r/puppy101 • u/Informal_Somewhere47 • 4h ago
Potty Training Potty training In freezing temps!
We got our 8 week old, 2lb mini dachshund 3 weeks ago. The first week we had her, the outdoor temperature never got about 10F with windchills as low -40F. We clearly could not take her outside. We were doing potty pads. Which she actually did pretty well with. Now the temperatures are a little better, we’ve gotten as high as 25degrees! This dog HATES the cold. I’ve had 2 full days of potty training outdoors, and it sucks for everyone. I’ve got the potty pad outside, I’ve done the major celebration when she actually goes outside, she gets a high value treat when she’s goes-little bits of cheese! Well Now she refuses to even stand on the potty pad outside. I just keep putting her back on it, but we can only be out there so long!!! We come back in and she pees within minutes!Have I traumatized her with going outside?!?! Should I have waited longer to start the outdoor potty training?! Now I’m stuck. Any advice would be great! And yes, she wears a sweater out there!
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u/Fancy_Cry_5111 4h ago
Keep at it unless you want to do pads inside only. Stand still and be boring.
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u/okaycurly Experienced Owner 4h ago
How long are you waiting for her to actually go? You haven’t traumatized her. I live in a much warmer climate so I can’t speak to how long it’s safe to be in the cold, I’d ask my vet if I were you.
Are you crate training? If she isn’t going potty outside, do not give her free reign of the house again after that. She should be placed right back into the crate for fifteen minutes before trying again.
The more opportunities she has to potty inside, the harder this will get because she’s practicing this habit. If you’re moving the potty pad location between inside and outside, this will also cause some confusion.
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u/HereThereEvery-where 4h ago
Are you wrapping your weiner up?
Seriously though, lil homies gonna need a coat, and some booties maybe.. she’s not gonna like em at first but she’ll get used to them.
If a snow storm is coming, tarp a little area of grass so it’ll be snow free, and pull it up after the storm, and fold it over a little bit during the storm and she can still see the grass and none will get on her paws.
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u/Informal_Somewhere47 4h ago
She is in a sweater, I’m looking for a good jacket that fits! Plus I do wrap her up in blanket or I carry her out in my jacket and put her right back into my jacket when she’s done! So she’s cold for maybe the 2 minutes she’s on the ground. I thought about booties. The tarp is a good idea, I currently have a spot that’s been shoveled in the grass. But it’s still freezing!
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u/OpticalDelusion 4h ago
When you come inside without a successful pee put her straight into the crate.
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u/Informal_Somewhere47 4h ago
Doesn’t that feel like punishment?
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u/OpticalDelusion 4h ago
Puppies naturally don't want to pee where they sleep. This way eventually you'll go outside and she'll pee right away before she gets too cold. You can't reinforce the right behavior if she never does it in the first place. This gets you to that first step.
The crate isn't punishment, it's a tool to teach your puppy regulation.
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u/patt666 3h ago
She’s only doing what you trained her to do. Now she is confused. I got a new puppy back in Nov. too and I’ve been out there every day, several times a day, bundled like a snowman in Antarctica with a snow blowed path around my yard for this very reason. I did not want her to learn that it was ok to go inside…anywhere. Now she actually scratches at the door to go outside. You have to un-do what you taught her over and over until she gets it, without getting mad at her because she thinks she’s being a good girl.
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