Potty Training

Well I'm an opinionated old gal and I'll give you my best opinion....and this is how I trained all my shepherds, and my current 5 Iggies from youngsters. And I'm also allowing for the fact that some of you may have extremely young Iggies and may work part or all of your day, so this system works well for that too. There are days I work at home all day and days I have to be out 5 o7 hours.

I ABSOLUTELY disagree with the idea of putting any dog/puppy in a crate with a bed at one end and paper or wee wee pads at the other for potty training. You are TEACHING your pet to go potty in their crate. It's like locking yourself into a closet without a toilet that flushes.

I also feel that a young puppy should have some freedom to move around all the time and build muscle tone and play without being forced to nap whenever you're not there to play with them. I feel they should be able to enjoy their crate without being locked into it till they're older (4 or 5 mos. old and for short periods like a few hours), later they can learn to stay for 4 to 5 hours and by then they will have associated it with good things like food, warmth, bed, toys, bed. Crates are not storage units for dogs, but are useful tools for training/travel and safety purposes.

I use a basic puppy school ....put him/her into a 4 x 4 pen with a well fitted top, preferably 36 in. high or a small room or kitchen area he/she cannot get out of but hopefully can see out of, the 48" Rover gate will work with this if you do not want to buy covered pen, and can be very versatile.

Into that space put their small crate (I believe they like plastic crates better cause they're more like a den, mine all choose plastic over wire when given a choice) with a crate mat and small round bed inside and door taken off of the crate for safety. And the 200 size is a good one, big enough to turn around and stand up in. Paper the hell out of the entire rest of the space. This should be his/her home whenever you cannot be with himi/her and watching her 100% . If he/she has any clean training from her momma or her breeder, he/she will likely learn to sleep in the bed and potty outside her crate. If not you will have to gently train and reinforce this behavior like his/her momma should have. I just had a 6 wk . old puppy who already knows this behavior cause I reinforce it and her momma kicked her out of the bed as soon as her eyes opened and she could maneuver well enough to potty outside of it.

As your dog gets older and has learned some of these basics, shrink the paper or pad area to a smaller and smaller location in their safe space. Eventually to a permanent area or non-existent if you only use the outside. To this day if I have to be gone 8 hours, some of my dogs may hold it fine, but those who can't have a papered potty option at the back door (where they always exit for yard potties)...it's only fair, as I don't think it's healthy for any animal/human to hold it if they have to go over such a long period of time, it can cause bladder/kidney infections if we hold it too long. I should explain that as they're growing up, mine get the kitchen for their safe space, so the paper shrinks toward the potty/back door where they always exit. And then it disappears except for those rare occasions I worry I'll be gone too long. All my Iggies have therefore learned some signal for me telling me (Mom, there's no paper there, let me out, I have to potty). Some will scratch, some will paw, some will circle and some will run to the back door and back to me over and over. For the youngsters, I just follow if they leave the room so they don't have an opportunity to find a new spot in some bedroom I don't want them to potty in.


Start to feed him/her inside her crate, and take food away after 20 min. if any left.

It's work and patience and only good reinforcement on your part, but well worth the effort.

Do not let anyone tell you IG's cannot be housebroken it's bull, there are plenty of housebroken Iggies out there, I have four and a half, and know of many more. They are toys, have smaller bladders and take time and patience, but they can all learn it.

But you also have to work at it....take him/her out for potties as soon as you walk in the door, every couple hours or more when they're young and immediately after eating, and then an hour later, before bed and start looking for the signs they make just before they have to go potty....some whine, some circle, some paw, some will just disappear from the room...(get up and follow!!) Once you find these signs and stick with enforcing where the potty area is and say good potty over and over and treat for the best behavior, you will see results, slow but sure....stick with it and don't let them out of your attentive sight unless it is in their safe area with paper or pads or litter box (whatever you're training for) set up for them in their safe area and their bed, water and toys.

Once they learn the small stuff, and the bed and crate stay clean for some time, you can put the door back on and if they're 4 mos. or more, allow short crate times for awhile with you there and not with you there. By the time your iggie is 8 mos or so or you've caught up to that age and knowledge group, your Iggie should be able to handle up to 3 hr. in a closed crate without soiling it, don't rush this, it's individual....and always keep to the same program. At about a yr. you can be blessed with a pretty reliable Iggie, but never take it for granted...always keep up the positive reinforcement and remember, a crate is a tool, not a home, it can be very useful, but Iggies need interaction and exercise too.

Best of luck and take my opinion for what it's worth.

Even if you disagree with parts of it, it's what has worked best for my 5 and for many others. I recommend it highly.
Here's a great quote from KK:

QUOTE

Every time she has a mistake in the house I want you to do something for me...Roll up a Newspaper, (Very tightly).And bash yourself in the head while saying “Bad, BAD”.. I should have been paying attention to her!" It's never her fault if she has a potty accident in the house, it means that you have been unsuccessful in letting her know what you want from her.

#2

"When I am home no matter how old and how well trained the dog is, I always remind them all to go out and potty, and I always praise them, it’s just part of life of having an IG."

#3

You have received some great advice. I think an pen would be a wise investment for you. You also really need to pay attention to schedule. Get down a potty routine. Many accidents can be avoided by simply making sure Copper is in the right place when you know he has to go. Set him up to succeed. Playtime should be earned by a good potty in the right place first. When you get home, your first instinct may be to let Copper out of his "condo". This is fine, give kisses and hellos but then put him back in there (or in an pen with potty area) until he pees. Then he can come out and play. Keeping a journal or mental note of when he pees/poops helps.

Dolcetto is 6 months and doing great with his housebreaking because he is on a set routine of crate time, feeding time, outside potty time and he knows where the litter box is if he has to go in between. Our litter box area is also in the basement near the door to the yard for less confusion. When any of the boys has to pee, they know where to go. Last week, I knew I'd be coming home a bit late. I left the boys uncrated and the basement door open. There was plenty of potty in the box when I got home, but not a drop anywhere else in the house.

#4
Around our house, EVERYONE goes outside together, whether they need it or not. Jack is a very strong indicator (he'll actually try to turn the knob with his hands), and that's a cue to take everyone out. Because we have two mill rescues (and all are mill dogs), it can be trickier, but certainly not impossible to see cues. Georgie likes to peruse for leftover bits of food, but she has to go outside and potty first. She's fully aware that she can't do her "rummaging" until she's done her business, so she makes a beeline for the yard, does her thing, and wants to run back in....hey whatever works!!

And I'm a big fan of the umbilical method of training (for LOTS of things). I'd put your Iggie on a 10' leash and even while playing, this keeps him from wandering off and stealth peeing. Not only that, but it trains YOU to watch for his signals. We have several with no obvious signals (unless you know them) and two that get "whirling disease" when they have to go. This method of training is GREAT for both of you (again, it trains BOTH of you!) Put him on a leash and take him everywhere with you in the house and out. This increases the bond, gets you used to his cues, encourages him to rely on you for protection (helps a lot with socializing problems), etc.

When he starts to do the dance, RACE him to wherever and HOPE that he goes. If he does, SERIOUSLY lay on the praise (keep treats in your pocket so that you reward him instantly), etc. It only takes a few tries to get the idea across, but will be something you'll have to continue for a long time before he really gets it.