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Housbreaking...again?

Oscar's Mum

Active member
Our puppy is 12 weeks old and we have been following all the information we've gathered on housebreaking from various books we own. Although Oscar was a bit stubborn at first, we are now very successful, and Oscar goes potty on his 'spot' (a safe, fenced in lawn belonging to our appartment building), about 90% of the time...

My worry is: we are moving to a new appartment, which also means Oscar will have to get used to a new 'potty spot' in about 4 weeks' time. I'm hoping if we just keep up the routine he will adapt, but I am worried we may have to start the whole housebreaking thing all over again - has anyone had any experience with this kind of situation?
 
Yes, many times -- with foster dogs and rescues! :)

Best to err on the side of caution -- he WILL need to be retrained room by room as he won;t necessarily associate another house as a place he is supposed to see as a den and keep clean, plus he's still very young (indeed he is doing extremely well for such a young pup; usually if they reach 90% by 5-6 months most are pretty happy).

Along those lines puppies do tend to go thru some regressions so you cannot assume he is 90% reliable quite yet -- he may just be this week, or for a few weeks, but then you do have steps backward generally too. It is all part of the 'fun' :lol: but if you are attentive and work to set him up for success -- eg never give too much trust too fast; keep him under constant watch, train him room by room, always have him in close reach to get him out quickly if he starts to have an accident, etc, you will hasten the process enormously.

One word of warning (we have ALL been there! :) ) -- if you think he is 90% accurate but also allow him a bit of free rein in the house, enough that he is sometimes NOT under *constant* watch or can roam into other rooms when no one is there, and any of those rooms has rugs or carpets, he very likely is NOT as reliable as you think. Cavalier pups are small and can dip and wee in mere seconds then run on and you will likely never feel the damp spot, smell it or notice it. Every accident is a step backwards in housetraining. So it is really important to be sure you are totally vigilant at this age. (y)

PS I have been known to crawl slowly along the floor sniffing at rugs for evidence. :lol:
 
Thought so...

Yes, I thought as much! I have realised I have to take each day as it comes with the little one! He changes his mind regularly about most things, especially his bed: one minute he loves it; next minute he'd rather sleep all on his own in the dark hallway! We have only managed such a good run up until now, because I am at home with him 24/7 (and will be for another six weeks), so I am able to keep my eyes on him.

We have no carpets, just rugs in our appartment, so I have taken them away for the housebreaking stage and I won't be unpacking them in a hurry after we've moved! :)

Just hope the little one will adjust to yet another new home...I know that, with a new pup, it's not the best time to move but sometimes life gets in the way of your plans...:rolleyes:

Thanks for the advice. This really is a great website.(y)
 
You are in the ideal housetraining situation going by your description -- no wonder he is doing so well. I'd just take a conservative approach as you move and he should settle in pretty quickly to the new routine.
 
You are in the ideal housetraining situation going by your description -- no wonder he is doing so well. I'd just take a conservative approach as you move and he should settle in pretty quickly to the new routine.

Thanks again for the advice. We'll try our best! :xfngr:
 
Awww it sounds like you've been doing a grand job of the house training. Yeah he is likely to take a little step backwards but I doubt all the way back. I reckon you'll have the situation under control pretty fast as you seem to have realistic expectations. Good luck.
 
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