# Potty Training Puppy Apartment



## Geo (Feb 20, 2013)

I'm getting my V puppy at the end of April... So very excited!

In preparing for the puppies arrival, I've looked at lots of things, and I'd like to find out if any of you has any experience with a "Potty Training Puppy Apartment"? See at http://modernpuppies.com/

I am thinking that this may be useful for the time when my V is a puppy and can't hold it all night... Might help me get some sleep. Other times where it may be useful would be on road trips, or when we get a lot of snow as we do here in the mountains.

It may be that having a place to occasionally go in the house, and going outside most of the time, would just be confusing. But if the puppy apartment works, it could make several situations much easier.

Your thoughts please


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Hi, Geo! That looks like a clever arrangement, but in the long run it might be confusing for your puppy. I don't know. I've had no personal experience with that sort of thing. 

My next-door-neighbors got a little puppy last year (bichon/yorkie cross), and they trained her to use the pee pee pads (or whatever you call them). They are often gone for fairly long periods of time, and didn't want her to have to hold it. Well anyhow, the puppy is a little over a year old now, and she has never once gone to the door and asked to go outside. She just automatically goes to her appointed spot to relieve herself. She is just a little bitty dog, so clean-up isn't difficult. But I think the plan you have in mind might cause a certain amount of confusion for your dog. Of course, I don't know that for sure. :-\


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Hope you live on the ground floor, :-[

Living in a house, but...
I had back pain so severe I could hardly bend down. Had to, though. Picked him up and took him outside every 30 min, and placed him in a crate at night. Two months of that and back pain was history. And yes, I did have a gym membership, which I cancelled. 

In any case it won't be easy but you need to go outside with the dog every time. You can begin by canceling your gym membership, also, if you have one. The dog will make you move plenty. 

Better to take him outside, otherwise it's a mess.


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## lildancngurl (Jan 13, 2013)

Hi, Geo! I bet you're so excited about your puppy! Congratulations!

I will tell you that I found the puppy apartment as well and thought it was absolutely brilliant before we got Ginny, so instead of paying an arm and a leg for the one that they are selling, I just made one myself. It was the exact same thing, wheels and all.  Anyway, I was really excited the first night because she immediately went to the puppy pad and used it (as her breeder started potty training before we got her) I was thrilled! 

We used it for a while and she SCREAMED bloody murder all night, which I thought was normal for the first few days, and it is, but this was a bit overkill. After a couple of weeks with this homemade puppy apartment our vet happened to ask how we are potty training her...And we told her..

Apparently dogs don't like to be anywhere near their poop and pee..and having to sleep right next to it was bothering her. She explained it like if a dog were to be stuck in a large room (in this case, the vet's exam room) the dog would poop in one corner and sleep in the opposite corner.

So, we switched her to her plastic travel crate and holy crap..she slept the entire night, not even needing a potty break until 8 am. 

So, while the idea might be clever...it's not very comfortable for your puppy.

Trust me, it will be **** having to wake up several times a night for the first couple of weeks, but it will feel that much better when you finally have a full night's sleep after.


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## Nelly (Feb 7, 2013)

Hi Geo and congrats on your new puppy! 

Re the apartment set-up, we tried it initially. We also tried pen with wee pads and I wish we hadn't. It seriously hindered our potty training and completely our fault. At the time we did this for safety reasons as in she hadn't had all her jags yet and we weren't sure just how infection-free our little communal garden was.

Now I see how confusing it can be for a puppy, one minute they are being taught to go on pads and being praised for that and the next thing they are being told to go outside and praised for that. 

Our girl still occasionally goes to where the wee pads used to be and doesn't always let us know when she needs to go out because she thinks, 'Oh, hey, it's ok, I can just go through there!'

We are getting there, but I can see it has confused her. My advice would be to lift the pup down any staircases at first and go to a designated potty spot outside. It may long trip for you in the middle of the night but completely worth it.

Good news is these little guys are very quick to catch on when set up for success by us. 

Wish you all the best, it's the most fun you'll ever have!


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## Geo (Feb 20, 2013)

Thanks everyone. Your feedback has convinced me to skip the Potty Training Puppy Apartment, and just train my V to use the outside facilities. I really appreciate the benefit of all your experience.


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