Another question

[deannalew]

Patch's mom again.....he is doing so well with housetraining! http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/smile.gif

As I have mentioned before, we are doing the kennel training and he does like his kennel.

He usually keeps his kennel clean with accidents (wetting) occasionally if I have to leave him for more than 3 hours. Not very often do we do this.

He is keeping the kennel dry at night every night. He sleeps from about 11pm to 5 or 5:30 am. The problem is.....my hubby and I are becoming walking zombies! <IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm41.gif" border=0>

We do put him back to bed right after taking him out, but we have been putting him in bed with us. Lately he has not been too fun to sleep with as he moves around a lot. I think we are going to try putting him back in his kennel after we let him out at 5.

SOOO here's my question:

When will he start sleeping the full 8 hours? I have heard that by 4 mos they can hold it and sleep for a full night....well Patch is about to turn 4 mos. Maybe by 6 mos he will do this?

Is there anything I need to do to try and help him learn to sleep longer? I feel as if this 5 am thing is becoming a habit.

Thanks!

Oh....otherwise....Patch is an angel!<IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm34.gif" border=0> OK...even with the 5 am wakings....HE IS AN ANGEL!! <IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm42.gif" border=0>

[deannalew]

I wanted to add something else and another question.....I hope I am not annoying you all....just would like to hear what you have done if you have used the crate training method.

Like I said before, at night Patch has been waking up at about 4 or 5 am. to go outside. (We take him out about 11pm and he usually does both pee and poop at that time and then we crate him for the night). If we let him out at 4 or 5 am...he will pee and poop. If we do not let him out, he will whine for about 10 min. and then go back to sleep. He will wet the crate, but will hold the poop until we get up about 6-7 am.

I have done a lot of reading on how to crate train as well as sought advice from my vet. My vet (as well as other vet nurses and owners of pups who crate train) says for me NOT to let him out in the middle of the night because he will learn to hold it, especially since he is showing that he will hold the poop. He says he will outgrow this. The vet says that the pup will develop a habit of being let out at 4 or 5 am if we do it on a continual basis. I do know that my pup is becoming a creature of habit and does have a kind of schedule during the day AND that now I am waking up at 4-5 am just to see if he is awake! SO....what my vet is saying DOES make sense.

The problem is.....all other information I have read from trainers who have written stuff about crate training say I MUST let the pup out at night when he cries.

What should I do? I would really love to be able to sleep past 4-5 am (when I get up to take him out, I have a very hard time going back to sleep), and I really don't want him to think that 5 am is wake up time on a regular basis!

Oh, by the way....his crate is SMALL. It is only big enough for him to stretch out, lay down and turn around. When he wets the crate, he usually does it on the small towel I put in there for bedding, he then will either fold the towel over or scrunch the towel up and put it right next to the door and will curl up in a tight ball on the other end, just barely missing the scrunched up towel.

I have been given the advice to take the towel out...I am going to try that next. Patch doesn't really sleep on the towel anyway.

Thanks!

[LisaH]

I agree, this is a confusing area. I've only raised one dachsie puppy, and since we got her when she was only 8 weeks old and were NOT willing to get up in the middle of the night to let her out, we gated her into the pantry with the crate door open and papers for her to go on in the middle of the night. We also spent a lot of time anticipating her needs, taking her outside to the same spot each time, giving her a "go pee" command, and then giving her a food treat and lots of praise. The food treat really helped. Now she's 4, and I still put down a "wee-wee pad" if we're going to be gone for more than 8 hours. It's difficult to teach a dog that that she can sometimes pee in the house and sometimes not, but Annie's done pretty well with it. She NEVER has accidents anywhere except in the place where the wee-wee pad is normally kept, and even that is infrequent.

Sounds like Patches is doing great. I think at 4 months it's still very difficult for a small dog to hold it all night. I think you said he's better at holding poop than holding pee? That makes sense, since he naturally finds it more unpleasant to sit in the crate with his own poop.

I don't think I'd worry too much about setting up a habit by taking him out at 5 a.m. It seems to me the important thing is to help him be successful at peeing and pooping outside. Later on, when he's older and has more control, you can deal with the time at which he does it, encouraging him to wait later and later in the morning.

Good luck! He sounds like a good boy.

[Mskatzy]

<IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm1.gif" border=0> [IMG]I am getting my new Doxie 7/20/01, and I am very excited<IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm42.gif" border=0> I have noticed that lots of Doxies are older and not "completely" potty trained. Is this the norm? In growing up, my father and I always potty trained the new dogs, and we never had a problem. Are there any things that I need to know with this breed? Any help will be appreciated<IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm42.gif" border=0>

[Cheryl]

Mskatzy: Sassy is nearly 7 1/2 mos old and is doing just fine on her potty training...no accidents for over a month now. She was trained to "go" indoors on puppy pads and although it took awhile she eventually got it. In fact, during the nite shell hop off the bed (we put steps there so she can go on/off w/out her having to take really big leaps) do her business and come back. One downside we discovered to the puppy pads though--Sassy will absolutely NOT pee or poop outdoors at all, no matter how long were out for, shell just hold it till we get home then rush to her spot!! Congrats and good luck w/ your pup!! No matter how much you have to spend on steam vacs and carpet cleaners, dachsies are way worth it!!! <IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm12.gif" border=0>

[Snorodent]

THe biggest hint I can think of is Schedule and WATCH. If you catch her squatting go EH EH! and wisk her outside. also, I find keeping them on a strict pooping nad peeing schedule has helped alot with house breaking. Unfortunately, Opal is still at that phase where if we are one hour late with her walking, she lets us know she is not amused by going on the rug ( or more recently - on the bed!) But if we walk her as scheduled, we never have an accident. Shes six months.

Stacy<IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm29.gif" border=0> <IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm24.gif" border=0> <IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm6.gif" border=0> <IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm2.gif" border=0> <IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm5.gif" border=0> <IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm31.gif" border=0>

[Rosalyn]

<IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm34.gif" border=0> Patch, this is Dudley (2-28-01). Just leave your mommy know that you are a baby. O.K.? Because life is to short and she will see the years flow by. Oh by the way, my mommy now calls me long pond. I used to be called puddles. Oh well, it's all her fault anyway. Falling deeply in love with me and spoiling me ROTTEN. She is to selfish and lazy to put me outside on a regular basis. Or is it me just squatting and marking my territory? Mommy thinks I am getting territorial. She is whacked anyway. Oh by the way this potty training thing is all breeds. Just takes patience and love, love and more love. And it certainly does help to be a home without wall to wall carpet. (AMEN!) Daddy thinks I am an angel. And since he gets up at 5:30 a.m. anyway to spoil and feed Gretta and me it's fine. Since mommy goes to bed at 11:00 p.m. Our schedule works out great! But, the puppy in crate and then bed will not work. One or the other. O.K.? Mommy and Daddy are not skinny anymore and well Gretta is about 19 lbs., and well the queen size bed is so COZY! Just keep your mom up at 5, that's O.K. New moms are supposed to get used to these things. Unless you don't have the luxury of the big yard I have and can go anywhere. But, then again I choose to come inside to pee. Oh mommy discovered that if I pooped in the house I ate some of it to hide it. Is that normal! AHHHHH! I hope I get over that REAL soon! Grose you see.... Anybody out there ever do that? Please respond because my mommy wants to worm me more often than possible! THANKS little buddy, Patch and Sassy and Opal, I feel connected to you guys, our mommys are just worried over nothing. Tee Hee Hee, Love, F. Dudley Hershey Kiss
P.S. Who wants to kiss me now?<IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm20.gif" border=0>

<FONT COLOR="#00FFFF" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by Rosalyn on July 05, 2001 at 06:37 PM</font>

[2DogsLong]

I've heard that puppies can hold it for the same number of hours as they are months old - so 4 months, 4 hours.

Your dog's bladder may be smaller than most. That he is soiling his cage means he DOES have to go and if he is going in there, he is not learning to hold it.

You could try restricting his food and water in the evening. Don't feed him anything after 6 so his 11 o'clock poop should empty him out for the night. Restrict his water after 8 so he doesn't have to pee in the night.

Good luck.

[deannalew]

Hey Dudley...Patch here,
Well....Mom is soooo excited for me since I have been going from 10:30 or 11pm at night until 6:30 or 7 in the morning and keeping my kennel DRY! http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/smile.gif

Sometimes I wake up at 4 or so, but by the time Mom decides I really gotta GO...well, I am back to sleep again and did not pee in the kennel.

You see, Mom used to put this little towel in my kennel for me to lay on, but I thought that was just a pee pee pad or something cause since I have no towel....I have kept my kennel dry! Mom is overjoyed!

<IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm12.gif" border=0>

Oh, also, Mom had decided about 4 days ago that if I get up too early and have to go out...I go right back into my kennel. No more sleeping in the big bed. Oh well, I still love to snuggle on my favorite blanket by my Dad's feet at night while he works on the computer! <IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm20.gif" border=0>

Thanks for all your great advice, everyone!