Want a puppy of the larger breed. Worried about potty training.

[Lucey12]

I want a dog (if you live near Ottawa and have large breed puppies for sale cheap or free LET ME KNOW) but its been a while since Ive had a puppy. (since i was 5) and Im worried I wont be able to potty train it well. Ive heard of putting down newspaper, do I put it on the whole floor in the puppies area, or in one spot in which they will go?

Where to start with potty training, and what are the steps of it?

[Kris319]

I have an 11 week old great pyrenees puppy. I've had a pyr before and he was super easy to potty train. But this one is giving me troubles. My finace' and I work all day so he has a fenced in yard to play in. When my finace' gets home he plays outside with him until he goes potty then he comes in. Sometimes he stays out until after dinner. But when he's inside before bed I try to take him out periodically but he just wants to play outside then potty in the house when we come back in. And he pee pees at night but no poops.

[Ghilly]

Congrats on your new puppy.  Have you done research on border collies and labs?  Both are high energy dogs, border collies were bred to herd sheep and cattle and labs are hunting dogs.  This puppy is going to need a LOT of exercise and good training in the beginning, otherwise you will find yourself with a dog that tries to keep itself busy and out of boredom, and when they try to do this on their own, the results are almost never good.

I would find a good trainer NOW so that you can get a handle on how your dog thinks and teach it from early on that you are the alpha and not him.  Let us know how he progresses!  And post some pictures, please!

Ghilly

[Lucey12]

Well we got a puppy. Border collie lab. He has had no accidents since we had him.
woohoo

[Lucey12]

Funny I was thinking the kitchen with a baby gate up. The kitchen will give good access to the back yard as well. We dont have a fenced in yard but we have been thinking about it. We do have one of those corkscrew things but I could see that being no good once it gets a bit bigger. Im looking at 7 week old lab collies. I was thinking a girl if possible but it doesn't matter much. I would never keep it in a cage. One main concern If I do get one is that we are going home for a month at the end of the month and Im worried, it will be confused if we take it somewhere else within the first while of having it.
While Im here, Any idea on regulations on traveling within the country with a puppy, or any pet for that matter.

[flmagi]

I've always owned large breed dogs,....love them. I'll get to the potty training in a moment, but first....... there are a few things to consider before getting a large breed dog. Do you have a fenced yard with plenty of room to run? Or do you have the time and energy to commit yourself to a few daily walks and lots of exercise?  Do you live in close proximity of a lot of other people, like apartment or city? If so, try to steer clear of the more aggressive large breeds. Large dogs need serious training, since just their size can cause harm to others ( jumping up etc.). Are you strong enough to hang on to a large dog? Do you have small children?  Lots of things to consider.
Now potty training. Newspaper training is not your best option, you'll just have to retrain the puppy to go outside and you don't want a large breed dog (or any size dog) to get in the habit of going in the house. Taking the puppy out to do his business at crucial times is the best way. First thing in the morning (early), right after eating, right after naps, after play time and after drinking lots of water. Don't expect over-night house-breaking, especially depending on the age of the puppy you get. The younger the puppy, the smaller the bladder and the less control they have.  Housebreaking your pup will take time and dedication. And spanking your pup will not take care of doing what comes naturally, training and consistency will. Accidents will definatly happen and depending on the age of your new pup, you may be faced with months of cleaning up these accidents. If your new pup is very young, yes, you may want to have some newspapers down, but don't count on the pup going on them. A very young puppy should be kept in a controllable area, but not locked away in like a bathroom. Boredom and loneliness will create and destructive, nasty dog. Keeping the puppy in a well ventilated, larger room (kitchen?), where he can see you and anything else going on, is a good option. Baby gates are a great help. Do not withhold water from your pup in order to control his bladder, but ice cubes in a bowl at night will quench his thirst but not overload his bladder.
Let us know what type of puppy you get and the age and we all can help you get through the training period. Good luck to you!