I will be training my Zatch when he comes home on the 29th. I know it will be a hard time, leaving his mama and his littermates, meeting new people, new smells, and a new environment. He lives outside, so currently has no sense of potty training indoors. I honestly dont know where I should start. So Im just going to ask some questions, and if you can answer them, great! If not, thats okay too. I just want some personal perspective on the matter, as I've read tons of books, but I know each little husky is his or her own little personality!

-How often did you take your puppy out to pee?
-How often did you feed your puppy?
-How long did you keep him in the crate at night, and how often did you take him out at night?
-How do you properly clean up a pee or poop mess?

These are some of the ones I can come up with right now! I am so new to dogs and a Husky. My husband has some dog ownership experience before, but hes never home. I'm home all day with the kids so I'll be the one working with him!

Thanks again! I am a noob, but I really love how much I've read so far on these forums!

mamatoe88 wrote:

-How often did you take your puppy out to pee?

I think the general rule of thumb is the number of months old your pup is = the number of hours the pup can hold their bladder. If the pup is 8 weeks / 2 months, he'll need to go outside every 2 hours. (We did every hour at first, just b/c we wanted to be doubly sure we had no accidents). Oh, and always take them out as soon as they wake up in the mornings or from nap, and about 15 - 20 mins after meals.

mamatoe88 wrote:

-How often did you feed your puppy?

For the first 6 -7 months, we fed him 3 times a day (waking up, afternoon/evening, one before bedtime). Since then it's been twice a day, morning and late evening. I think when he turns one, we're going to switch to feeding only once a day.

mamatoe88 wrote:

-How long did you keep him in the crate at night, and how often did you take him out at night?

Stark was pretty good about nighttime. We would put him in the crate every night (crate was in my room). He wasn't fond of it for the first two nights, but he learned it was a good and comfy place to be (there are a lot of crate training threads on here as well). He was pretty good with letting us know when he would need to go out - for the first little while it was every 4 hours so hubby and I would alternate.

mamatoe88 wrote:

-How do you properly clean up a pee or poop mess?

Make sure you get a good cleaner that breaks down enzymes. For us, we use the Nature's Miracle Oxy Formula (orange bottle). Once the pee/poo has been blotted/picked up, follow the instructions on the container. This will ensure that there is no residual smell left behind that may bring the puppy back to that same spot to pee / poo again.

Thank you!!! Your responses were very helpful. Appreciate it! I will have to stock up on some enzyme cleaners, will definitely need them for the first few months I'm sure. I am hoping the crate training goes well, we got the washable mat/bed that is made to go in crates, so it can be quickly washed and dried, hopefully it will be cozy enough and not too tasty to chew on! haha!


Another Q: Do you keep toys/treats or anything inside the crate at night to keep him busy? And what kinds of toys?

Thanks!

Stark had a stuffing-free squirrel that he used to take everywhere including his crate. For the first little bit (at bedtime) I wouldn't leave any toys in there until you know if he's a really prominent toy chewer / killer (he could bite off little bits, swallow them, and not have a good outcome).

I know there have been others who have left kongs etc in there if they were going out, so not everything is bad for the crate. I'm sure there are other members who can step in and give you some better advice...

I would not use the crate liner to start. It's just something extra to get soiled, eaten, shredded, etc...He will honestly be ok without it. I know a lot of dogs even prefer to not have one.

Thanks everyone! I will definitely give that a try when the time comes. I have read online that they prefer softer bedding, I would feel bad if they were laying on a hard cold crate!!! Maybe Ill just use some towels instead or something! I will play it by ear, though and see what he prefers! If he can go without that, better for me so I can clean up any messes easier!

mamatoe88 wrote:

I will be training my Zatch when he comes home on the 29th. I know it will be a hard time, leaving his mama and his littermates, meeting new people, new smells, and a new environment. He lives outside, so currently has no sense of potty training indoors. I honestly dont know where I should start. So Im just going to ask some questions, and if you can answer them, great! If not, thats okay too. I just want some personal perspective on the matter, as I've read tons of books, but I know each little husky is his or her own little personality!

-How often did you take your puppy out to pee?
-How often did you feed your puppy?
-How long did you keep him in the crate at night, and how often did you take him out at night?
-How do you properly clean up a pee or poop mess?

These are some of the ones I can come up with right now! I am so new to dogs and a Husky. My husband has some dog ownership experience before, but hes never home. I'm home all day with the kids so I'll be the one working with him!

Thanks again! I am a noob, but I really love how much I've read so far on these forums!

I've gone through puppies a couple times, and my advice doesn't really differ from these other fine forum members.

1. During the day, I take them potty every hour or two, up until about 4 months old when I start increasing the duration between potty breaks. At night, when she was crated, we would wake up every 2.5 hours and go potty, even if she seemed content to stay asleep. We worked that back 30 minutes a per 2 weeks starting at 12 weeks old, until they can hold through the night.

2. I fed 4 times a day for the first 6 weeks, and 3 times a day for the next 8 weeks, and then back off to 2x a day at about 6 months for the remainder of their lives. My reason is that as puppies, they are playing a lot (keep them tired) and burning a lot of calories, consistently through the day. So, I keep their intake consistent through the day. As they grow, they can store more of their food energy, and don't need a constant source of calories to keep them going. I stop at 2 times purely out of personal preference. Plenty of dogss eat 1x or even 3x a day as adults with no issues.

3. I've heard you need something with enzymes to eat the remaining bacteria and smell. I imagine that would be especially true on carpets. We didn't have housebreaking accidents, really, beside a couple on the linoleum, in front of the toilet (my dogs have only had accidents in my bathroom, but that's a different story of unintentional training) which aren't near as hard to clean up after, since the smell can't really absorb into anything, and linoleum could be cleaned by anything short of hydroflouric acid.