Still more on Housebreaking

My wife and I just got our first Maltese about a week ago. The problem is that we can't get him to go to the bathroom outdoors. We let him out and watch him for a good 20 minutes every time we let him out and he doesn't go. But as soon as we let him in he proceedes to go to bathroom somewhere in the house. We even tried to paper train him but that isn't working either, and we also got some kind of scented drops from the pet store that are supposed to help and they don't seem help either. So if anyone has any information for me please let me know. Thanks.

I have a Yorkie, but I am considering a Maltese as a companion for her. I'm not sure if a Maltese is harder to break than a Yorkie, but the ONLY thing that worked for me was crate training. Yes, you have to keep your puppy in a small box for hours during the day when you are not a home but it really works. The idea behind crate training is to teach the pup to hold "it". Dogs will not soil their own space and in a crate there isn't a space far enough away from where they sleep to go to the bathroom.
-The crate must be ONLY big enough for the dog to stand up and turn all the way around. If you get a larger one it will defeat the purpose. It's important to remember that a dog can only hold it for only 1 hour more that their age in months (i.e. a six month old dog should be able to hold it for 7 hours before using the bathroom). This will help you determine how long the dog can stay in the crate without being let outside...and when the dog is let out of the box you MUST take it straight to the choosen spot! DO NOT STOP, GO ALL THE WAY AND CARRY THE PUP SO THERE IS NO ROOM FOR ERROR! Stay outside until this happens...no matter how long it takes. I remember the long wait, but it never failed...my dog would go as soon as I'd bring her inside and I would become so frustrated. Eventually I realized that it's just a time consuming process and there was no way around it. -Buy some MIRACLE'S NATURE to clean up any mistakes. It will really save your carpet.-Reward your pup like crazy when they go outside. Get him all excited, say "good boy" in an excited voice, give them a treat. My dog still runs into the kitchen for a treat when she goes to the bathroom. -When you catch him in the act, clap your hands loudly and yell NO! This technique (clapping and saying "no" is a loud voice) will help with other problems like excessive barking and digging. Never use the dogs name in conjuction with this command. Pick him up and go straight to the spot. Don't let the pup see you clean the stain because it will lead him to think that is a way to get attention. It's best to ignore the deed if you did not catch the puppy in the act. Otherwise the attention factor will come into play. Sometimes even negative attention is welcomed by a puppy because it's something.-Paper training is not really housebreaking because the dog is allowed to relieve itself in the house, anytime it wants. These are 2 problems the crate can alieve. If the dog thinks it's okay to go in your house what will it think when it at someone else's? -Take your pup out first thing in the morning, then again after he eats. If he doesn't go the first time, do not take your eyes off of him until you are ready to put him out a 2nd time. The other time during the day should be scheduled according to the months/hours thing I talked about earlier. Also, so not give your pup access to food all day. Three times a day shoud be okay depending on the age. Always leave fresh water out and a few snacks in the kennel. The dog will probably turn the water over into the kennel so as an alternative you may just want to soak some dry kibble and leave that in the crate instead.
Whatever you do look into the crate training and do it soon. Call a local trainer or respectable pet supply dealer and get their opinion. It's the ONLY thing that worked for me. I still keep Bijoux confined to the kitchen because I'm not yet comletely comfortable with letting her roam to chew things and have the opportunity to soil the carpet. For some reason it seems like dogs prefer the carpet! Once your pup has become aware of the the place you choose (and it's outside) you may want to keep a small, inexpensive rug by the door. Our dog had a problem holding it until someone noticed her so she would always go right in front of the door. We also hug some bells from the door so she could let us know when she wants to go out. She'll scratch the door and it turn hits the bells. Eventually we hope she will realize what the bells do, if she hasn't already.
Tina
Tina, You've made a lot of valid points in your reply. However, I strongly disagree with a few of your helpful thoughts. First the "add an hour to the age in months" rule of thumb. Sounds interesting, but not true. Secondly, the myth about a dog not "soiling" their own space or where they sleep is also very far from the truth. Putting your Maltese in a crate while your at work all day "that is only big enough for it to stand up and turn all the way around" is just plain cruel treatment and I would highly advise against it to everyone. Blocking off a room in your home, preferably one that has a linoleum or tile floor and free from all dangerous hazards is a much more humane alternative. Put down a newspaper or wee-pad. Lastly, the 3 meals a day idea. Maltese eating habits aren't that way. I have yet to see any of our Maltese eat in this manner. They like to eat when they feel like it. Putting their food down at a prescribed time and picking it up at a prescribed time would just be a waste of energy and accomplish nothing(except give you a little exercise). I like the bells idea you mention!
Jay
Hello Everyone,
I have to agree with Jay if you are at work all day and the pup is very young, you can expect accidents in the crate. Until a dog is about 5 months old he does not have the bladder control or maturity in his system to hold it for long hours. This can very well cause urinary tract infections in female puppies. I think the biggest thing to do is not to let your puppy have too much access to your house/rooms. Only one room and puppy-proof it well! Hide the cords, take things out of the cabinets etc. Potty training a pup is very frustrating but we have all been there so hang in there!! I would use the crate for training only if you are home and can not supervise your pup. Once the dog starts going in the crate they can smell it no matter how well you clean!! This will only make matters worse. The key is to try to let the pup have as many opportunities it needs to go outside. Lots of praise, good boy, go potty here etc. Use key words like potty, hurry up, and soon the dog will get the connection. Leave the evidence outside for awhile so he can smell it. Try to stay on a schedule with letting your dog outside. Like every 2-3 hours. Remember puppies need to go out when they first wake-up, after eating, playing, right before bedtime, and so on. Good Luck,
PUG
I would add just one caution to the rug at the door and giving run of a room -- I found out the hard way.
My maltese, Amanda, was paper trained when I got her and broke to outside very easily. So when I rescued a yorkie-mix I decided to first paper train him in a large room. All my floors are hardwood and I have some small throw rugs in the room I trained him in.
Well, stupid me, rather then picking up the throw rugs because they were rally easy to clean, and the training pads had plastic on the back, put the training pads on the throw rugs, though not necessarily totally covering it. Naturally, Benjamin looked at the throw rug as an underlying part of the part. I discovered that while he broke to outside, it there was a time when I worked late and he was sort of still young, if he couldn't hold it quite, he looked at the throw rug as okay to use. I couldn't blame him, it was basically my fault. So then I had to break him of the rug. So do learn from my stupidity.
Rebecca J
The advice I was given when Lucy came home as a baby was "if you can't see your pup, she should be in the crate." I didn't like the idea of a crate so much, so I just took the advice as "keep your eyes on the dog ALWAYS." I work at home, so my solution was to keep Lucy on my lap ALL THE TIME if I was going to be distracted by work. The point is YOU have to watch and YOU have to make sure if the pup gives any sign of squatting that you pick her up immediately and take her outside TO THE SAME SPOT all the time until she "gets it." There were times that Lucy was peeing on my hand as I took her out, but she finished THERE. Also, I kept "Smoochies" (beef flavored treats") in my pocket and praise and gave her a treat EVERY time she used the outdoors. No performance there, no treat. She was close to 12 weeks when I got her. It took me about 4 weeks to get her trained (now she sits by the door if we are downstairs and if that doesn't do it, she BARKS until I get the idea). We had only one or two times in the training period that she actually peed on the rug and that was because I put her down and didn't get moving fast enough to let her out. In my experience, there is no "easy" way to potty train a pup (although Lucy seems to have gotten it faster than any other breed I've every had). I figure her end of the deal is to do her jobs outside an my end is to get her there not matter how inconvenient, so even now, when she says GO (BARK,BARK, BARK) we go. When they are just learning, you just have to watch them and be aware of signals and take them out on a schedule even when there are no signals. They do catch on.
A dog trainer I know had an alternative to the crating that would also work if you are home (or combined with a crate for those times when you are home, if you choose crate training.) He ssid keep the dog on a leash and the leash around your arm when and if there is any movement, pay attention to it. If it looks like a movement that is leading to using the floor, immediately pick up the dog and take it outside to its spot. I didn't try this, but he swears by it. In the meatime, be patient, and really know that YOU are the one who has to do the work here.
Cathy Brown