Welcome to Housetraining
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↓ Take A Look At Several different set ups I have used to start house training ↓
↓ You can choose to use a wee-wee pad holder or not. I use holders if a puppy plays, drags, or chews pad "or" if a puppy needs more of a defined target area. ↓
↓ Setup with pad in holder-locked in place ↓
↓ View of single pen setup, this pup has graduated to 1 pad. Eventually we will remove pad when she is ready. Then she will proceed to make #1 & #2 outside. ↓
↓One happy ☻puppy leaving his pen area to release energy, I will leave his little door open so he can go back in & make on his pad. He has been trustworthy this week. He is ONLY aloud to run in this area under my supervision. I do have have gates blocking him from running out of the room. ↓
↓ This puppy is so content with his pen setup. He is learning to eliminate on pad to earn freedom in this room. As long as he has his blue baby....he is fine. ↓
↓ This setup is for 2 puppies I am house training from different families. They are next to each other because usually they do learn from one another. Kind of like monkey see monkey do "OR" as we like to say...the domino effect. Both of these pups started out with two wee wee pads in pens (they were really bad) now they only have one. In a few days I will remove wee wee pads and expect them to eliminate outside. ↓
↓ These two pups required this type of setup (pups live together). The crate was used inside of pen along with two wee wee pads. They didn't soil their crate at all so I was able to leave blanket inside of crate. They learned that the crate was for sleeping and pads were for #1 & #2. They had issues with chewing & peeing on their beds so they were eliminated. The goal was to get them down to one wee wee pad then removing pads so they can go outside. Mission completed!!!!!
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↓Another view of setup that was used for these two puppies. ↓
↓ Attaching two pens together this setup was perfect for a puppy bigger in size (Labrador Retriever pup)
We started with 2 pads then down to one pad. Eventually we were able to remove the pad completely & puppy was making outdoors. ↓
↓ Set ups for different reasons: from left to right
crate #1-dog is house trained already.
crate #2-dog is house trained already.
#3-pen area with bed-no crate senior dog blind with cognitive issues.
#4-pen area with crate-puppy in training.
#5-pen area with crate, puppies in training.
#6-dog is house trained already.
**Dogs are in crates & pen areas for feeding-it's a safety measure.
No fighting here! ↓
↓ Even though we are in the training room, house training must continue in a secured area. Puppy is in an enclose pen with bed & 1 wee wee pad. Puppy is getting proper socialization safely (no dogs accidentally running him over playing) he can target his wee wee pad without making a mistake. He had a great time, after this session he came inside house ate his lunch & took a 2 hr. nap.
He benefited from the mental & physical stimulation. ↓
↓ Another set up of 3 puppies house training in the training room. They are safe while bigger dogs run around to release energy. It's 26 degrees outside ;0(
After 1 wk of doing this routine, I was able to put bigger dogs outside in the yard & open puppy gate on this pen...let them run around (with gate to pen open. This was a test for them, I wanted to see if they would make their way back to the wee wee pads while they were playing. They made it back to pads!!!!!!! I was so proud of them☻ ↓
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Final stage of set up:
After wee wee pads are removed, this is the next process (with a watchful eye).
Now this puppy is on a very tight food & water schedule.
He goes outside to make potty every 45 minutes to an hour. If he does not make then he comes in & goes right back in the pen area until I see sniffing, whining or circling behavior.....then back outside again. If he makes outside I will reward with a verbal & hand praise. Make sure puppy goes outside 20 minutes after each meal, when he/she wakes up from a nap & after any stimulation (playing, training, walking etc).
Action Videos
Action shot making #2
Puppy went back in pen area to do his #2. You see his #1 on the wee wee pad (so he knows that is his place to make with his scent on it)
My husband praises him when he is done. Make sure you wait to praise your puppy when they are completely done. If you praise to early they may stop midstream & finish somewhere else (you don't want that).
Action shot making #1 & #2
I was able to video tape this poor puppy as he was waiting to get picked up by his owners to go to the vet. He started coughing & sneezing along with scratching continuously.
But, look at him go...he was so happy to do his #1 & #2 in the proper area. I was so proud of him.
Puppy was put on medication (recovered beautifully), owners had to change his food because of allergies.