[Apollok1ds]

So we've had her since 8 weeks old. This is my first Shepherd and wow they are smart. So far she has been learning at a fast rate. She won't nip at you anymore. Maybe a few times when super excited every couple days but we tell her to "Stop". She is pretty good at the "Leave it" command and can sit perfectly. She knows her name and to come here. I've been pretty blown away how fast she is learning. Now, when it comes to house breaking her it has been rough. I should start by saying we live in an apartment. We trained our other dog without crate training to house break him. She is crate trained now to where she will go in the crate while at work or going out places and we cant take them with us. She doesn't really whine during those times bc we aren't home. We don't have the biggest apartment inside but we do take her on walks and play with her constantly. She also is pretty good about not chewing stuff. Maybe an occasional paper towel left nearby but nothing significant. Our other dog is 3.5 years old so I dont remember all what we did to house train him. She will potty while outside when we go but she also has a decent amount of area inside to roam. Bedrooms are gated as is back half of apartment where kids rooms are. So she has living room (where we are most of the time), dining room is connected and she has kitchen where her food is. The way it's set up it's hard to block off any of those 3 areas. Near impossible really. I don't like to crate her while home a lot bc it's in living room with us and we cant have to much whining or being loud due to neighbors. Also, we let the dogs sleep with us as that's how we've always done and like it. We're not too huge on crates as you can see. So obviously it's not her fault when she goes at night in the house I realize. We both work at 630am so it's hard to take her out more than one time at night while sleeping. Usually around 330am. What are some things I can do to help house break her as I feel we are going much too slow in this area. If I need to change and do some things different I'm open to ideas. Will putting her into a crate at night while our other dog sleeps with us work? It's not that we can't deal with any whining but our neighbors cannot as they are older and we have already talked to them a little about this. We are looking at moving in June but she should be house broken by then so that doesn't help us too much. I worry we spoiled her too much at the start with sleeping out in the open with us. But like I said any tips or ideas I would be greatful. Sorry such a long post and if there are a ton of errors I apologize as well bc I'm on my phone.

 

[vomlittlehaus]

So you already see how crates are beneficial. I would set up a large pen (x-pen) with litter tray. Not too big as that is your current problem. Potty area, sleep area, that is it. Good Luck.

 

[Apollok1ds]

Thanks for the fast response. I'll look into that now. Edit: I like the idea but we don't have much room for one. Maybe I could move some furniture around.

 

[Sabis mom]

I'm sorry to be blunt, but why did you get a puppy?
I am fascinated that your concern was teaching it basic commands above don't pee in the house.
Your words, no time, no space, intolerant neighbors.
See sticky on housetraining.
Best of luck.

 

[Jorski]

Success depends on you. If you are doing it right, there are almost no "accidents". It does vary by dog, I had one that was dependable within about a week, my current pup took probably three weeks to get to the point where he would consistently let us know by whining at the door. That doesn't mean that the dog was ready to be left completely unsupervised, just that it was at the point that it didn't require perfect attention.

Key things:
The pup must be taken outside immediately after every nap; immediately after playing, 10 minutes after drinking water; immediately when coming out of the crate; any time that the nose goes to the floor.

If you can't pay 100% attention to the pup it must go in the crate! Even if you are in the same room.

Another important thing is to take them outside to the area that you wish them to use and to have a command to go to the bathroom. Use a word that you don't commonly use for obvious reasons. Just say it softly each time they go to the bathroom, and before you know it they will basically go on command.

If the dog whines at the door, take him outside. He will learn to tell you when he needs to go.

By the way, the dog that was dependable after only a week, made only one mistake, and it was absolutely my fault. Friends came over to see the pup and while we were at the front door greeting, I took my attention off of her.
Never give the pup more freedom than it is ready for, and everything will be fine.

 

[Petra's Dad]

We have a 15 week year old who has become pretty solid on his potty training. If you have been working on it with her, she should be pretty close to being potty trained. I would think leaving her in the crate while you sleep is the best way to prevent it as she will let you know when she needs out.

We started our boy out in the crate initially and he would whine for 5 minutes or so and then settle. Eventually he started to fall asleep near the bed and we were getting pretty trusting of him at that point so we stopped using the crate now and he hasn't had one accident. He does get up and sit near the door and start to whine when he wants out. My wife and I usually are light enough sleepers that we notice when he is moving around and I get up and let him out.

 

[Kathrynil]

So we've had her since 8 weeks old. This is my first Shepherd and wow they are smart. So far she has been learning at a fast rate. She won't nip at you anymore. Maybe a few times when super excited every couple days but we tell her to "Stop". She is pretty good at the "Leave it" command and can sit perfectly. She knows her name and to come here. I've been pretty blown away how fast she is learning. Now, when it comes to house breaking her it has been rough. I should start by saying we live in an apartment. We trained our other dog without crate training to house break him. She is crate trained now to where she will go in the crate while at work or going out places and we cant take them with us. She doesn't really whine during those times bc we aren't home. We don't have the biggest apartment inside but we do take her on walks and play with her constantly. She also is pretty good about not chewing stuff. Maybe an occasional paper towel left nearby but nothing significant. Our other dog is 3.5 years old so I dont remember all what we did to house train him. She will potty while outside when we go but she also has a decent amount of area inside to roam. Bedrooms are gated as is back half of apartment where kids rooms are. So she has living room (where we are most of the time), dining room is connected and she has kitchen where her food is. The way it's set up it's hard to block off any of those 3 areas. Near impossible really. I don't like to crate her while home a lot bc it's in living room with us and we cant have to much whining or being loud due to neighbors. Also, we let the dogs sleep with us as that's how we've always done and like it. We're not too huge on crates as you can see. So obviously it's not her fault when she goes at night in the house I realize. We both work at 630am so it's hard to take her out more than one time at night while sleeping. Usually around 330am. What are some things I can do to help house break her as I feel we are going much too slow in this area. If I need to change and do some things different I'm open to ideas. Will putting her into a crate at night while our other dog sleeps with us work? It's not that we can't deal with any whining but our neighbors cannot as they are older and we have already talked to them a little about this. We are looking at moving in June but she should be house broken by then so that doesn't help us too much. I worry we spoiled her too much at the start with sleeping out in the open with us. But like I said any tips or ideas I would be greatful. Sorry such a long post and if there are a ton of errors I apologize as well bc I'm on my phone.

Putting her in at night will help. When I started Kias, he would whine for about fifteen minutes then settle down. The thing is to ignore if they whine. I used to go over and let him out if he whined and he lapped it up like crazy, whining two times the volume every time he went back in.
Anyway, As soon as you wake up, get her out immediately and head straight out the door, then let her in and do what you whatever you do in the mornings. If you catch her in the act, strongly rebuke and quickly lead her outside, where you can praise her if she finishes up out there.
The thing is to always be on the lookout, like the others said. If she isn't watched, she will go if she needs to. If she's in the crate she will not want to go and will learn to hold it.

 

[Apollok1ds]

I'm sorry to be blunt, but why did you get a puppy?
I am fascinated that your concern was teaching it basic commands above don't pee in the house.
Your words, no time, no space, intolerant neighbors.
See sticky on housetraining.
Best of luck.

Maybe I should have worded my post a little more carefully. Never did I say I dont have any free time for her. I just work early is all I'm saying so I haven't gotten up with her more than 1x during the nights. My neighbors dont like loud noises. Who cares. We trained our other dog just fine while living here. I'm just pointing out my situation and maybe if there was any advice besides crate training at night time. If that is the only option or best option we will start to do so at nighttime. I'm open to help or any tips but you seemed to give none. Also basic commands were not my main concern. They just happened bc I can teach them while playing with her. I can't play with her while teaching not to use bathroom in house. Once again was only using that to point out how impressed I was with how quickly she learns. I'm just behind on house training but I'm assuming not everyone can fully housebreak their dog in 1 month everytime. If so then that's great, share any tips and I will gladly use them. It seems I share too much information and tend post unnecessary details. Also, only said it was an apartment with open areas between living room and kitchen with no real way to block those high traffic areas off.

 

[Apollok1ds]

Success depends on you. If you are doing it right, there are almost no "accidents". It does vary by dog, I had one that was dependable within about a week, my current pup took probably three weeks to get to the point where he would consistently let us know by whining at the door. That doesn't mean that the dog was ready to be left completely unsupervised, just that it was at the point that it didn't require perfect attention.

Key things:
The pup must be taken outside immediately after every nap; immediately after playing, 10 minutes after drinking water; immediately when coming out of the crate; any time that the nose goes to the floor.

If you can't pay 100% attention to the pup it must go in the crate! Even if you are in the same room.

Another important thing is to take them outside to the area that you wish them to use and to have a command to go to the bathroom. Use a word that you don't commonly use for obvious reasons. Just say it softly each time they go to the bathroom, and before you know it they will basically go on command.

If the dog whines at the door, take him outside. He will learn to tell you when he needs to go.

By the way, the dog that was dependable after only a week, made only one mistake, and it was absolutely my fault. Friends came over to see the pup and while we were at the front door greeting, I took my attention off of her.
Never give the pup more freedom than it is ready for, and everything will be fine.

Thank you so much for the detailed response. That was exactly what I needed to hear. I will be more attentive and also take her out more. Its definitely my fault and since she has continued to use bathroom roughly in same 10 foot area I made it harder for her to understand that's not the place she should go potty at. I also will start looking for more tells of when she is looking to use bathroom.

 

[Apollok1ds]

Putting her in at night will help. When I started Kias, he would whine for about fifteen minutes then settle down. The thing is to ignore if they whine. I used to go over and let him out if he whined and he lapped it up like crazy, whining two times the volume every time he went back in.
Anyway, As soon as you wake up, get her out immediately and head straight out the door, then let her in and do what you whatever you do in the mornings. If you catch her in the act, strongly rebuke and quickly lead her outside, where you can praise her if she finishes up out there.
The thing is to always be on the lookout, like the others said. If she isn't watched, she will go if she needs to. If she's in the crate she will not want to go and will learn to hold it.

Ok awesome. Crate her at night time seems to be best solution. I will take your advice as well as others and apply it. Thank you.

 

[Apollok1ds]

Thank you so much for the detailed response. That was exactly what I needed to hear. I will be more attentive and also take her out more. Its definitely my fault and since she has continued to use bathroom roughly in same 10 foot area I made it harder for her to understand that's not the place she should go potty at. I also will start looking for more tells of when she is looking to use bathroom.

Quick question. Should I just set certain times to take her out at night? Example: we go to bed at 12. Take her out at 3am and once again when we get kids up for bus 645am.

 

[Sabis mom]

Maybe I should have worded my post a little more carefully. Never did I say I dont have any free time for her. I just work early is all I'm saying so I haven't gotten up with her more than 1x during the nights. My neighbors dont like loud noises. Who cares. We trained our other dog just fine while living here. I'm just pointing out my situation and maybe if there was any advice besides crate training at night time. If that is the only option or best option we will start to do so at nighttime. I'm open to help or any tips but you seemed to give none. Also basic commands were not my main concern. They just happened bc I can teach them while playing with her. I can't play with her while teaching not to use bathroom in house. Once again was only using that to point out how impressed I was with how quickly she learns. I'm just behind on house training but I'm assuming not everyone can fully housebreak their dog in 1 month everytime. If so then that's great, share any tips and I will gladly use them. It seems I share too much information and tend post unnecessary details. Also, only said it was an apartment with open areas between living room and kitchen with no real way to block those high traffic areas off.

Eyes on or in her crate at all times. At 12 weeks she should be fine through the night. Restricted food and water before bed. Don't cheat and she should have it in a week. Two tops.

 

[Kyrielle]

Quick question. Should I just set certain times to take her out at night? Example: we go to bed at 12. Take her out at 3am and once again when we get kids up for bus 645am.

At this point, no. Take up her food and water an hour before bed. Make sure she pees and poops before she goes in the crate for the night. Put her in the crate and let her stay in there. If she cries in the middle of the night, ignore her. She can wait and will go back to sleep. As soon as you're up, take her out to go pee and poop first thing. Then give her breakfast and water and leave her in the crate until the kids are off to school. That should cut down on accident chances in the mornings what with the getting kids ready chaos.

Just remember every time she comes out of the crate after she's been in there for more than an hour, take her out to potty. And every 30 minutes when she's wandering about the house.

Also remember...a puppy out of sight is a puppy up to mischief!

In terms of whining in the crate while you're home, try putting a sheet over the crate so she can't see out. Both Jack and Kodi freaked out whenever they had to be in their crate and they could see us moving around doing stuff (they want to be out doing stuff with you). So, we covered the crate to make it dark and block their line of sight. They'd go to sleep in about 5 minutes or otherwise quietly chew to occupy themselves.

 

[Apollok1ds]

So we've had her since 8 weeks old. This is my first Shepherd and wow they are smart. So far she has been learning at a fast rate. She won't nip at you anymore. Maybe a few times when super excited every couple days but we tell her to "Stop". She is pretty good at the "Leave it" command and can sit perfectly. She knows her name and to come here. I've been pretty blown away how fast she is learning. Now, when it comes to house breaking her it has been rough. I should start by saying we live in an apartment. We trained our other dog without crate training to house break him. She is crate trained now to where she will go in the crate while at work or going out places and we cant take them with us. She doesn't really whine during those times bc we aren't home. We don't have the biggest apartment inside but we do take her on walks and play with her constantly. She also is pretty good about not chewing stuff. Maybe an occasional paper towel left nearby but nothing significant. Our other dog is 3.5 years old so I dont remember all what we did to house train him. She will potty while outside when we go but she also has a decent amount of area inside to roam. Bedrooms are gated as is back half of apartment where kids rooms are. So she has living room (where we are most of the time), dining room is connected and she has kitchen where her food is. The way it's set up it's hard to block off any of those 3 areas. Near impossible really. I don't like to crate her while home a lot bc it's in living room with us and we cant have to much whining or being loud due to neighbors. Also, we let the dogs sleep with us as that's how we've always done and like it. We're not too huge on crates as you can see. So obviously it's not her fault when she goes at night in the house I realize. We both work at 630am so it's hard to take her out more than one time at night while sleeping. Usually around 330am. What are some things I can do to help house break her as I feel we are going much too slow in this area. If I need to change and do some things different I'm open to ideas. Will putting her into a crate at night while our other dog sleeps with us work? It's not that we can't deal with any whining but our neighbors cannot as they are older and we have already talked to them a little about this. We are looking at moving in June but she should be house broken by then so that doesn't help us too much. I worry we spoiled her too much at the start with sleeping out in the open with us. But like I said any tips or ideas I would be greatful. Sorry such a long post and if there are a ton of errors I apologize as well bc I'm on my phone.

Edit: Last night was her first full night in the crate. I took her our 2x and she was good. She was well behaved in crate the entire night. I guess I was mistaken bc this is by far the best way it seems. Should i slowly introduce her to more freedom at night? If so how long should I keep the crate step going? Eventually I would like her sleeping with us like our other dog.

 

[Kyrielle]

Edit: Last night was her first full night in the crate. I took her our 2x and she was good. She was well behaved in crate the entire night. I guess I was mistaken bc this is by far the best way it seems. Should i slowly introduce her to more freedom at night? If so how long should I keep the crate step going? Eventually I would like her sleeping with us like our other dog.

I would only let her out during the night when you are 100% sure she will not need to pee in the middle of the night. So, when she can sleep through the night without getting up for 1-2 weeks straight, you could give it a try. Even then, confine her to your bedroom and shut all the doors leading into and out of the room. Give her a dog bed so she has some place to sleep if you want.

 

[Apollok1ds]

I would only let her out during the night when you are 100% sure she will not need to pee in the middle of the night. So, when she can sleep through the night without getting up for 1-2 weeks straight, you could give it a try. Even then, confine her to your bedroom and shut all the doors leading into and out of the room. Give her a dog bed so she has some place to sleep if you want.
[/QUOT
That's what I will do then.