Picking up my boy this friday - questions

boomervt · 01-28-2009, 11:04 AM

Im picking up my beautiful boy this friday hes from an accidental litter, hes 3/4 boxer 1/4 pit bull. I was looking for a purebreed boxer but I fell in love with "boomer" and decided would rather give this guy a nice home.

My girlfriend and I both work the same shift, luckily one of us will be able to go home for about an hour at lunch. I know i can't expect such a young puppy (he will be 8 weeks) to go 4 hours with out relieving himself. I bought a 36 x 24 x 27 crate with a divider, i was plannin on using training pad just to make the cleanup easier. Every one on these sites say thats a bad idea. My only question is wouldn't they associate going to the bathroom inside with the puppy pads, and once I stop using them he would recogonize that the pads aren't in his crate andthat he's not suppose to go to the bathroom?

JoeV · 01-28-2009, 11:10 AM

Hard to say. If you think about it though, he's probably been going to the bathroom in a box with his brothers/sisters since he was born. So, going to the bathroom in his new crate would be much the same thing, except it will be a lot smaller of an area probably. You're right, he will not be able to hold it that long at only 8 weeks... I had to take out my puppy every 30 minutes when we first got her for the first couple of weeks. I think you have no choice - you probably should keep the training pad in the crate and at night or whenever you guys are home with the puppy just keep taking him out to go. All I know is, a boxer or boxer/pit will be a fairly large dog... so the last thing you want is him going in your house when he's older... it will be a flood, ha. Good luck... maybe a trainer is your best bet to ask... pop into a Petco or Petsmart and ask one of their trainers or if you know of any local place to go that is great.

boomervt · 01-28-2009, 11:14 AM

Thanks, this information is greatly appreciated, as well as any other advice anyone has for me.

Ron · 01-28-2009, 11:16 AM

Congrats on the new pup!

Idealy your best bet would be trying to get someone to pop over every few hours, but i know it's not always easy to do.

KeeperBoy · 01-28-2009, 12:53 PM

Who has the mother and litter? Could you ask them to keep him a few more weeks? I know it will be hard but dogs are really better off if they can stay with their mama dog until 10 weeks.

Instead of potty training in a crate I would get an Xpen. That might help avoid some confusion.

boomervt · 01-28-2009, 01:03 PM

whats an xpen? I probably could see about waiting untill 9 or 10 weeks to get the pup.

superpimp · 01-28-2009, 01:11 PM

You say that both you and your gf work the same shifts, meaning that the puppy will be left alone, at exactly the time in his life when he needs human interaction the most

bruinsBoxers · 01-28-2009, 01:31 PM

Puppies do not like to soil in the same area as they sleep in . So by dividing up the crate it will help him to want to hold it and not soil in his sleeping area . He will have accidents but as long as they are cleaned up with an enzyme solution ( like natures miracle ) to get rid of the urine smell he will learn .

I do not like the puppy pads because all that I have seen have a plastic backing , puppies like to chew and I would worry if the puppy ate one and the plastic liner caused a blockage .I have heard of and seen many puppies shred then . Plus the pads are usually treated to give off a smell to attract the puppy to eliminate in the area , that will get them in the habit of soiling in the house , crate or pad .

You can put down some old towels or small blankets in the crate , something inexpensive and washable . Because it will need to be washed often .

Some dogs will soil in the crate and then cover the mess with their blankets , so if this happens then he may have to go without any bedding while being house trained . It may sound mean but it is better then him covering his mess and being comfortable laying in / on it .

JoeV · 01-28-2009, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruinsBoxers

Puppies do not like to soil in the same area as they sleep in . So by dividing up the crate it will help him to want to hold it and not soil in his sleeping area . He will have accidents but as long as they are cleaned up with an enzyme solution ( like natures miracle ) to get rid of the urine smell he will learn .

I do not like the puppy pads because all that I have seen have a plastic backing , puppies like to chew and I would worry if the puppy ate one and the plastic liner caused a blockage .I have heard of and seen many puppies shred then . Plus the pads are usually treated to give off a smell to attract the puppy to eliminate in the area , that will get them in the habit of soiling in the house , crate or pad .

You can put down some old towels or small blankets in the crate , something inexpensive and washable . Because it will need to be washed often .

Some dogs will soil in the crate and then cover the mess with their blankets , so if this happens then he may have to go without any bedding while being house trained . It may sound mean but it is better then him covering his mess and being comfortable laying in / on it .

Great advice.

boomervt · 01-30-2009, 07:33 AM

Well I ended up bringing boomer home last night. I think it was pretty successful night. So far he has not went to the bathroom inside (besides his crate at night). Hes gone pee outside like 7 or so times for me and poop like 4 or 5. He whined pretty bad at first when we put him in his crate so, i moved our xl dog bed next to the crate and lied there untill he went to sleep. He whined 2 or 3 times throughout the night but only for like 5 minutes at the most. Our two cats who ruled the roost for a few years are having a tough time adjusting but seem to be more curious than pissed. I'll be sure to post pictures soon.