# At my wits end with 13 week old puppy



## ems123

Hi guys,

I'm brand new to this forum but have been browsing for a while and have seen some great advice so thought i'd join up to see if anybody can help me. 

You have probably had this post a million times before but I am really struggling with my 13 week old puppy (minature daschund). It is mainly his hatred of his cage and his potty training issues that I am struggling with.

The cage - I bought this as everywhere i read it says that puppies love their own 'den' and also as we would not leave him in the house unsupervised. Well, everything I am reading does not have any resemblance to Percy... he hates it! I have done everything suggested - feeding him in there, giving him treats, hot water bottle, toys, comfy bed - it makes no difference! He doesn't cry as much now when we put him in there at night but starts at 6 in the morning and doesn't stop till we get up (usually 7 during weekdays and 8ish of a weekend). Once i get down there he has pooed and stood in it till its spread all over everything, also his bed is always soaking wet (again this is where Percy differs to other dogs - he has no quarms about weeing and pooing where he sleeps). There is even poo all over the bars some mornings where he has been jumping up! 

The cage is big enough so that he has his bed area (with a towel over the top of the cage so its cosy and confined in one corner where is supposed to sleep) and a puppy pad where he is meant to wee and poo, a long with some water. Now I know most people will suggest that they should not be allowed to wee and poo in their crate but realistically me and my mum both work so it was never really an option to be getting up every hour to let him out and to be honest he doesnt care about where he wees or poos so I dont think it would make much difference anyway! I think if I took the pad away or put him in something smaller he would go absolutely nuts and the poo-massacre would be even worse! Do some dogs just never adapt to the cage? He has been going in it since day one and we have NEVER responded to his crys and I always wait until he is quiet till I go get him. I have always tried to make it a nice place for him to be as well and he has never gone in there as punishment but it doesnt seem to be working. For example, when I put him to bed last night I left him with a treat - that was still un touched this morning so hes obviously that upset he isnt interested in food! Also, I refuse to let him come in my bed so that is not an option.

The next issue I am having is his potty training - he just seems to be plain right stubborn when it comes to this. Ever since his last injection I have been taking him outside at least every hour - usually every 30 minutes and he knows I want him to do a wee and will usually do one - he gets mad praise for this and a little treat. The only problem is he WILL NOT poo outside, ill stay out there with him for ten minutes and nothing, we come in and he poo's straight away! He also does not hold his bladder at all, he will come in and 15 minutes later do a wee on the floor! Like this morning for example, I took him out and he did a wee - came in and he has done 3 little wees in the space of half an hour. He just seems to go whenever and wherever he feels like it and doesn't hold - he even got on my mum the other day and weed on her! Is this normal for a puppy to wee this much? He also knows hes not supposed to as runs away when he has done it and knows he is in the wrong - I always take him outside straight after. Hes not going back to the same places either, just wherever he is at the time!

Is there anything I can be doing to help these issues? I am at my wits end and just feel like giving up with him to be honest, its been 5 weeks since ive had him and hes been in this routine since day one but he seems no better!! Help!! At the moment I just find myself seeing him as more of a chore and am always angry with him and I dont want to feel like this 

Does anybody have any advice or suggestions? Or even some reassurance that I am not the only one in the world with a puppy like this? Everybody I have spoke to has never had these issues and apparently has been able to potty train within a few weeks  

Sorry for the essay I just wanted to give everyone as much information as possible!

Emily


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## PawsOnMe

Hi. 
Go back to basics. i have a 6 month old puppy and when he was 8-12 week old i had him in a cage in my room whenever he whimpered it was to let me know he needed a wee. so i got up. i took him outside and waited sometimes for fifteen minutes, even knowing i had to get up early. sometimes i was going outside at night twice a night in the freezing cold  . since your dog is small he has a smaller bladder so he'll need to go out quite often but you can be consistent and go out every three/four hours at night (this will only last a few weeks until he gets better control of his bladder). 
during the day, if he can't last an hour without peeing, take him out more often. after food, play, anything exciting, he'll probably need to pee. so take him out and wait for him to do something. Praise like crazy, i gave Jasper a command word 'be quick' as he was weeing/pooping and now he goes on command which is useful. at the beginning i took him outside on a lead so he didn't mess around sniffing and finding other more interesting things to be doing, going outside for him was mainly for toilet business and i didn't talk to him at all until he did his business and then i praised him. 
after he's done his business outside praise! so he associates going outside with something nice after he does his business. 
sometimes you may need to be out there for half an hour waiting for him, but eventually he'll do something. you say he isn't pooping outside but if you wait long enough he will do. 
in the house if he squats or crouches make a loud noise, go AHAH! or OUTSIDE! just to distract him from what he is doing (you'll need to watch like a hawk). scoop him up and quickly carry him outside. as soon as he begins to circle an area carry him outside and wait for him to do it. Don't shout if he has an accident or show anger. and don't clean it up in front of him. just do it quietly and don't make a fuss. (you wouldn't shout at a baby).

since he's a smaller breed he'll need to go out more often and statistically smaller breeds usually take longer to be house trained. 

Don't give up! we all feel like this at some point with them but if you stick with him it'll be worth it. 

Good luck.


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## Twiggy

ems123 said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I'm brand new to this forum but have been browsing for a while and have seen some great advice so thought i'd join up to see if anybody can help me.
> 
> You have probably had this post a million times before but I am really struggling with my 13 week old puppy (minature daschund). It is mainly his hatred of his cage and his potty training issues that I am struggling with.
> 
> The cage - I bought this as everywhere i read it says that puppies love their own 'den' and also as we would not leave him in the house unsupervised. Well, everything I am reading does not have any resemblance to Percy... he hates it! I have done everything suggested - feeding him in there, giving him treats, hot water bottle, toys, comfy bed - it makes no difference! He doesn't cry as much now when we put him in there at night but starts at 6 in the morning and doesn't stop till we get up (usually 7 during weekdays and 8ish of a weekend). Once i get down there he has pooed and stood in it till its spread all over everything, also his bed is always soaking wet (again this is where Percy differs to other dogs - he has no quarms about weeing and pooing where he sleeps). There is even poo all over the bars some mornings where he has been jumping up!
> 
> The cage is big enough so that he has his bed area (with a towel over the top of the cage so its cosy and confined in one corner where is supposed to sleep) and a puppy pad where he is meant to wee and poo, a long with some water. Now I know most people will suggest that they should not be allowed to wee and poo in their crate but realistically me and my mum both work so it was never really an option to be getting up every hour to let him out and to be honest he doesnt care about where he wees or poos so I dont think it would make much difference anyway! I think if I took the pad away or put him in something smaller he would go absolutely nuts and the poo-massacre would be even worse! Do some dogs just never adapt to the cage? He has been going in it since day one and we have NEVER responded to his crys and I always wait until he is quiet till I go get him. I have always tried to make it a nice place for him to be as well and he has never gone in there as punishment but it doesnt seem to be working. For example, when I put him to bed last night I left him with a treat - that was still un touched this morning so hes obviously that upset he isnt interested in food! Also, I refuse to let him come in my bed so that is not an option.
> 
> The next issue I am having is his potty training - he just seems to be plain right stubborn when it comes to this. Ever since his last injection I have been taking him outside at least every hour - usually every 30 minutes and he knows I want him to do a wee and will usually do one - he gets mad praise for this and a little treat. The only problem is he WILL NOT poo outside, ill stay out there with him for ten minutes and nothing, we come in and he poo's straight away! He also does not hold his bladder at all, he will come in and 15 minutes later do a wee on the floor! Like this morning for example, I took him out and he did a wee - came in and he has done 3 little wees in the space of half an hour. He just seems to go whenever and wherever he feels like it and doesn't hold - he even got on my mum the other day and weed on her! Is this normal for a puppy to wee this much? He also knows hes not supposed to as runs away when he has done it and knows he is in the wrong - I always take him outside straight after. Hes not going back to the same places either, just wherever he is at the time!
> 
> Is there anything I can be doing to help these issues? I am at my wits end and just feel like giving up with him to be honest, its been 5 weeks since ive had him and hes been in this routine since day one but he seems no better!! Help!! At the moment I just find myself seeing him as more of a chore and am always angry with him and I dont want to feel like this
> 
> Does anybody have any advice or suggestions? Or even some reassurance that I am not the only one in the world with a puppy like this? Everybody I have spoke to has never had these issues and apparently has been able to potty train within a few weeks
> 
> Sorry for the essay I just wanted to give everyone as much information as possible!
> 
> Emily


Of course you're not the only one in the world with a puppy that isn't toilet trained at 13 weeks - very few are.

Some of mine were still not reliable at 12 months...!!

My last pup is now about 14 months old. She was a rescue collie who was about 11-12 weeks old when I got her. She went through a spell of going in her crate to wee because she obviously thought that's where she should do it.

These things take time and patience.

If your puppy is quiet in his crate through the night at least you are having some success.

Things will improve, honestly. It's very early days yet.


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## Sled dog hotel

Did you immediately close the door when you first put him in the crate? If you did that may have started the problem, if a pups never seen or been in a crate then some can freak out if they are just put in and the doors closed. If they become anxious about being enclosed in there, then it doesnt matter what you put in there with him, a stressed anxious dog wont usually eat or take treats. They need to get used to the crate and settle happilly in there before you close the door. Its usually just best to set it up door open and get him used to running in and out, by making it a game throwing treats and toys in there at random at first. When he is used to that, hide strong smelling treats in the corners and under the bed to encourage him to go in and investigate the crate still door open. After a good play session when he is tired and more likely to settle or a walk if he can go out yet. See then if you can get him to settle in their with the door open with a kong or a chew. Make it something special, the aim is to just get him settled in there. Putting an old tshirt or jumper you have worn so he has your smell for assurance can help. Pups often sleep touching in the litter and some like a large soft toy to cuddle up to for comfort. Adaptil dog appeasing pheromone diffusers can often help settle them too.
Adaptil helps dogs and puppys learn settle travel and in kennels
Its best if you have the crate initially where you are, sometimes they settle better at first. Once you can get him to settle in there with the door open after a while, just get up say nothing and push the door too, but at first you need to only leave it for a very short while, and open it before he gets stressed or anxious, just walk up and say nothing and open it again. You can then build up the time bit by bit as long as he is relaxed and not stressed, then you can finally bolt it. Feed his meals in there too, but door open at first.
You just need to break down the introduction and build up bit by bit.

Crate training is just an aid to toilet training. The theory is that a dog will not soil his bed or immediate surrounding area or where he eats, and given the choice most wont, but if they are stuck in there and desparate then they have no other choice, and that in turn can make them stressed.
The fact that he wakes and crys at 6, to me indicates that he is probably trying to tell you he wants to go, cant get out so toilets in there as he is likely bursting. If you dont get up to 7 then likely thats whats happening.
If he is not given the chance to get out to go when he needs too, then you may find it becomes a habit if he is ignored or not given the opportunity.
I notice he has pads too, pads can just confuse the issue if all he knew was pads or paper at the breeders, then to him inside is the correct place, they can act as a cue that inside is the right and acceptable place, many people find when they ditch the pads and paper and concentrate on outside the training comes on in leaps and bounds.

I would go back to basics with the toilet training too as well as the crate training. Out every 30/45 minutes, if he does start use a word of choice used every time he will associate the word with toileting and later when he learns it then you can use it as a toilet cue/command. When finished lots of praise and treats. If he has an accident dont tell him off it can make them nervous about going in front of you hampering toilet training and making them more likely to sneak off and do it. Also make sure you clean up with a special pet stain/odour remover any smells left can encourage more in the same places.
You need to take him out too after drinking eating playing and sleeping they usually need to go then. Look out for circling sniffing and scratching at the floor its often a sign they are looking to go, so get him out quick. You dont often see this until later though as when they are small they have a very limited capacity to hold large amounts and for long periods thats why they need to go so frequently. They are also not being stubborn or defiant either as well as the limited capacity they dont always recognise the need to go or often realise too late.

He obviously cant go from bedtime until 7 o clock at the moment. I used to have mine within sight and sound of me so that if and when they woke or stirred and needed to go I would pop them out. If he isnt within sight and sound then a lot of people set an alarm and take them out once or twice that way in the night. No bright lights on, no interacting, just out toilet, a couple of words of praise and back to bed. I would also set my alarm before 6 oclock too as it sounds he is trying to tell you and get him out then too. I found over a couple of weeks the times they needed to go got less and less until they were going through to about 6. As he grows he will get better at holding more and for longer periods.

If you are getting angry and fraustrated at him even if you dont tell him off, he will pick up on your voice and body language and toilet trips can become an
all too intense affair and miserable for owner and dog fraught with tension which deffinately wont help. Sometimes it works to go out and play with a toy or a ball, the exercise often brings on the need to go, and relaxed they often just absentmindedly squat and start, then you can use the cue word and the praise and treats when he has finished.


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## mantis1234

Sled dog has some great advice

I just wanted to say my pup frustrates me too, I love her to pieces but you are not alone, puppies are incredibly trying - sometimes I think mine is testing me and I had the same feelings as you earlier this week but the guys on this forum gave me some advice an advised me how to stick with it and she's a tiny bit better behaved already, even though its just a tiny bit, there is hope, I can see the advice slowly working. 

You are certainly not alone, I took my puppy out for 45 mins today came in I looked up and she immediately peed and then I stepped in it. Sometimes you just have to breathe and keep going, its hard not to let it get to you, but try to just push through I'm persevering and just focusing on how well behaved she will be in the future


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## Lurcherlad

Sounds like he is not able to hold himself until 7 in the morning! If he cries, I would be tempted to go down and take him out for toiletting. He is still very young.

Don't be angry with him, it will only make him worse.

He is a baby and it will take time and patience.

There is lots of good advice given by the others so I would give some of it a try.

Good luck.


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## chichi

Sounds to me like one very stressed puppy...you say you and your Mother work.....how long is he being left each day?


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## Strawberryearth

I agree completely with SDH, it sounds like he is crying at 6am because he is awake and needs to go to the toilet. Despite his crate being large enough to put a pad in there, you are trying to teach him that the crate is his den and he will not WANT to soil his den...but is being forced to by you ignoring his cries. 

As for standing in it, etc, it sounds like the act of soiling his den is stressing him out no end. 

He is 13weeks old, no puppy I have ever met/heard of can hold it all night at that age. When he cries GET UP and take him out. Then, by all means, put him back in his crate and go back to bed- but if it is 6am and you have to go to work that day I would, personally, stay up and entertain puppy as it is unlikely he will be tired and want to go back to bed. 

You and your mum might have work, but you also decided to take on the responsibility of a baby- yes he is a puppy, but an infant one. Expect many sleepless nights, early mornings and kiss your lie ins goodbye as this pup demands (and deserves) your attention. 

I don't mean to sound harsh, I really don't, but puppy sounds distressed and you losing your patience with him will not make things better. 

As for the crying at night, Betty was like that (still is sometimes, although only about 1min of it now) I never responded to her cries either as I was afraid of compounding the issue, but it didn't make the slightest bit of difference. Time and patience will aid this. 

Toilet training- 10mins outside with him is not enough in my opinion. You need to have some outside toileting in order to praise and work from there. Don't encourage him to go inside, or worse in his den/crate, by putting puppy pads down- this will prolong the process as it is confusing for him. It works for some people (it did for me) but if it hasn't worked for him, scrap that method and get to taking him outside every 30mins until he has gone. WATCH him when he is indoors, as soon as he begins to sniff, circle (or whatever he does) pick him up and take him outside. Don't go back in until he has been, by all means play with him, make it fun, walk around with him, ignore him a little- you don't want him to think being outside is a punishment but likewise you don't want to distract him from the reason he is out there in the first place. As soon as he goes have a party and go crazy. If he goes in doors, do nothing unless you catch him in the act. If you do catch him in the act then tell him no, pick him up (yes, mid wee) and take him outside to where he should be to finish- then praise, come back inside and clean up the mess with an enzymatic cleaner. 

Puppies are a chore, but a worthwhile one. They are like having babies, because that is just what they are. They need your full attention in order to learn what is right and wrong, they don't come pre-programmed, you need to teach them. And they won't pick it up right away either, they need multiple repititions to begin to understand something, it is an ongoing process. 

Try this exercise at home, get your mum to try and walk in a large, anti-clockwise circle...but don't use any words or hand gestures, only tell her good and give her a sweetie when she begins to do the right thing. Then you will realise just how difficult the poor pooches have it when we are trying to train them to do something! Then don't understand what we are saying, or what we mean when we are waving our arms in the air. They go by our reactions to what they actually do, and even then how do they know it was the going outside to wee part that is what we are trying to train, we could be telling them yes for looking at us, or standing a certain way- anything the dog is doing could be interpreted by him as the reason for the good response. Dogs tend to work with the most subtle body positions, cues and behaviour- so targetting the weeing outside with a positive "good boy" DURING his wee then giving him a treat just after will help him to understand it WAS the weeing outside rather than the way he was standing/looking at you. So don't be too hard on your pup for not getting it right, it takes time.

Oh, and try not to compare yourself, or pup, to other people/puppies. You and he are unique, not like everyone else, so why should his actions/responses be?


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## Jennac

Welcome to the Dachshund club! 

Sled Dog and Strawberryearth have given you some great tips. Toilet training is one of hardest and most frustrating parts of having a puppy but once you've got it right it is so worth the effort!

I used a combination on puppy pads and taking outside, it's whatever works best for and you will be able to hopefulyl work this out over the next few days. Alot of people will disagree with using puppy pads however they a re fab training aid if used in the right way and not relied on too much. I used to lead a puppy pad down for Jeff which he pretty much always used (apart from the odd accident at first which is to be expected) whenever I wasn't there, so at work or at night. Whenever I was at home I picked the pad up and ALWAYS took him outside and I would stay outside as long as took (30 minutes if need be) and always was rigerous with - so after palying, sleeping, eating etc. I gave lots and lots of praise and used a command - 'go wee wee's/poop's' once he went I would then praise him whilst he was actually doing it 'good wee wee's Jeff' and he would then get a treat afterwards. He then learnt the command to go and that it was a good thing.

Don't get me wrong, it took a long and it felt like it would never happen but Jeff was fully housetrained by 4/5 months. You will also find that he's not going overnight as much, it got to the point where it was wee and a poo, then just a wee and then nothing. They suddenly get it and Jeffrey is now 7 months old and the toilet training seems like it was months ago!

With regards to the crate I may upset some people by saying it however Jeff didn't get on with it at all so I just left the door over. We hade him in the kitchen where he couldn't hurt himself or do any damage and the nights of him screaming and crying ALL night suddenly stopped. There was a puppy pad on the floor and his crate was his bed - it woked for us but not all people as some use it if they are in rented accommodation for example.

Good luck and perseverance is the key!


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## Keira79

This sounds exactly like my first post 4 weeks ago. I was at the end of my tether, couldn't eat and was having panic attacks thinking"what have I done?" I was about to throw in the towel with Fudge as she was doing exactly the same things as your pup, pooing and weeing in her crate (usually as soon as I put her in it and left her), refusing to toilet outside etc...it really helped once we could get out for walks and I also bought an adaptil diffuser, collar and spray. I don't know for definite if it was the adaptil but I can certainly say she has been much better since we got it, she may just have settled more or grown more confident and secure with us, but the adaptil is definitely worth a try. We ended up doing away with the crate as I read that some dogs who suffer from separation anxiety just can't cope with them. We are lucky that our kitchen is safe and secure so she just had her crate in there with the door open and this suited her much better as at least she could come out of there to poo and pee if she felt anxious, which meant much less washing and crate bar scrubbing!! and a much less stressed ME as a result. We still had the odd occasion where she actually walked into her crate and did a poo on her bed, which was baffling to me, but we got rid of the crate last week and she just has a bed in the kitchen now. 
She still doesn't wake me to ask to go out, she wakes me to tell me its too late instead!! so I try and set my alarm to beat her to it which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. For example last night I woke her at 4am to go out and she did a pee and a poo and at 6am she woke me up and I went downstairs to find another pee and poo on the kitchen floor (I swear she stores it up!!) I put this down to her age and hope that she will grow out of it...and start to sleep in longer....she is only 18 wks old after all.
I just wanted you to know that you aren't alone and I hope things improve for you. I remember the first time she did a poo outside in the garden, we were all so happy to know that she could do it. Try and focus on the progress that your pup makes, no matter how small or inconsistent they may be and hopefully before you know it you will be looking back like me and thinking what a difference a few weeks can make. 
keep us posted and good luck
:thumbup:


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