tries). We never punish her for accidents, in case anyone is wondering. We do have her on a schedule and make sure she goes out often, especially when exiting her cage and after meals (fed three times daily). She doesn't have any accidents in her crate. My question is whether this is something to be terribly concerned about. My last Border Collie had it down by 9 weeks old and never had accidents after that, so maybe I'm expecting too much based on that. I'm unsure if she might be developing bad habits that will be hard to break, or if this is completly within the realm of normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smalahundur Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 She´s just eleven weeks, a toddler, so my answer would be simply "no". I would be more concerned about your impatience... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Welcome! Some people have had pups that were trained at quite the early age - sometimes I wonder if it has been that the pup is trained or that the trainer is trained! That said, some of mine have not been reliable until five or six months particularly, as you have noticed, when occupied with serious play. Just keep training with patience, cleaning with an enzymatic cleaner that will destroy the scent (so there's no scent there that says, "This is the right spot to go."), and praising/rewarding the behavior (going outside) that you want. If she's like my Dan, one day the light bulb moment will happen! Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Forgetting to pee or poo when concentrating on something else seems pretty normal in a BC of any age IME, it's just that an older dog can hold it and a young pup can't - and yours is very young. Sounds like you are doing very well with yours so far. Never compare dogs or children - they are what they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 When she's been playing a while, sometimes she seems to be so into her play and so active that she suddenly has to pee and will squat right then and there with no warning. Usually we can startle her, and she'll stop mid-stream, at which point we take her out. This is typical. You'll need to be proactive. If she seems to need to go potty after playing for about 10 minutes, then take her out after about 8 minutes. They are like little kids: they do get so involved that they don't notice their body's signals until it's too late and by then, well, it's too late. I've had good success with just taking them out every 10-15 minutes (usually 10) while they're up and playing in the house. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Exercise stimulates the need to go to the bathroom, so if she is playing she will need to go out much more frequently than if she is sleeping in her crate. As others have said, take her out much more often when she is playing. Try this product for cleaning the carpets where she peed. You may need a black light to find all the stains. If you don't get rid of the odor, she will want to go in those spots again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smalahundur Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Never compare dogs or children - they are what they are. Why not, raising dogs and little children has quite a lot in common, same learning principles apply . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Language blip I think. Don't have the same expectation of every dog, or of every child. They are all individuals and just because the OP's last dog was housetrained at 9 weeks doesn't mean that this one ought to have been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeri Jessee Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Sounds like she is doing great. Don't stress, she'll get it. Takes time to be 100% reliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Try this product for cleaning the carpets where she peed. You may need a black light to find all the stains. If you don't get rid of the odor, she will want to go in those spots again. Liz P, I checked out the website, and it looks good, but I am left wondering how this product is used on pee spots on the carpet. There are no instructions for this purpose. From what I read, one sprays a mist onto the surface with the odor. Most other pet oder removal products require that you spray to saturate the carpet, wait 5-10 minutes, then blot. So I am a bit confused as to how to use this product specifically on the wet carpet spots. How do you use it for pee spots on the carpet? Thanks, Jovi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloria Atwater Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 Oh, goodness, she's just a baby! I've never considered a dog house broke before 6 months. Puppies will almost always pee in the middle of play. Movement actually *stimulates* going potty, (that's why we take dogs for potty walks) so if she's playing, just know she's going to pee and take her outside to play, so she can pee in the right spot. At her age, they simply don't think past, "Woops, gotta go." Bladder control - impulse control - is still a ways down the road. In the meantime, just remember that there are three things which will make a puppy go potty: waking up, eating and playing. So, be patient. Be mindful. If waking, playing or eating, she's just going to go potty, and nothing changes that but time. Best of luck! ~ Gloria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinksd1 Posted September 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 Thanks to all for the reassurance. I suspected I didn't have much to worry about, but it's good to know for sure. We'll just keep on working with her, knowing she'll get it eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 I've used it on carpet many different ways. If you have one of those Spot Bot carpet cleaners you can pour some in with the water instead of carpet cleaning solution. I treat the Zero Odor like a concentrate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamS Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 I highly recommend the little green cleaning machine: http://www.bissell.com/little-green-deep-cleaner/ Sounds like she is doing great! I know a dog that wasn't house trained until she was 8 years old (of course that was her owner's fault)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smalahundur Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 Language blip I think. Yeah,or rather I misread your post, you didn´t write "never compare dogs with children" (as I thought) you wrote "children or dogs". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notorious Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 Potty training is the worst part lol. I got lucky and only had to tell my pup no once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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