potty training help

[invitediva]

max is now 4.5 months old and i thought he was doing well with potty training, however, this morning, he peed upstairs which is carpeted. The funny thing to me is, he has not had any accidents for weeks now on the hard wood floors. i take him out regularly and so i am wondering if this is his way of marking and if it is, how do i stop it? the thing is, our carpet is berber and it's hard to tell sometimes if he's had an accident if not for your accidental stepping on it (yuck, i know). i used to always make sure to watch where he's going but since he's been so good, i've slacked off a bit and let him roam once in a while without me. any suggestions beyond the praising when he does well, taking him out regularly and watching him like a hawk?

[Chip's Mom]

I have heard that puppies like to pee on soft areas. When Chip was younger about that age, he would slip and pee on the carpet in the bedroom a couple of times but he didn't pee on the hardwood floors. He hasn't done that in a long time though so there is light at the end of the tunnel. I didn't scold him unless I caught him in the act and then I hurriedly took him outdoors and praised when he went potty. I started leaving my bedroom door shut so he didn't have access to it during the day. Your pup is still young yet.

[corgimom]

Originally Posted by invitediva

max is now 4.5 months old and i thought he was doing well with potty training, however, this morning, he peed upstairs which is carpeted. The funny thing to me is, he has not had any accidents for weeks now on the hard wood floors. i take him out regularly and so i am wondering if this is his way of marking and if it is, how do i stop it? the thing is, our carpet is berber and it's hard to tell sometimes if he's had an accident if not for your accidental stepping on it (yuck, i know). i used to always make sure to watch where he's going but since he's been so good, i've slacked off a bit and let him roam once in a while without me. any suggestions beyond the praising when he does well, taking him out regularly and watching him like a hawk?

when you say you let him roam, does that mean he goes upstairs without you also or are you right behind him? I remember when Cody was about 6 months old and we were upstairs and I could tell by the look on his face that he was thinking about something - he approached the stairs as if he was going to attempt to go down and then I think he thought "what the heck, I just can't make it" and peed right on the landing I immediately made a noise and took him outside where he finished the job. Honestly, your pup is still young and the best thing to do is just keep a closer eye on him some more - accidents may still happen; but I remember that at 4 1/2 months I was really not letting Cody roam around - he spent most of his time on the main level at that time.

[Dillydoodle]

I was also not allowing Dillon to roam around the house until he was a bit older than 4 1/2 months, even when they seem to be doing so well with the housebreaking. I read in one of my training books that one of the biggest problems with housebreaking is that people give the dog too much freedom too quickly and often have these kinds of setbacks. I gated Dillon in the living room and kitchen area near the back door where he could ring his bell if he had to go. He was only allowed upstairs if someone was upstairs with him , and keeping a good eye on him- he was not left unsupervised in the upstairs until after 6 months of age. Dillon was housebroken quite quickly with minimal mistakes in the house but partly because we did watch him like a hawk. We also did the same thing as LInda, if we caught him in the act, say NO loudly, get the puppy put him outside and when he finishes outside, praise him lavishly. This worked well with DIllon.
Emilie

[sweetlychee]

Dogs in general like to pee on carpets and prefer it more than hardwood/vinyl flooring. Milo had the same thing but is now fully trained.

My advice: Block off any carpet areas from your corgi. This will signal to them they can't go there and pee. Second, clean the area and get rid of the odor as much as you can. Third, take your corgi outside to pee regularly with a schedule. Also, once you catch your corgi peeing inside, scold at him. Corgis love to please us so they will know what to do and not to do. Scold and never hit.

[milles2]

I left Tuck and Lulu home yesterday while I went to work. I leave them around 8 and get home around 5:30. it's a long time but no accidents from Miss Lulu (almost 6 months) ever.

When I got home someone had peed on one of their doggie mats (mats to sleep on). The mat was in the middle of the room. I suspect it was Lulu because if it were Tucker, I think he would have lifted his leg and peed ON something.

And I thought, geez, they were outside playing for an hour before I left, they manage to hold it that long every other day....

Then it hit me: most of their playtime was down in the creek. Lulu just has to drink the creek water. So she probably drank right up until the time I left.

Oh well! Dog mats are washable and so is the tile floor!

[Fluffypants]

WOW Susan! You are quite the detective!!! Good work!!