Day 3, Worried Already! (AKA, poop talk!)

[Puppypeoplenj]

Hi!

Orca is a great puppy! He's active and curious and loves to cuddle and give kisses. We've greatly improved on car rides (Yesterday we took a trip and he actually took a nap!) I do have some concerns, though, and I realize I might be being ridiculous so I figured I'd pose them here.

Okay, potty training. He's doing fairly well with the liquid part. The pooping is a disaster, though. This is 7 am on day 3 and I've already cleaned up two poops. Almost every time he's pooped since we brought him home, it's been in the house, either in his crate or on the floor.

With the crate, I understand because the first night he just got so worked up, I don't think he could control it. But every other time, it's like he's walking along and oh! there's some poop falling out of his butt! It's like he doesn't even notice.

I know the general advice is to take him out more but at this point he's going out every hour, and even every 15 minutes. I just can't seem to catch the timing, no matter how often we go out. If we're inside for 10 full minutes in an afternoon, those are the minutes he chooses to poop in the house.

I know it's only day three but when we picked him up the breeder told us how well the other puppies were doing in their new homes, and how three or four hadn't had a single accident in the house in the week they'd been home, etc. So I guess I feel extra bad about it.

Concern #2: Separation Anxiety? He freaks out if he's confined and I'm not in sight. He pitches a fit if he's in the car with the rest of the family and I run into a store. The first night he was in his crate in my daughter's room (right next to ours) and he got so upset that he pooped himself. I came in and sat by the door and...problem magically solved. It's not the crate, it's the "Mama's gone!" panic. (I slept next to his crate last night and we had a perfect night, no crying and no accidents in the crate!)

Again, I know it's so so early, and he's not even 12 weeks yet, so he's still a baby, but...any advice?

 

[chumleysma]

Are his stools loose or well formed? If he has loose or diarrhea, I would take a specimen to the vet for a fecal float for ova and parasites to include a saline direct smear. He can stay home unless he's due for his first puppy check.

 

[Puppypeoplenj]

They are well formed, not loose, and easy to pick up. We'll bring in a fecal sample to his vet visit and see, but he was thoroughly dewormed and had his stool checked a couple of times at the breeder's, and he was given the all-clear.

 

[snowdog]

More experienced newf netters will chime in, but I would add that it's very early in the process, you are doing it right, it just takes time for some of these pups to figure out the new house rules. I feel your frustration though. Potty training is ruff! How long are you outside for the potty breaks? I think I would make every effort to be out long enough to praise an outside poop for more "guidance"....our Tink did not do well with negative talk, only super positive encouragement would get her moving in the right direction. Wishing you better luck today!

 

[DAWNMERIE]

I think it's all the excitement of a new place and routine, don't panic or worry...just get into a routine and stick with it...you'll be fine. And yes, they do love to be near you and want to know you are there. Maybe to calm him at bedtime you can put on soothing music (I think we did that the first week or two) I remember the first few days falling asleep on the floor near the bathroom & baby gate.

 

[ajcooksey]

We bought a huge package of paper towels from SAMs club fully prepared to use it all during our potty training adventure. Especially since we brought home two at once! I was pleasantly surprised to have used less than half of our stock in the potty training process. It does get better. I took that first week of work off to get them settled and established. Our main technique was to keep a constant watch on them which meant restricting their access to very few parts of our house. Willow was completely trained before Turner and idk if that was personality based or because she's a girl but she had significantly fewer accidents than he did.
Your puppy is still a baby so give it time. It will get better. Also how much space does he have in the crate? Ours never had accidents in their crates but I know that if they have too much space puppies will.

 

[victoria1140]

put a puppy pad down and get him used to that if you are out of sight and gradually move it towards the back door.

It takes time for them to get the idea of where to poop so wouldnt worry just be consistent with taking him out.

Give him something to occupy himself with when you have to leave him such as a frozen kong

 

[wrknnwf]

How big is your crate? You may have to partition it off. I would keep the crate in a room where you are. And give him something to do in it. A stuffed kong or something to chew on.

When you let him out of the crate, pick him up and carry him outside immediately. And after every meal and play session or when he gets up from a nap.

Don't give up. It will happen.

 

[Puppypeoplenj]

Oh, gosh, don't worry, I'm not giving up. Just trying not to tear my hair out.

We've done better so far this morning. I think we're finding our groove, and the key is not to make him stay out longer, it's to run and pee, go for a short walk (to the corner of our street) and turn around and poop in our potty spot. The walking has made a difference this morning, so we'll see how it goes!

He hates everything we've given him to chew. I have gotten a kong yet. Should I get a puppy kong or just go straight for the red adult one?

Thank you! I know I'm a little nuts and potty training isn't easy for anyone, but this morning I was at wit's end. He woke me up at 5 am, we'd been out twice, for 20 minutes each, and then he poops on my hardwood floors! Twice! I was just trying to figure out, what am I doing wrong here?

Thank you for all your help! He's really a great little monster, and we love him dearly. I just want to make sure I'm starting him off right.

 

[NinaA]

I'll bet you don't have other dogs. That makes a huge difference. They're so much easier to train if there's another trained dog whose example they can follow, and who has left the "good smells" in the yard. Speaking of that, when he poops in the house, take it and put in in the potty place in the yard. It will give him the hint. My girl has never liked chew toys. It happens sometimes. She also doesn't like our pool.

 

[wrknnwf]

Get a black adult kong, not the red one. The red one is chewed up too easily.

 

[Whybu1]

Crycket took forever to potty train. She would poop in her kennel and then lay in it. At nearly 2 she will still poop by the door if I ignore her morning asking to go out.

 

[fall3n-ang3l]

Bernie is a pain with potty training,he never tells me he wants to go,out,he just sits next to the back door and most of the time when I do open the door he never goes out anyway,sometimes I have to go out first and then he follows and then I say "go wee wee" and then he goes.

As for SA,the first 2 nights I slept next to his crate and got further away,day 3/4 I was on the sofa and day 5 I was back in my own bed but he hated his crate with a passion in the day,so in the end,i moved him in to the kitchen and he was a lot happier with that

 

[cmorgan.1505]

I've not advice on the pooping issue because Thor NEVER once went poo in our house. He has still not had that kind of accident in the house.

The crate issue.. I would lay next to his crate at night until he went to sleep and it worked. I did this for the first week he was with us. If you can, move the crate next to your bed and just have your hand near him. He will get better. PROMISE!! Also, get a fan if you don't have one already for him.

 

[Shel]

I take puppies outside to "potty" every hour during the day, and every other hour during the night, for the first five days after they arrive home. Usually within a couple of days I can establish a routine and tune into the pup's biological rhythm. It might seem like a lot of wasted trips outside (obviously the pup doesn't "go" every trip), but you can drop the unproductive trips within a few days. This method works for me, and I can house train a pup within a week or two with minimal (if any) accidents.

My boy (George/Saint) is a double-pooper, it takes two squats to empty and can take up to 5-15 minutes from beginning to end. Had I not been patient in the beginning and given him 10-15 minutes to do his business, I would've brought him back indoors and had a pile to pick up shortly thereafter. He's five months old and still a double-pooper... on occasion he'll add a third pile to his routine. I've had other pups (usually females) that were double-pee'ers... two squats to empty their bladder.

Patience and perseverance - it will get better.

 

[Sound Bay Newfs]

What are you feeding him? Is it the same food the breeder was feeding? He really should not be pooping that much and that often. Even after you take him out, and you don't want him in the crate, he should be in a confined space, like a kitchen that is gated off. But you are doing everything right and as he matures he will have more control.