Hi all. I am new here so hopefully i am posting in the correct place. We have an 8 week old Lab Cross (9 weeks old tomorrow.) At the moment he is spending time downstairs as he is too young to manage the stairs and thus would not be able to make the journey from his room to where his toilet area is (we don't want his toilet odours inside the house.) We have been told by our vet that we can let him toilet outside providing we monitor him as he has only just started his vaccinations. And up until yesterday we seemed to be doing really well with him as he would stroll from the living room to his toilet location, and then back with very little fuss. However now we are noticing that he isn't always prepared to make his way to the toilet, has soiled a couple of times inside (urine only), and we are resorting to taking him to the loo hourly to try and avoid any further accidents. Sometimes he appears to not want to relieve himself, other times he does, but on either occasion he still seems to retain a little extra for indoors. We appreciate he is still young, but as he knows where the toilet is, is it possible he is being lazy? Or is it too soon to expect him to remember all of the time? All help, advice, and experiences welcome. Thank you Tony
Re: Lazy or simply still learning? I don't have my pup yet, but from what I've read, I think it's just too soon. He's not trained yet, even if he's getting the idea. It will take a while longer yet, so keep taking him out to his area regularly, praise him a lot when he goes and never punish him if he has a mishap inside. If you don't already do it, use a non-ammonia based cleaner to thoroughly clean up any accidents because he will want to go where he's been before and his sensitive nose will be able to smell it even if you can't. Also, puppies prefer to go on carpets, so if you can, restrict him to an area with solid floors. There's more information here: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/help-with-potty-training-your-labrador-puppy/
Re: Lazy or simply still learning? That had been my general thinking to be honest......he's only been with us almost a week and we know training takes longer than that. He never gets punished for any mishaps indoors, simply removed whilst the area is thoroughly cleaned. Even though we have wooden floors, there is an old padded quilt over the top to soften the area a little. We have both put in a lot of reading online, and my other half has had pups in the past so we haven't come into this blind. Nonetheless, i am a believer in seeking the opinions and advice of other people. There is a wealth of knowledge and useful information that can be gained from friendly discussion. Thank you for your input, and enjoy the arrival of your little one in a week's time.
Re: Lazy or simply still learning? Still learning Still having the odd accident even at 15 weeks is not at all unusual. Then they ned to learn to ask to go out when the door is shut, which is yet another skill.
Re: Lazy or simply still learning? Thanks Mags. The shut door scenario hasn't been a problem yet as either i have been up and awake to open the door before he even wakes up, or he has whimpered a little which i assume at the time is his way of saying he needs the toilet, at which point the door is opened for him. He has such a grand little manner about him when he gets up and strolls for the door - like he is saying "look at me, look what i can do," with so much pride. It's just a shame that at the moment he slips out of this as if he has forgotten what he has learned so far. Still, very early days.
Re: Lazy or simply still learning? Do you have any pictures of him to share? I think everyone here loves a good puppy picture
Re: Lazy or simply still learning? Hmmmm....having a little trouble inserting an image. Anyone able to assist?
Re: Lazy or simply still learning? Have now realised i need to use a photo hosting site to share photos via links. Not ideal but i will look into this. Thanks for your patience.
Re: Lazy or simply still learning? Just trying this out to see if it works. http:// It worked This is our Bud.
Re: Lazy or simply still learning? This should show our Bud playing.....and he has teeth!! However, no image so will try again.
Re: Lazy or simply still learning? Please bear with me...this is now becoming a nightmare. I can't delete posts so there are now postings which are basically just computer jargon. All this to post a photo
Re: Lazy or simply still learning? Thank you Rosie. I am having problems attaching further photos....the links don't seem to be working and i can't delete unnecessary postings. At lease you all now can meet Bud....and he is adorable.
Re: Lazy or simply still learning? Awww, he is really cute It can take several weeks to teach a pup to go to the toilet outside. I used to take Harley every hour or so, plus after meals and naps. Every time she went in the garden I would praise her by saying 'good wee wee' as she was mid flow, then reward with a treat when she finished. This helped teach her very quickly good luck
Re: Lazy or simply still learning? I've been struggling with posting photos today as well Love your pups white bib. It takes the average human over 2 years to gain control of their bowels and bladder, so it is not surprising if dogs take a few weeks.
Re: Lazy or simply still learning? And remember that a lot of the problem is that they just don't have good bladder control at that age - they might not realise they want to go until they are going. So it is not naughtiness or failure to learn, they really do need to develop the muscle control to be able to wee at will...
Re: Lazy or simply still learning? Thank you Ternaya. We seem to be taking the right approach, and since i posted on here Bud has been strolling to his toilet area each time he needs to go. Sometimes he stops mid way and looks like he is waiting to be followed or guided, but he obviously knows where to go so i am baffled by the earlier lapse. But, we wouldn't be without him. He completes our little family.
Re: Lazy or simply still learning? Thank you everyone thus far for your thoughts and kind words. I will keep you all updated over the coming weeks and months for those who are interested. Hopefully i will find a way to add more photos too.
