Paper train nightmare.

[KRISSIE]

Hi, I have a 9 week old male rotti and I was told he was paper trained but it has become obvious that he is not.. lol; anyway, I have been trying to train him but he is very stubborn & only goes on the paper when he wants too , I know Rotti's are notorious for testing you to see what they can get away with, maybe this is the case or maybe I am not training him properly.

This is not my first Rotti, I also have a 4 year old female Rott but this is my first male Rott. I remember my girl being fairly easy to train unlike this male. Maybe I need to do something a little different with him. Any suggestions appreciated.

Here is what I have been doing , which is not working.

#1-When I notice he has made a mess on the floor I show him his mess and tell him firmly NO- then I bring him over to paper & place him on it.

#2-When I catch him in the act of making a mess on the floor, I quickly pick him up & place him on paper - then show him the mess on the paper & say GOOd Boy.

When he does go on the paper on his own, I praise him & give him lots of kisses but he still doesn't seem to get it. What am I doing wrong??

THanks... ;)

[myandromeda]

Originally posted by KRISSIE
#1-When I notice he has made a mess on the floor I show him his mess and tell him firmly NO- then I bring him over to paper & place him on it.

Unless you catch him in the act, this isn't going to work...

#2-When I catch him in the act of making a mess on the floor, I quickly pick him up & place him on paper - then show him the mess on the paper & say GOOd Boy.

When you DO catch him in the act yell "NO!" then pick him up and take him to the paper. That way he will associate going anywhere but on the paper as a bad thing. :)

When he does go on the paper on his own, I praise him & give him lots of kisses but he still doesn't seem to get it. What am I doing wrong??

That's what you need to do when he goes on the paper, even if it is immediatly after he's been "scolded" for going elsewhere...

THanks... ;)

You're Welcome! :D

[SarasMom]

I'm no fan of paper training. Crate training is the only way to go, IMO. There have been many threads on crate training. Crate training works under the theory that a dog hates to soil its den. Crate training is also beneficial in that puppy stays safe when you can't supervise. A search should bring up many threads.

At 9 weeks, you need to be watching your puppy at all times. He is simply too little to be housetrained. At 9 weeks, your puppy must be taken to the potty spot approx. every 2 hours. I always train pups to relieve themselves outside, but I suppose papers are fine if you're in an apartment, etc. Always praise him when he relieves himself in the appropriate spot. NEVER correct unless you catch him in whatever act you're trying to prevent. Even a minute later is too late. Dogs cannot associate a correction for an act done earlier. Do the search on crate training and then be patient and put your nose to the grindstone. ;) Some puppies are harder to train than others, but your hard work will pay off. ;)

[TrinityRun]

When he's 3 do you still want him peeing on the papers? Probably not - so why not train him to go outside from the onset? Teaching the puppy from the very beginning that there are no bathroom facilities indoors for him is a far easier task than trying to retrain a dog who has grown accustomed to doing his business inside. First it's okay, now it's not okay.

There is an easier and better way, in my opinion.

Crate training.

You didn't mention if you have a crate. Do you? If not, I would strongly suggest you get one. The folks here would be delighted to help guide you through successful crate training and how it's usage aids in more expeditious housebreaking process.

:)

[Ilovemypuppy]

When you show him his poo or pee and reprimand him, you are sending a negative to him about his natural bodily functions...so he may just start doing it anywhere where you are not! If your puppy makes a mistake, it's because you were not watching carefully enough. Puppies have to eliminate after eating, after playing, after sleeping.....and paper training really isn't the message you want...as a previous poster said, you don't want him still do it on any paper he can find when he's three years old. With careful observation, you can train him in as little as a week if you are there with him all day, otherwise get a crate for the times when you are not available to watch closely. Set things up so he can't make a mistake, that's the only fair thing to do. He's a baby. The ball is in your court, play carefully and you'll win the game in no time flat. Rotties are highly trainable.:)

[AngelBunny]

KRISSIE:

I'm with with others who're no fans of paper training. What are you going to do when he matures & he starts marking?? When you get a puppy & start training it, you have to think about what your dog will be like when Fido matures. How do you expect to handle a mature male who's paper trained?

If you don't already have one, run out and get a crate. Since the idea behind crate training is that the dog doesn't soil in its sleeping area, chances are your crate will be too big for your puppy; you'll need to block off most of the crate so the crate is only big enuff for your puppy to barely turn around.

Then do a search for "house training," "house breaking" & "crate training"--house training and crate training have been discussed *extensively* and you'll find much helpful info.

[Darseeuh]

I have tried both paper & crate training & in MHO crate is the only way to go. Paper training took longer, we had more accidents and it was confusing for the dog. When you paper train you give mixed signals. If you don't want them to do their business in the house then they should not be allowed to from the beginning, just as you would do with mouthing, jumping or any behavior you don't want them to do when they are all grown up. This is what I've discovered. Hope it helps :D

[KRISSIE]

Hi , to answer some questions, I do have a crate and he does stay in there at night when we are sleeping or when I go out.
It is a large crate , so he has plenty of room to get away from his mess.

I will not take him outside yet because he has not had all his Parvo shots yet and his Vet said not to take him out around other dogs or where they mess until he is 18 weeks because Rotti's are at at higher risk to contracting Parvo. Where I live I do not have a yard & there are tons of dogs on my block so if I bring him outside chances are he will be exposed to other dog feces as well as other dogs. For now I feel much safer paper training or crate training till he has all his shots & is out of danger.

He is a smart puppy I have already taught him sit and he is starting to understand that people are not teething bones, so I know he is trainable . I will try some of the suggestions you have given and see what happens, I will let you know how things go.

Thanks You
:)

[TrinityRun]

(Originally posted by KRISSIE [/i]
Hi , to answer some questions, I do have a crate and he does stay in there at night when we are sleeping or when I go out.
It is a large crate , so he has plenty of room to get away from his mess. )

The crate is WAY too big and defeats the purpose of housebreaking if he can get away from it. You need to divide the crate to allow him only enough room to turn around and lie down. When he comes out of the crate, it's right outside to pee and poop. (Or on the papers if you insist) He should eat his dinner in there, he should take all of his naps in there. The crate should be a positive tool in your training.

(I will not take him outside yet because he has not had all his Parvo shots yet and his Vet said not to take him out around other dogs or where they mess until he is 18 weeks because Rotti's are at at higher risk to contracting Parvo. Where I live I do not have a yard & there are tons of dogs on my block so if I bring him outside chances are he will be exposed to other dog feces as well as other dogs. For now I feel much safer paper training or crate training till he has all his shots & is out of danger.)

It's true Rottweilers have weaker immune systems than other dogs, and of course, it's certainly your right to paper train and do what you feel is best for you pup. But personally, I have found vets are bit overkill on this subject and I would find a section where the pup could go safely, treat the area if I must but outside he goes.

(He is a smart puppy I have already taught him sit and he is starting to understand that people are not teething bones, so I know he is trainable . I will try some of the suggestions you have given and see what happens, I will let you know how things go.
Thanks You)

I hope you do keep us posted. Good luck with him!

[HarleyShelby]

Hi Krissie! I am no expert by no means, but I have "house" broken a male Rott/GSD mix by paper training and I'm working on my female Rott/GSD mix by strictly taking her outside. And I have to tell you, the "paper route" was MUCH harder! Harley was close to 6 months old before he stopped going in the house. Once he thought the paper was the okay place to go, he kept using it. It was so hard to take him from paper to the grass. Now Shelby on the other hand is a mere 6 weeks old. We've had her a week and I take her out after meals, after naps and first thing in the a.m. She has never went poo in the house and has only wet twice (my fault for not getting her out quick enough). Also, we did not crate Harley. We do crate Shelby, and she has never gone in her crate. It's MUCH bigger than she is (enough room for her to have about a foot on each side plus her food and water dish, and she still doesn't go in it. Just my thoughts! Good luck!!

Mariea

[KRISSIE]

hI EVERYONE, It's been over a week now that I have still been trying to papertrain Maximus and to be honest, it's not going so well. I constantly repremand him for going on the floor ( when I catch him in the act) and I always put him on the paper to show him where he is expected to go but he still doesn't seem to get it.

Once in a while he will go on the paper and when he does , I praise him & give him kisses ans treats but then he always goe's back to the floor agian. , not only does he not want to go on the paper but he thinks the paper is a toy & rips it up , I'm puzzeled, I don't know what I'm doing wrong?? I was thinking of getting a good training book , any recomendations?

I was also wondering, I keep his water bowl down all day , is this OK? or should I be picking it up?

Thanks....

[Darseeuh]

Originally posted by KRISSIE

It is a large crate , so he has plenty of room to get away from his mess. :)

I just noticed this- to work effectively the crate needs to be sectioned off so there is only room for laying down & turning around. You don't want them going potty in the crate. You can then get up once or so a night to take him out if he still is needing this. Eventually you will only need to take him out before bed then in the morning.

Here is a nice site/article exlplaining housebreaking your pet. using both means. Just remember that most people use paper training as a way for the dog to eliminate always. By taking him out & in on the paper you may be confusing him.

http://canines.com/library/peeing.shtml

http://www.netpets.com/dogs/referenc...ratetrain.html

I will not take him outside yet because he has not had all his Parvo shots yet and his Vet said not to take him out around other dogs or where they mess

:) [/b]

Our vet told us that bleach will kill the parvo virus, so to put some in a spray bottle and treat the area.

About the water-If its not hot then your dog prob. doesn't need as much water. offer the water when you do your feeding. And maybe once during the day. Feeding & watering on a schedule will help get the puppies bowl movement on a more regular schedule so you can know better when to expect it.

Hope this wasn't too confusing. :D :D

German Vanegas recommended an wonderful book with lots of great info check it out its not to spendy either.
http://www.rottweiler.net/forums/sho...&threadid=9296

The Rottweiler Handbook

[godfreyc]

Just MHO but just like everyone else said you need a smaller crate and this baby needs to go outside to potty. Bleach definately kills parvo so all you need is one of those lawn sprayers that attaches to the end of a hose and a bottle of bleach, then spray away.

[KRISSIE]

Dear Darseeuh, Thank you for the links , I found the advice about papertraining / cratetraining very informative. I see now what I have been doing wrong . I know maximus is very smart he already knows sit, down, no jump, come , no bite, so I figured I must be doing something wrong in the way I am trying to potty train. I think I understand better now what I need to do. Agian, Thank You so much.
I also ordered the Rottweiler handbbok , I can't wait till it arrives, I'm dying to read it!
:D

Thanks to everyone for the advice & suggestions, I'll let you know how we are doing..;)