I have a 14-week-old Husky puppy named Three. My wife and I both work during the day, and he is left alone in the house with my declawed cat for up to four hours at a time. We started by trying to crate him, but he always peed inside his cage and it was a mess to clean up when we got home. Then we decided to try the pee pads, and instead of using the pads to go to the bathroom, Three rips them to shreds and he uses the bathroom in the same spot in our house everytime: the hallway. He pees and poops in the hallway. Once I get home for my lunch hour, I put him on the leash and take him outside for a quick run and hoping he will use the bathroom, but he never does. In fact in the five weeks that we have had him, he has used the bathroom outside ONCE! Does anyone have any ideas on how I can potty train my Husky?

lol! seems like Three has decided for himself where to bathroom is!

where to start...

First, you need to make sure you clean the floor in the hallway properly, removing any odours. Then you need to monitor your pup as much as possible - potty training is all about anticipating a wee or a poo and taking him to the spot where you want him to go, then telling him to go and treating him when he does.

Make sure you take him out after every nap & 10-15minutes after every meal and shortly after he has had a good drink of water. Then every half hour in between. If you catch him peeing in the house, pick him up (he will stop peeing) and put him outside for him to finish his pee there, then reward him. They pick things up very quickly but they need you to be consistent in order to do so - leaving a 14 week old puppy home alone uncrated is not the best thing to do in my eyes, its going to disrupt his training at best. If you leave him crated for more than an hour at that age you can't expect to come back to a clean crate - its simply not his fault if he can't hold it, let alone if he doesn't know where to go! If you do your house training right, the first few weeks you should be outside with him more than you are inside.

Remember, every time he goes outside, praise him loads, make it seem like its the biggest deal in the world and on top of that give him a treat - don't worry, you won't have to do it for long!

As for training pads - I have nothing I can add on the matter as I didn't use them with mine.

edit: when I say take him out, I don't mean saying "Oh helloooo, look who's awake come on puppy, lets go, Three! I said lets... OH NO! NOT THERE! STOP!"

Instead I mean physically picking him up, putting his lead on and taking him out at a speedy pace!

I'm actually not a fan at all of puppy pads! The object of them is to obviously make the puppy pee on them, but in reality you want the puppy to pee outside, but you're teaching him to go inside, so it's contradicting. I would much rather clean up a little pee with paper towels/cleaner than a soiled soggy pad that's been ripped up.

Anyway, my solution is to feed you're pup and take him out immediately or 15 minutes after. Don't leave food out for him to free feed and I honestly wouldn't leave out a ton of water either, especially with you coming home often to let him out. If you've had him 5 weeks and he's used the bathroom that many times, something is seriously not right! You need to get him on a tight strict schedule and stick to it. Clean that hallway SUPER GOOD! If he continues to go, block it off so he can't go there! Observe his body language and look to see if he starts making circles, pacing back and forth, sniffing around, etc. When you see him display any of these, take him out IMMEDIATELY! When he potty's outside, give him extra special yummy treats and lots or praise!

You have got to be firm with this and stick to a schedule or he will continue to have accidents as long as you allow it to happen. Right now he has the mind set of using you're home as his own personal toilet, which isn't the most pleasant thing. So, take charge of the situation and correct it. If you're child was soiling in you're hallway, what would you do? You would probably say "no, we use the potty" and show him/her. Do the same thing with you're pup! You see him go inside, you say "NO!" then you take him out RIGHT AWAY! Let him know that is NOT acceptable and this is YOU'RE HOME! Right now you're puppy has way too much freedom in you're home and you need to set boundaries and rules and he is to follow them. It's tough love and the only way he will learn or else you're home is going to start smelling like urine and become germ infested.

I also suggest taking you're puppy to a puppy class! They will also be able to assist you with potty training by giving you tips, advise, and guide you into the right direction. Judging by all you're threads/questions I'm assuming you are new to being a dog owner, so this class will help you out a ton! You're puppy sound's like he is really unsocialized and you really need to take him places where he can start meeting other people and dog's. The puppy class will help out A LOT in this!

I hope this help's you!

Hayden,

You are the second person that has suggested a puppy class. While I would love to explore that option, the closest puppy class to my community is in Lubbock, TX, which is more than three hours from where I live. I appreciate your advice though, and yes, this is my first Husky!

Petsmart & Petco offer puppy classes if you have one of those near you! Also, check out craigslist and see if anyone advertises on there! If that doesn't work, I would google trainers or training facilities in you're area that could possibly do it as well. They are everywhere, just gotta do a little digging some times Usually doggie daycares offer some sort of a training program, I would also check there. I'd be glad to help you find one if you need assistance.