Here is Abbey. I posted her pics on the Newlywed board when we got her a few weeks ago. She is now a 10 week old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and is quite honestly the most beautiful little darling in the world! Not to mention that she sits, lays down, comes fetches and gives her paw on demand!!! And we have only had her for going on three weeks this weekend! There is one thing she isn’t great at…..
Peepie and Poopie OUTSIDE! Now don’t get me wrong. She goes out there all the time…she just also goes inside all the time too. I show it to her, Bad Girl and then take her out (even if she is totally empty ) – she just doesn’t seem to be getting that when she has to go she has to go outside. She’s not making any signals towards that.
In addition – I was really bad. We crated her in the beginning, and she still hangs in her crate when she wants private time…but she sleeps at the end of the bed…I know it’s bad! But I couldn’t resist she’s such a little BUDGIE BABY CUTIE! But because of that, I am not able to use the crate now as part of her housebreaking….What to do? Any advice?
PS she never pees or poops in the bed thank goodness. She wakes up though once a night at around 3 AM and needs to be taken out. She displays that by making frantic movements to wake one of us up.
you can still go back to using the crate to housebreak her, even if she is sleeping on your bed
how old is she? - oh, I just saw 10 weeks. She's awfully young. sometimes it takes little pups a while to get potty training completely
urbanhound.com had some good articles on housebreaking
do you leash walk her? we hung my pups leash on the door and he knows that is where he needs to sit/make a fuss to go out
if I can think of anything else I'll let you know
Suzanne
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Sandy&Ben
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Jenny, first I must say congratulations on getting the best dog out there. As a fellow cav-mommy (pic of my big 2-year old below) I know how their cuteness and eagerness to please can melt your heart. I had similar problems with Max when I first got him and I made the mistake of training him to be and inside and outside dog. (he uses wee-wee pads for the times when I work late).
If you want Abbey to be solely an outside dog (which is the preferable thing to do), the first thing to do is set up a strict schedule of out times. A puppy can go for as many hours as she is old. So if she is only 10 weeks, she really cannot go more than 3 hours. So, every three hours you need to take her outside (whether or not she indicates that she has to go). As she gets older, you can increase the time accordingly.
Another tip is to not leave water down for her all day. Only put it down for her when you know you will be able to take her out in a few hours. Puppies don't always know how to regulate their water intake.
If you don't want to keep her in a crate, try getting an exercise pen. I got one for Max which I set up in the kitchen for when I was at work. Inside it I put his crate, toys, and wee-wee pad. It gave him lots of room and allowed him to master the inside wee-wee pad training.
Again, congratulations on your new addition. May she bring sunshine and happiness to your life (I know Max has done that 1000 times over for me!)
Jenny, we were in the same situation when Arnold was 10 weeks old. He was sleeping with us, going to the bathroom outside when we took him out, not having accidents in bed, but having accidents in the house.
It took a LONG time to completely house break him, I'm sorry to say, but one thing that helps tremendously is trying to detect a pattern in the accidents, and putting her outside at the crucial times. Also giving treats outside when she is successful will help. The inside accidents will become fewer and fewer, but it takes time, especially when you've eliminated the crate as a housebreaking tool. I swear I'll never do that again, but give me another cute puppy face, and I'm sure that theory will be shot to $hit in no time.
Just have patience. She'll come along in time!
christine1221
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Oh! What a precious puppy!!! I have a cocker spaniel that I adore & have been so happy with him. He's 11 now & still like a puppy in many ways.
I did have some trouble with the housebreaking, tho ... I have to say. It took a while for him to stop having accidents altogether. Consistency was the key. I tried not to deviate much off of his schedule & soon it got much better.
Best of luck with her! It'll get better, I promise! Please post more pics .... she's tooooooo adorable!!
jenny11.9
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Sandy and Suzanne what great feedback! I did forget to mention that Abbey comes to work with me. We have our own company and it’s the perfect situation. She has free run of my office and limited run of the rest of the space. (I work w. my husband). So I do have the chance to take her out frequently. I will definitely pick up the water. That’s a great idea. She seems to be a little pee machine! I try to take her out after every nap as well, but at 10 weeks she really sleeps constantly….Thank goodness it got warm out! Then I was beginning to think that maybe I was taking her out too many times….
ARGH! Any other advice would be great!
Suzanne
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Sage10.03
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I can't help with the problem, but I just wanted to say that she is ABSOLUTELY THE CUTEST THING EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LizD
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I can't help with the problem either, but OMG those are such cuties!!! Now I want one!!! How big do they get? We keep talking about getting a dog, Mark wants a big dog, but I want a smaller dog. Those two are so adorable.
I think that most dogs do not completely get the housetraining thing...until 4-5 months...
until then..use wee-wee pads!!
jenny11.9
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she'll get to about 12' tall - 13 pounds or so (she's a runt)
But they are TOTAL lap dogs. She is such a mush!!!!
LizD
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Thanks for the information Jen. Both yours and Sandy's dogs are tooooo cute!!! I have to show the pictures to Mark and see if I can sway him to a small dog.
Sandy&Ben
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Max is certainly not the runt of his litter - he is so big. He weighs in at a lean 24 pounds and is full grown. But as was said, they are total lap dogs and basically exist to make you happy. For more information about the breed, check out www.premiercavaliersite.net
here is another pic of max with his 'sister' elf. (i just love showing them off!!)
Thanks Sandy. I will check out that site. Even at 24 lbs that's not too big. Max is so cute (and so if elf ) We have a 13 year old cat at home, and I do not think she would like a big dog at all!
