A few puppy training questions!

I have 2 issues with my new yellow lab pup. She's 3 months old and has a great temperament. We got her less than a week ago.

1 - We're working on the potty training. I praise her big time and give a treat when she potties outside and when I catch her inside I do a 'nonononono!!!!' and take her immediately outside. Is this what I should be doing? It's beena long time since I've had a pup and I'm feeling so rusty! LOL! And how long does it usually take? How will I know if we're making progress?

2 - She jumps up on the door when she wants to come back in the house. And she's not out there for very long without me, either. She is outside with our older lab, Elliot. Right now I open the door say 'off, down, or no' and close the door. Then, when she sits like a nice polite girl for a few moments, I let her in. Is this a good technique or do you have any other suggestions for this issue?

Thanks so much for your help and suggestions!

I think it sounds like you're handling things well so far! I'm not a big fan of using treats for housebreaking, though... some people do have success with using them, but I find it kind of a risky approach.

I've found that lots of puppies get so excited to get the treat that they squeeze out a few drops of pee or half a poo, then jump up and say "GIMME!", since they're trying to get that yummy treat as soon as possible. Then, once they get back in the house, they realize they didn't finish and empty out on your floor!

Praise and play are the best bets for rewarding a potty in the right spot... save the treats for your other training exercises!

Oh, you make a very good point - I think I'll back off on the treats for potty time! Thanks for the info!

And - I clicked the housebreaking bible link and it is GREAT!!! So glad you have that on your sig - thanks!!!! So easy to read, navigate, and gives great tips!

Sounds good to me!

Hello new mom! You seem to be doing a great job.

Yes, they love treats but they sure love Praise too... You can do the treat thing or you can just do a big : praise party dance and petting.

It all sounds good . You are doing a good thing by asking here. That way you know if you are damaging your dog or helping the new pup.

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One more question -

How often should I be taking her out? She's three months old. It just seems like when I take her out, she takes forever to go potty!!! Is this just something I have to 'wait out' or should i have her on a particular shedule for her age - like will she most likely have to go every hour/2 hours/etc. Thanks!

I would be letting her out every hour or two, depending on her feeding schedule and activity times. It will really help you to keep a potty schedule where you write down her feeding times and every time you let her out and whether she pees or poos. Make a special note of any accidents she has. After a few days you will see a pattern.

If she is taking forever to pee or poo, I would take her out on leash, give her a minute or two and then take her in and crate her if she hasn't gone in that time. If you have to crate her, get her out again in a half hour or so and give her another try. When she goes, give her tons of praise and extended free time in the house or a nice walk. Show her that going potty quickly gets her what she wants!

I had a client had a little dog that would not potty quickly. The client told me she needed to walk Lucy for twenty minutes to get her to poo. I told her the dog was outsmarting her and we fixed the problem in a week. The plan was, take Lucy down for her potty and walk in front of the apartment building only, back and forth for a couple of minutes. If Lucy didn't potty in that time, it was back to the apartment. If she did, she got a walk around the block as her reward. Lucy quickly learned that the old act of holding it was not going to work for extended fun time anymore. She could only earn her walks by going potty quickly. Problem solved, never to return! Many dogs learn this trick, but it's easy to prevent in the training stages- short potty trips, no fun without emptying out.

Love the pic of your puppy with her big brother... she's SO cute! She looks like a big girl!

Glad you found our site helpful!

More great tips - thanks Dana! I think i'll start a 'log' as you suggested.

And thanks for the compliment on my furry kids - they are getting along marvelously! And she does seem big!!! She's 35 pounds already and only 13 weeks old!