Potty Training

First, congrats on the new baby! I just got done with this at my house... check around....I was just going through a poop crisis!

Second, your first mistake is allowing him to go on the pads. Get rid of them asap! He's confused. He used to be able to go in the house (on the pads) but now he gets yelled at? The best way to go is suffer the mistakes and only allow the dog to go outside. Also, get some good pet stain remover with enzymes to remove the smell of the urine. Otherwise, the pup will continue to pee in the same spot.

A few questions...
How old is he? Are you crate training him? Are you yelling at him when he does mess in the house?

Dogs respond to positive reinforcement, not negative. Are you rewarding him when he does go outside?

A few pointers:

The best thing to do is literally take him out every hour he is out with you. Watch for his signs. A lot of dogs will circle or sniff the ground. Don't let him out of your sight!

If he does mess in the house, don't yell at him. Remain unemotional. I know it's hard but if you get mad at him, he won't understand why and he might associate going potty anywhere with you being mad and instead of going outside, he might start to hide his pee and poo in the house. When you catch him in the act, quickly take him out, even if he won't go any more and repeat the same phrase over and over again. "Go pee pee" or something like that. Hopefully, soon he'll get it.

Crate training saved us I think. Do you have one? If not, get one. The dog then has a safe place to be if he is scared and dogs won't mess in their beds if they can help it so it will help with the potty training. He will have to whine or bark to get you to let him out and he will begin to associate letting you know he has to pee or poo with actually being able to go pee or poo.

Yes we have been crate training him at night. If I already see a pee spot on the floor I don't bother yelling at him. I watch him every moment I can when he is not in my site and when he starts to go I pick him up quickly and take him out side. Then he just stares at me and doesn't have to go. I am using the pet mats cause when we are not at home I want him to use it, or at least that is what I am hoping for.

Why do you want him to think he can go in the house period?

If you are going to be gone for longer than 8 hours you need to arrange for someone to let him out anyway, or board him at doggie daycare.

How old?

it's actually pretty common to use mats. Some people use newspapers. I am not trying to let him think he can pee in the house, just on the mat. Just as my cat knows that he can pee in the house but only in his litter box.

You picked a tough breed kitkat. Aussie Sheps are working dogs. I've been around them on farms and they need to be on the go and doing things like rounding up sheep all day. They are not a dog you can leave alone for long periods of time. They easily develop mental problems when they do not get enough activity. They need to do what they have been breed to do for hundreds of years - herd things and run.

They are very smart, but I doubt you will be able to leave this dog free in your home without problems, peeing being the least of it. You might want to consider a large outside kennel or run and getting him a companion (preferably a few sheep or goats, but another dog will do). They need to bond with a pack and without that bonding they become destructive lost souls.

Sorry to be such a downer, but I've been around this breed a lot and I know the problems. I think Farmerman uses this breed with his sheep and you might want to get some specific advice from him. Good luck.

PS Bella's advice is good. You should also get books by the Monks of Skeete about dog training. Yelling at a dog accomplishes nothing.

I understand that a lot of people use them but I am telling you that most people Ive talked to say that it's a waste of time to use them and it will take you longer to get them to go outside. Unless you plan on keeping the mats around forever...

Yeah, get rid of the mats or your house will smell like dog piss forever.

He likes to play around with my energetic cat and they get along pretty well. I never leave him in the house for 8 hours a day, the longest I have left him was 2 hours and he pooped twice in two different places in that time. He is really good about letting us know he has to go when he is in his crate. We now have him blocked off from the rest of the house in the living room where the sliding glass door is. So what is the alternative to mats? He is a puppy and cannot hold his bladder that long and if I step out, what will he pee on? I cannot leave the door open in my neighborhood.

Unfortunately, with a new puppy, you have to invest some time in training. This means, if you can help it, not stepping out for very long. A real problem when you head to work, eh?

Can you get a neighbor to come in during the day, or come back at lunch time? They just can't hold it all day long, not the little ones.

One thing that has not been mentioned is catching the pup in the act. I have done this before. It's not a hitting situation -- you do NOT hit the dog. Rather, you yell NO! loudly, and only once. It's unpleasant to a dog. But it's got to be right in the act. For a dog, if you scold afterwards, even a minute afterwards, they have no idea what you're talking about. It's as if you were scolded at work for being late 6 months ago. Your reaction would be, "huh?". Same with a pup.

But if you do not catch the pup in the act, you've got to go with 100% positive. Take him out frequently and walk him around, always with a plastic bag at the ready and always able to get him to lift his leg or squat someplace okay, such as at the curb, rather than on a neighbor's lawn. Praise him lavishly when he goes. Say "go potty" or "do your business" or whatever you want the code words to be for you telling him when and where it's okay to go. You need to be consistent with this. Dogs can understand about 200 - 250 human words so that means every time you add a synonym to how to go pee, the dog kind of loses from his "bank" of known human words. So give him one consistent command, he will get it more quickly and will be able to get other words, like "walk", "leash" and the like, again, if they are said consistently.

A lot of walking is good anyway. It socializes your dog so that he learns human and doggie manners. It tuckers him out so that he isn't hyper or chewing a lot. It exercises him -- and you. And it helps you to teach him something else important, which is how to walk on a leash properly, to heel and not pull.

I have watched Cesar Milan's show many times ("The Dog Whisperer") and one thing that is consistent, and has been the problem for all but one of the dogs on the show (and he's had a show for what, 3? years?), is that none of the owners would take their dogs for a walk! It's crazy. They'd let the dog out in the back yard or tie him to a tree or post but not go for walks. And then the owners would wonder when a dog was aggressive, bored, chewing, ill-mannered, barking all the time, etc. It's a dog. It's supposed to go for walks. And the owner is supposed to go with the dog, to be a part of that. Otherwise, why have a dog as a pet at all?

Yes all of those things I have been doing. Like I had said before, if I didn't catch him in the act I dont say anything, it's when I catch him doing it right there and then do I yell 'NO!" I can't walk the dog yet. He is only a puppy and has not had all of his shots yet. He can't be exposed on the street to dogs who could be strays. Not only that but he is sick and getting over kennel cough. And again...I do not leave him in the house for hours and hours, the most I have left him is 2 hours. I don't work so I have all the time in the in the world, but I have to leave the house to get things that I can't bring a dog to. And if I can't leave for two hours without him pooping twice and peeing god knows how many times, and you tell me I can't use mats, what does he pee on?

It's called keeping him crated when you can't be with him and like I said, taking him out ever hour or two.

Having a puppy is hard work. It requires that you invest time and energy and it is frustrating!

A dog will not go in his crate if he can help it. You have a crate; use it.

My pup is 15 weeks old and we haven't had an accident in over a week. I never used paper or the pads. I used the crate and was deligent in letting her out.

You don't need the mats to train a dog.

House Training

House Training2

House Training3

House Training4

They nearly all say the same thing.

Supervision is the key to successful house training!

Ok that website really helped me out a lot. I took away the puppy pads and I will use the crate when leaving for short periods of time. It also helped me out with feeding him. He goes through a lot of food but he is also high in energy.

Cool. And good that you're home, that's helpful.

One thing you can do, since he's not well yet or up to speed on his shots yet, is walk him around the yard, to get him used to the lead.