Okay so it's been only a few days since McQueen arrived but I am being driven totally insane racing after him like a maniac in hope to capture his deeds before he manages to spread everything and anything about the house during his bowl movements ! hehe...I have read hours upon hours as to how to deal with toilet training issues with pups but none seem to work. What I would like is for him to have a set place to be taken to or even in the best of circumstances know himself to go to...*yes I know its far fetched and its me thats the problem here but shees* I bought nappies of which I tend to keep one at the front door and have tried on multiple occassions to take him straight there if I see him heading for action. Instead he bites and chews at it till I give up then races off in hiding to do as he pleases. Yesterday I took him back to the same spot he poo'd all over then locked him up in his cage as punishement before cleaning the mess up ...but nothing..Next day same thing. His marking his territory in the house is driving me insane. *groans* I take him out everytime he wakes from his constant naps and practically every 20 min of play just in case...But alas...he waits till he is warm and comfy indoors to mosey on off and deal with it there ...LOL I know I'm laughing now but it's seriously starting to get on my nerves. Night time, around 11 I'll take him for his walk outside he may or may not pee and poo but heck...(i lock him up in his cage with a nappy at nights) in the morning he is covered from head to toe ! Someone please help !!! LOL I've been told not to bathe him but I just can't leave him like that !
Re: Help with puddle and poop training! Please ditch the nappies , or puppy pads or paper . All these give out the wrong signals to pups, they tell them that its fine to toilet indoors and its not : Toilet/house training a young pup is hard work , we`ve all been there, done that and sometimes its like one step forward, two steps back but it requires two things , repetition and patience . Please dont shut him in his cage as punishment , he does not understand what he has done is wrong, he will begin to think that relieving himself is wrong where as you need to teach him, calmly and quietly , that he does this outdoors . There are two times when it pays to be really quick and whisk pups outside, one is when they wake after a nap , the other is after a meal or drink . Very young pups have little control of their bladder and yes, its a pain for us , but we have to be patient with them , just like with human babies who take far far longer to potty train ! I know that at times, it seems like its not happening, but it will , take him out at least every hour and stay with him , when he wees, massive praise " good dog wee wee " Same when he poos , it may seem like you are standing outside for hours, but it does pay off in the end, honestly it does !
Re: Help with puddle and poop training! I agree, I used to stand outside in all weathers for what seemed like an age waiting for Hattie to wee/poo, but she did, gave lots of praise and before I knew it she was house trained. Routine is so important. Stick at it you will get there. Helen
Re: Help with puddle and poop training! Hi Labrina, Pups don't mark territories, but they do like to wee where they have weed before. Hang on in there, it does get better. Have a read of these two articles Housetraining without tears What to do when your puppy won't wee outside. You will probably find it easier if you write down a 'routine' to help remind you to get McQueen outdoors at sufficiently small intervals. Pippa
Re: Help with puddle and poop training! Okay, now I think I'm slowly starting to understand how things work. It becomes a horrific experience when your online searching for the CORRECT way to train him to understand the understandable...well to him anyway. Thank you all for your input, any bit counts and yes I have now removed the diaper. Didn't work anyway ! That was also advice from a site I had read up on. LOL Okay so now its a matter of spending more time with him outdoors in hope he won't decide indoors is the right place. The problem is its freezing outside and all he does is bolt for the front door the minute it opens. It's like he is purposely holding off till he gets inside. As for locking him up...yet again thats advice online...so its good to finally have peace of mind when it comes to obtaining advice...Thank you all so much and I will read up on the links shown. As I mentioned before its not McQueen that has the problem its me ...I've never ever experienced and inhouse pet before and I am a clean freek by nature. My hands are almost blood raw from washing them....
Re: Help with puddle and poop training! It may not seem possible now, but I promise you this stage will only last a very short time! Just be calm but firm, dress warmly and hang around outside until he does his business - then LOADS of praise!! I know it's enough to drive you mad - but remember he's not doing this to annoy you, he just hasn't understood yet that pees and poos are done exclusively outside.. The more you get him doing this, and are able to praise him hugely when you actually see him doing his business outside, the quicker he will understand. It is also a very good idea to keep him quite restricted indoors at first. If he is just in the kitchen and hallway, for example, where you are with him a lot, then you can catch him in the act if he starts to squat, and you can quickly put him outside. If he has the run of the whole house, or is unsupervised in parts of the house, then it is easier for him to find a quiet, unsupervised corner... Vigilance is the name of the game for the first few weeks, coupled with huge praise for any successes, and a resolute determination not to allow a puddle in the house to get you down... He will be house trained, and sooner than you think, I promise!!!
Re: Help with puddle and poop training! Thank you for the chin up Karen...It's 1.30am in the morning and I just got up to take him outside as per advice...Seems outside is not the place he wants to do his business..Either that or he simply doesn't like it when im about for him to do so... Anyway, I thought I'de try something as I crate him in the night in hope to avoid little accidents but it doesnt seem to be working either...He seems to DESPISE being locked up with a passion. Now, as I cannot possibly give him the run of the house and Im at an advantage of being on a fairly large block of land with double bolted gates etc and plenty of room for movement,,,including a huge patio thats covered, pretty much in the same way the house is (it was built this way in case of an extension necessary)..I have placed his basket outside the front door with his blanket and toys ...The minute I did this the moaning and groaning stopped ! He seems to have an issue with the lock up more than the being inside ! Is it a problem to have him outside when its cold...especially when there is no risk of him getting away or into trouble etc ???
Re: Help with puddle and poop training! I would say yes it is too cold to have a young puppy outside. As McQueen has only been with you a few days I would stick with taking him outside regularly as suggested and he will get used to you and the routine and eventually he will do his toileting outside. Lots of puppies cry when crated but they get used to it. You could cover the crate with a sheet so that he feels secure. When Hattie cried as a puppy we ignored her as difficult as that was but it worked after 2 nights, but others may disagree, Keep to a routine and all will work out I promise. Keep going and good luck. Helen
Re: Help with puddle and poop training! My in-laws dog hated his crate to start with, we just persevered with desensitising him with treats and his meals without locking him in until he would go in it. Then we built up the time we closed the door for never letting him out while he was crying or whistling. He never really loved it or saw it as his den like our dog did but he learned to accept it. Good luck
Re: Help with puddle and poop training! Yes, I think the biggest mistake I have made so far was placing him in his bamboo basket from day 1 with all the ease of movement he needed. That is what has done it...I went and saw the vet today, he insists considering the type of house this is and my serious issue until he is fully house trained I should leave him access to his basket outside the front door with his crate open by its side with fur and perhaps a treat. Bring him in only when my son and I are awake. ITs warm enough as its all taken care of with warmth and comfort in mind. Will this bugger up my house training tactics I've been using so far?
Re: Help with puddle and poop training! In my opinion he will learn nothing this way. If he takes himself off for a poo or wee, there is no-one there to say "yes, this is the right thing to do" and the poor little mite will be lonely as well. Puppies are hard work in the beginning but you will forget all this in the future, you need to bond with your pup, not shut him outside. I housetrained my pup in about three days, it just takes hard work, take him out at least once an hour and as said before, just after waking and after food. When he does do it outside, lots of praise and a titbit so that he knows this is what he should do. At the moment he has no idea what humans expect, he won't have much control yet and he has no idea what you are on about, he cannot speak the same language as we do. If the crate is a bit big, try to halve it by a barrier, don't put a nappy pad in, dogs do not like to soil their bedding and so he will learn to hold it. Stacia
Re: Help with puddle and poop training! You know what Stacia, thank you for clarifying my original thoughts on this. I guess the vet saw my frustration and tried to make it a little easier in terms of my OWN peace of mind. I will be keeping him indoors and doing as suggested in hope he will learn in time. I cannot for the life of me have him outside in the freezing cold. To me its almost like chaining him to a pole outside and throwing food at him and I KNOW he is worth so much more than that in terms of offering. He is not purely a pass your time for my son ..he has become family, so heres to crossed fingers that he learns quickly. If not, hey my son walked at an older age than most..I didn't give up on him either! Thanks everyone, I'll keep you all posted... The paranoid one...heheh
Re: Help with puddle and poop training! Hang in there Labrina. It will get better. You are in the BEST place to get advice here. Just like Helen and Charlie, you will be posting in a month or so what a great wee pup you have! Take care, Jacqui xx
Re: Help with puddle and poop training! Hi Labrina, Sending you good housetraining vibes, hope you find a way through this If you have a hard floor anywhere try and restrict him to this room with baby gates or just closing the doors. Ideally a room thats fairly sociable so he has company and someone to keep an eye on him and take him outside. This'll make the cleaning up easier too! Good luck!
