Benji is 17 weeks old now and I guess I can say he is 'housetrained' as he only does his thing outside, he doesn't use the house any more, yey. The only problem is that he ignores the dedicated area in the back garden and instead, he choses his own spots to pee. (Poo is ok, within the dedicated boundaries.) Places include the decking which leads to the garden from the kitchen, which has become his favourite place when he needs to pee. He is too big to pick him up and he does it quite suddenly so no chance I can taxi him to the right spot. Can you please help me to seize back the decking?
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking Oh, poor decking... You can try feeding him his meals on the decking so that he sees it as an eating place, not a peeing place. Each meal put his bowl in a different spot on the decking, till you've more or less covered the decking (if you imagine the decking divided into 1 metre square grids). What about taking him out on lead for a bit - does he hold on past the decking if you try that (just for a re-training period)?
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking [quote author=Oberon link=topic=6571.msg87904#msg87904 date=1402700619] You can try feeding him his meals on the decking so that he sees it as an eating place, not a peeing place. [/quote] Yes I thought about this. Also about putting his crate on the decking during the day, so that he sees the decking as part of his home. But I was unsure about moving the crate from its standard place? [quote author=Oberon link=topic=6571.msg87904#msg87904 date=1402700619] What about taking him out on lead for a bit - does he hold on past the decking if you try that (just for a re-training period)? [/quote] I am not sure what you mean by this Rachael, can you re-phrase it?
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking No worries Sorry, that was confusing. Can you try taking him out on the lead? If he is on the lead will he walk across the decking without wanting to wee? If that works you could do that while you are working on feeding him on the deck. I think it would be ok to move his crate onto the deck during the day. I don't think that would confuse him and I think it would help solve the weeing problem
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking Erm, do you mean that putting him on lead might trigger different reflexes and makes him pass the decking and go straight to the garden like he was going for a walk?
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking I was thinking that if he is on lead you have control of where he goes and when he stops, so you can get him past the decking without him stopping to wee
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking My guess is he would just stop anyway, or follow me to the my chosen spot and then look at me asking 'and now what?' I tried it a couple times, we spent about 30 minutes there asking each other questions so I gave up doing it temporarily, maybe too early. But I didn't see the pattern to be able to estimate the potentially good time for taking him out. When it suddenly happens, it is normally too late. Oh, we keep the terrace door (the one between the kitchen and the decking) open by the way, he is free to go outside whenever we are in the kitchen to superwise him. Maybe we should keep him inside and only go outside on lead for toilet purposes whenever we see the signs?
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking That's what I do with my dog - he is inside with the door shut if we are inside, and he goes to the door if he needs to go out. You could try that. It might not work, but it still might be worth trying
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking I would definitely suggest a combination of all that has already been mentioned: 1. Keep the door shut so he only has access to outside when it's toilet time. This way you can supervise where he goes. 2. A bit of retraining to see the decking as 'house' and not 'toilet'. 3. Take him out for toilet time on the lead, but do it quickly so he doesn't have time to stop, literally run or jog, or walk fast enough that he he doesn't get distracted. Call him, talk silly, anything to encourage him to move a bit quicker and come with you onto the grass. 4. Use your basic housetraining theory but apply it to the decking - so pretend your decking area is like a room in your house. Do whatever it is you would do if he had an accident in the house, and only reward toileting in the desired place eg. Grass. As I said, I would use a combination of all ideas rather then one specific approach as it may help him pick up the idea quicker.
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking Maybe break the cycle by taking him a walk for all his wees for a while? Clean the deck with Simple Solution and, like others have said, feed him there (after the walk to be sure he is empty!) This is an interesting thread for me. We are going to become Guide Dog puppy walkers at the end of July. When the pup comes we have to train it to wee in a designated area - but the area is fenced off, so that makes it a bit easier. The problem a lot of puppy walkers have is that the pups don't want to wee and poo on hard standing - they prefer grass. I am thinking of putting a square of turf down in there to encourage the pupsta. I can't get Tatze to wee in there at all! I think she sees it as part of the house, she holds it and holds it if I try to get her to go in there. Here it is, all ready for incoming pupsta
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking Is that an outdoor xylophone or a rather ascetic hammock?
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking [quote author=Oberon link=topic=6571.msg87988#msg87988 date=1402734507] Is that an outdoor xylophone or a rather ascetic hammock? [/quote] Rachael, thank you for asking the question that has taunted me since the last time I saw that photo Was going to chip in with Benji......can you make a really clear distinction about rewarding pees on the "designated patch" and the decking. A lovely high value food reward, and lots of praise for the grass, ignoring him for the decking? As well as all the other tips
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking [quote author=Oberon link=topic=6571.msg87988#msg87988 date=1402734507] Is that an outdoor xylophone or a rather ascetic hammock? [/quote] Haha! It's a xylophone! My husband used to make and sell outdoor instruments - this was one of them. It will be a bit of shelter for pupsta when s/he is 'spending' - as Guide Dogs call it
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking Thanks very much for the advices. So to sum it up; 1. Keep door closed for more control 2. Recondition decking as part of the house 3. Take Benji straight to the spot in the right time 4. Praise him like crazy when successful 5. Ignore accidents with poker face Is this all correct? Questions: 1. Is grass the best surface for the designated area? How about soil, sand, gravel etc? 2. Is Simple Solution the best for dealing with odour on the decking? Thanks
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking Your summary is correct As long as he doesn't wee on the decking it doesn't matter which surface he goes on. But it'd be best if you chose one place to take him to so he comes to really associate going there with weeing
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking I use simple solution and it's been great. I think it smells nice too! Lol Grass, gravel and soil are all fine for toileting. In fact it's probably a good idea to try and get your puppy used to using all appropriate surfaces or you'll end oh with a dog like mine who absolutely refuses to go unless she's on grass! :
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking Oh Benji is fine with all kinds of surfaces when it comes to going to toilet I buy a 4 litres bottle from Simple Solution for the decking.
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking [quote author=Istvan link=topic=6571.msg87928#msg87928 date=1402707804] Oh, we keep the terrace door (the one between the kitchen and the decking) open by the way, he is free to go outside whenever we are in the kitchen to superwise him. Maybe we should keep him inside and only go outside on lead for toilet purposes whenever we see the signs? [/quote] I taught my boy to use the far end of the garden, behind a trellis. I went out with him every time, ran down the garden, encouraging him, and making a big game of it. At first, he would swerve off, water my geraniums, then gallop to catch up. : Eventually though, i got him to go where I wanted him to go - and showered him with treats. Mega generous. I kept doing that until he got the idea that going behind the trellis was the best thing ever. It has slipped recently, because my OH can't be bothered to walk to the bottom of the garden with him (and he has been injured and on a lead) so I'll have to refresh this again.
Re: Housetraining - The battle over the decking I can only aspire to Julie's enthusiasm and dedication to Charlie. My experience is definitely to encourage different surfaces. I can recall being pulled like a tank along the promenade (I use that loosely - Riverside in Dundee if you have been there) for no initially apparent reason, until Lilly couldn't keep her legs crossed any longer and had to poop on the concrete paving. She likes a little grass to tickle her bum to be truly happy
