House training my puppy - help!

I have an adorable 14 wk old husky/lab puppy named Lacey. I am having a lot of trouble house training her. I take her outside all the time, but as soon as she gets in she goes potty on the floor. My boyfriend HATES her and tells me it's because I got a lab and they're stupid. I really want to be able to train her well and make him eat his words. She is very playful and loving and she deserves a chance. It is frustrating though because I do have a baby and I don't want him to be crawling through her poop and pee. Please, please help me!

You need loads of patience when dealing with a puppy, it takes time, some breeds are harder to train than others and it depends how much effort the breeder has put in, puppies are hard work!

You should take her out frequently especially when she wakes up or is fed, give her loads of praise when she does go in the appropriate place, ignore the accidents, don't scold her for having accidents, she is after all still a baby.

I personally wouldn't allow the baby to crawl around the floor at the same time as the puppy, puppies are boisterous and have sharp teeth.

Just as you don't expect your baby to be potty trained in a day, so it is with puppies. Both take time, patience and consistency.

More worrying is that your boyfriend 'hates' your pup. With a young baby and a young puppy, you need help not recriminations about what pup you chose.

Hi and welcome.

I'm sorry you are feeling so frustrated with Lacey. You certainly have your hands full with a young pup and a baby.

You cannot expect your pup to be reliably house-trained yet and unfortunately it doesn't happen automatically. If she is doing her toilet in the house most of the time it is due to the fact that she doesn't understand that she is meant to go outside.

I had two puppies to housetrain at the same time and what worked for me was: When she goes outside you must escort her and just wander around with her until you see her squat to wee. The moment she starts to wee give her a command i.e. 'busy'. As soon as she has finished give her a treat and tell her what a good girl she is. You need to be taking her into your garden every 1 - 2 hours minimum but especially if she has just woken up, had a meal, been playing etc. Never tell her off for weeing in the house just ignore it and clean it up. You need to use a special cleaner (you can get from any pet shop) that removes the ammonia as a normal household cleaner will leave the urine smell which Lacey will pick-up and think it is OK to wee inside. If your partner yells or smacks Lacey when she 'goes' inside, Lacey will simply start hiding to go to the toilet as she'll be anxious to go in view of you.

Some puppies pick up house-training quicker than others and it does take a lot of hard work having a pup in the house. I agree with Moetmum and really would not advise letting a baby crawl around where a puppy has been when it's not house-trained. Also their teeth are still like needles (the dog that is ).

Good luck, you really do have your hands full but Lacey will suddenly grasp what is required of her if you are patient, calm and consistent with her. She is still a real baby herself.

p.s. I do remember going through a phase with my two when I felt like screaming and leaving home but I promise you with a little hard work now you will end up with a wonderful family pet who you will all adore.

Oh toilet training can seem like a never ending task whether it be dogs or babies! And the same is true of our dogs and often us when we age.

I have posted some links to advice from reputable trainers and behaviourists on this subject which might help.

http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/ho...gyourpuppy.pdf
http://www.clickersolutions.com/arti...housetrain.htm
http://www.apdt.co.uk/documents/Toilettraining_000.pdf
http://www.clickertraining.com/housetraining
http://www.clickertraining.com/node/311
http://www.clickertraining.com/node/1171
http://www.cleverdogcompany.com/tl_f...20training.pdf
http://www.ukrcb.org/fileitems/Toile...Your%20Pup.doc

DVD

House training - Your Clever Dog DVD Pack

House training should be easy, quick and stress-free! If your puppy or older dog hasn’t yet got the hang of being clean in the house, or if you are just starting out on house training your puppy, this is the DVD for you.
Using kind, fair and effective methods, Sarah shows you how to house train your puppy to achieve great results in the fastest possible time.

Using an indoor pen or crate is a sanity-saver for most puppy owners. In this DVD, Sarah will show you how to train your puppy or dog to happily regard the crate as a comfy bed – to go in without a struggle and even to open the door himself!

Including:
• Get the basics of house training sorted in one weekend!
• What to do if your puppy messes in the house
• Why punishment doesn’t work
• What to do if your puppy won’t go to the toilet outside of your garden

The pack contains: A clicker, house line, training manual, instructional DVD: 55 mins approx running time including Bonus trick, Bonus Training Session, Intro to Clicker Training, Q & A with Sarah.

http://www.dogtrain.co.uk/shop/produ...t2qkdppa3vc115

Here's an excellent article on house training, that works. Written by our very own Minihaha

House training your puppy