Accidents

[roxysmommy]

I've been potty training Roxy ever since she was six weeks.  She is doing really well and is completely crate trained.  The only problem that I'm having is that she doesn't know when to let me know when she has to go.  I take her out as soon as she wakes up after she eats and she never has accidents in her crate.  Her bed time is 9 and wakes up at 6.  She also has been going in the same spot when she goes in the house on my carpet.  I don't know what I should clean it with b/c I have read about the scenting. She knows she isn't supposed to go inside b/c when I ask her who went potty in the house her ears go back and she just lays down. I've been thinking about the bell but somebody told me that as they get older they will use it as a game to get out.

[BoxerWB]

#1:  Dogs don't understand guilt like you think they do.  Read any behavior book and you'll see that it isn't possible.  She's reacting to your behavior, not her own.

#2: Use an enzymatic cleaner, the most popular one is Nature's Miracle. It breaks down the urine.  However, if she keeps peeing in one spot, the scent is probably very deep in the carpet.  Read the instructions and be prepared to repeat treatments to get it all out.

#3: Consider restricting the area she has access too - she shouldn't be able to go out of your site and potty. Restrict her to the room you are in.  Also, check out the thread in this section about bell training - not all puppies learn to signal you, some need to be shown how.

[Patti]

She's only 11 weeks, expect more accidents   I would try the bell, there's not much to it. Hang it on the door handle you use to let her out and make her ring it with her nose before you let her out. We used peanut butter on the bell and sometimes cheese.

You should also have a schedule of when to bring her out every 30 minutes/hour if needed - less when she is sleeping of course. And keep a close eye on her at all times. The only way to nip it in the bus is to catch the signs and stop her before it happens.

[BoxerWB]

Patti - Well there isn't much to getting them to ring the bell.. getting them to ring the bell only for potty needs is the more complicated part    Many a pup has tried to make the bell an all-purpose toy (I'm bored, I wanna go out, hey mom look at me... etc).

[Patti]

Huh, it wasn't complicated for us.

[BoxerWB]

That's 'cause Otis is a good boy    Xena decided it was a perfect way to get outside when she heard her favorite neighbor in the hall  , I know another pup on here decided the bell was a toy for boredom, and others who rang it just because they wanted to play.

[roxysmommy]

thats what I heard about the bell.  They use it for way to keep themselves entertained haha..They are too smart but regardless I am going to try it.  I will keep you guys posted.

[BoxerPerson]

As one who used bell training I thought it was a great way to teach a pup! And my girl Phoebe does continue to ring whenever...(FYI Julia - she is a good girl ) she does ring it and it can be annoying, but all I have to do is remove the bell  .  She knows when to go potty outside, with or without the bell.

[Patti]

Yeah Otis does ring if he sees out neighbor outside & wants to say hi, but I can usually tell if he really needs to go out or if he's being a lil brat. Either way he is ringing to go out, and that's what I wanted

[BoxerPerson]

Ditto...and the way  see it, training your pup to ring a bell to go outside or training you to remember to let the pup out to potty by the pup ringing the bell...it is all good

[BoxerWB]

Yes, we just have different expectations and levels of training we want from our dogs - I trained my dog to ring the bell to tell us she needs to go out, not to tell us that she wants to play or visit. The instructions in the "housetraining" section are for that purpose, but everyone can choose how far into the training they go.

I think most people fade the bell once their dog is fully housetrained - it's more of a bridge for the time when the puppy can't hold it very long and doesn't know how to tell you what it needs.

[Bumpy]

 I would agree we all have our own expectations and desired end result. That being said, we still have bells hanging at the slider. My dogs are very well housetrained but in those times when I'm not paying attention and the poor dog has been stareing out the door for 15 minutes. They have a way to say "YO....Human......I got to go!" Granted like most things with boxers they will abuse it at times but it definatly works for us. I suppose if they were naturally more vocal they might bark at me by I puposefully have tried to not train barking for any reason as I feared it getting out of control.