• We just welcomed a new dog into our family, a Besinje named Bella. We are having a difficult time potty-training her. We let her out numerous times throughout the day and when she comes inside she uses the floor as her bathroom. I have placed puppy pads on the floor and she doesn't seem to notice them at all. Any suggestions on house-training? We are going to try to crate train her but she cries when we shut her in. Any advise or words of encouragement?


  • Where did you get her? What kind of conditions was she in before you got her? A lot of their early experiences makes a difference in how easy/hard they are to potty train. And with a baby puppy, it is watch, watch, watch them all the time. How old is she? Do you go out with her? You need to go out with her and stay out till she goes, then praise her. And sometimes when crate training you need to let her cry through…. do you feed her in her crate? Do you make it a happy place?

    Also there are quite a few threads about potty train on the forum, you can seach for them, lots of good ideas and tips


  • Do you go out with her? A critical part of potty training is being there when the potty in the appropriate place so you can praise them. Also, you need to be sure they are out until they potty. For some, it may even require you take them for a short walk to get the stimulated enough to do their business.


  • Lots of treats and lots of patience, consistency is key.
    Anytime she wakes up, whenever you get home after being out, after playing, and a few minutes after eating or drinking a lot of water, take her out. Do not go inside until she potties, then immediately give her praise and a treat.
    Watch her closely inside, and keep her confined to whichever room you are in so watching her is easier. If she starts to potty inside, immediately pick her up & take her outside. Don't punish her because she may just start to hide when she potties inside & then its an even bigger problem.
    As far as crating her, make sure it is a comfy spot that she feels safe & secure in. When she's not looking, throw good treats in her crate a few times a day. When she finds them, she'll start to think the crate is a magical treat producing machine, and she will start to like it. Also search youtube for crate games videos; there are some great games you can play to get her to like the crate. She will whine at first in the crate, but its kind of like letting a fussy baby cry itself out in the crib and fall asleep when it doesn't want to go to bed.
    Also, search the forum & you'll find lots of great threads on both of these topics.
    Here is my personal story that will hopefully encourage you: my girl was very difficult to potty train because my ex was not consistent with her when I wasn't around. When I was home, I was vigilant and consistent, but when I wasn't, he would let her out of her crate & then shut himself in his room. She was unsupervised and did whatever she wanted, and if she had to go potty, she went in the house because there was nobody around to take her outside. It went this way until she was over a year old. When we broke up, Lola & I moved & I was the only one to take care of her & let her out. I was working really long days, but I was very consistent when I was home. Within 2 weeks, Lola was perfectly potty trained.


  • Thanks for all of your help. I am new to this and you all had great input. I will search more in the forum as well. Look forward to using this website in the future with our new little Bella!!

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