[grandmaof3]

A few weeks ago my daughter brought home a pit bull puppy. She's 5 months old and the lady she got her from kept her outside, so she has no indoor manners. I'm having problems getting her to go to the bathroom outside rather than on my carpet. What do I do ? She's not too old to learn is she ? I really don't want to keep her outsde, I think there is no point in having a dog if you don't let it be in the house as a part of the family.

Do you have training pads? It is what I used for my dog when he was a puppy and slowly move it towards the door it worked for me.

[grandmaof3]

Originally Posted by Buttercup.

Do you have training pads? It is what I used for my dog when he was a puppy and slowly move it towards the door it worked for me.

I got the training pads..she just tore them up

Originally Posted by grandmaof3

I got the training pads..she just tore them up

Awww, Funny little thing and cute Maybe go outside with her then and say pee pee and don't come in until she does it? I was told by the vet to do this too.

[gma45]

Ahhh It's like having a new baby! watch her first thing in am then after you feed her and when she looks like she is sniffing around take her out and do like buttercup said stay out with her and give her lots of praise and pets when she go's. and if you catch her in the act put her out. only if you catch her in the act their attention span is short so it will do no good if you wait she will not understand. be gentle she will get it. repetition is the key! Good luck!

[kindachaotic]

Not too old at all. We've adopted dogs that were anywhere from 8 months to 6 yrs & weren't house trained.

Only thing I can think of is that about every 2 hrs I'd "carry", whichever one it was at the time, to the back of the yard & let her down. Whether it was freezing, raining or both, we'd both stay out there & she'd sniff around & eventually got the hang of it. After doing her business she had to walk back into the house on her own thru wet grass , rain, whatever weather. Then really praised her for doing good. We have a doggie door so that really helped too, then they go out on their own now.

Don't know if this helps but good luck with the puppy.

[RapidFlyer]

The following method has worked for me for 5 dogs. all but one, the one I describe, were 5 to 8 weeks old when I was house training them.

I crate train. I just rescued a puppy, 1 1/2 to 2 years old. The vet and I determined he was an outside dog and I am going to train him to be an inside dog.

First, I take him out the minute I get up and throw on something to wear in the morning. Yes he is the crate until I am dressed. We're talking 2 to 3 minutes. I take him straight out of the house and say "go Potty" or whatever fits your style. as soon as he does I praise him to high heaven. I make sure he is done and then we go in for breakfast.

after breakfast he goes back in his crate so I can do my morning routine. He has water in the crate to drink. Also a pillow and blanket. A toy and bone as well.

After an hour I take him out and Play with him and my other dogs for 15 minutes to 1/2 hour. Then back in the crate. After two full hours since breakfast I take him out of the crate and we go out again. I say "go Potty" and once he does his business both ways I praise to high heaven again. We go back in and now because he is older and I am training him I put him in his Pen. I then put his pillow and blanket and toys in the pen and watch him as I go about my day. Every two hours I take him out. I take him out after every meal. Finally I take him out right before bedtime.

He, in three days, is already beginning to get the idea. I put him in a crate when I cannot watch him closely, or have to leave the house. I put him in a crate when it is bed time. A dog won't do their business in their den.

The crate becomes their den. Then the first room I choose becomes the den. Then I spread it out to two or three rooms until I can do the whole house safely as their den.

As they get older their bladders get larger and are more capable of holding it longer.

Yes there have been accidents occassionally but very few and nothing to worry about. I use Nature's Miracle to clean them up and that has saved my carpet beautifully.

Hope this helps.

[grandmaof3]

Thanks for the advice. She has pooped in her crate several times and peed in it as well,(this at night) I'll try wht you said, hopefully this works thanks again

I agree that crate training is the way to go. If he is going potty in the crate, it may be too big for him. Be sure he has gone potty before you put him in it and no water too close to bedtime. Another trick I used was to hang a bell on the door & teach the dog to hit it with his paw every time you take him out. They catch on very quickly and it lets you know he has to go out when he is out of your vision.Good luck and have fun with your puppy!

[BlessedRhiannon]

Originally Posted by grandmaof3

A few weeks ago my daughter brought home a pit bull puppy. She's 5 months old and the lady she got her from kept her outside, so she has no indoor manners. I'm having problems getting her to go to the bathroom outside rather than on my carpet. What do I do ? She's not too old to learn is she ? I really don't want to keep her outsde, I think there is no point in having a dog if you don't let it be in the house as a part of the family.

Dogs are never too old to be potty trained. I've taught 12+ year old dogs to go outside and 10 week old puppies too.

With a 5 month old puppy, you have to remember that the dog can't hold it for very long, and that they might be "surprised" about when they need to go (just like a little kid). So - how do you deal with this? 1. Take the dog outside on leash frequently, stand in one place, and wait. When the dog starts to potty, tell it "go potty!" (or whatever you want to use). Once the dog potties, you can take the leash off and let it play a bit. Potty comes first, then play. 2. Keep an eye on the dog inside. The instant it starts to squat inside, clap your hands or call it's name to get it's attention, then scoop the dog up and hustle it outside to finish pottying - praise and play with the dog if it finishes outside. It's easiest to watch a dog if you have it on leash attached to you, or confined to the same room as you. If you can't watch the dog, then in to a crate it goes. 3. Take the dog outside when it wakes up from sleeping, after playing for more than about 10-15 minutes, after eating, after drinking. If the pup is playing hard, you may have to interrupt play time for a potty break, since the pup may be surprised and start to go while playing. 4. Learn the pup's "potty signals" - circling, pacing, whining...what tells you that the pup needs to go out. You can eventually teach the dog to signal you by ringing a bell or barking or scratching at the door, but first you need to learn the dog's signals to help it get outside quickly. 5. Remember that the pup is still a "toddler" and will have accidents on occasion up until about a year old.

My 7 month old pup is what I consider fully housebroken, but sometimes if she's had a bit too much water or played a bit too hard, she doesn't always make it outside. She tries really hard, and usually ends up going while she's ringing her bell to be let out. That's just that she's still a pup.

ok..so i guess you get the idea...routine!

get a crate for the puppy if you have not done so already. medium to large sized.

there will be some objecting from the puppy...

feed only good food..crappy food= more crap. (any food you can buy in a grocery store is crappy food) 1st ingredient should be beef, chicken, fish, lamb etc. NOT corn, wheat etc.

get a routine down for the dog. go outside say the magic words...keep down on lead. praise like she just cured cancer.

she (or he) is not to old to be housebroken but if she has never been expected to go outside well it takes a little while to learn...& some catch on quicker than others.

she gets up in the am..out side 1st thing.
she eats..outside asap.
2 hrs later same thing
2 hrs later same thing

every 2 hrs

at night try to go about 5 or so...

a tired dog is a dog that will sleep the night thru...

good luck!

[grandmaof3]

she is doing a little better, i 've been taking her out every 2 hours when I'm home and putting her in the crate when I'm not home. Been trying to be consistant. Hopefully this will work, thanks everybody!