Need some advice - Puppy in 9 days!
I have a question that's kind of specific to our house. Our house was brand new when we moved into it a year and a half ago, and it has carpet everywhere except the kitchen. For Milton's first couple of weeks we were planning on keeping his crate in our bedroom - at least at night. I read somewhere that for the first little while it's a good idea to keep them close. The first few days he's home we'll try to keep him in the kitchen as much as possible because the floor is perfect for PEE-PEE clean up. The question I have is this... We probably won't want to spend every waking minute in our kitchen - we'll want to take Milton with us if we're watching a movie or working on the computer. (We'll take pee breaks of course). I realize our carpet will be soiled at least a few times as it comes with the territory of dog ownership (and god knows what else). I just wondered if anyone had any ideas about minimizing how often such a thing occurred. I guess what I'm trying to say is, for the few times he won't be contained in the kitchen in his first few weeks, does anyone have any ideas on how to minimize carpet devistation? 
I almost need to cover the house in rubber. I don't really mind having to clean up his messes. Like I said, it comes with the territory. I'm more concerned that it'll cause training problems if he has an accident and can smell it for weeks afterward. It'll be a tempting spot for him from that point forward, would it not? |
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| How old will Milton be when you bring him home? He won't have muscle control to 'hold it' until he is about 16 weeks old. So I would expect a LOT of pee clean up until he reaches that age.
The fastest way I have trained my dogs is with the crate. As soon as I take them out of the crate, we go outside to potty. If they potty outside act like a total loonie.....give them treats...praise etc.... When they pee in the house, I try to catch them mid stream...pick them up and take them outside to finish. Don't scare him tho....kind of do it quietly. After potty time I play with the puppy until it is tired and then back into the crate it goes for a nap and then we start the cycle all over again. If Milton does have an accident on the carpet....Nature's Miracle (sold at almost every pet store) works with enzymes to get the pee out of the carpet and the smell as well. By the way....my dogs are related to your Milton.  I got 2 of mine from Joy as well. |
| You may be suprised at how easily OES are to house train. Every dog is different of course but Tasker came home at 6 weeks and was totally housebroken within a week. If you are consistent and careful about taking the pup outside regularly and on a schedule soiling the carpet may not be a problem. I HIGHLY recommend crate training. That being said, have an enzyme cleaner on hand and a good carpet steamer doesn't hurt. |
WizardMerlin wrote: By the way....my dogs are related to your Milton.
I got 2 of mine from Joy as well.Cool! I'm quickly learning that Milton has a lot of family on here.  |
| The trick is to minimize the soiling on the carpet as much as possible. I would not let him on the carpet unless I was pretty sure that his bladder was empty...Put the crate in there, for him, too.
And supervise, supervise, supervise. Watch for the signals of wanting to pee and scoop him out and outside right away. The less he pees on the carpet the better chance you have that he will not make it a habit. Personally, I wouldn't allow him access to that room for a while...Or at least ONLY for a few minutes, after he has already peed. Let him get used to the kitchen and "outside" for potty. |
| With Elliott being so sick, we've had a real problem with carpet damage-control... especially with the diarrhea. One thing that has been very helpful... we went and got some (very) cheap, inexpensive area rugs (large). We've put them down over the carpet in the family room, which is where we spend the majority of our time. I have also placed towels down over the area rugs as an extra "line of defense". An interior decorator would be mortified, but it has helped immensely with the inevitable clean up. A bonus is that Elliott loves to "rearrange" the towels. It doesn't take the place of the crate or potty training, but it will help to save your new carpet.
How wonderful for you and your Fiance that Merlin will be joining your lives. My Fiance and I have had our hands full with all that Elliott has been through, but we feel totally blessed to have him in ours! |
I think the best bit of advice you can get (in addition to the above) is to take your puppy outside every 15-30 minutes when he isn't in his crate. Sounds like a lot but by doing this you will quickly understand his "potty" signal and will be able to adjust the time to his needs! Have fun - I also think OES pick it up really fast.  |
| Mojo was 12 weeks old when we brought him home. Training went very quickly with only a few accidents.
I do highly recommend getting the pet enzyme. There are several brands. We too used Nature's Miracle. Even though you may not smell anything, your puppy will. The enzyme neutralizes it so he won't think it is an indoor potty spot. Another tip besides the great ones above. When you take him outside, go to the area in which you want him to go. If he poops somewhere you would not like him to, relocate it. That places the scent and he will get the idea that he has his own little area. |
| My only advice would be take him out almost immediately after he drinks... I imagine every puppy is different, but Humphrey would go and drink a lot of water, and would then use the bathroom within 5 minutes. So just take him out often, and reward him when he uses the bathroom outside.
Also, cleaning an accident quickly is key... the longer it sits, the more it will stain - but you probably knew that. |
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