New Puppy Owners Need Help!

[Klattsy]

Hi Everyone, I have sought help online for our puppies problems. If I may ask explain our situation and ask for some help it would be much appreciated! I appologise for the long post!

My wife and I bought two pups last Sunday. One is a male purebread Cockerspaniel (Charlie) - 8 weeks, the other is a female mix (Jezzy) who we think is a bit of staffy, labrador, pit dog in there. Unsure of her age. Vet's couldn't help determine exact mix. We bought them both spontaneously (yes, im a sucker for my wife's wishes) from a produce outlet becuase they looked so sad and neglected. The sellers where very dodgy but OH was so happy and I was so happy for her I didn't think to check for anything. The sellers even said Jezzy was a boy!!!

They had their firsts shots at the vet on the Monday....The vet said the cockerspaniel was malnurished and had a bad case of mites which we have almost cleared up. They where both dirty and flea ridden which we have fixed as well.

Our main problem is that my wife and I both work (stressful jobs as well!) Mon-Fri and are out of the house 7am-4:30pm. While we are out, they are locked inside with the fan on. I don't trust them outside as they are young and Jezy has a tendancy to dig which she is instilling on Charlie. They have an outside pen and the property is fenced but I just don't trust the area (birds, insects, dodgy people) as we have bushland behind us. May start to use the pen this weekend. They have free reign of the laundry (where they also sleep at night) and also the hallway which runs for about 5 meters off the laundry. We have a bed, a mat and toys there for them to play with on tiled floor.

We devote all our time to them from 6am when we wake up, they go outside and play till about 7 when we feed them, put them in the basket and leave for work. Then we return home at 4-5 and play for an hour then feed them, we sit down and rest and then about 9pm they are roudy and want to play before we settle them down for the night.

Now for my problems!

I have tried to read a lot of the questions already posted and done some research but I just can't find what i'm looking for.

1. Toilet training/house breaking - They go toilet inside the house like you wouldn't believe. We have tried "NO's" when we seem the crouching, we have tried praising & rewarding them for going outside. We have even done the worse thing I can imagine by putting their noses in it when they do it inside. I think this is hideous but people seem to suggest it. They will even spend half an hour outside, then come inside and pee straight away! I have done the research on crates, but everything seems to point to only having the dogs in there for a short time. I know this is having cake and eating it too, but how can I trian them to go toilet outside when we only have limited contact time with them? We haven't been getting up at night to let them out so the laundry is full of accidents when we get up - we have paper down though so it's bareable.

2. Snapping/bitting each other (and us)- I know they are puppies and probably only playing but they attack each other like crazy, non-stop and start growling and nipping...usually until Jezzy (who is 2x bigger) grabs Charlie and looks like she's ripping him up! Its so sad to watch so I say "NO" with smacks sometimes but they keep doing it non-stop! We have plenty of toys but this happens all the time. I'd hate to think what they do to each other while we are not there. Is this just teething? I would hate for them to group up with agression in them, especially Jezzy who we don't know what she exactly is...I don't want to see them hurt. Should I just let them "play" or should I constantly stop it...???

Our family have told us to get rid of Jezzy cause she is so much bigger and seems to be very sly and un responsive to any calls. But I love her and Charlie too and can't see them leave.

Please help as we are getting very stressed. I know we are massively underprepared for puppies, but as an animal lover we couldn't bare to leave them at the produce. We are thinking about taking them to a day care during the day, but I don't know if this would be any benift for them as 1. they would be in an unfamilure environment and 2. would they get any more attention/supervision then if we left them alone!

Any help will be appreciated!

regards,

Mark & Suzie

PS - I would post pictures but am at work as I write..hopefully later!

[Stewie_the_Frenchie]

Hi Mark,

I am a very new puppy owner myself so my advice is probably to be taken lightly.

Regarding the toilet training, I think you really need to catch them in the act for it to take any affect. We have just got Turtle peeing on the newspaper in his room and are yet to move it outside, so it can be a slow process. Turtle has a really short memory and I don't think he understands when we get mad at him for weeing 10 minutes ago when we didn't see him.

The snapping and biting - whenever he mouths or bites we hold his muzzle shut and growl at him and then put him in time out for a couple of minutes. He seems to settle down in that time (sometimes not though!). He is just playing but we don't want him doing it and the vet said to do this procedure. It's only been a week and there is a little bit of improvement.

I know what you mean about the 9pm red cordial hype-up! 9.30 is our crazy time - oh man it's full on!

Anyway I hope that helps, it probably doesn't! Good luck

[peibe]

You will find it next to impossible to toilet train them when they are locked inside all day, a puppy cannot hold on and will toilet when it needs too. Get them outside when you are at work, with a kennel in a run if needed.

As to the puppy play, Puppy Preschool is very important

Trying to raise a happy healthy well adjusted pup singly is hard enough trying to raise 2 is double hard and not something I would even think about

[Kavik]

Have you enrolled in a puppy preschool or dog obedience classes? A good puppy preschool should help you with some of these behaviours and give you some ideas on how to best look after your pups, especially if you are new to dog ownership. If you tell us where you are located, someone could point you in the right direction for training.

For housetraining, consistency is the key. I agree with piebe, it will be very difficult to housetrain if they are inside with no supervision all day, as they will learn that they can go inside. Best to have them somewhere you don't mind them toileting if you can't supervise - for most people this is outside. When you are home, supervise them and take them outside frequently to go to the toilet. Puppies will want to go after sleeping, playing, eating, drinking, and in between! If they look like they might have to go, take them out and praise them when they do go. You may want to introduce a toilet command, give the command as they are going to the toilet, they will then eventually associate the command with toileting.

With the playing, some dogs do play rough! Growling, snapping, grabbing and dragging other dogs. So it is most likely your pups are only playing. But as we cannot see what they are doing, you may want to have someone at training etc help you figure it out. If you think they are playing too rough, you can separate them and give them a time out in separate areas until they settle down.

I have found crates to be very useful for both housetraining, their bed at night, separating if play gets too rough and a million other things! If you do a search you should find several threads on crate training if you decide to go that way.

[zoepuppy]

Hi Mark, congratulations on your new puppies. I have a 6 months old pup (we got her at 8 weeks) and boy, I can understand your problems!

My advice to you on toilet training is persistence. You have to take them outside with you to the spot you want them to do their business and WAIT PATIENTLY and calmly. The best times to do this is after their naps, and meals, or every 2-3 hours (when you are home on the weekends). Have a treat (not their normal food) ready if you must, and the moment they do their business, PRAISE them incessantly. I did that with my new pup and if you were my next door neighbour, you would have thought that I have just won Tattslotto.

It's hard work. Your pups may or may not do their business when you take them out but keep at it. To help make the experience positive for you and the dogs, perhaps you can make yourself a nice coffee, take a magazine/paper to read when you take them out whilst keeping an eye on them at the same time. Be ready to jump for joy though!!

Regarding biting, I have lots of marks on my hands to show for. Puppy teeths are razor sharp. We tried growling and I mean GROWL and it worked 99% of the time. No point yelling at them. Do how their mothers would have done. Have you seen how younger pups show respect to older dogs? It's fascinating!

My pup stop the biting after all her adult teeth came through (around 5-6 months).

Take them for walks and let them socialise with outside surroundings, other people and dogs.

Remember, when they do something right, PRAISE them (you have do it with lots of emotions - no point saying good dog in a monotonous voice) but when they are bad, growled at them WHEN they are doing it, not after. Be consistent in the words you use and don't use long phrases (too many words confuses them)

Good luck!

[Poodle wrangler]

Toilet training- As long as you allow accidents in the house, they will never learn that they're doing the wrong thing. Where else can they go if they're inside all day?

Forget the "rubbing their noses in it" method- doesn't work because the dog makes no connection between the deed and the "punishment". Only teaches dog to be afraid of the crazy person who rubs their nose in poo . You have to catch them in the act and take them outside immediately, otherwise ignore accidents.

Have you considered a dog run for outside? How big is the pen?

Crates- They're meant to be like a den for the dog. They're for overnight and no more than a few hours at other times (as you know). Otherwise it's a cage, not a crate . They're too young to hold on all night, so you'll have to get up at least once overnight for a puppy toilet break. They'd need a crate each, or a large one with a partition in to 2. 2nd dog would need another one later if you wanted to keep using it.

Biting you- very bad puppy habit which they all do. You have to teach them not to bite/mouth you. Yelp and then ignore them. Pats/ attention only once they've calmed down and stopped mouthing.

Biting each other: My dogs are about 18kg size difference and they have teeth out, wrestle, growl etc. but there is no aggression, it's play. No broken skin, ever. Nipping is rare. It is very clear that one dog is the boss and the other doesn't challenge him. I would be worried if they were worse than this. They may need to be separated for safety.

[sas]

Hi and welcome to the forum, you'll get a lot of different types of advice, so here's mine

1. Toilet training/house breaking - They go toilet inside the house like you wouldn't believe. We have tried "NO's" when we seem the crouching, we have tried praising & rewarding them for going outside. We have even done the worse thing I can imagine by putting their noses in it when they do it inside. I think this is hideous but people seem to suggest it. They will even spend half an hour outside, then come inside and pee straight away! I have done the research on crates, but everything seems to point to only having the dogs in there for a short time. I know this is having cake and eating it too, but how can I trian them to go toilet outside when we only have limited contact time with them? We haven't been getting up at night to let them out so the laundry is full of accidents when we get up - we have paper down though so it's bareable.

Looks like the problem here is that you have been inconsistent, research a good proven method and stick to it. Yes, in my opinion you did do the worst posible thing and rub the dogs noses in their business, this is not only disgusting & unhygenic but all it teaches the dog is that you don't like them to toilet in front of you and that includes outside as well, dogs who are continualy punished like this will seek out places away from you and hide to do their business.

Now, you also have to understand their puppies and there will be set backs. We ad Dante going through the night at 11 weeks and 10% reliably toilet trained at about 13 weeks, he's a giant dog so has an advantage over smaller dogs in this department. Each dog is different and will click onto it at different times.

The method we use in our house for training puppies and foster dogs is as follows:

You never let the dog out of your sight when you are home, if they have an accident when you are home, well that's your issue, you wren't watching them. If you don't want the dogs toileting all over the house when you're not home then contain them to an actual room if it's big enough, otherwise you may need to invest in a mesh run for them.

Ok...so let me get back on track: Every hour you take the dog outside in a positive way, you give your toileting command whatever that may be, we say "Toilet", don't play with the dog just let it sniff around the yard, walk around the yard yourself, once it starts to toilet, calmly say "Good Toilet", then when the dog has finished, lay on the praise big time and then have a play in the yard to show the dogs that the yard is a fun place to be. If the dog doesn't toilet, then go back inside and watch it like a hawk.

If the dog begins to have an accident and you see it, give a firm NO, but don't yell, don't hit, don't run at the dog etc, lead the dog outside and follow the above steps. When you go back inside, clean up the mistake with a special accident spray that removes the scent that the dog can smell but you can't. If you haven't been doing this, then I would suggest you get your carpets cleaned and sanatised otherwise your house will smell like one big toilet to the dogs.

If the dog/s have an accident inside the house and you didn't see it happen, you can't do anything, do give the dog an angry look or body language or say anything, just clean it up, dogs aren't like humans, if you repremand the dog you'll only confuse it.

We take the dogs toilet before they go to bd and lift the water an hour or 2 before bed. Dante is crate trained and the crate was in our room, he would cry once or twice a night wanting to go to the toilet when he just a bubba.

2. Snapping/bitting each other (and us)- I know they are puppies and probably only playing but they attack each other like crazy, non-stop and start growling and nipping...usually until Jezzy (who is 2x bigger) grabs Charlie and looks like she's ripping him up! Its so sad to watch so I say "NO" with smacks sometimes but they keep doing it non-stop! We have plenty of toys but this happens all the time. I'd hate to think what they do to each other while we are not there. Is this just teething? I would hate for them to group up with agression in them, especially Jezzy who we don't know what she exactly is...I don't want to see them hurt. Should I just let them "play" or should I constantly stop it...???

Smacking a razzed up dog isn't going to get you anywhere, they're too hyped up to learn. Dogs learn when they have a calm mind. Yes, puppies and dogs play fight and some play fight really hard, if no one is getting injuried then I would just leave them to it but perhaps have a rule that any playing is done outside and not inside. When puppies platfight they learn bite inhibition (how hard they can bite before they hurt) this is a good thing.

Our family have told us to get rid of Jezzy cause she is so much bigger and seems to be very sly and un responsive to any calls. But I love her and Charlie too and can't see them leave.

Sounds like it's time to show Jezzy some leadership, there is a great book by Jan Fennell called 'Dog Listener', I highly reccomend it, especially people new to dogs or those practicing out of date methods.

Please help as we are getting very stressed. I know we are massively underprepared for puppies, but as an animal lover we couldn't bare to leave them at the produce. We are thinking about taking them to a day care during the day, but I don't know if this would be any benift for them as 1. they would be in an unfamilure environment and 2. would they get any more attention/supervision then if we left them alone!

When you're stressed the dogs pick up on it, leaders are calm & assertive.

Good luck!

Edited September 14, 2007 by sas

[Flaves]

Wow!

Well done for getting them.

Do they have toys to play with while you are out?

I would reccomend puppy proofing your yard tomorrow so that they can go outside in a certian area on monday!

Set up the pen so there is play area in the sun and shade.

Maybe get a clam pool and fill one side with sand so that they can dig in it na dnot in your garden.

Spend as much time as possible when you are at home with them.

Spend one on one time with them. 10-15 minutes training and playing just with them.

Crate training is great for nights but make sur eyou are consistant with taking them out to the loo.

Every 30 minutes - 60 minutes, maybe even one at a time until they get the hang of it.

Good luck, but we need piccies!!

Oh with the biting, stop play. If they nip your hands, get up and move away and ignore htem, OR replace your hands wth a toy.

This should help.

[Klattsy]

Oh wow! Thanks for all the advise everyone!

Today we set the pen up outside. Its about 1.5m x 7m long made of mesh about 700-800mm high. Charlie ( the cocker spaniel) can't get out but Jezzy can just put her paws on the lip (we have a "lid" running around the rim about 500 in).

I set it up on the side of the house as it gets a little bit of shade there. I am trying them out there today and tommorow. So far they where OK, but we gave them attention all day and when we weren't there they whigned...I am also worried about ants and weeds. I mowed the grass short today but can any one recommend puppy freindly weed kill and ant control? I would hate for the pups to get bitten by an ant or eat some kind of dangerous weed.

If I can reply to a few points...

We watch the pups like hawks when we are at home, if I see them sniffing round I will take them outside but they only pee 3/5 times when I do this. Plus tonight I started walking them out and Jezzy stopped inside the door and peed! I am rewarding them and praising them when they do go outside though as well as using the "go pee pee" command. When I see them inside I try to take them out, but Charlie will just keep doing his business as I carry him out! Will keeping them in the laundry at night hinder this? We haven't been getting up to check on them but I may start. Last night I was up till 1AM and let them out 5-6 times, then in the morning there was kaka all over the laundry including the door! I will no longer do the "nose thing". Sorry if I offended anyone by suggesting it but had been told it worked. I know now otherwise. We use Pine-O-Clean to wipe away the pee inside (we only let them on tiles)...should this be ok? FWIW - we never dicipline post-bad behavior. Only if we see it happening.

We will be leaving the puppies outside as of Monday. As mentioned, I am concered about the environment. They are just on grass...should I be worried about ants or birds or anything? Also, should I leave food in the pen with them? The will obviously have lots of water and I have covered one end with a tarp for shade.

Can anyone recommend a Puppy Playschool in the Southern Brisbane are of Jimboomba? There is a dog obidience school near us and the Jimboomba vet said theirs starts up in October...

I wil stop smacking during the biting and try growling. It is only the cockerspaniel that does it to humans. I read in another thread here that growling didn't work and when they went to smacking it did...will try the growl...I notice that when Jezzy bites Charlie to hard he "yelps" and she stops...maybe I should try a yelp too ??? I am just so scared they are going to break skin or do something serious to each other. It's hard to tell when they play.

What exactly is a "run" does this just mean a chain that runs along a wire? If I had a sheltered patio I would try this but we just bought the house and only have grass as our landscaping at the moment

Do you think maybe we are diciplining too much? We say "NO" a lot...biting, digging, going to close to the road, fighting with each other, chewing on things they shouldn't...

Thanks again!

Mark & Suzie

[persephone]

Hi....

Pine-O Cleen and other disinfectants are not the best. You need an enzyme based cleaner..like a lot of the laundry detergents or a special one from the vets/pet store.This WILL remove all smell, and be safe for the dogs.

The pen sounds ok with grass in.... as long as they can't dig under it, and it is roofed....hopefully your girl cannot try & pull herself over.

Well done for letting them acclimatise to it on the weekend

A pen as you describe, can also be called a 'run' ,afaik

you shouldn't ned to use a weed control, and I don't know if all you have are little black ants, but if that IS all..they will be fine.

Lots of water, some of their bedding, a couple of toys...

Oh, and put bedding/food/wwater up one end, so the other end can be a toilet area :p

;)

EDIT.. the poo on the laundry door.... is it from grotty feet up on the door?

If your pups are not doing nice formed poos( which are really hard to get on feet) maybe you need to alter their diet?

Their poo shouldn't be very soft and able to be used as 'finger paint" ;)

Edited September 15, 2007 by persephone

[Spot.]

Logan Village vet runs a Puppy Pre School, although I haven't attended yet. Could you perhaps get a doggy door for them? Do not feel bad for leaving them outside. Even if you purchase two kennels or two crates for them, make sure they have access to grass and put the pen around that (hoping that makes sense). They should be fine around birds and ants. A lot of people get one of those plastic clam shells for children and put sand in one and water in the other (in the summer) to entertain the pups.

A run is like this http://cgi.ebay.com.au/dog-run-pen-enclosu...1QQcmdZViewItem and no they aren't on a lead or chain. You can get cheaper versions or build them yourself

Edited September 15, 2007 by spotty.spot.spot

[Rhi*Jak*Ed]

Firstly I just wanted to say congrats on your two new additions - it's a very exciting time but at the same time... very trying!

One of the worst things you can use to clean up after a wee accident inside is Pine 'o' Clean - I learnt this the hard way :-( I just use white vinegar... When it's time for me to actually give the floors a good mop (I have polished floorboards), I use Pine 'o' Clean and chuck in some white vinegar as well. The floors are so slippery afterwards that Jak wouldn't be able to get a good stance to pee even if she tried! haha.

One thing I certainly noticed with my little one is that when she was mouthing me, if I did anything other than put her into time out, she got more excited and spurred on by my reactions, whether that was yelping, walking away etc. She's just chase me and latch on to my ankles instead of my hands! I can laugh about it now, but it was a hell of a time to go through... She is now 7 months old and whilst she still goes to mouth occasionally during play, a firm uh-uh now does the trick with her. That and I end play time. It's taken her a while, but she now knows that if she gets too rough with me the game is over. She hates that more!!

I can't imagine what it must be like to have two small pups at the same time, so good on you :-) You will find what works best for you and for each individual dog - what works for one may not necessarily work for the other one. They're wonderful like that :-)

Try and enjoy this time, just like kids, they grow up so fast :-)

Am looking forward to seeing some pics.

Rhi & Jak

[sas]

With the outside pen you may find they dig out as it's only on grass. I wouldn't be too worried about ants unless you have an ant infestation in that area, feed he dogs and pick up the bowls so the ants dont' come.

In regards to the biting, with some dogs growls work, with others you have to be very harsh, every dog is an complete individual.

As for toileting overnight, they're going to keep doing that until they're old enoug to hold on overnight unless you get up once or twice a night to let them out. That's why crate training is an excellent option as they don't like to toilet in such a small area and will tend to cry to let you know they need to toilet.

[Klattsy]

OK. So here I am sitting at work absolutely petrified at what is going on at home...It's going to be hot here today (30+) and i'm sitting in air con while my pups are at home outside all alone...i'm so scared for them!

I have covered each end of the pen in a tarp and put their water (2 bowls) & food on roof tiles so hopefully the ants won't get to them. Yesterday they started digging out so I have put a sleeper at the end of the pen. I started fencing off the property but ran out of chicken wire. Hopefully i'll finish that tonight. Is there anyway to teach them to stop digging? If we see it, we rouse on them...

Also, is eating leaves & dirt bad? They always seem to be chewing on things when we go out for toilet...

Breakthrough with toliet training! I actually woke up last night at 1pm and 4am to let them out and there wasn't a mess in the laundry at all this morning! Kills my mental state, but it'll be worth it I think.

Fingers crossed they'll be ok today. Can't wait to get home!

Mark.

[Rhi*Jak*Ed]

Oh wow - the first day outside alone is always worrying - I was a mess the first day I left Jak outside. Mind you, that first day we had a huge storm come through so she was visibly traumatised when I got home from work - I felt horrible! lol

I wouldn't worry about the leaves and dirt - they're dogs afterall. Mine takes her bone, buries it then digs it back up and starts eating it - dirt and all!!

You're in Brisbane aren't you? Yes it will be warm here today. As long as they have plenty of water they'll be fine :-)

[alananddora]

Congrats - I thought one was stressful enough but you guys are doing it the hard way...!

Our little one is twelve weeks and a combination of overnight cratting, secure outside area (just had a proper dog run installed on Friday cost a bit of $$ but at least we now have peace of mind during the day when me and my OH are at work) and eagle eyes at night has almost cancelled out all inside no1's (she has never pooed inside!) accidents.

As soon as we see her circling and running around snifing it is straight up - "toilet outside, toilet outside..." put her on her designated area and she generally pees straight away, with copious "good girl..". As soon as she is done it is straight back inside, so she does not connect peeing outside with being left outside.

Crating for the whole night took about one week to achieve, she now happily goes to the crate at lights out (10pm) and holds all night to 6am. I think the secret to successful crating is during the evening associate all trips to her crate (door open to begin with) are rewarded.

Over the weekend, we noticed she is now not circling but she is sitting at the door waiting to let outside!

Consistency and positive reinforcement and you should be less stressful sooner than later! Good luck.

[Poodle wrangler]

Do you think maybe we are diciplining too much? We say "NO" a lot...biting, digging, going to close to the road, fighting with each other, chewing on things they shouldn't...

No, you're not disciplining too much. But the trick is to also catch them being good. Once they've stopped doing the wrong thing and are being good (or even doing nothing at all) praise++. Food treats are good while they're learning, too. Start training asap and keep being consistent and you'll have a dog that knows what's expected and will be a lot more fun to live with.

Is there anyway to teach them to stop digging?

No. You won't be there to tell them off every time they do it, so don't bother at all. Unless you do it very time, the dogs just won't get it.

You have to make the pen secure and may have to dig some of that chicken wire into the ground or use some other sort of barrier.

[Kaos Central]

Congratulations on your puppies, i am lucky becasue i work from home i can spend all day with my dogs but what you are trying sounds like you are making a break through, just remember puppy steps. Every time we have a big storm, thunder or fire works our dogs forget a little bit of thier training and we get accidents on the floor. They dont mean to, but they are frightened. There are some fabulous people here on DOL who are always happy to help out. You will find that once you start pre school and then training that everything will become a lot easier. Persevere and you will be rewarded with all the love and affection you can handle. Good Luck.

[zoepuppy]

Pine-O Cleen and other disinfectants are not the best. You need an enzyme based cleaner..like a lot of the laundry detergents or a special one from the vets/pet store.This WILL remove all smell, and be safe for the dogs.

I use vinegar and bicarb diluted with water. Very kind on the carpet and for my pup.

My pup now 6 months still likes to chew and eat tan bark. It comes out in the end. Be wary about stones though, and any other things that are large and doesn't break down when they chew on it.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

It's much harder to manage with two puppies but I will pass on my toilet training tips here. If you and your partner make a start now, you can then take Saturday and Sunday to really concentrate on this method and then keep going. Consistency is vital. Please no more rubbing their nose in it, a barbaric and outmoded method, can't believe people still do this. The method here is all about kindness and reward, that will get you a long way in life.

Please don't listen to your family and get rid of your dog - you chose the dog and now have a responsibility to it. Remember, any addition to the family home, and I'm including birds and rabbits in this, will be a change. The bigger/higher maintenance item (dog or child), the bigger the adjustment will be. You have to give these things time, in the case of dogs, I find it is about 2 months for you and them to settle into a routine.

HOUSETRAINING TIPS

Ok - first thing to do is decide on the command (I call it “do wees”) you will repeat over and over. You have to really focus on the dog for about 2-3 days to be successful. You have a pocketful of special treats on hand all the time for the first 2-3 days.

Walk the dog several times a day and every time the dog wees, you get very excited and keep saying “Good boy/girl, do wees, do wees” – give the dog treats every time.

First thing in the morning, last thing at night and every time you see the dog eat or drink (both precursors to weeing) whisk the dog into the garden and repeat the command “do wees”. Get very excited and present treats every time dog goes.

The dog’s aim in life is to please you. If the dog should have an accident inside the house – say NOTHING at all. The dog soon gets the idea that when he/she goes outside you are really, really pleased and he/she gets rewarded.

NB: Please note that the smell of urine must be properly removed for any housetraining to be successful. There are products on the market such as “Urine Off” but they are very expensive. A mix of white vinegar and water is a much cheaper alternative and should work for tiles and other surfaces although you should always take care with wood etc. For carpet/rugs, I use either a mixture of Napisan/water or bicarb of soda and water. I completely soak the stain using a dab on technique with a cloth. When it is very wet, I use an old towel to soak up the excess moisture. Again, be careful on any expensive carpet/rug, I have never had any problems but I cannot guarantee any method here.