Problems Toilet Training Puppy :(

[Ahona]

Spud, our 9 week old golden retriever is proving very hard to toilet train, though we have only been trying for about 4 days admittedly!

We take him out after he wakes, when he's sniffing and circling and after eating and after play for a while.

However, for a day or so he just started going out and playing in the yard and coming in and peeing, then hubby fixed it by building an enclosure and putting some of Spuds pee soaked newspapers in a box in it. He's using that to toilet in now. He gets tons of praise after he goes out and we're using the word 'toilet' to indicate that he should.

Lately, he's taken to just squatting and peeing in a corner of the house without any sniffing and was about to poo inside today until I caught him in time!

He also just lets go when he's excited, just squats and pees with no warning!!

How can I fix this before it runs away from me and I have a dog who thinks it's okay to go in the help. Please help!!

Another thing is that he is inside in the laundry while we are gone, which is at the back of the house and not really part of it. He has a pee box in there with stained newspapers that he goes in without fail and never dirties the floor. We can't leave him outside because he's so small and our neighbours kids are a bit dodgy!!

Thanks

a.

[Odette]

It has taken us AGES to toilet train Odette, and she still wees inside on the odd occasion (She is a indoor dog, almost 5 months old, still a puppy so hey, it happens).

I tried everything... Paper training, praising, i was adamant to not try what i believe is a pretty barbaric practice of putting their face or nose in it...

After going insane one night, after she had us cleaning up after her for hours, my partner had enough and put her face very close to it (im still against the nose IN it), said NO very firmly, then put her in the bathroom for 5-10 minutes.

I hate to say it, but its worked... She scratches on the door to go outside (even waking me up one night at 3 am, whimpering to go out to poop!), and we give her food (we use her food to train her) when she does go outside...

Wee/poop inside = nose near it and locked in bathroom for 5 mins..... Wee/poop outside = praise and food. She learnt pretty quickly.

Edited January 17, 2008 by Odette

[Guest Tess32]

Yep I had same experience with Noah - I take him outside to pee/poo and he does it, praise etc, but he will still pee inside if he could. He also doesn't show 'pee signs' sometimes so just begins to squat.

[Iamgoldn]

Spud, our 9 week old golden retriever is proving very hard to toilet train, though we have only been trying for about 4 days admittedly!

We take him out after he wakes, when he's sniffing and circling and after eating and after play for a while.

However, for a day or so he just started going out and playing in the yard and coming in and peeing, then hubby fixed it by building an enclosure and putting some of Spuds pee soaked newspapers in a box in it. He's using that to toilet in now. He gets tons of praise after he goes out and we're using the word 'toilet' to indicate that he should.

Lately, he's taken to just squatting and peeing in a corner of the house without any sniffing and was about to poo inside today until I caught him in time!

He also just lets go when he's excited, just squats and pees with no warning!!

How can I fix this before it runs away from me and I have a dog who thinks it's okay to go in the help. Please help!!

Another thing is that he is inside in the laundry while we are gone, which is at the back of the house and not really part of it. He has a pee box in there with stained newspapers that he goes in without fail and never dirties the floor. We can't leave him outside because he's so small and our neighbours kids are a bit dodgy!!

Thanks

a.

[Iamgoldn]

Spud, our 9 week old golden retriever is proving very hard to toilet train, though we have only been trying for about 4 days admittedly!

We take him out after he wakes, when he's sniffing and circling and after eating and after play for a while.

However, for a day or so he just started going out and playing in the yard and coming in and peeing, then hubby fixed it by building an enclosure and putting some of Spuds pee soaked newspapers in a box in it. He's using that to toilet in now. He gets tons of praise after he goes out and we're using the word 'toilet' to indicate that he should.

Lately, he's taken to just squatting and peeing in a corner of the house without any sniffing and was about to poo inside today until I caught him in time!

He also just lets go when he's excited, just squats and pees with no warning!!

How can I fix this before it runs away from me and I have a dog who thinks it's okay to go in the help. Please help!!

Another thing is that he is inside in the laundry while we are gone, which is at the back of the house and not really part of it. He has a pee box in there with stained newspapers that he goes in without fail and never dirties the floor. We can't leave him outside because he's so small and our neighbours kids are a bit dodgy!!

Thanks

a.

Hi Ahona,

4 days is not long to have been trying to tiolet train, it can take months even a year for some dogs to get the tiolet training

regards

Iamgoldn

[Miranda]

Ahona 4 days isn't very long at all, your puppy is still a tiny baby. It sounds as if you're doing all the right things, taking him out as soon as he wakes up, after eating and about every 1/2 hour during play. Don't forget that he has very little control over his bowel and bladder at this age and when either are full it will just come out. I would suggest that you crate train your puppy and confine him to his crate when you can't supervise him as every accident he has inside the house is a setback. Puppies don't like to soil their sleeping area and using a crate is one of the best toilet training aids you can use. When he's in the house and out of his crate watch him ALL THE TIME and as soon as you see him starting to go take him straight outside and stay with him until he goes even if it take an hour, then lots and lots of praise.

It won't happen overnight but he will soon catch on, vigilance, patience and consistency are the keys to successful toilet training.

[Poodle wrangler]

Don't expect too much- he will take a few more weeks to toilet train. Pups vary in time taken, though you can help him along a LOT!

Clean that area of the house that's become a "spot" for him really well, too. Pup's sense of smell is much better than yours. Otherwise, he'll think it's the same as the paper in the laundry.

Ignore accidents in the house. If caught in the act, just say "uh, uh" and take him straight outside. Praise if he then goes outside.

[Christina]

At 9 weeks he is only a baby. As he is going on the paper & outside some of the time he is learning & trying to please. No problem there. Full bladder control wont be there yet & excited puppies sometimes forget. A big dog trains quicker than a small one but expect a few accidents for a few more weeks. Telling him off if you catch him in the act is fine but he wont understand if you chastise after the event.

Have one word that means toilet so he learns & knows what you want. Lots of praise for going.

Some swear by crate training. I wouldn't do it. He is doing well for his age. Just have patience you don't need to do any more than you are already doing.

[Sharna]

We have had our puppy since Saturday, so almost a week, and as we live in an apartment with an outdoor enclosed balcony, we invested in a pet loo (an aussie invention - a specially grassed spot for puppy to go) and he loves it. We just have to get him there in time when he's inside with us! They have such limited control at that age that it's expected he'll try to go where is at the moment he needs to go!

We crate him next to our bed at night which he adores - he actually toddles off to his crate when he's tired of us playing with him! And I crate him at night while I'm preparing dinner so he can be inside and chomping on a toy but not in danger of hurting himself / having an accident. I didn't want to crate (thought it was cruel) so only got the day after we brought him home and he LOVES it, the nervous shaking / sooking etc stopped as he has his own safe place (ours is a carrier) he even got in there when he was peeved about having a bath (his second in two days as he accidentally rolled in poop!).

I read putting his nose in it was no good as dog's think that they should pee where they can smell their previous pee? We were also told to never let him see us cleaning his mess as it gives him the idea that a) we think what he left is a great gift and are lavishing attention on it and that b) we are just like his mum cleaning up after him.

Edited January 18, 2008 by Sharna