Housetraining in the real world questions

[Southernish]

Our little bundle of destruction ... erm ... joy will be coming home soon.

It has been a very long time (more than a decade) since I've had a puppy and had to do the house breaking thing.  We do intend to crate train right from the very beginning.  I learned that lesson with the many books and shoes lost to a Boston Terrier with separation anxiety.  Unfortunately, when I got my Boston Terrier (his name was Bolt) I was a stay-at-home-mom, so I was home ALL of the time.

Now I am a nursing student and some of my days are pretty long.  I have enlisted the help of my mom (lives 4 miles away and is nearly as excited about Loki as my daughter and I are) to come over during the day and let Loki out several times a day.

The book we have about training puppies talks about taking them out every hour.  Now if I was still a SAHM this would be a doable and workable thing.  Right now, as it stands, I can do this several days each week, but there are days when I have classes and clinical rotations and I simply cannot do this every single day.

Does a puppy really need to be taken out every hour?  Will every two hours be okay?

I have a break between semesters that will last most of December and into early January so I'll be home for those weeks.  When I go back to school he will be about 12 - 13 weeks old.  By that age do you think he'll be able to go for two hours before he gets a potty and play break during the day?

Is is possible to housebreak and train a dog if you're not with him 24/7?  The books make it sound impossible, but surely there are other people out there who have jobs/school and aren't home with their dogs all day every day.  Right?

[whitepupzoe]

We would take George out every 1/2 hour or so when we first got him at 10 wks... and then immediately after he woke up and ate and played...so pretty much all the time.  

He was crated for about 4 hours at a time when we were at work...sometimes you can't be there all the time. Sometimes he had a clean crate and sometimes he didn't. Just make sure the crate is only big enough for him to turn around that way he won't have room to go pee in the corner and then lay in the other.

Oh I forgot...make sure when you take him out to take him on the leash so he doesn't play and run around. Out to pee and then right back in. Make a big deal when he goes too with lots of praise.

[Christina]

We would take George out every 1/2 hour or so when we first got him at 10 wks... and then immediately after he woke up and ate and played...so pretty much all the time.  

Oh I forgot...make sure when you take him out to take him on the leash so he doesn't play and run around. Out to pee and then right back in. Make a big deal when he goes too with lots of praise.

I did the same thing with Star when it was possible, the little snot would pee outside, then come inside and pee again! He was the most stubborn, hard headed thing to house break! 

Lots and lots of praise, and like Kristin said, separate play time from potty time. Nothing worse than having a puppy wake you up at 2 am just to go outside and play 

[BoxerWB]

I believe the every hour rule is meant to be applied while they are active. When they are crated, they are forcibly inactive, so you can use the "age in months plus one" rule. I found that to be spot on for Delta, though it is an average so some dogs need more and some less.

Folks who work typically have to make arrangements (neighbor, coming home during lunch, etc) or set the pup up with an area to potty so it won't be forced to soil its crate.

[Southernish]

Thanks, y'all. For the days when I have school I have made arrangements with my mom to come over and let them out both for potty time and play time. I'm pretty sure she will be hanging out here for a couple of hours and then head home for a couple of hours and then come back for a couple of hours for a puppy fix. Hahaha. Fortunately she only lives 4 miles away. :-)

The while active part makes sense ... I just forgot what having a puppy is like.

Thank you so much!

When you're home do you ever put the dogs in their crates for some "down time" or while you're doing something that might be hazardous to them? Is it "mean" to crate them when they can see us and hear us? Or is that a good thing to do and train them for?

[Christina]

When you're home do you ever put the dogs in their crates for some "down time" or while you're doing something that might be hazardous to them? Is it "mean" to crate them when they can see us and hear us? Or is that a good thing to do and train them for?

If there's something hazardous to them going on, it's probably best to crate them. There's certainly nothing wrong with crating them while your home for a period of time.  Sometimes you can also block off a separate room of the house where you can watch them, but they are away from danger. My walker hound and one of the boxers will frequently go and lay down in the dog room, away from the action of the house.

[BoxerWB]

No, as long as you aren't punishing them, some at home crate time is good. They might fuss more about it, but better that than having them trip you while you cook, etc.

Is the breeder acclimating them to a crate before they come home?

[Southernish]

Thanks!  I am mostly thinking of when I am cooking or when I am cleaning and I don't want to risk them getting into chemicals. I am glad to know that it won't be bad for them to put them up for a while for safety.

I know that all of the breeders adult dogs are crate trained. So I am assuming that the puppies are also spending time in the crate. Though they'll be coming home right at 8 weeks so it will likely have been group crating.