Hi, I'm so glad I found your videos right now!! we are picking up our puppy in a couple of day and live in an apartment which most of the community have dogs, I knew I couldn't take ours out for potty training till she is fully vaccinated and it is something that's been worrying me on how to train her, I do have a balcony now I know I can put of grass there and teach her there in the meantime, is there something else I can be doing?
I can attest to the fact that using the Dream Dog short crate course and the starter kit helped me house train my very small pup (not supposed to be easy to train). I'm on the top floor of a condo, and she has never seen a pee pad since arriving at 8 weeks (now almost 5 months old). It's partly dogged (NPI) determination on my part, partly using the puppy schedule to anticipate when she'll need to go, and partly how easily she was crate trained because I started that immediately. Not saying it wasn't a lot of work, and not saying that she never has an accident! But when people ask how she's doing, I say awesome.
We are so happy to hear the course and free resource helped you and your pup so much! I love that you never had to use a pee pad!! Kudos to you and your pup ❤
Thank you SO MUCH for posting this! So many dog trainers have advice for potty training that are completely unrealistic for those living in apartments, and trying to train a as-yet unvaccinated dog. This was definitely the most helpful video on the topic that I've seen! 🙏💖😁
This was very helpful. I guess I'm still wondering... is it possible to balcony train AND outdoor train at the same time? I am off for the first two months we will have our puppy, so I will ideally be taking it outside after eating, drinking, playing, and waking up to train it to go outside, but our balcony is the best alternative for if it can't make it. Do I bring it to balcony if it has an accident inside to show it that outside is best, and otherwise try to get it downstairs via elevator the rest of the time?
Yes, balcony and outdoor training can be done at the same time. Use the balcony for those "gotta go right now!" breaks since your puppy probably doesn't give you much notice. Then, outside of potty break time, start working on exposure to the path to the real potty spot and start to spend time out there. This will make it less novel / exciting / scary when you start taking him out when he can hold his bladder for longer. If he has an accident, take him to the balcony potty spot just in case he is a double pee-er and has more to go.
We have a Fresh Patch on our 3rd story balcony but the puppy we brought home a few days ago doesn’t like the grass. He goes more readily downstairs in the lawn, but he HATES going down the stairs (up is fine). Plus there are a lot of them. It’s not practical to walk him down so many so slowly. He doesn’t like either option so “going potty” is a struggle for him to get excited about. I’m not sure if we should work on conquering the stairs or the Fresh Patch option…🤔
You might want to work on both. Going down stairs can feel a little scary for puppies who have a low center of gravity and underdeveloped shoulder muscles. Having a fresh patch on the balcony will probably really help you with potty training so we suggest working on desensitization to both. To work on stairs, start at the bottom and lure him up and own just *one* stair. Then slowly add to two stairs as he's doing well. Eventually he'll feel ok about going down all of them.
Most pups prefer real grass. Fake grass can have an unpleasant texture and get smelly really quickly. But you can try to find some that is easily washable and has a texture that your dog likes.
We recommend real grass as the potty spot. It better resembles what the dog will be using while on a walk, it absorbs the moisture and smell and dogs seem to prefer it!
Hello, I will soon become a puppy owner and I live in an apartment. There are lots of dogs in my neighborhood and we live close to a field where wild animals come and go, so I will probably balcony-train until the vaccinations are done. My dilemma is: my balcony is on one side of the apartment and the entrance door is on the other side. I plan to install potty bells, but won't the dog get confused with 2 separate potty places? Or should I stick to the balcony first and then start taking her outside to potty and remove the grass from the balcony?
Hello! It's a good idea to start with the real grass pad on the balcony. You can hang the bells by the balcony door. Once she starts transitioning to going outside, you can hang the bells by the door you use to go out. It might take her a little longer to pick up the bell method with that change, but if you're patient she'll get it! The human is usually watching the schedule and initiating potty breaks for most of the first year so don't rely on the bells too much too soon.
You might want to put some deck netting around or under the stairs to keep him safe while he's learning. Or get some puppy stairs that you might eventually use for the couch and start teaching him stairs on those first.
Do you have recommendations for potty training in the snow? I'm thinking of setting up a potty station (tray with sod and bark) in the stairwell of our condo to use at night or when it's stormy and keep snow play to day time. Is that best? Or should i try to take her out in all weather so she can acclimate/desensitize?
Those are both good options. It really comes down to what works best for you. You definitely want to train her to be comfortable in the snow, even if she has a potty spot that avoids it. This video can help you! ruclips.net/video/xJPtcI5MITI/видео.html
16 week puppy that knows to ring bell at the door and had no accidents now (unless not watching close) but don't know how to make the leap where he takes initiative to walk to door and "tell" me he needs to go out.
For some dogs this takes a few weeks. Have you watched the bell training lesson in our free digital New Puppy Starter Kit? It can be found here www.howtotrainadreamdog.com/
I have a question, if I potty train my pup on the potty bells, what about when they get older and smarter? Have you ever had a pup or dog ring the bells just so they could go outside to play? Is there a way to prevent that?
Great question! If the puppy is ringing the bells to play and not go potty, it might be time to lift the bells up and not let the pup have access to them until it's closer to the next likely potty time. Giving your puppy time to play outside - when it’s not time for a potty break - will also be good for him or her! The full bell lesson can be found in the New Puppy Starter Kit. And this troubleshooting video features some of the most common areas where new puppy owners need help. New Puppy Starter Kit: learn.howtotrainadreamdog.com/yt/new-puppy-starter-kit/ Potty Training Troubleshooting: ruclips.net/video/hiioIet6A3A/видео.html
My dog knows to potty when we go to a specific tree in front of our apartment block. We're now trying to teach him to go potty on the balcony in case of bad weather. No idea how to retrain him to the balfony because he insists on holding until he's taken to the tree.
This video can help you with that. If you're careful and redirect her before she eats another animals' feces this is usually a very safe protocol. You can also use an outdoor patio or balcony at first, while she's learning to hold her bladder until you get to the potty spot. Potty Training Before Vaccinations: ruclips.net/video/vybaTk4wdGA/видео.html
@@HowToTrainADreamDog she asked the same thing I was going to! we are getting a 8week old puppy and live on the second floor - I definitely want to get her to outside on grass to avoid the house going trend . So as longs as they "don't eat poop " and stay far from other dogs they can't contract parvo ? It's only 1 person in my complex who has two dogs but they go out the back area not front - it's a big complex
When I call my dog come to Mommy she will not come when I call her come here she run different direction Thank you for your help. Your video it vey helpful
You can put a grassy pad right next to the door to go out. Put a border around it and be sure to lead your puppy to it when it's time for a potty break.
@@HowToTrainADreamDogWill teaching this method and using my balcony confuse my puppy? I feel like I need an indoor option for when the weather is really bad outside (I live in Dallas and we get a lot of hail storms in the Spring and early summer). But, I don’t want to confuse my future puppy or make him think it’s okay to always potty inside. I will also be taking him outside - my complex has a dog park.
Thanks for watching! 🐶 Do you live in an apartment or condo? Do you have any questions? We're here to help!
Hi, I'm so glad I found your videos right now!! we are picking up our puppy in a couple of day and live in an apartment which most of the community have dogs, I knew I couldn't take ours out for potty training till she is fully vaccinated and it is something that's been worrying me on how to train her, I do have a balcony now I know I can put of grass there and teach her there in the meantime, is there something else I can be doing?
I can attest to the fact that using the Dream Dog short crate course and the starter kit helped me house train my very small pup (not supposed to be easy to train). I'm on the top floor of a condo, and she has never seen a pee pad since arriving at 8 weeks (now almost 5 months old). It's partly dogged (NPI) determination on my part, partly using the puppy schedule to anticipate when she'll need to go, and partly how easily she was crate trained because I started that immediately. Not saying it wasn't a lot of work, and not saying that she never has an accident! But when people ask how she's doing, I say awesome.
We are so happy to hear the course and free resource helped you and your pup so much! I love that you never had to use a pee pad!! Kudos to you and your pup ❤
Thanks!
Thank you! We really appreciate the support!
Omg this is perfect! I just got my little puppy yesterday
That's great! We are happy to guide you through your puppy training!
Thank you so much for all your advice
I can’t training my dog to go potty
After this video I learned it from you and I will try ❤❤❤❤
This free digital kit can help you with everything regarding potty training! www.howtotrainadreamdog.com
Thank you SO MUCH for posting this! So many dog trainers have advice for potty training that are completely unrealistic for those living in apartments, and trying to train a as-yet unvaccinated dog. This was definitely the most helpful video on the topic that I've seen! 🙏💖😁
That's a lovely compliment. Thank you so much!
This was very helpful. I guess I'm still wondering... is it possible to balcony train AND outdoor train at the same time? I am off for the first two months we will have our puppy, so I will ideally be taking it outside after eating, drinking, playing, and waking up to train it to go outside, but our balcony is the best alternative for if it can't make it. Do I bring it to balcony if it has an accident inside to show it that outside is best, and otherwise try to get it downstairs via elevator the rest of the time?
Yes, balcony and outdoor training can be done at the same time. Use the balcony for those "gotta go right now!" breaks since your puppy probably doesn't give you much notice. Then, outside of potty break time, start working on exposure to the path to the real potty spot and start to spend time out there. This will make it less novel / exciting / scary when you start taking him out when he can hold his bladder for longer. If he has an accident, take him to the balcony potty spot just in case he is a double pee-er and has more to go.
We have a Fresh Patch on our 3rd story balcony but the puppy we brought home a few days ago doesn’t like the grass. He goes more readily downstairs in the lawn, but he HATES going down the stairs (up is fine). Plus there are a lot of them. It’s not practical to walk him down so many so slowly. He doesn’t like either option so “going potty” is a struggle for him to get excited about. I’m not sure if we should work on conquering the stairs or the Fresh Patch option…🤔
You might want to work on both. Going down stairs can feel a little scary for puppies who have a low center of gravity and underdeveloped shoulder muscles. Having a fresh patch on the balcony will probably really help you with potty training so we suggest working on desensitization to both. To work on stairs, start at the bottom and lure him up and own just *one* stair. Then slowly add to two stairs as he's doing well. Eventually he'll feel ok about going down all of them.
Would fake grass work on the balcony if the dog park in my complex also has fake grass?
Most pups prefer real grass. Fake grass can have an unpleasant texture and get smelly really quickly. But you can try to find some that is easily washable and has a texture that your dog likes.
Do the bark potty’s work just as good as the grass patches?
We recommend real grass as the potty spot. It better resembles what the dog will be using while on a walk, it absorbs the moisture and smell and dogs seem to prefer it!
Hello, I will soon become a puppy owner and I live in an apartment. There are lots of dogs in my neighborhood and we live close to a field where wild animals come and go, so I will probably balcony-train until the vaccinations are done. My dilemma is: my balcony is on one side of the apartment and the entrance door is on the other side. I plan to install potty bells, but won't the dog get confused with 2 separate potty places? Or should I stick to the balcony first and then start taking her outside to potty and remove the grass from the balcony?
Hello! It's a good idea to start with the real grass pad on the balcony. You can hang the bells by the balcony door. Once she starts transitioning to going outside, you can hang the bells by the door you use to go out. It might take her a little longer to pick up the bell method with that change, but if you're patient she'll get it! The human is usually watching the schedule and initiating potty breaks for most of the first year so don't rely on the bells too much too soon.
If I have a yorkie pup who's still under 3 pounds should I still immediately start stairs even if they're open? Just don't want him to fall through
You might want to put some deck netting around or under the stairs to keep him safe while he's learning. Or get some puppy stairs that you might eventually use for the couch and start teaching him stairs on those first.
Do you have recommendations for potty training in the snow? I'm thinking of setting up a potty station (tray with sod and bark) in the stairwell of our condo to use at night or when it's stormy and keep snow play to day time. Is that best? Or should i try to take her out in all weather so she can acclimate/desensitize?
Those are both good options. It really comes down to what works best for you. You definitely want to train her to be comfortable in the snow, even if she has a potty spot that avoids it. This video can help you!
ruclips.net/video/xJPtcI5MITI/видео.html
16 week puppy that knows to ring bell at the door and had no accidents now (unless not watching close) but don't know how to make the leap where he takes initiative to walk to door and "tell" me he needs to go out.
For some dogs this takes a few weeks. Have you watched the bell training lesson in our free digital New Puppy Starter Kit? It can be found here www.howtotrainadreamdog.com/
I have a question, if I potty train my pup on the potty bells, what about when they get older and smarter? Have you ever had a pup or dog ring the bells just so they could go outside to play? Is there a way to prevent that?
Great question! If the puppy is ringing the bells to play and not go potty, it might be time to lift the bells up and not let the pup have access to them until it's closer to the next likely potty time.
Giving your puppy time to play outside - when it’s not time for a potty break - will also be good for him or her!
The full bell lesson can be found in the New Puppy Starter Kit. And this troubleshooting video features some of the most common areas where new puppy owners need help.
New Puppy Starter Kit: learn.howtotrainadreamdog.com/yt/new-puppy-starter-kit/
Potty Training Troubleshooting: ruclips.net/video/hiioIet6A3A/видео.html
My dog knows to potty when we go to a specific tree in front of our apartment block. We're now trying to teach him to go potty on the balcony in case of bad weather.
No idea how to retrain him to the balfony because he insists on holding until he's taken to the tree.
You'll need to work on this outside of bad weather time, by taking him to the new spot when you know it's potty break time.
Ok to take them outside even if they’re not fully vaccinated? There are no ‘safe’ areas for me to take her to.
This video can help you with that. If you're careful and redirect her before she eats another animals' feces this is usually a very safe protocol. You can also use an outdoor patio or balcony at first, while she's learning to hold her bladder until you get to the potty spot.
Potty Training Before Vaccinations: ruclips.net/video/vybaTk4wdGA/видео.html
@@HowToTrainADreamDog she asked the same thing I was going to! we are getting a 8week old puppy and live on the second floor - I definitely want to get her to outside on grass to avoid the house going trend . So as longs as they "don't eat poop " and stay far from other dogs they can't contract parvo ? It's only 1 person in my complex who has two dogs but they go out the back area not front - it's a big complex
When I call my dog come to Mommy she will not come when I call her come here she run different direction
Thank you for your help. Your video it vey helpful
Here's a blog post that can help you with this! www.howtotrainadreamdog.com/how-to-get-your-dog-to-come-when-called-every-time/
More tips please
Have you watched the training videos in our New Puppy Starter Kit? Here's the link www.howtotrainadreamdog.com/
I live on top floor and have no balcony.
You can put a grassy pad right next to the door to go out. Put a border around it and be sure to lead your puppy to it when it's time for a potty break.
@@HowToTrainADreamDogWill teaching this method and using my balcony confuse my puppy? I feel like I need an indoor option for when the weather is really bad outside (I live in Dallas and we get a lot of hail storms in the Spring and early summer). But, I don’t want to confuse my future puppy or make him think it’s okay to always potty inside. I will also be taking him outside - my complex has a dog park.
Thanks!
Thank you so much!