Thread on potty training small breed dogs?

11 years ago

I know I saw a thread somewhere recently, was it here? I just can't remember what was said in the thread, but there was advice from people who had very successfully house trained tiny dogs notorious for being hard to potty train. This is not for myself, it's for a friend who has a little 8 week old as tiny as a kitten. I held the puppy yesterday and couldn't get over the fact that she didn't purr! Haha, I'm so used to cats and kittens! She did wag her tail though, good enough. :P
I think my friend said the dog is a maltipoo or something like that. Mix, obviously.

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trancegemini_wa

11 years ago

hi else, imo the only real difference between large breeds and small breeds is the littleuns do have small bladders so may need to go out more often. But IME, potty training is just about teaching the pup what is expected. I've had lots of different breeds over the years and never had much trouble toilet training any of them, it just takes patience and consistency. I always take the pup or dog out (preferably every hour) to do their business and I wait.....

once they go, lots of praise. I do usually keep an eye on the clock so I know when it's time to go out again for another toilet break. with my last pup I was very vigilant because I felt she was too small to manage the back steps by herself without getting hurt. a few days in I went to find her to take her out and discovered she had taken herself outside down the steps all by herself! I was so shocked but that's as long as she took to learn the ropes.

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Comments (9)

User
11 years ago
Trained mine the same way. Puppy walk is the word in my home.

When said everyone runs for the door.
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User
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
As an experienced breeder, I'm disappointed that the breeder "placed" the pup at age only eight weeks. The breeder and the mother woulda/shoulda progressed this pup for at least another week or two or three.

Sad.
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whammytap
11 years ago
I'd have to agree, potty training is the same for any dog, any size. Smaller dogs just need to go more frequently. Vigilance and consistency are key.
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Else
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for your replies! I just keep hearing (and reading) that many of the small breeds are notorious for being hard to potty train. And I've also heard that they are much more wimpy and don't want out in cold or rainy weather, so then they'll just choose to go inside because they don't want to go outside in the cold and yucky.
whammytap
11 years ago
I think it's a case of owners coddling small-breed dogs. It's still a dog, all manners and obedience rules still apply. I think people are simply hesitant to discipline a small-breed dog. But still yes, the small bladder can lead to a greater chance of accidents. Once a dog of any size has gone in the house a few times, it can be very hard to break the habit. That's why vigilance is key, don't let a problem start. Just be aware of where the dog is and what it is doing at all times until it is old enough to be trusted. This is why crate training works so well, because sometimes you need to run an errand. Any accidents must be cleaned up very thoroughly; dogs will go again where they have gone before, and just because you can't smell it doesn't mean pup can't smell it with that wonderful nose, way down under the carpet padding (enough repeats and you WILL smell it, or at least your guests will.)

I speak from a lot of reading about and observation of dogs. I am also a professional housekeeper. Many of my clients have dogs and it is interesting to see how rules, methods, and successes vary from household to household. Just my two cents' worth.
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Else
Original Author
11 years ago
That's very helpful insight, than you!!
whammytap
11 years ago
Thanks for listening. I love to run my mouth, err, keyboard. :)
Else
Original Author
11 years ago
I appreciate you taking the time, whammy. I have passed all this information along, hopefully she'll find it helpful.