Basic Toilet Training Going Well - Now What?

[tunagirll]

My pomeranian puppy is now 5 months old and I have had him at home for a month. He broke his leg in transit (long story) so he is still crated after surgery in a square metre pen and will continue to be for at least another 2 weeks.

Right now as I work fulltime the routine is first thing after I get up, I take him outside and ask him to do wees. He does this within 5 minutes for a reward, so he has 'got it'.

Then breakfast, and I take him outside again.

He goes back into his crate after cuddles and gets his toilet tray with newspaper for the day. He usually goes wees and poos on the tray and when I get home I clean it up (he is very happy to see me!).

Then he gets dinner and I take him outside.

During the evening I will try to remember to take him out each hour or so for a piddle. Then I put him to bed in his crate and put the tray in with him for the night (which gets cleaned in the morning).

So that is the routine right now and it seems to be going well. Now ultimately I want to be able to leave him out of his crate and have him go to his tray if he needs to go wees or poos. His crate is in the living room and I want him to go to the laundry so the tray is not on the carpet. He will be crated when nobody is home inside and when someone is home he will be loose inside. I will still take him outside to go toilet after breakfast and dinner.

With a couple of weeks crating still to go, what is the next logical step to help him progress to where I ultimately want him to be?

I can't decide becuase it's a bit tricky as I can't let him 'hold it' when he is in his crate, due to on occasion having to stay in there a full day with the toilet tray.

Thanks for any advice

[Poodle wrangler]

What if you put the tray in the laundry sometimes and encourage him to go there?

Move the tray outside (when he's ready), praise him for going in tray.

Then get him on the grass? Reward+ praise every success.

Do you use a word for toileting now?

If not, you can start to- name it and reward pup so he makes the association with the word.

Makes it easier when you then want him to go on the grass. Use your word and praise and treat when he "performs"

[tunagirll]

What if you put the tray in the laundry sometimes and encourage him to go there?

Move the tray outside (when he's ready), praise him for going in tray.

Then get him on the grass? Reward+ praise every success.

Do you use a word for toileting now?

If not, you can start to- name it and reward pup so he makes the association with the word.

Makes it easier when you then want him to go on the grass. Use your word and praise and treat when he "performs"

Yes, I use 'go wees' as his toilet word now and he knows as soon as I put him on the grass that it's business time. He gets little bits of cut up Schmackos as his reward as well as lots of praise. It's not unusual now to see him stop and try to drain every last bit of wee he can to get an extra tidbit lol

I have to carry him to the grass on vet's orders he's not to do much walking yet. I keep him on the leash so he can't run off and play.

I will wait until Christmas holidays and then let him wander the living room and put his tray down closer to the laundry door, and 'walk' him to the tray every hour or so to do wees. Do you think that will work okay?

I think I am mainly worried that it is too much to be 'inside' toilet training and 'outside' toilet training at the same time.

[Poodle wrangler]

I reckon if you're consistent pup will do fine .

I found all went well as soon as our pup knew what "wee wees" meant.

He'd start to go, look up at me as if waiting for me to say it followed by, "good dog!!!" ;)