Little Bear

I have a question someone might be able to help with. We take him out every two hours to go to the toilet but he doesn't always go. What should I do? With my last dog I'd put him in his crate for a little while & then try again but we haven't been using the crate with Shadow.

Thanks brightstar123, that was really helpful, & good to know he's not the only one! Perhaps I will try going back to the crate Thanks Jigsaw, they are fed at 7pm, we used to feed them in the morning with the idea being that he had all day to poop but that didn't seem to make any difference so switched to night. Perhaps it's too late now though? His poop always seems quite normal, firm. We visited the vet & nothing came up wrong. She basically said try taking him back to basics like he's a new puppy & do that for a month. He's been brilliant the last two weeks & then we had a super rainy day & a throwing up toddler for a couple of days & right on the two week dot ended up with poop all down the hall last night & two wees this morning within an hour! *sighs*. From everyone I've spoke to it sounds like we're just in for a long slog of strict consistency & routine. Hopefully he'll get there eventually.

Yeh 3 walks a day aren't going to happen =) thank you to everyone for all the ideas & suggestions though. Taking him for a vet check next week & if that doesn't turn up anything we'll just have to work out a way we can manage it best Thanks again

Did you find a way to manage it?or did you just have to clean up every morning? I thought about maybe getting them both to sleep outside but they won't be very happy about that

I don't think it could be that he's been in the crate too long, unless it happened at the breeders. We really only left him overnight in the crate for a week or two because no matter how much I threw treats & toys in there he just never seemed to get settled & I thought he was peeing & pooping out of anxiety. We'd take him out to go to the toilet & then put him in there but he'd make a huge fuss & pee. That's why I decided to try the laundry. During the day I managed to extend his time to an hour without him getting upset but if I went out he'd get very upset & there'd be poop smooshed everywhere when I got back I try to go out in the garden at least once a day & they'll have a good play & I might throw their ball a bit. But they are regularly out there having a play together chasing each other around. He seems to know to go outside during the day as long as he has access to the flap. He just can't seem to hold it. I don't think he's scared to be in the garden but he could be keen to see us. He's got his sister with him all night so he's not alone but he is very attached to me. I have wondered if all the difficulties with his housetrainig could be a bit to do with some separation anxiety. I never thought dogs could have it from being so young though. We haven't really been able to do much when he's had an accident. I used to rarely catch him in the act so there was no point. No one's there to do anything about it when he goes during the night. I'm thinking a trip to the vet might be the best thing at the moment, I really don't know what else it could be edited to add: The dogs also gets plenty of attention during the day, I'm a stay at home mum so we're here most of the time. They gets lots of pats & I spend time teaching them some tricks/obedience a few times a week plus a walk most days.

I'm not too sure how many times a day he poops, it's a bit hard to tell with both dogs going in & out all day. I'd say it must be around that number since we switched them to Royal Canin. At first they were on BlackHawk but since changing the amount of poop has dramatically reduced. They also get the odd bone for their teeth. I was told to give him more cooked mince & less dog food but that didn't seem to make any difference so I stopped.

Thanks for your replies :) I was thinking maybe a vet check might be a good idea too, hopefully nothing is wrong with him He's from a reputable breeder, not from a pet shop or anything like that. Also his sister doesn't seem to have any problems. In our old house the laundry where he slept had a dog flap to the outside, it didn't make any difference though, he'd just do his business on the floor. Then we started penning him to the dog flap & gradually increasing the space. It worked for a little while but then he just started going on the floor again. We were going to go back to penning him to the dog flap but I found that on rainy nights the pair of them were going outside having a great time getting muddy & sometimes digging holes so we decided to pen them in the kitchen & I started getting up during the night to let him out. That worked for a while too but then he'd just start going once when I let him out & then again between then & 6:15am even when the gap was down to only about 2 hours!

Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone might be able to suggest some ideas or shine some light on why Shadow my 1 year old Cocker Spaniel still can't seem to hold it through the night or even for a few hours. We've had him since 9 weeks old. From day one he has been much much harder to house train than my last dog but since moving house has been alot better during the day as long as he has constant access to the dog flap. Since we got him we've taken him out regularly, waited for him to pee or poop & praised then played with him & brought him back in. The main problem now is at night. Nearly every morning since we've had him I've had some sort of mess to clean up, it used to be both wees & poos but these days it's mostly just poo. He sleeps in the laundry, we started off crating him but he would just pee & poop in there & sleep on top of it... We've tried many things to try & help him understand he has to hold it until morning but nothing has ever worked more than about 2 weeks. We've tried: Changing food, Getting up in the night to let him out then gradually moving the time closer & closer to the time my husband gets up for work, Penning him to the dog flap then gradually increasing the space, I thought he might be toileting out of anxiety from being shut away, so we let him have access to the hall outside our bedroom (he knows he's not to come in the bedroom) which connects to the dog flap but he just peed & pooped all over the hall. At the moment my husband gets up at 6:15am to let Shadow & his sister (she doesn't have any house training problems) out to the toilet then lets them back in at 6:45am. I then get up with my toddler at 8:30am. But again the last few weeks Shadow has begun pooping before my husband gets there to let them out. Then sometimes if he hasn't made a mess there will be some poop or a wee between then & when I get up. To top it all off the other evening while everyone was awake he went from the room that has the dog flap to my bedroom, pooped on the rug then went back to the room with the flap & went outside & this morning after my husband had let them out as usual they were waiting quietly (normally Shadow will fuss until I get up) so to reward his quiet I decided to let them out of the laundry & into the hall only to catch him a few mins later weeing & then found a poop I keep hoping the older he gets the better he'll be able to hold it but I'm starting to fear this is going to go on for the rest of his life . He doesn't seem to care at all if he gets covered in poop & will quite happily stomp it all over the laundry floor so when he does that I have to clean the floor & then wash his feet. Would really like to hear if anyone has any suggestions or ideas whats happening We've got a baby due in January & the thought of juggling toddler, newborn & cleaning up after his mess is rather daunting

These breeders might be too far from you but Guntop Boxers is where I got my Boxer from, he was a lovely dog & they were very helpful breeders.

Aww, it's so lovely when things like that happen :)

Thanks denali, that's really good to know. I do think Cavaliers are at the top of my list :) Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone for all the help and suggestions, I feel alot more confident to attend some shows & meet some dogs now :D

Thanks denali, I shall see if I can contact them, it just feels a bit safer going with people who are recommended (By the way your cavaliers are gorgeous!) I do love Boxers and I'm sure I'll have another in the future :) it'll be nice having a breed people don't cross the road to avoid for a change though. I once walked around a corner with my old Boxer & a woman screamed , I don't know who got more of a fright the woman or Toby!

This is a beautiful thread, really enjoying the stories :) I always remember being amazed with Toby when my mum came out of hospital after an operation, he was so very careful & gently came up to say hello, following along beside her as she made her way slowly through the house. Normally when he'd say hello he was a wiggly bouncing ball of excitement!

Thank you Natsu chan, I will send them an email. Are rough collies difficult to learn how to groom? VizslaMomma - I do wonder if maybe I shouldn't have crossed Boxers off the list so early, at least with one of those I'd know what I was in for :laugh: Powerlegs - That video is hilarious!!

Thanks Natsu chan that's great to know, I think I'll try & contact Billand & see if I can get some more info on Collies, it's a shame they don't have a breed101 thread on here. I was thinking of contacting Noonbarra kelpies as it says on their website they have some suitable for pets & they match their puppies to the right people, so I think he'd be good to chat to & see if we'd be suitable for a kelpie. Can anyone recommend a Cavalier breeder I could contact? I know there's a list of breeders but if anyone has had good experiences with one that would be good. (Or send me a message if you can't say on here) Thanks again everyone, I've really appreciated the help

Spotted Devil - I'm in NSW but thanks for the offer! It would be great to go to some trials & shows, I really wanted to wait until my husband can come along too tho. He's away for work & we wont meet up with him until we move to Adelaide. It's a shame we have to go to Adelaide because there seem to be alot more dog shows & things here, & a lot more breeders Does anyone know if there will be any trials or dog shows around Adelaide towards the end of September or later? To be honest I'm not sure I know exactly what temperament I'm after, I was hoping when we go to some shows & visit some breeders we'll be able to have a better idea what they're like & maybe just gel with one :) I agree getting through puppyhood is probably going to be the most difficult part. It's the bit when they're nearly fully grown but still have a puppy brain that worries me the most, does anyone have any tips on having dogs with young children? things you taught your dog which helped? things not to do? Even tho Toby (my Boxer) was boisterous I don't remember him being too bad in the house, it was mostly with new people or when we were out. I don't know, maybe I'm over thinking the whole baby dog interaction thing. Do breeds mature at different rates? Does anyone know how Collies & Kelpies compare? I'm wondering if Collies might be a bit more laid back

The Spotted Devil - I'm looking to dabble I think, or maybe a better way to put it is a dog I can learn with. I'm keen to get into agility, maybe even compete but I'm not sure if my handling skills will take me to that level, I've never done agility before so I wouldn't want a high end competition dog, the poor thing would probably get too frustrated with me Gretel- I had a bit of a google for Finnish Lapphund, they seem like they could be a good match. I'll definitely add them to the list of breeds to check out :)

hmm.. finish lapphund I hadn't thought about those. do they need alot of grooming? I'm not too fussed about size, although having said that the dog needs to fit in our car so that would rule out the giant breeds :laugh: I have been looking at Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Australian Kelpie & Smooth Collies so far. I haven't met many kelpies or collies though so we'll have to see. Vizsla's are beautiful but I think I read somehwere they need several hours of exercise

Hi everyone, I'd love to hear some thoughts on breeds that might suit our family. Next month we'll have moved house & once we're settled probably visit some dog shows & chat with some breeders but I wanted to start getting some research in now. :) I've put our details below but if I've missed anything just ask me House: 3br with medium garden. The dog will be allowed inside & outside as he pleases, only bedrooms will be off limits. Family: myself, my husband & our 6 month old daughter. There will hopefully be more kiddies coming along so we need a dog that is ok with children under 4 years old as they'll be about that age for most of the dogs life. Of course the children & dog will be taught how to interact & supervised. Exercise: I think the max we can manage is 1 hour walk daily, off leash time 2-3 times a week, several short training sessions a day. I love training & would really like to have a go at agility. I'm a stay at home mum so someone would be home with the dog all day (except when I need to do some shopping etc.) sadly I only have the experience of one dog, he was a Boxer & we lost him to cancer some months back. I love Boxers but I'd like something a bit less boistrous this time & a bit more trainable (not that Boxers aren't trainable) I don't know if he was a one off or if it was lack of experience on my part but he would never take treats or toys as a reward when I was trying to train him out of the house anyway that's probably a whole different topic. So in summary the most important things to me are: calmness with children, trainability, short to med length coat, & of course something that will be a bit of a companion to me during the day, happy for cuddles etc. oh & I'd love a dog I could teach to play fetch! Sorry that was kinda long, let me know if I've missed anything!

Thanks Skip that was very helpful, I think I probably should have put a bit about us in the original post :) I think I'll start another one & put more about us & ask for some breed suggestions, I'd love a kelpie but someone might suggest a breed I hadn't thought about Thanks again to everyone

Thanks, yep I think I will just check with the breeders =)

Thanks everyone for your replies, I agree it probably does depend on the dog, I just wanted to get a rough idea (more for the physical exercise) if most people were talking 30min walk a day, 1 hour or 3 hours + that was all, info on kelpies seems to vary such alot! We're still researching a few breeds so I might try posting some questions in their sub forums & hopefully soon we'll get to attend some shows :D Thanks again

Hello everyone, I was wondering if the Australian Kelpie owners out there could give me an idea of what their day or week looks like in regards to amounts of exercise & training? info on what other forms of mental stimulation you give would be great too. I know people say they need alot but I'm keen to find out how much alot is :) If we were to get one it would be a family pet first with the hopes of also trying out some agility so if you're in a similar situation it would be great to hear how much exercise & training you do. Thanks in advance!