Potty train several puppies

[Duna]

Anyone ever done that?
It's easy to do it with one puppy living in an apartment and just another dog who already knows how that works.
It may also be easy doing it with just the puppy, or living in a house with a yard.
I live in the country where dogs roam free and have 3! rescues who I want to potty train for my own sake (the rest will be up to the adoptive parents).

I'm not a three-headed octopus with ostrich legs who can watch and catch and place them all at once when they are outside. Leashes aren't a solution, and all Google has has to offer is the mainstream one-puppy-routine.

 

[tree]

https://www.petcarerx.com/article/how-to-successfully-train-multiple-puppies-together/6144

How to Train Multiple Puppies at the Same Time

Having more than one puppy is a lot of fun. Watching two or more play together and collapse in exhaustion together is pure entertainment. Raising more than one puppy at a time presents many challenges. Unless you already have two or more puppies, you may want to reconsider.

pets.thenest.com

How to Potty Train a Litter of Puppies: 11 Steps (with Pictures)

Trying to potty train a litter of puppies is a tall order — in fact, if the puppies are under eight weeks, it is nearly impossible. Puppies younger than eight weeks have little bladder and bowel control, even if you try to train them. If...

www.wikihow.pet

 

[Luca]

Thanks @tree. I see you've beat me to it already lol

Here's an additional resource that I use, since I have had to potty train multiple puppies before, and it will be a recurring "problem" for the rest of my life, as long as I have puppies...

How To Potty Train a Puppy

Edit: it says "a puppy" but this method will work for litters as well.

 

[Tom]

What is problem with leashes? Dogs should always be leashed outside, especially puppies until properly trained to be off-leash. For puppies and small dogs harnesses are necessary, not collar leashing as it easily damages their throat/windpipe.

 

[Tom]

P.S. I have 4 small dogs and take out together with 4 leashes. Yes it is crazy at times and you are continually untangling but that is what you get having 4 dogs. Being together in a pack also helps one learn from another. Smelling one go often prompts the others to. But you have to be patience as some take a lot longer to do their business then others. Walking them is probably the best way to make it happen easily and naturally, but not possible often in winter and then you just stand out their with them, or at the door if you have a fenced yard. (And I wouldn't give up any of them. )

 

[Luca]

P.S. I have 4 small dogs and take out together with 4 leashes. Yes it is crazy at times and you are continually untangling but that is what you get having 4 dogs. Being together in a pack also helps one learn from another. Smelling one go often prompts the others to. But you have to be patience as some take a lot longer to do their business then others. Walking them is probably the best way to make it happen easily and naturally, but not possible often in winter and then you just stand out their with them, or at the door if you have a fenced yard. (And I wouldn't give up any of them. )

View attachment 91647

I manage 7 leashes! Lol
I love your Chihuahuas And the little matching harnesses! So cute!

 

[Tom]

I was thinking of your 7 when I was bragging about walking 4. And yes they are unbearably cute and rule me completely.

 

[Gracey]

In the absence of the sire or dam to show them the way, or any other house trained older dog,

one word: "wee, wee" "toilet" "quick, quick"
they don't understand English but will learn to associate the sound with an action then reward.
(classical and operant conditioning)

Use the litter leader. (observe who initiates play, eats first, puts others in their place) Focus on training that one. Others may follow.
(don't mistake alpha for runt)

Huge fuss, celebration, plenty reward for 'alpha' toileting outside in front of remaining litter.

When you feel the rest of the litter are motivated to get themselves some of that there praise and reward. Work with individually.

I've seen it done every hour. ie, pups taken outside every hour and encouraged to piddle.
Big time rewards for toilet outside.
Silence and no attention for toilet inside.
just clean up quietly.

Good luck

 

[Duna]

What is problem with leashes? Dogs should always be leashed outside, especially puppies until properly trained to be off-leash. For puppies and small dogs harnesses are necessary, not collar leashing as it easily damages their throat/windpipe.

I live in the country with lots of dogs running free. Dogs behave differently when on a leash, they can't just react the way they normally would if unleashed. Our (neighbors' or mine) don't even wear collars to avoid them from getting caught in branches, barbed wire, etc.

 

[Duna]

Walking them is probably the best way to make it happen easily and naturally, but not possible often in winter and then you just stand out their with them, or at the door if you have a fenced yard

What's the problem with walking them in the winter? Unless there's a blizzard or something, but you can also have summer storms, during your dogs may not want to go out in the first place.
We don't have those kind of storms where I live, but rain in the winter does calm them down. My girls still go out to their dog things (which is not just relieving themselves)

So basically we have different ways of living with our dogs. I go for walks with 2-8 and during the walk I'm the alpha, even if most are not my dogs. There's places they love to go where I can't follow without risking breaking my neck, or because it's fenced off. There are places where they don't want to go because there are other dogs protecting their territory and they don't want to get into fight or barking contests. Some like joining horses (which also roam free) and some stay well away from them. Granny and Chick are slow (age + temperament) while Ana and Pillín are lightning bolts. And the rest is somewhere in between.
A ND there's nothing more satisfying, relaxing, and enjoyable for me then being outside with all of them and watching them do dog things, interact with each other and their surroundings. Never get that feeling when I have to take my girls on a leash (which by now is only when we go to the vet)

 

[Duna]

In the absence of the sire or dam to show them the way, or any other house trained older dog,

That's how I thought it would work. When one of our rescues turned out to be pregnant, then had her pups, the little one were house trained even before we thought about starting the process.
My problem here is that the pups and the older ones don't mix (unlike that time where the pups were born into the pack). But maybe they all need some more time to get used to each other.

 

[Duna]

Here's an additional resource that I use, since I have had to potty train multiple puppies before, and it will be a recurring "problem" for the rest of my life, as long as I have puppies...

Having puppies was a wonderful experience, but one I never wanted to repeat. I have zero parent instincts, and hate routine.
But I couldn't have lived with myself had I left the pups hiding under cars, too afraid to even go to the park a few yards behind them.

I've seen it done every hour. ie, pups taken outside every hour and encouraged to piddle.
Big time rewards for toilet outside.
Silence and no attention for toilet inside.
just clean up quietly.

Now that I've seen how the pups behave outside (like running home when something like the neighbor's saw scare them) I will give them more room and freedom. They are already seeking out places where to pee & defecate (dogs naturally like their privacy for the "big business" because of vulnerability issues) when outside, and even where I keep them they are starting to use a flower pot (!!). Even with most of the dogs in the neighborhood running free, we don't have "businesses" all over the place.