# housebreaking help!



## hwidmer (Mar 1, 2013)

Hello everyone!

I've had my puppy for almost 3 weeks now and his house breaking is going well. When he is not in his crate, he has learned to run to the door and sit there so I know he has to go poop but he still has a few pee accidents (getting very rare)

Currently I am crate training him and I leave the house around 7am. I have a dog walker come at 11 for an hour to take him out and walk him (He's a little less than 3 months so I'm aware of the hours per month rule). Sometimes he soils and poos in his crate before the walker comes, and sometimes he doesn't. 

Is he learning bad habits by going the few times in there? I know realistically he cannot hold it, so I don't blame him for that. 

Also, sometimes I keep him at my boyfriend's house in a seperate crate. He seems to do well at my apartment and in his crate but in his crate at my boyfriend's he's been having more accidents. I keep him at my boyfriends to save money because he lives closer to work and I'm able to check on him during lunch, but is this counterproductive to the training? Should I just stick to my apartment and continuously pay the dog walker? (Also, my boyfriend has dogs that are kept out of the room... he could be getting excited or angry regarding them and pee/poop)

Any suggestions would help so much! Thanks!!! Ultimately I would like to know if 1) it's counterproductive in the training and 2) if it's forming a bad habit now by peeing in the crate before the mid-day check in or if this is normal and will subside after he gets a little older


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

Does he need to be in a crate when you are out at work? Can he have the run of the kitchen?


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Even if not the whole kitchen, is there anyway you can give him a little room outside of the crate? Luckily I was home while my boy was a young pup so didn't have the same problem, but at nights we managed to create a bit of space outside of the crate - had crate under stairs and gave him the rest of the area closed off with bit of hardboard and a chair, he never once went in his crate but pee'd outside of it, your boy has no option. Do you put paper or a pad down in one side of the crate and make the other end snuggley with a blanket so that he can feel he is going outside of his sleeping area?


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## hwidmer (Mar 1, 2013)

I live in a one bedroom apartment so my apartment does not have much space. I have paper in one small space and he usually goes on the mat that I have in there. 

I have been transitioning his food also.. and last night and today he pooped in his crate (which he hasn't done in awhile). 

The vet said for me to sleep through the night and not get up to take him out unless I hear him calling for me... WELL... last night he didn't cry for me and he pooped in his crate! Frustrating because I know it could have been prevented had I taken him out like I've been doing, but I understand not wanting to get him into the habit. 




DB1 said:


> Even if not the whole kitchen, is there anyway you can give him a little room outside of the crate? Luckily I was home while my boy was a young pup so didn't have the same problem, but at nights we managed to create a bit of space outside of the crate - had crate under stairs and gave him the rest of the area closed off with bit of hardboard and a chair, he never once went in his crate but pee'd outside of it, your boy has no option. Do you put paper or a pad down in one side of the crate and make the other end snuggley with a blanket so that he can feel he is going outside of his sleeping area?


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## hwidmer (Mar 1, 2013)

I have the kitcken blocked off, that is a room he is not allowed to go into and I'm trying to train him on that early on. But even with that, I live in a small apartment so there's not much space anyway.... He's not potty trained yet so I feel more comfortable crating him during the day.

Like I said, myself or the dog walker comes every couple hours to take him out so he can go outside and also play. 



tessybear said:


> Does he need to be in a crate when you are out at work? Can he have the run of the kitchen?


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