Potty Training

willkgrace · Jul 24, 2017

Hello! I'm a new Frenchie owner. Scarlett is 11 weeks old and has been with us for 4 days. I'm having trouble with her pooping in my study. As a matter of fact, she has not pooped outside yet! This morning, despite walking after she woke, feeding and walking again, she did not poop. Once inside, she started to poop in the study. I stopped her and took her outside and, ....nothing. This happend 3 separate times in a 15-minute period! Each time I stopped her, took her outside to a designated area where she has been peeing, and nothing! I know she is very young and getting used to this environment. Am I doing something wrong? Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Cbrugs · Jul 24, 2017

Welcome to you and Scarlett! Let's see some pictures of your baby!

If she is consistently pooping in the study, don't let her in there. 11 weeks is still young so accidents should be expected. The key to potty training is consistency and praise. At that age, you should take her out about 15-20 minutes after she eats/drinks, after she wakes up and after a play session. As she gets older, you will figure out her schedule. When she does go outside where she is supposed to, be sure to give a treat and lots of praise immediately after she goes. It may take awhile but eventually she will get it.

2bullymama · Jul 25, 2017

:welcome3: to FBN

Agree with Citty.... schedule at her age is everything. 15-20mins after eating... immediately after waking and playing and keep in mind, they can only hold it for 1 hour more than they are months old. So if 2 months old.. 3 hours is her limit.
bring treats with you for potty and immediately treat her upon going poo... she will catch on

willkgrace · Jul 25, 2017

Thanks so much! Very helpful.

Cbrugs · Jul 25, 2017

Another thing, if you cannot watch her...confine her! And watch for the signs that she is about to go like sniffing around. If you suspect she is about to go, swoop her up and take her outside.

davidh · Jul 25, 2017

Congrats on your pup. You have excellent advice above. It takes time and plenty of patience. We always confine our pups and never give the run of the house. We use X-pens as a play pin and baby gates to keep them in a certain room or rooms, like the family room or kitchen. As others have said, use the schedule they have suggested and plenty of praise when she goes outside. Hope that helps.

Frenchie Grrrl · Jul 25, 2017

You might consider making walks for exercise only and not for potty. With young puppies, it's usually better to take them to a designated potty spot. Same exact spot every time. I would even consider putting a little of her poop out there where you want her to go. If you have a yard where you can put an exercise pen, it might be worth it to set one up as a potty pen. We did this mainly because we wanted to teach Gus to go in the mulch and not in the grass, but I've found it really forces him to focus on the business at hand. When he's in there, he knows it's potty time - not play time. When you go for walks take her to the potty spot first, let her do her business, then walk.

If you don't have your own yard, then I would consider playing inside for exercise and only taking her out for potty (not walks or play) for a week or two. That way, she associates the outside with going potty only. Again, same spot every time. Then back inside.

Like others have said, plenty of praise and treats for success. You might also consider writing down her daily eating and potty behavior (accidents and successes) to help you see the pattern of when she typically needs to go.

My house rules in the beginning were:

IMMEDIATELY after waking in the morning or from naps
Every 30 min* while awake and playing (if not in crate)
10 min after eating

Let us know how it goes, and the more info you provide about your set up and routine, the more we can all brainstorm. Good luck!

*we got him at 7 wks, he's almost 4 months and can hold it about an hour while out of his crate and playing