Hi Rynn01: A few tips I read & tried on my kid. She was potty-trained when she was 3 1/2 months old. Children are different from each other, some are potty-trained much earlier, like an orphan coming from China, was potty trained at 1-year old. That orphan is now a great gymnast .. she's fearless. Some kids are more timid and need more positive encouragement. Lecturing and forcing kids doesn't work. What worked for my kid was some tiny books, which I put in a basket next to her potty. She was too busy reading those books ... so it's NOT a forced procedure. She became a great reader later, now is in the gifted program in middle school. Some other tips that worked for other parents: Buy some cheap toys, wrap it up in tiny packages, and your kid can only open if he/she went potty. When I rewarded my kid with M&M candies, it was so much easier. Positive psychology works better than harsh discipline. My sister is a strict & harsh mother... no amount of yelling and forcing could make her 4-years old go potty. Finally she let him chooses some nice undies with cartoon characters that he likes. He didn't want to dirty his fav. cartoon characters, so he was motivated to use the potty. No one can make anyone else do anything .. it's best to have a "payback", or make it enjoyable, so the kid will unconsciously do that herself/himself, rather than being a "second-rated" option. I hope that helps. I'm in mid 50's, and my Mom had 13 children ... we were all potty-trained at 2, since that was the only choice we had.

Munkos... Thank you for your story! I have never heard of another boxer doing that. Its ALWAYS the best to here about the same breed because they do act alike in alot of ways!! I have an adult boxer and this pup. One thing I have not really done is let him play outside (because its cold, and) somebody else told me that one he goes outside to go potty ONLY let him go potty, NO PLAYING!! So, I only have let him play inside or on walks. But, yes everytime when we ask him to go outside, we always say "Do you have to go potty?" that's what we say. It doesn't seem to fase him but I know in the back of his mind it has to be. Its just crazy though, I never remember having these issues with my adult boxer. I got her when she was 5 weeks also. Maybe its my mind blocking it out!!! lol :-) No, she's my whole life! SG... Your right! Gosh you are always right!! I have never thought of it like its mine and my husbands fault but it is!! Another thing we have not done, is kept him on a leash at all times outside his kennel. Doesn't your pup get tangled and upset with the leash then? Thank you for asking your vet about my situation. I'm not that close to my vet to do that. So his age is perfect for training?? That makes me soo happy!! And last but not least... when you crate your puppy (in the beginning) like when you leave, does he/she cry?? I work right next to my house and I can hear him over there crying and howling his head off. We did put a sheet over his crate and put treats hid in there but it didn't seem to help. At nighttime he got totally better with sleeping!! I took all the suggestions I got here and used them all and they worked! We put him in the crate with not alot of attention right before, put his sheet over his crate and he knows its time for bed. If he wines in the middle of the night (and we know its just to play) we slightly tap on his crate and say "shhhhhh". Very lightly. It puts him RIGHT to sleep!! But in the middle of the day when I leave for work, how do I make him comfortable enough to stop crying?? Thanks again everyone for your imput. Please keep the stories coming!! Thanks, Elycia

First of all you need to rule out a UTI. This could be part of the problem. It does not matter that she can hold it over night, she is not stimulated when she is sleeping. You need to realize that not all dogs are the same in this category. Some get it within a week or less, others take longer. *Pick a system, any system so you and pup wont get confused. This one has a good success record, and it will give you a good start. System. *EVERY SECOND (donÂt argue)! supervision is a must when pup is not crated. Have a leash on her so you can easily grab her and take her out when you need to. Set a timer so you can take her out about every 30-40 minutes, then GRADUALLY (over the course of a few weeks) increase the time you take her out by about 20-30 minutes. Increasing the time by to much confuses the dog. This is a MAJOR mistake lots of humans make when trying to house train a dog. *Immediately after she comes out of the crate, take her out. Stopping to put on your shoes is a major mistake. Get pup used to the commands "go poo" and "go pee". These commands should be a must, they are incredibly helpful when the weather is bad. *If dog doesn't do anything, that's fine, if it does, give tons of praise and give a "quality" treat, preferably one used just for training purposes. Consistency is the key. Dogs are creatures of habit and depend on a repetitive schedule. This is no time to skimp on excessive praise and treats when you are house training. Pup needs to associate being let out of the crate with yummy treats doing itÂs thing and huge amounts of praise. Boiled or baked chicken liver is a great training tool, dogs crave it and you really have their attention when you use it. *Daily walks at least twice a day (about 20-30 minutes each in the same area) are essential for dogs and getting them house trained. Walking gets things moving, dogs love it and it gives them something to look forward to. Try and feed a pup prior to the walks. Never free feed unless your vet says to. Pups have a high metabolism. Soon after it eats or drinks, it will need to go out. *Pups drink huge amounts of water. In theory yours should be able to hold it for (one hour for each month) up to about 9 months. In reality, if a young pup has been playing, it will gulp down lots of water, and just won't be able to hold it for that long. After pup drinks, keep an eye on it. Take it out in about 5-10 minutes and offer it relief. *You are making a very bad mistake being mad at your pup. When dogs do something wrong, itÂs the fault of the human in charge, not the dogÂs. You are going to traumatize her, make things worse and never get this under control. She simply does not know why you are mad. If you cannot catch her in the act, scold her and take her out, you might as well clean it up. Just a few seconds after the deed, she will not retain why you are scolding her. Using the crate for punishment is another mistake, it will confuse pup because this is supposed to be her safe sanctuary. You need to dig in and decide that you are going to get this under control, and do what ever it takes. Lest, your life will become very difficult. *Your pup won't be considered house trained unless it has no accidents for at least 9months! Also, there is a HUGE difference in a dog that is 4-6 months old and one that is 9-10 months old. They grow inside and out. Once they reach 9-10 months, their bladders are larger and able to hold it longer. Good luck! SG

when you know you have something that will take your eyes off of her even for 2 or 3 seconds, can you just take her out to potty and then come in and do your chore? that way she will have been able to relieve herself and you won't have to watch her every second. i know it's probably a pain in the butt. my second dane girl was much like this. she would absolutely NOT let me out of her sight for the first 3 weeks she was here. i got her when she was 3 (rescue) and she had no idea how to live in a house. she even had a dog door to use but was clueless. LOL! after a few weeks, she got braver and ventured out by herself. give it more time. you are her security blanket right now. take advantage of it and use your time together for training and lots of cuddles. she will come out of her shell and your patience will pay off in spades! also, because she does this only in front of your husband, i wonder if at some point in her life she was not treated so kindly by a man and perhaps she is peeing out of fear or anxiety. does your husband play with her, cuddle with her, give her treats, feed her? if not, those would all be good things for him to do to get her used to him and know he won't do anything to harm her. good luck and thank you so much for rescuing!!!