As an “enlightened” parent I was never going to bribe my kids in the PT arena. My first was PTed by the day care provider, I just did the support at home. When it came to the daughter, nothing and I mean nothing would work. So I decided to bribe her.
One MM for pee and a small Halloween sized candy bar for the other. She didn’t get anyother candy like treats at this time. And chocolate was a major big deal. Two days and viloa! It only took about a month to wean her off of the rewards.
Christine
Hmmmm…maybe we could make a t-shirt out of this and put Shrubs picture on it. 
i wqs also told that potty training is next to impossible if the child is carrying a sippy cup or bottle around all the time! that makes sense because if they are constantly putting liqids in they are just going to go like a baby.
~christine~ i can’t believed that worked! she must have been older to understand that!
She wasn’t that old . . . maybe a few months over two. No much. I think that she discovered a girl’s best friend – chocolate. And figured out quickly how to get more. Chocolate is still one of her most favorite treats and she’s seven now.
When you offer a positive reenforcer that they really dig, I think that they get do what you want.
Christine
i’ll i have to keep that in mind when the time comes around to train my last one! 
Shoot – I thought this tread might be about potty training a PUPPY. :oops:
DH and I are thinking very seriously of adopting a Maltese puppy - and I’m trying to find out all of the information I can before I get anywhere near a real, live puppy because I know I won’t be able to resist coming home with one after I’ve held one of these doll-babies in my arms.
While this is even further OT - does anyone have any hints on housebreaking puppies - and maybe Maltese or small doggies, in particular?
Thanks,
:XX:
Cover the floor in one entire small room in newspaper. When she goes on the newspaper, take it outside with you…when she then goes outside, THROW A PARTY! GOOD GOOD GOOD GOOD PUPPY!!!
At the same time, start removing a sheet of newspaper or two each day, thereby reducing the coverage in the room until you have just a couple of sheets left.
This worked for ALL of my dogs within a couple of weeks!
KnittinKitten~ try this thread!!! good luck! puppy thread
Thanks, Koolbreeze, for directing me to the puppy thread … didn’t occur to me that I should search for one here. :rollseyes: Silly me - I should have known that if it was something I needed – it would be on this forum some where. This place is amazing! 
Now – how do I get this response posted on the puppy page!?!
Kelly, your idea of decreasing the size of the paper on the floor makes so much logical sense. I think I’ve used this “logical” adjective with you before. Were you and your husband both working a full-time jobs when you tried this method? Unfortunately, we will have to leave the wee one all day? 
I think I’ve also been convinced to start with the crate route, too. Everyone seems to be in agreement about this - including the breeders’ websites.
Now - if I can just convince my Myers parrot, Notobi (who thinks he’s an eagle) that a new member of the family is an okay thing …
:XX:
Beautiful bird!!
Yes, we were…you just have to choose a room with a hard floor that you can close or gate off while you are gone. Im not a big fan of crating, myself…I dont think it teaches them to go on appropriate surfaces…it only takes advantage of the fact that dogs generally wont go where they sleep. Just MHO.
i would have done the paper method but at the time i was living in an apartment where there wasn’t enough room or floor to do it so i did the crate. now might be a different story since we live in a house!
Okay…back to HUMAN potty training… 
Here’s my scoop, and I hope to get some advice from all you successful potty training mamas!
(I have potty trained my older child already, and it was EASY, I’m just having trouble with my #2 son…you’d think I’d know what I was doing by now)
He is 2yrs3mos old. He is very keen about the potty, he is very aware of his ‘functions’ and we have had a bunch of successes (we even had a FULL week of intense potty training with underwear, but back to diapers )
Here’s the problem. He’s a pee holder. Seriously, this child can hold his pee upwards of 7 hours at a time. He dances and prances around, crying, holding himself, obviously VERY uncomfortable but he WILL NOT go on the potty unless he has already started going and I’m able to get him to the potty in time for him to finish there. What do I do with THAT???
Oh, also, to confuse ME even more…the other evening, out of the clear blue sky he says “mommy I go pee!” so off we whisk to the potty and he goes pee straight away. He did this THREE times that evening, and three times the following day, but nothing since. It has been 3 days since then.
I NEEED HELP!!! 
He is able to hold it, obviously. So I KNOW he has control. Just how do I get him to relax enough to do it on the potty, especially when it’s so obviously that he needs to go, without being pushy and forceful about it, because then it FOR SURE won’t happen.
Oh, I should also mention that we do bribes, glossette peanuts which he LOVES, he has special games and toys that he only gets to play with when he’s on the potty, he is quite willing to sit once in a while for a few minutes here and there, and during our week of intense training, he had ZERO qualms about wearing underwear, so as far as that goes there was no resistence. HE JUST WON’T GO!!! :doh:
First off, if you want to wait for a while that’s fine. He is kind of young, in my book.
Secondly, here’s an idea he might like–Cheerios. Not to eat, but to aim at in the toilet. Periodically, toss a few in there and ask him if he can hit them.
I would wait a while, because I do agree he is a bit young, but I really feel like there’s this window of opportunity that I just don’t want to miss. He’s keen and for the most part is not resistent.
Then you can try rewards like Carmell said, and the ready-aim-fire at the Cheerios. Underwear is a must, though. If you put him in diapers or pullups around the house, you’re sending a mixed message.
I’ve heard putting bubble solution in the toilet makes for an entertaining “go potty” incentive 
that wasn’t my idea sorry i can’t take credit for it. that was christine.
i wouldn’t switch back to diapers either. fruit loops is good too because they are colorful. only problem is they might try to get them to eat rather than concentrate on peein.
i would take him every hour till he went then start over in about an hour 30 min. just keep taking him. that way he might just get up and go.
don’t let him carry a sippy cup or bottle either.
is your SO around? let him take him. i had to teach my son how to go like a man cause there were no men around to do it then he would come in the bathroom while i was in there and aske me why i didn’t stand to pee. :shock:
I’ve also heard a lot about flushable targets to put in the toilet when they have to pee. That might make it fun for him. Here are some that might work. This page has little fish targets that might help too.
As far as the sippy cup, DH has a rule about the boys only drinking from their cups in or near the kitchen. That keeps the bathroom trips down a lot, since they’re only going to come to drink when they’re actually thirsty, and not just passing time.