# No Warning Before Accidents



## Remy (Jun 10, 2015)

Hello all, 

I have a ~3 months old boy named Remy. Over the weeks, I have come to be able to learn his general potty schedule and take him out when he needs to for the most part as I have been home for the summer. However, as school is close to starting, I'm worried about his lack of progress in warning me when he needs to be taken out. When he is in the crate, it's not a problem. He whines or barks to let me know that he needs to be taken out of the crate and can even hold his bladder for a long time. However, when he is out and he needs to go out earlier than usual (just now he pooped in my brother's room about 30 minutes before his usual schedule), he'll just go somewhere where nobody can see and take care of his business inside. As of right now, the only reason he's not having constant accidents inside is because I am watching him 24/7 for the most part. I have talked to other dog owners around his age and they have told me that their puppies all have a "tell" that they needs to be taken out and will wait by the door. My brother who lives with me is suggesting that I am spoiling the dog and that I should be sticking his nose in his accidents and spanking him to let him know that what he's doing is wrong, which is against everything I've read. Am I doing something wrong?


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Please don't listen to your brother. Punishing a puppy for accidents just confuses them. They will start to hide from you when they need to potty, and it will only make things worse.
Instead keep the pup with you. Either by having a leash on him, or using puppy gates. If you cant have your attention on him, put him in the crate. Set a timer, and take him out to potty every 20 minutes while he is awake. Make sure he goes 2-3 times while you are out with him, and highly praise him each time. 
Eventually he will start to go to the door on his own, but may only do it for a brief second. If you don't catch it, the accident happens quickly. 

The reason I do every 20 minutes, is because I believe the fewer accidents that happen in the house, the faster the pup starts to understand. Don't worry about how fast your friends pups are coming along, as each pup is different.


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Your brother here is just plain wrong. This is a myth that somehow has survived. If anything if your puppy has 'accidents' you should take a news paper, roll it very tightly, and smack yourself three times for not taking him outside sooner. This is a joke....I'm joking. Puppies do the best they can, they are babies!

Your baby isn't doing this to be 'Naughty', he's responding to a natural urge to relieve himself.

Also, at 3 months, it's not realistic to expect him to "tell" you when he needs to go out, he whines in the crate b/c their instinct is to not go where they live..and he must be very uncomfortable holding it! In the bigger house, he experiences the out reaches of it as "not his" so he goes. You might want to limit his territory to maybe the kitchen, or keep a very close eye on him when the 2 of you venture outside that area, and scoop him up before he needs to go, probably at least 2x/hr, praising him profusely when he does his business outside in the potty area.


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## Remy (Jun 10, 2015)

Thank you TexasRed and Gingerling! 

I just needed this reminder from actual dog owners who have gone through it. It was just hard reading this and that online and not knowing who was right. I have been telling my brother off that 3 months is like a 1 year old human baby and we shouldn't expect him to know exactly where to do this business, but I had my doubts. I will continue to just keep my eyes on him and take him out accordingly!


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## Bob Engelhardt (Feb 14, 2012)

Remy said:


> ... I will continue to just keep my eyes on him and take him out accordingly!


Nobody has the attention span necessary to watch a puppy continuously enough to avoid accidents. He can be gone and had his accident before you even realize that he's gone. Do as T-Red suggested: keep him with you & put him on a schedule. Keeping your eyes on him will just not be good enough: you will miss enough that it's inconsistent and that's a very poor situation for learning.

Bob

And ... as the others have said, the rubbing his nose in it is Dark Ages thinking.


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