Miracles of miracles!

I have been disparing of ever getting the puppies to pee or poop in the designated potty area. I started out with a litter pan (actually an under the bed storage container) with the front cut out so that they could get in and out easily. Originally I tried to use doggie litter but it is so uneven that they couldn't walk on it (little cylinders). So I switched to newspaper. I also put paper in front of the litter pan to catch the "run off" for when they missed. I catch them just as they are waking up and put them in the litter pan. At first it wasn't so difficult but now that they are so mobile and playful, what I get is puppies tussling and playing in the litter pan, Gidget will get in there and lie down to nurse them, puppies running out in all directions. And if I am extremely lucky, I can get 1 or 2 (sometimes even all 5) to pee on the papers. Gidget still cleans up the poop so I rarely ever see it and don't really have a good idea when they do it.

Well, this morning, after I changed all the bedding, Gidget came out and hung with my dog and me. I was reading the paper and drinking coffee when she started barking and acting like she wanted to get into the pen. I looked over and it appeared as though the puppies were still sleeping so I told her to chill. She kept it up so I went over to let her in. One of the puppies had gotten up, gone over to the litter pan and pooped!!!! She wanted to get in there and clean it up. I was so excited. I really didn't think any of them had any idea what I was trying to teach them. (It's really hard to reinforce when they can't take a treat yet.) And, I have no idea which one of them did it.

I didn't see any pee in the whelping box this morning when I changed the bedding either. There was some on the towels on the floor. The papers in the litter box and on the floor were a mess. Gidget will get in there and dig and shred them. I couldn't tell if anyone had used them for their intended purpose during the night or not.

Guess it seems as though I am obsessing over their elimination. Well, I am. I am aiming to have them understand that there is a place to go potty so that when they go to their forever homes, they will be easier to train. Since Gidget is so well trained, I am expecting them to be. One thing Gidget has learned, which was unintentional. When I put them into the litter pan I say "go potty". Well, Gidget has figured out what that means so when I take her outside and say "go potty", which is the cue I use to tell my dog to go, she goes.