potty training

[overbeylc]

they are seven weeks old. I was under the impression that at that age they needed frequent potty breaks at night because they couldn't hold it that long. I understand accident will happen just wanted to make sure i was training them right. thanks

[dab_20]

well the thing is, if you let them out too much during the night they get the impression that they dont have to hold it. so if you only let them out once in the middle of the night, that teaches them that they need to hold it as long as they can, or they have to sleep in their pee. 7 weeks is pretty young, so if you think that they cant hold it half way through the night, you can let them out a second time.

btw, what breed are your new puppies?

[overbeylc]

they are shih tzu's. thanks for your help

[dab_20]

awwww shih tzus are cute. no problem. the puppy i just got is a cocker spaniel. i named him sammy.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

If the pups are having accidents in their crates it probably means the crates are too big. They should only be allowed to stand up and turn around and lie down comfortably- if they have excess room they may reserve one end for going potty and the other end for sleeping. I would recommend partitioning off part of the crate so they don't have accidents in there.
Also, I've never used puppy pads, but I think it would probably be a better idea to get the dogs used to going outside right away- that way they know that it's only ok to go potty outdoors and it might be less confusing in the long run for them.
Good luck with your puppies- goodness knows that one is hard enough!

[dab_20]

i train my puppies this way- one end of there kennel has a puppy pad, the other is for sleeping. i know ppl say thats like the worst way to do it, but it works for me! but i am not recommending to do that with your puppies.

[overbeylc]

their crates are blocked off. when they have accidents they are sleeping in it. the good news is only one accident in the last three days.