Watson just will not pee outside, I have read the book, done my research and like to think I am doing what I am meant to -but no matter how long I go outside, not matter how often he still wants to go inside. As soon as I turn my back for a second -literally -he is peeing or pooing somewhere. I am SO exhausted! I really need to know what to do to get this right before I have messed it up to far to go back or something. I am at this point taking him out every single chance I can, for as long as possible (usually every 20-30 min if he is awake) he has learned to get up our stairs outside to the door so I have to get him and bring him back to the yard multiple times. He often will just lie down and go to sleep out side!
Just a thought. Do you put his lead on to take him outside? Once I couldn't carry Red outside to the grass, I put her lead on (mainly to stop her running after our older dog). She very quickly associated the lead with been taken out for the toilet. Once she had gone, I would then praise and treat her. She now knows lead=toilet; non lead=play/training in the garden.
It sounds like he may have too much space in your home? He won't instinctively perceive the whole house as his "den" to keep clean at first; you need to build this up. So, confine him to a small area at first. A pen is perfect. You need to watch him like a hawk. As soon as he puts his nose on the ground, he goes out. As soon as he's eaten, woken up, had a drink, had a play... all of these are prime times for needing to wee, almost immediately. Of course, he can be out of the pen for playtime, training etc, but you need to keep your eyes on him the whole time, or you'll miss the signs and he'll be peeing on your floor again! Once he is clean in his pen, you can increase the area he has to roam a little; maybe to a single room. Once he's clean in there, you can expand it again. If your house is open plan, you'll have to arrange temporary barriers until this is done. Make sure you're using a enzymatic cleaner, such as Simple Solution, on your floors. Some puppies are harder to toilet train that others. Luna was a horror. She didn't come with any apparent instinct to keep her bed clean. So, I feel your pain. It's very frustrating. But, you will get there in the end, and one day you'll realise you've not had an accident inside that day. Then it'll be a week, then a month. One word of advice, I would often find myself saying things like "I'll just put this plate in the dishwasher, then I'll take the puppy out.". You guessed it, she'd wee as I was putting my plate in the dishwasher. When you think, "I'll just do this, then take him out", stop yourself. Trust your instinct, your puppy needs to go out, and that means now! However small the task in hand is, you don't have time. Drop the plate on the floor, sprint to the puppy and take him out that door I fell foul of that countless times, and every time I could have smacked myself round the head. A lab rat would have learned faster!
I have not been, but I have not put the lead on him in the house to try and prevent the peeing and pooing in the house not sure what else to do
we live in a dolls house, there is not really room for a x-pen in the living room (which is tiny and attached to our tiny dinning room ). I am doing all that you said though, in fact since Sat I have been outside much more than in trying to support him going outside. He will have been outside for 30 or 40 min, done nothing -come in and bam -gone inside! I assure you it is not from my laziness or lack of trying/watching him. Him being on the leash since yesterday late afternoon seems to have helped even if I think personally it is a pretty sad thing for him.
@snowbunny pipped me with some of what I was going to say With our Guide Dog puppies we have to teach them to busy on command, so from the time we bring them home we try to keep them in one room - whichever one we are in - and then taking them out as soon as they wake up, finish eating, or finish playing, and when they sniff the floor and walk in small circles. We gradually give them more access to the rest of the house as they grow and learn. I also set a timer to take the pup out every hour as they nap less as they get older (with my one pup it was every half hour )! When they busy outside we make a big fuss, clapping and treating with the "busy busy" voice cue! When they busy inside we clean up quickly to try and get rid of any scent - as they WILL go back to the same spot - but we don't say anything. We don't scold or punish the pup at all. Crate training also helps a lot as they won't pee on their bed! Strongs!
Maybe you're going outside for too long. With Stanley he would be out for a wee then back in. If he didn't wee within a couple of minutes I'd take him back inside for 5 minutes or so then back out until he did a wee. Then once he'd done one he'd get a big fuss and he could stay out for a bit of play if he wanted. But before wee I didn't want him getting distracted from the task at hand
I hope it didn't come across that I was implying that. I've been there very recently, and I know it's not laziness. As you say, you turn your back for a split second and, bam, there's a puddle. Some puppies are harder than others, and it sucks when you have one of the difficult ones. One thing that helped me was a little pen outside. I bought a cheap thing off Amazon, designed for guinea pigs more than anything, and popped her in there to go to the loo. She didn't get to come out and play until she'd toileted. It really helped focus the mind. When she was allowed free run of the garden, she would just get too distracted. I could be out there for an hour without any movement. The pen was a sanity saver.
I agree with snowbunny - some pups really don't get it at first! I also have a 'spending pen' - it really helps as it's a boring place and being allowed in the garden is a reward for weeing. I take the pup out when they are likely to wee (after drinking, eating, playing and especially after sleeping) stay out a few minutes. Then, if they don't wee I carry them round for a while, then back outside. Once they have 'performed' I reckon I've got 15 minutes before the vigilance starts again. I missed LOADS with Mollie and did a lot of mopping up! But don't worry, they all get there in the end. I am on pup number five and all have been clean and dry eventually - some took much longer than others. Mollie is funny now, she always asks to go out after having a drink - I obviously gave her that idea during potty training lol
sorry I probably wrote that terribly, I have not slept much since he came to us on Saturday and I am extremely dyslexic to top it off lol. I personally have been leashing him inside our very small home (to small for a ex pen, and it is a very old house so no inside doors to close him off either). It has actually helped in the 14 hours or so he has been leashed inside he has had no accidents (knock on wood).
