Hi we have a 12 week old chocolate lab Hugo and I feel we haven't got a grip of house training at all! I haven't had a dog before so not 100% if I should have by now or not . We are using a large crate which is half bed half newspaper and he has been in it 3 hours every morning while I've been working since he was first with us at 8 weeks. He never goes on his beds and paper only but has been pretty much everywhere else in our house when I let him out of the crate when I get home. I take him out every hour and he gets a treat and lots of praise when he goes outside but he also doesn't seem to have any issues going inside too! I'm at a bit of a loss any positive suggestions gratefully received!!!
Hi and welcome to the forum! Puppies Hugo's age still don't have very good bladder control (I don't need to tell you that though ). I would increase the frequency of taking him out - try a regime of every 20-30 minutes, plus immediately (without fail and every single time) after getting out of the crate, eating, drinking, playing or waking up. I know that sounds really tedious but it is the best way and it won't last forever. If every 20-30 minutes is not enough then make it even more often than that. As soon as the last drop of pee is falling immediately give him a treat - something really good that he loves. If he does not pee when you take him out (or within a few minutes) then just take him back inside and try again 10 mins later (or sooner if you find that you need to). Don't play or do anything fun outside unless he has produced a pee. If he pees inside, don't stress, just take him outside right away and see if he needs to do any more. House training is a hard thing for puppies to learn, because they don't have any concept of inside the house versus outside the house. All they know is they really need to pee and when they pee it feels good, and is a relief (so peeing is rewarding, wheverever it happens). We need to make peeing outside extra rewarding by giving a tasty treat and by doing it with good timing - as the last dribble is falling. The good that is that over time Hugo will come to see your whole house as being like the sleeping area in his pen or an eating area - off limits for peeing. That will take time though. You can help that along by feeding him his meals in different locations in the house, so he sees the whole house as a place for things like eating, not for things like peeing. Don't worry, you will definitely get there. I know that at the moment it probably feels like you do nothing much besides mop up puppy pee, but he will get past it and you will end up with a house trained dog
Thank you that's really helpful! I have just set my timer now as I think this week I've certainly taken my eye of the ball due to kids been off school - his crate is dry on a night which is something x
Another thing to add is when you clean up inside, make sure you're using a special enzymatic cleaner like Simple Solution, which removed all tiny traces of wee. Some regular household cleaners contain ammonia, which will make the puppy think that someone else has peed there, and will be more likely to go themselves. Simple Solution contains something that removes all traces of wee far more effectively than any regular cleaner, so it doesn't smell like toilet to pup
Hi Hugo's mum. I am so glad you posted this I have just signed up to the website to post something similar. My puppy is 11 weeks old and where she is doing great at night and will not wee In her crate she will go in the house if I am not on top of it. I take her for a wee, let her roam for 20 mins then I crate her for 10, or while we have a meal, then I take her out. If I stick to this she is perfect but if I get sidetracked by my toddler we will definitely have an accident. Somehow I got it in my head she should be holding it a bit longer, but this thread has really reassured me. Think I need to be setting alarms too. Would love to hear how you get on.
You have to separate the "managing to hold it overnight" from "not holding it during the day", I think. The problem is, puppies really don't know that they should go outdoors, in the same way that human babies don't know they should go to the bathroom. It's something that they have to learn. When a puppy, or a baby, needs to go, it just goes. Why shouldn't they? The reason they go less frequently at night time is because they're less active at night time, plus only eat and drink during the day. I know it can be really frustrating, but it's really nothing more than the puppy doing what feels right. It's just the very beginning of a long journey of training them to adjust their behaviour from what seems right for them, to what we would prefer. It must be very confusing for them sometimes! The good thing is that the toilet training doesn't last forever, even though it sometimes feel like it does
Yes - exactly. When the pup has had a sleep/play/drink/feed/anything really - take it out for a few minutes. If it 'performs' then praise and treat. If not, carry or crate then try again. After s/he has performed then you have a (very, very short at first) window where you can supervise a bit less closely. Even with this regime accidents are inevitable. So accept them, say nothing and clear up with an enzyme cleaner like Simple Solution. My three have been pretty reliable by 13 weeks completely reliable by 16 weeks - but it does vary at lot - as it does with children. .
My friend has a pup and she didn't bother toilet training him at all The pup is 20 weeks now and completely clean indoors - he did it himself. So, from this in depth survey of 1, I reckon whatever we do will 'work' in the end - it's just a case of how much mopping up we care for! (He is a Yorkshire Terrier so his puddles were tiny! Mine wee a lake!) .
ARe you taking him out to potty as soon as you open the crate? Generally there are times that will spike the need to potty. When they wake up, when you open the crate, after they eat or drink, after and sometimes during play, when you come home, when someone rings the doorbell. These are exciting things and they will often trigger the need to pee especially and don't fit a schedule. Sometimes I was out and then again in 15 minutes if we were playing. Usually they can hold on longer at night, all bodily processes slow down when they are sleeping and there are not as many exciting things going on. We are the same. Until we get older, and dogs too.
So, from what everyone is saying then, it is just a matter of time and just taking them out regularly until they a.) learn they go outdoors and b.) reach a point that they are physically developed to hold it for longer?
You've got it! It's about habits - making sure they perform outside as much as possible encourages that habit - but, when little, they simply can't hold it so need taking out a lot.
Jake is 9 weeks old tomorrow and we permenantly have someone in with him on pee and poo watch during the day. I have been amazed at how many times we need to visit the garden during the day! Yesterday was the first day with no accidents inside. So far today, so good too.
