Hello- I have two black lab puppies, only 7 weeks old (we got them at 6 weeks). They're actually doing quite well with potty training inside the house already, which is awesome (we're using training pads until they can actually walk down the stairs). However, one of them seems to be acting out. He was doing just fine with the pads, even going there on his own. But the last 2 days we have been putting him on the pads when he sniffs, if he's not already in that area, and he'll walk away really fast to go pee somewhere else. One time we brought him back 2 times in a row and he kept running off until he got away and peed somewhere else. He was doing fine, so I don't know what the sudden backfall is about. I figure it's just a temper tantrum, and I know he's still really young. Anyone have any advice? Thanks!!
Puppy temper tantrums
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Sounds like he is just being a puppy 
Keep up the good work.
Keep up the good work.
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Just be persistent. Is there a way of keeping him on the pads until he does pee? (i.e. blocking the escape route off)?
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I agree with Trickster.
Maybe puppy pads are OK as a back up - but you should be carrying them out on a regular schedule. If you wait until they are 12 weeks old (or probably older) when they can navigate the stairs - you will have bigger puppies who have an ingrained habit of peeing in your house.
I know people do this all the time with toy dogs, but this is just asking for a bigger problem with a larger breed. By the time your puppy is 6 months old and is still not fully trained the mess that he will make when he pees in the kitchen will be daunting.
And good luck with 2 puppies at once - it is VERY hard to train a pair.
Maybe puppy pads are OK as a back up - but you should be carrying them out on a regular schedule. If you wait until they are 12 weeks old (or probably older) when they can navigate the stairs - you will have bigger puppies who have an ingrained habit of peeing in your house.
I know people do this all the time with toy dogs, but this is just asking for a bigger problem with a larger breed. By the time your puppy is 6 months old and is still not fully trained the mess that he will make when he pees in the kitchen will be daunting.
And good luck with 2 puppies at once - it is VERY hard to train a pair.
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All of my pups were paper trained. (Newspapers in one room while I was at work.) I never had trouble housebreaking. As soon as they were old enough to hold it, they always went outside - never any "accidents" in the house.
Maybe I was just lucky, or maybe dogs are smarter than we think.
Maybe I was just lucky, or maybe dogs are smarter than we think.
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I agree with the others, and I wouldn't say it's a temper tantrum--he's a baby and has no idea what you want. For some reason, he's just decided that there's something wrong with the pads. Make sure you are cleaning up the accidents really well with a strong enzyme cleaner--he might be smelling the previous accident and think that it's the right place to go.
Although pads/newspaper are not ideal, they certainly can work. We used newspapers for Theo while we were at work, and although it took a while, he has never had an accident in the house since being housetrained (except when he was sick).
Although pads/newspaper are not ideal, they certainly can work. We used newspapers for Theo while we were at work, and although it took a while, he has never had an accident in the house since being housetrained (except when he was sick).
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You're doing good and it sounds like normal puppy behaviour to me, but I'm in total agreement with those who suggest taking them outside.
I'm a huge fan of the crate. After feeding, I'll take them out for their "business". If they fail to go outside, I put them right in the crate until they start to get agitated, then take them right back outside. It's an involved process, but it's worked well for all my guys.
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First of all, he is not having a tantrum. These guys are still really little and will have accidents and such for a long time. I also think that there has to be a reason why he doesn't want to go on the pad and would rather go somewhere else. How close are the pads to where the pups sleep or play? Even small puppies will start to go potty away from the area that they stay in. Do they "go" outside at all - if they do, then they would probably prefer to go potty outside (barring accidents) It might be quite a while before they can go up and down stairs - some people have quite a time teaching their dogs to use stairs, so I would try to figure out a way to get them outside to potty. It's also possible that they are just getting used to your house and starting to explore more - from your description, they were 'doing well" for only 5 days and then started having problems. Get a good book on raising a puppy (or make that puppies) cause your going to need it.
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Its not a tantrum, he'd be doing the same behaviour if he was outside. Puppies at 7 weeks don't have the attention span you are asking for.
I concur that its a good idea to be carrying them downstairs to go potty. If not, how will they know to go down there when they have to go?
Paper training never made any sense to me.
I concur that its a good idea to be carrying them downstairs to go potty. If not, how will they know to go down there when they have to go?
Paper training never made any sense to me.
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