A crate can be very useful when potty training your puppy.
The reasons why a puppy will go to the washroom in the crate is when they have been left in it longer than what they can physically hold or the crate is too large. Your puppy should only have enough room to stand up, turn around and lay down, that's it. If the crate is too large the extra space needs to be blocked off. A puppy of 10 wks can hold itself during the day aprox, 2-3 hrs. If you are going to be gone longer than what your pup can hold then you need to have a safe space to set your pup in. The room could be the kitchen or washroom, blocked off or get an x-pen. In the room should be the crate with the door open, some safe toys, water (no food) and a potty pad so your puppy has an acceptable place to go when you are not home. When you are home then the pad is taken up and you resume your training outdoors. Night time holding will not be the same as daytime holding. Your pup will be able to hold longer at night because they are not as active.
You will need an enzymatic cleaner to clean up all the smells in the home. Household cleaners and cleaners with ammonia smell like urine to a dog and will attract them to use that space for potty accidents. If there were animals in your home before this pup either from others that had this home before you or other pets you may have had in the past then you may want to pick up a black light so you can find and remove all the smells. Your puppy’s sense of smell is at least 400 times yours so even if you don't smell it doesn't mean they can't.
Take advantage of the times that you know your pup will have to go. As soon as they get up from a sleep, between 5 and 20 min after they eat and during/after play. Your pup should go within a few minutes when you take them out. There is no reason why you need to stand around for 15 minutes waiting for them to go. Pick a special word and leash your puppy each time. If your puppy doesn't go bring back inside, place in crate, wait 20 minutes and try again. Keep following these steps until puppy is successful, praise/treat. Now that your puppy has gone they can come inside and play for a bit.
The food should not be left out so your puppy can free feed. This will affect all areas of training including potty. If you don't know when they ate you will not know when they have to go making it very difficult to control the amount of accidents they have. A puppy under 3 months should be fed 3 times a day and given 20 minutes to eat. As your puppy gets older you may cut them back to 2 feeding per day. Your puppy will usually let you know when they are ready for this change. I would not cut them back to 1 meal a day especially if you have a breed that has an increased risk of getting bloat. If there is food left, remove it. Your puppy will actually eat better on a schedule.
Inside the home your puppy needs to be with you or supervised at all times and if you can't they need to be in the crate or safe room.
If your puppy is not very good at telling you they need to go outside then you may want to train to use a bell. Pick up a large bird bell and hang it beside the door you use to take them out. Hang it low enough that they can hit it with their paw. When it is time to go out, leash your pup and just before you take them out take their paw, hit the bell and take them out. As soon as they are done, bring inside, praise/treat. Even if your pup tries to just play with the bell they still go out, every time. They will figure out very quickly that ringing the bell sends them out so unless they wanted to go outside they shouldn't ring the bell. Your puppy should be hitting it on their own within a week or so.
Accidents a puppy has in the home are usually due to our mistake.
If you respond to or let your puppy out of the crate when they are whining will teach them very quickly that this is what they need to do to get out.
If you have exercised your puppy, taken him/her out to the washroom and fed your puppy recently then whining is not for any reason but getting out of the crate. You will start to learn your puppy’s sounds. One will mean I have to go outside and one will mean I just want out. Don't respond to the want out just the washroom.
Get a dog water bottle for the crate so your puppy doesn't spill the dish when in the crate. If you are losing a metal crate you can buy a barrier to block off space as your puppy grows until she can use the whole space.
Don't close your puppy in the crate during the day longer than she can physically hold herself. The last thing you want is for her to continue using the crate as a washroom space. It is a very difficult behaviour to stop once it has started. Never let a dog use their crate or a portion of as a potty place.
By Stacey Brickman
