Im looking for suggestions on the best way to potty train a truck dog, and the best breed for the truck. Like humans, it takes a special animal to be able to live in the truck. I dont have a dog yet, but am considering getting one. My biggest fear is he/she using the bathroom on my bed. Any suggestions. thx.

Pet carrier, Letting the dog out for a walk during every stop.

A couple or three weeks, he/she should be good to go.

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Hey, I'm not sure what breed ya should get, but our first dog is pretty much a mutt that we picked up in Mississippi 2 years ago. There was a couple giving away pups.

I think Dharma only "piddled" in the truck once or twice, and only once has she pooped (she was sick). I think the trick was as someone else suggested...EVERY time we stopped, we made sure to take time to take her out. After a week, she knew that the slowing of the truck meant it was time to go "potty"!

Our 2nd dog, we got from my daughter a few months ago, and she had no problems getting used to the truck, and waiting to go out, but she was already 1 1/2 yrs. old when we got her, so she was trained already.

Good luck on your puppy quest!

Judi Kay

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thanks for the reply, you never had a problem with them "piddling" on the bed?

No, we never had that problem. But, maybe it was because we didn't allow them on our bed until we were certain they were trained not to "piddle" ANYWHERE in the truck. (we also purchased pet beds for them, so they would have a comfy place to lay)

Also, we have some friends who use "puppy pads" whenever they get a new pup, but from what I've seen, the only good THOSE do,is to teach the dog to piddle on the pad, not the floor. They have adult dogs that STILL use only the pads, won't "go" outside...

Judi Kay

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I have to plug your local animal shelter on this one. There are thousands of unwanted dogs there and many of them are not there because of their problem, most of the time it's the human in charge who had the problem.

I have 3 animals 2 cats, 1 dog....all shelter animals ...all wonderful. Since you want a dog I'll tell you about Leo our newly adopted dog. He is 1 and 1/2 yrs. The shelter didn't know if he was housetrained or anything. He was found roaming the streets. He is a chihuahua mix. This has been the best dog I've ever had. Never pottied where he shouldn't and sooooo loving.

Please consider adopting??? Just a thought and someone has to talk for the animals. Good luck with your search.

I would reccomend looking at adopting an older puppy or adult dog if you're interested in a truck dog. Even a 5 month old puppy is going to have MUCH better bladder control than an 8 week old. An 8 week old pup, even in a crate, is going to need to potty about every 1-2 hours during the day. Whereas a 5-6 month old pup can go 4-5 hours between potty breaks especially if they are crated. An adult dog may already come "pre-housebroken" and even if they are not perfect, crate training will get them in shape....and an adult dog's bathroom schedule is more likely to match your OWN so you're not forced to make extra stops for the dog.

Also, a 5-6 month old puppy (or adult) will have already had his full set of shots....so you don't have the concerns you'd have with taking a tiny 8 week old puppy out to potty in questionable, truckstop grassy areas frequented by other dogs who may or may not be up to date on THEIR vaccines.

I also have to agree with the idea of checking your local shelter or rescue group for a potential truck dog. Don't be fooled by the myth that you've got to get a puppy in order for it to "bond" with you, or that "shelter dogs have behavior problems".

I have 3 dogs who live with me and 2 of them are rescues. Both of those dogs are "bonded" to me JUST as much (if not more!) than the dog I've had since he was a puppy (he's now 9). One of them has only been here 2 months but in this short time she only has "eyes" for me.....being around you in a truck 24/7 will GUARANTEE that *any* dog will bond with you quickly. And these days, people are being forced to surrender their well-trained family pets due to financial difficulty- so you can find plenty of rescue dogs without any "issues" that are already well trained.

Admittedly, some groups are "picky" about their adoption requirements & may not want to adopt to a "truck driver" (they often require fenced yards, etc) but if you run into that, you can also find people giving away 'free to good home' dogs in the paper or on Craigslist. Often times, the "free to good home" ads are a dog's "last chance" before they are dropped off at the shelter anyway.

I'm not saying it's impossible to potty train & raise an 8 week old puppy on a truck- it can be done, it HAS been done....but speaking from experience, dealing with an ADULT (or older puppy) and using a crate as an aid to training is MUCH easier than starting with a blank slate with no bladder control .

OH yeah....if you are concerned about a pup piddling on your bed.....buy a plastic mattress cover (or make one out of garbage bags, or buy rubber sheets) and use it to protect your mattress until you can trust the dog!! That way if the dog DOES piddle on your bed, you'll only have to change the sheets & won't have a ruined mattress.

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Thanks for all the replies, the information is useful. Ill keep that in mind when making a decision.

Just remeber a small dog is much better. I run with a little mutt I rescued she was older and just seemd to get it. I have bigger dogs at home and it would be a nightmare sharing this cab with a 80lb dog. Us the kennel inside the cab until you know they understand. I put mine in a kennel whenever I leave her unattended for a shower or quick meal in a restaraunt.

I was lucky, I got Jake at 6 1/2 weeks old and was not driving at all. Was recovering from my car accident. When I first got him he needed to go to his potty spot every couple hours, sometimes less than that. I had many sleepless nights because he was in the crate whining and needed to go potty. A general rule is a puppy can hold it as many hours as they are old in months. 3 month old puppy= 3 hours he can hold his pee. You need to be really patient with a puppy. NEVER yell at him or rub his nose in it. If he has a mistake in the truck it's because you didn't recognize he had to go. Be mad at yourself, not the puppy.

Jake is now one year old and has been on the road with me since Memorial day. He has adapted pretty well to the truck. When I brought the truck into the apartment complex over the weekend to load it up he went back to the truck after a potty break instead of going to the apartment. I never had a dog on the truck in 12 years of driving. Never thought I could deal with it. But having him makes the time out here much more bearable. He gets me out of the truck more, makes layovers less boring and he loves to meet and greet everyone on our walks or whoever walks by the truck.

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