Hello All, We seem to be having some toilet training issues with our little puppy Ozzie (Chocolate boy - Our first puppy). I have read "The Happy Puppy Handbook" but I need some advice on some things we might be doing wrong or might be getting mixed up. We spend at least 10 minutes - 30+minutes outside with him but he just doesn't wee, he just wants to eat the grass & little bushes or dig the grass up so he can eat it, we try stopping him and moving him to a different section of grass so he doesn't continue to eat/dig it up, but he just eats wherever you put him or sniffs his way to a bit to start eating. When he doesn't wee, we bring him back in, crate him, and then take him back out after 10 mins and the same happens over and over again, or he falls asleep in the 10 minutes he is crated, so we don't wake him (is this right?) and wait for him to wake up and then take him out side then he doesn't wee again and we are back in this circle of it not happening, and then if we turn our backs for a spilt second he wee's on the vinyl or carpet protector we have down. Today he has had 3 accidents and only one wee outside. We are beginning to feel bad for him being in his crate so much when he doesn't wee, as this seems to be a long period of time at the moment in the day time and we don't know what is the solution is, its being to feel like we are punishing him with his crate and we don't want him to think of his crate as a punishment. If he does go outside he used to love getting fussed but now he just walks away and starts digging/eating grass. Can anyone offer any helpful hints on what we should do when he is being mischievous outside and not doing his business, or offer any advice on what we are doing wrong? or could try to ease this process a bit? We look forward to hearing some helpful hints
Re: Toilet Training Issues Greetings from Molly (nearly 9 months ) and me. From Molly's age you can see that I was you just a few months ago. You still have a very young pup. Although he seems to be failing, it is all part of the learning process. I used to take Molly out and say "be clean", sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't . Gradually the sometimes it worked outnumbered the times it didn't. Then all of a sudden she'd got it and was whimpering by the back door when she needed to go out. She was about 12 weeks then. There have been very few accidents since then and usually they were my fault for not being alert enough. If you think it is difficult with the distractions of grass to eat, plants to destroy and holes to dig, think of me as an Autumn trainer. Everytime she squatted some nasty little gust of wind would tease her with a leaf to follow. Good luck with your toilet training. It is early days yet, try not to worry. Stock up on kitchen roll and enzyme cleaner
Re: Toilet Training Issues Hello there! I remember the "am I ever going to put this mop bucket away" days. I took my boy out on a lead - no play time, no messing about, until I got a wee or a poo. If none arrived, back in pen. Try again 15 mins later. And so on... Once we got the wee and poo, it was playtime, cuddles, chasing leaves time. No wee, no play. Worked a treat. Best of luck with it!
Re: Toilet Training Issues I'm not an expert (first puppy, arrived in February) but here is our experience: With our boy Pongo we didn't do the crating thing at all, except at night. We tried to spend as much time as possible outside with him, and every time he did a wee or a poo outside he got Big Treats. Accidents inside we just ignored completely (and cleared up when he wasn't looking, using the right cleaning product). We did try to spot when he was about to go (that 'crouching' look), and sometimes managed to whisk him outside in time.... but not often. In the morning we would carry him in our arms from crate to outside so there was no chance of accidents on the way. Anyway.... lots and lots of accidents. But I don't think they were 'failures of training', I think he just didn't have any bladder control, and didn't even know himself when he was about to 'go'. I think he did understand that going outside was good - he understood the treats! - but couldn't physically control himself. Then one day at around 12 weeks (and it really was sudden), he suddenly 'got it' and started to want to be outside to have a wee. There were still accidents but much, much fewer. At four months he was pretty perfect except when terribly, terribly excited; and now (six months) he is completely reliable. The only problem is that he hasn't really figured out how to ask to be let out - he relies on the 'stand by the door and give the humans The Stare' technique, which is fine when one of us is in the room but not so good if we're not around.... Now that it is summer we have the door to the garden open most of the time anyway so it is not an issue; and I suppose I'm hoping that by the time autumn comes he will have learned to bark or whine or be a bit more communicative! (I am ever the optimist.) He still gets a treat every time he 'goes' outside. In fact he has now developed great bladder control so he can earn more than one treat from one bladder load: out for a little dribble, back in for a treat..... out for another little dribble, back in for a treat.... out for another (you get the idea). He has also mastered the 'mock wee' - pretends to crouch, puts a look of intense concentration on his face, and hopes we haven't notice that nothing has happened when he bounds up for his treat. So..... I'd say hang in there, the mop and bucket days do pass but I'm not sure you can really speed them up too much - so much depends on when the little chap gets control of those bladder muscles! Let us know how you get on.... Rosie (and Pongo)
Re: Toilet Training Issues Hi everyone! Thank you all for your help and reassurance! We have had some good trips out tonight, but he's so nosey he just stops what feels like mid way and starts sniffing and walking around. We need to just persevere and see how we get on, if we are not progressing we will re think tactics but hopefully we can progress. Does anyone wake their puppy to go out for a toilet trip at all? We don't know if we are doing the right thing leaving him sleep, we did wake him last night about 11-11.30 and he went out had a wee straight away then came back into his crate and slept till 4.20am when he needed toilet trip again and then slept until 7.30am which we think is good. Katie, Nick & Ozzie
Re: Toilet Training Issues When he does wee outside give him a treat and initiate a fun game. It's important to make weeing outside much more fun than weeing inside To a puppy, there is no natural advantage to weeing outside - you have to make it seem like the most rewarding option. As he gets older he'll come to see the house as his sleeping area or 'den' so he will become motivated not to wee in there. But at the moment he doesn't see the house that way. He'll get there though
Re: Toilet Training Issues Thanks Oberon. When is goes inside should we put him outside or just take him out the area while we clean it up, so he doesn't see us cleaning it up? Katie, Nick & Ozzie We are really grateful for your help.
Re: Toilet Training Issues Hi Kate I think the key thing is that when he goes indoors, there is no fuss.... so I wouldn't immediately pick him up and whisk him outside, because he'll think that is either reward or punishment or something - the idea is just to not react at all. On the other hand, if it's possible to take him out calmly and quickly, maybe he'll get the idea.... not sure! R
Re: Toilet Training Issues If he wees inside I'd take him outside in case there's any more wee. But I do t think it'd matter at all if he sees you cleaning up the wee inside Toilet training is hard for puppies. First, their baby bladders can't hold much and they don't have much control over the 'outlet valve'. Then they have to work out this weird concept of 'inside' and 'outside'. It's really obvious to us what is inside and what is outside, but not to them. Then they have to work out that they are only supposed to pee in the outside part. That is a really, really difficult thing to master. They need lots of help from us to work out the difference and lots of patience while they do and while they develop the physical ability to control when they pee (for a puppy, thinking that they need to pee but not actually peeing is an advanced skill ). Don't worry though, it sounds like you're doing well and you will most definitely all get there in the end.
Re: Toilet Training Issues I have never heard that it matters if your pup sees you clean up. If my pup squatted down for a pee, I'd whisk him outside. But not in a harsh way, just scoop up, and outside. This usually "interrupted" him. It is really quite important to have the objective of no wees or poos inside at all if you can help it, and crates and pens help hugely in meeting this objective. There are lots of articles here: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/house-training-your-labrador-puppy
Re: Toilet Training Issues Thanks for all the replies guys. Today has been a completely different day. Ozzie has been to the back door twice asking to go to the loo! We are not holding our breath for it to last into tomorrow as he will probably forget during the night, but at least it shows us progress haha!
Re: Toilet Training Issues I feel your pain! I started a topic the other day along the same lines - feels like we're getting no where sometimes. but with a little consistancy we seem to be getting somewhere. To start it off I just stayed in the kitchen with Rocky as soon as I let him out of his crate when I got home from work and waited until he looked like he was going to do something then whisked him outside. It's so annoying as he knows that he has to poo outside but prefers weeing inside! He is the same as you when we take him outside though at regular intervals - he kind of sniffs around and then just comes and sits at our feet looking confused as to why we're just stood outside! Something is definitely working as he woke us up barking at 5 am this morning to let us know he needed to go out as he wouldn't go in his crate since we took his puppy pads out! I think it just takes (after listening to people's advice) a LOT of patience. In my case I think I was just expecting too much of him and for him to just grasp it straight away. They're just like babies really! I hope it works out for you soon!
