AboutKristen Cabe Expertise I can answer training questions, both basic and advanced, and am familiar with almost all of the methods and tools used. I am not closed-minded and do not think that one method and one tool is the best/only way to train. I answer questions with consideration to both the owner`s and the dog`s needs and abilities. I am also very knowledgeable about canine nutrition.
IF YOU HAVE A HOUSETRAINING QUESTION, PLEASE go to my web page on housetraining, located at http://housetraining.angelfire.com. If you try the suggestions there, and are still having problems, let me know.
Experience I have been training for more than five years, and studying canine nutrition for more than six years. I have taken three online veterinary assistant classes given by the local community college, and received final grades in the high 90's for all three.
Question We brought home our new addition on April 28th. She was 7-1/2 weeks old at that time (a beautiful black lab). We have a crate and tried using it from day one. However, she would poop in it and potty in it. I work at home during the day, so I leave her out of the crate and she naps by my feet and then when she is awake we play and go outside and she eats, etc. She does really well with this all day. At first I wasn't getting up with her very much at night because I had been told that she needed to learn to "hold it." However, I soon realized this wasn't right and was getting up with her a few times during the night and she would potty every time. The first couple nights she pooped in it so we had wonderful messes to clean up but then seemed to do better when I got up with her a few times. She still cried an awful lot, though, and I wasn't sure if I was just reinforcing her crying/barking or not because she would actually go potty when I would take her out. Anyway, we found out last week that she had hookworms after she was getting diarrhea, so she was given a dewormer and a shot of Imervectin (for mites). Her diarrhea got much worse so I put her on a bland diet of hamburger and rice and the vet gave me Endosorb (sp?) which she has finished and Metronidazole which she is still taking. She did very well over the weekend on the hamburger and rice and her stools became formed so I started giving her a little dry food (Nutro Ultra) mixed with brown rice on Monday. Yesterday I think I might have started giving her a little too much of the dry food, though, because now her stools are pretty loose again. She was on Beneful original from the breeder and I just refuse to give her that. I know the Nutro Ultra probably isn't the "best" but I know it's better than what she was getting. Any advice on the loose stools? Should I just stick with it a while yet and hopefully it's just the change in food? Is plain yogurt okay to give her every now and then? She loves it! I love our little girl, but I am going on hardly any sleep since we got her and now I'm afraid to put her in her crate because I'm afraid I will be cleaning up diarrhea all the time....I have started sleeping with her (out of the crate) and she has been doing really well with that but realize this probably isn't a good thing?? I put her in her crate during the day only when I have to leave for short times (2-3 hours) or if it is nice out we have an outdoor area for her....she still pees in her crate even if I'm only gone for that amount of time.....very frustrating.
Answer The worms and dewormer probably have a lot to do with her loose stools, because her body is flushing itself, as well as the switch from Beneful (yuck!) to Nutro Ultra. Kudos to you for refusing to feed Beneful, by the way! You can give her a tablespoon of plain, canned pumpkin to help with the loose stools. Pumpkin is good for both loose stools AND constipation, so it's good to keep a can on hand just in case. Make sure it's the plain pumpkin, though, and NOT pumpkin pie filling.
A spoonful of plain yogurt isn't going to hurt her, and if it has active cultures, it is actually good for her.
Ok, about the housebreaking issues; remember, she is still very much a baby, and does not yet have control over her bladder and bowels, so there are going to be accidents. You are right to take her out one or two times during the night right now, because at her age, she simply isn't going to be able to hold it. Generally, puppies can hold it all night by the time they are 16 weeks of age, but some puppies still can't, so you may still have to take her out once during the night for a while even then. The important thing to remember is that you don't want to get up and take her out when she starts crying or barking, because that will reinforce the noise; you want to try and set your alarm to get up *before* she starts barking. Also, try not to feed her or give her access to water within 2 hours of bedtime, so that you can give her a couple of opportunities to empty her bladder and bowels before going to bed. I would continue to crate her at night, but it's up to you. I don't believe in letting dogs sleep in the bed with you. I wonder if her crate is the right size? It should be just large enough to allow her to stand, turn around, and lie down in. If it's too big, you can buy crate separators, or perhaps think of some way to shrink it down some so you don't have to buy another crate.
During the day, she should be able to hold it for about as many hours as she is old in months. So, for example, she's nearly 10 weeks old now, or about 3.5 months. That means she *should* be able to go 3-4 hours between potty breaks. Of course, every puppy is different. If you're able to stay home with her all day, though, getting her housebroken should go more smoothly because you can keep an eye on her and take her out as soon as she starts showing signs of needing to potty. Use baby gates to keep her confined to the room you're in, so she can't sneak off and potty out of sight.
