My most recent puppy housetraining experience was in keeping with the generally held belief that puppies usually seem to "get it" (i.e., learn to "hold it")sometime between 16-20 weeks. Up till then, it seems that the puppy parent is the one who's "trained"...The pups are very good at peeing on command and understand that that's a good thing (they get treats, praise, etc.)...but they don't have the mental grasp to realize that peeing in the house/not on command is NOT a good thing. I guess that realization comes with mental/physical maturity. Although, before that, they must have the ability (physically) to "hold it," as most won't piddle in their crates... It's essentially the same as potty training a human baby...if/when they're ready, it clicks. Before that, it's mostly mom and dad who are "trained" to get the toddler to the toilet frequently. So, usually, for the first 8 to 12 weeks after the pup comes home, accidents happen. My goal was to accomplish housetraining on one gallon of Nature's Miracle. I just made it. Anne with Maddie and Titan Cranford, NJ
P.S. In addition to the Nature's Miracle, it's also a good idea to invest in a nice pair of pj's, so when you're dancing around the yard in the middle of the night or early morning, the neighbors won't laugh. In a message dated 6/3/2003 10:49:58 AM Eastern Standard Time, Rose Tierney <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >Hi Jean, >Actually puppies do not have the ability to"hold it" until they are five >months old. What happens with these star pupil puppies is that their owners >are more vigilant:-) > >Rose > >
