Re: Waiting for the Aha! moment

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 07:35:31 -0400, "bizby40" <bizby40@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

>
>It's so frustrating for several reasons. First, it's very hard to tell when
>he's squatting. He's so small, that he doesn't really squat -- he just sort
>of leans forward slightly. It's the same as is "What's that?" pose. I'm
>never 100% sure he's peeing, unless I duck down to look between his legs.
>I've gotten better about telling outside that he's gone because he will stay
>in that pose for a few seconds, and then move on. In other words, after he
>is done peeing, I'm pretty sure that he has peed. Same thing inside -- I
>can tell that he *has* peed, but not he is about to. So he has accidents
>even tethered to me. And his bladder is so small, that if I scoop him up
>and run outside when I notice, it's too late. His bladder is already empty
>and he doesn't need to go anymore.

You have a 7 year old, right? My secret tool in housetraining our
new small puppy is my 7 year old, who likes to carry Sammie around
everywhere. Whenever he squirms to get down, she has to take him out
to go potty (and tell him to go potty and treat him and praise him
when he does) before she can put him down. After he runs around and
plays for a while, she has to take him out again to make sure he
doesn't have to go. We tend to play games with him instead of letting
him play by himself and when she asks me to "babysit" her dog while
she does something else (or while she is at school since she is in
year-round school and I am off for the summer), that is chewie time.
Chewie time is almost always appreciated because puppies love to chew.
So he has to sit near me, but he doesn't mind because he gets his
favorite chewie. He doesn't tell us when he needs to go out yet, but
he does go on command outside and we generally catch him before he
goes inside because he can't go when he is being held and won't go on
the couch or bed he hangs out on right next to me. When no one can be
right with him, he is in his crate. He sleeps in my daughter's bed.
She doesn't get up when he whines to go out at night, but I do. The
last two nights, he actually has made it through the night, but then
we have to make sure he goes right out first thing in the morning and
he is not allowed back in the house until he has both peed and pooped.
Right now my daughter is at school and Sammie is killing a greenie
right next to me. If he starts to wander off, he will be brought
right back in here where I can keep an eagle eye on him and where he
has a "den" area he doesn't want to pee or poop in (the people couch).
The bonus is that he doesn't chew up a bunch of stuff he shouldn't,
either.

Put your 7 year old to work! I noticed at one of the pet stores that
they have carriers kind of like the baby slings that carry your pup in
front of you. That might be a good option if you can't tell when he's
squatting while tethered, too.

--
Paula
"Anyway, other people are weird, but sometimes they have candy, so it's best to try to get along with them." Joe Bay
.