Potty training

mkt11 · Jan 13, 2019

Hello everyone! Really glad to be a part of this community.
I have a 5 1/2 month old female, Winnie, and I love her to pieces. She's such a clown and is such a good natured pup. But one of the main hurdles we're trying to get over is potty training...We're still having a couple accidents per week, which isn't completely terrible, but I'm just wondering how long did it take for your frenchie to get it? I take her our at least every hour/ 2 hours and treat her. She pretty much potties on command now (my neighbors probably think I'm crazy saying "go potty" over and over again at every hour of the day), but I just don't think she connects that going inside is wrong. I know she's still young and accidents happen, but a lot of articles I've read say they should be potty trained by 6 months and I don't think thats going to happend with her. I guess I'm wondering if frenchies are a little harder to housbreak than other breeds? I know how stubborn they can be! Haha. Any input/advice would be great

Cbrugs · Jan 14, 2019

Welcome! Potty training a Frenchie can definitely be hard. Jax was probably potty trained around 5 months but we took him out more frequently than every hour or 2. Maybe try taking her out more frequently. Consistency is definitely key and eventually she will "get" it however, not to discourage you, but sometimes it does take quite awhile. A member on here, her guy took 2 years!

mkt11 · Jan 14, 2019

Thats what I've heard! Oh wow, I hope it doesn't take her 2 years

hmy: Hopefully she'll get it soon! Until then, I'll try taking her our more frequently and watching her like a hawk hah. Thanks for your reply!

Dreamer · Jan 14, 2019

Does she know how to tell you yet? Do you want her to go out by herself (doggy door) or are you taking her out each time? Samson was a bit in the same way, my dog trainer from pupper class said we should wait a while to see if he comes up with his own way of telling me. It didn't really seem like it was happening though... I ended up buying him these little doggy doorbells thats a button he pushes on the floor and it will ding in 2 rooms of my apartment. He learned it really quickly and accidents are super rare now. Though a downside is that he sometimes pushes it to try and tell us other things like "hey give me some of dat brisket" or "I'm bored walk me"

learning to distinguish attention-dings VS "I needa potty" dings is a learning curve but I can tell pretty easily now and we're both happy.

mkt11 · Jan 14, 2019

I live in an apartment as well so I have to take her out each time. She will sometimes sit near the door or just walk around near it, but that's pretty inconsistent. I make her sit everytime we go out in hopes that she'll associate that with needing to go out buuut I don't think thats working very well. I think the bell is a great idea! I'm actually about to order the bells that hang on the doorknob so I really hope she catches onto that!! How did you teach Samson to ring the bell? Thanks so much for your reply!

Dreamer · Jan 14, 2019

I tried a few different bells... he seemed a little confused/afraid of the big ones that hang off the doorknob. I got a classic doorman's bell but it wouldn't ring properly because he liked to leave his paw on it thus not allowing the bell to reverberate. 3rd time is the charm though as I finally settled on these ...works great, its really easy for him to use. I have mine stuck to the floor facing up though, not vertical like they show in the pictures. I have a speaker in the living room and one in my office and both will ding when he hits it so if I'm working I'll still hear it easily. Best of luck to you and Winnie! They're really smart little dogs, I'm sure she will get it in no time.

mkt11 · Jan 14, 2019

The bell you use seems great! I might order that one instead of the ones you put on the doorknob as they might get annoying jingling everytime I open and close the door. Thanks so much for your advice! Fingers crossed!

Cbrugs · Jan 14, 2019

I never used bells but I know a lot of people do use them with success. I always just picked up my boys and carried them outside and then just one day they got it and at our old house they would go to the gate at the top of the stairs (it was a split level) and now at our house they go to the back door to indicate they need to go out. Of course, sometimes they just want to go out and mess around and not potty.

Alice Kable · Jan 14, 2019

Fortunately we have always had an older dog and a pet door. The puppy followed the older dog out the pet door and learned fast that was where he was to potty! I hope our new puppy learns this from Buster!

mkt11 · Jan 15, 2019

Thanks for all of your replies!! I'm really glad there's a community on here specifically for frenchies- they're definitely a unique breed

This is also my first puppy so the learning curve can be overwhelming sometimes! I just ordered a bell yesterday so hopefully she'll get the hang of it. I wish I had a yard and a dog door! That would be so nice. My neighbors probably think I'm crazy for taking her our every waking hour..oh well:excited:

Tomara · Jan 15, 2019

Potty training is a nightmare. Gunnar will go outside then come back in and potty on the floor. I don’t think he’s smart enough to use a bell.

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