My puppy cries outside and insists on pottying inside. What to do?

You can get started right away! Consistency is the key to house training, so be sure to take Emmitt outside often - after eating, napping, playing, or at least every 2-3 hours. Reward appropriate potty behavior with praise and a small treat. If you catch him in the act of eliminating in the house, say "no" and take him straight outside. If you find an accident around the house, there is no need to scold or punish him. The main concern at this point is that Emmitt is not fully vaccinated against some highly contagious viruses, such as parvovirus. Until he has received his full distemper/parvovirus vaccine series, keep him away from other dogs. This includes areas where other dogs may have previously eliminated, such as parks or around your neighborhood. Keep Emmitt confined to your backyard until his vaccine series is complete.

If you can't get her to go inside, you can take her outside and use a pad under her. Try to use an area with a hard surface as opposed to grass or soil in case she misses the pad. A hard surface is easier to decontaminate than grass or soil. After she is done, you can sanitize the surface using a diluted bleach solution. If she will go inside, use the pads and dispose of them accordingly afterwards.

Soil and feces can carry viruses for a long period of time, so trying to find an area Blakely can go where other dogs don't frequent is best until he has had at least 2-3 sets of shots (or the OK from your vet). If you don't have a spot like that, but have a patio area, you could try making your own "potty" area with a piece of sod or a litter box filled with dirt to get him used to going outside and on that substrate without as much confusion when you do transition to outside. Making sure you're taking him out often enough (every 1-2 hours for a 2 month old puppy, or after waking, eating, drinking, or playing) can also help reduce accidents since his bladder can't hold it very long at this point.

Congrats on your new puppy! Because you will not have a private yard and cannot be sure that your area will be virus free, Niko should stay confined from public areas until at least two weeks after his final shots at 16 weeks of age. Parvovirus can live in the environment outside for up to a year, so it's extremely important to make sure he has no contact with that, or any other potential life threatening viruses. You can train Niko to use pee pads instead until he is fully vaccinated, and then work on house training him.

It honestly depends on how many other pets are in your apartment complex. Some viruses, such as parvo, can stay in the environment for several months. If you are taking him out, making sure to use paths that aren't frequented by other pets, or even bringing out a potty pad for him to go on (to get used to the routine of going out to go potty, but remaining safe) can help. As for socialization, socializing with people or pets whose vaccine history you know is the best option until your vet gives the OK to be around strange pets.

It will take several months to fully train Milo. Take him outside immediately after meals and first thing in the morning. Take him to an area that is specifically for potty and reward him with praise and a treat when he goes outside. You may want to consider using pee pads also inside during this cold time so he learns to go on them when it’s too cold rather than going wherever he wants in the house. Once it warms up and he’s older then you can be more strict about going outside. He’s a baby so don’t leave him outside alone and never for more than a few minutes at a time. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Milo.

I would use puppy pads until he is a bit older and has had more puppy boosters. There are also indoor grass pads for dogs that may help make it for familiar for him so that when he does get to go outside he is prepared!