Tips On Toilet Training My Puppy

[~Aimee~]

I have had some very negative responses to threads elsewhere so please only reply if you have some helpful advice to give

I am wanting advice on how to toilet train my puppy. She is 4 1/2 months old. At night she sleeps in a soft bed inside a puppy pen. We cover the floor with newspaper in case of accidents and she is usually pretty good. 50% of the time she will sleep through until about 6am and 50% of the time she will wake up once around 2-3am to go to the toilet. Occasionally she will have an accident on the newspaper if I'm not quick enough in getting up to her.

During the day, I have to watch her all the time otherwise she'll have accidents in the house. Some times she will bark to get outside but most of the time she'll just wee wherever if I don't catch her in time. I am taking her out really frequently e.g. after she wakes up, after she eats, after she plays ect and this has been working well. It's only when I get distracted that she'll have an accident inside. When she has gone outside I have given her heaps of praise and then a treat. She responded to this really well and will now go on command whenever I say "Go do wees".

I am wanting to get a doggie door installed soon but won't be able to get it done for a few weeks. How do I teach her to bark when she wants to go outside. She'll bark sometimes and other times she'll go to the door to go out but if the door is shut she'll just wee on the floor. I am not keen on crating (so please don't suggest this), any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance

[:ange:]

Aims.. it will just take patience. You are doing all the right things and I think Ruby is VERY lucky to have you as her mama.

When our girl was little I would clap if I seen her going inside then straight outside and heaps of praise even though the mess was inside.

I used some white viniger diluted with water on patches of the carpet where she had been to neutralize the smell so that she wouldn't smell her own urine there and go again. Old wives tale?

We are 10 months now and we still have the occasional (maybe once every month) accident inside when we aren't watching close enough. These accidents are our fault and not that she's not toilet trained.

Maybe if Ruby isn't a big barker you could train her to ring a bell and go outside when she needs to?

[Luke W]

Overnight: Set your alarm for 01.55am and take her out. Tell her to go to the toilet. Problem solved.

During the day: Watch her all the time - if you can't watch her 100%, put her in her pen. You can be a little less vigilant and let her wander around the house for 1 hour after she's been to the toilet and done 1s and 2s. It's not likely she's going to wee or poo after she's already been. Take her outside and command her to go to the toilet every 2-3 hours.

Be patient. At 6-7 months she should be desperately trying to avoid toileting inside. As long as you take her out regularly, you'll be fine. We hope.

I wouldn't teach her to bark to be let out. I would keep taking her out on schedule (every 2-3 hours) and giving her the command. Eventually, her desire to avoid toileting inside will be stronger than her inability to control her bladder and bowel. She needs to learn control. Teaching to bark to be let out can raise it's own set of problems. Better to teach her that she goes to the toilet when YOU want her to.

BTW - 4 1/2 months is still very young.

Expect some accidents. Neither you nor your pup are perfect.

Edited November 6, 2008 by Luke W

[huski]

I know people who have hung a little bell next to the back door and taught their puppy to ring the bell when they want to go outside - TerraNik and Sam&Saki have both done this if my memory serves me correctly!

[Luke W]

Be careful with bell/bark training.

You can end up with a dog that will bark or ring just to go outside, whether it needs to toilet or not. You could also end up with a dog that barks or rings because it's fun.

[megan_]

I posted my response on the other thread, so there might be something useful there.

Basically, I didn't crate train, but got a doggy door instead. It took Fergus a few weeks to take himself outside, and a few months to be 100% reliable. At 4.5 months old, I don't think you can expect total reliability from your pup. There are lots of websites claiming you can toilet train your dog in 7 days etc, and lots of people will tell you it only took them 2 weeks. Ignore them, because they only make you feel inadequate :-). Just accept there will be accidents, and on some days you'll feel like you do nothing but clean. If she still has a problem at 7 months, then start to look at other strategies.

I never used newspaper, but I have floorboards throughout so it was very easy for me to clean up (with vinegar and water, most cleaners have ammonia which actually encourage your pup to wee there). Some people know have successfully put newspaper the door, and then gradually moved it outside. The theory being that she will bark/signal to go outside if the newspaper is in view. Whenever she gives you some sort of signal (whining etc), take her out and praise her like she is the best pup there is.

When you get the dog door, you'll still have to let her out for a while, and then, one day it will just "click" and she'll take herself out. The key is persistence and patience. When you think she has it, and she is going outside for 2 weeks, she'll leave a surprise and you'll feel like it has gone backwards, but rest assured, she will get it.

[Erny]

Doggy door is fine if you're happy with it. Just be aware that if you ever have the need to leave her with someone to look after her, they might NOT have a doggy door and she'll be used to just going when she feels she needs. This can lead to messes in your 'carers' home because she couldn't get out as she's used to.

If that doesn't matter, then that's ok.

[megan_]

Agreed Ernie. Interestingly though, I had to block off his doggy door today while I was at work as I had the gardener in. I was expecting a mess when I got home (total of 10 hours alone, with a visit from the dog walker during this period). He had held it all in! Even with a doggy door, I think they know the right place to go is outside. When he goes to the groomers he holds it in too.

[Erny]

That's great Megan. In my case I looked after two "doggy door" trained dogs here at my home. Found their mess by the front and back doors when I woke up in the mornings. Was also not possible to toilet them before bed as the owners had not trained them to this and the dogs would have felt no need given they were trained they could go any time they preferred, day or night.

Edited November 6, 2008 by Erny

[megan_]

I guess that confirms my theory that Fergus is a genius :-)

[MissAloof]

Buju's a genius too, or I've been super lucky.

At my brother's when I got her at 3 and half months, there was already a doggy door and an adult dog. I decided she'd have to sleep in my room to prevent wandering and messing up the house through the night. I religiously took her out first thing in the morning and last at night. I'd stand there and repeat like a mantra - toilet, toilet. At first (this sounds silly) I'd also spread her legs and push her bottom down - and hold her tail up. When she wee'd I praised her profusely.

We did have a few accidents, especially when the little kids got up in the morning. The doggy door was initially too big for her but I put her out one day and it started raining, she figured out that doggy door and didn't look back! She'd also copy what the older dog did, I think that helped.

I also watched her for things like getting too sniffy, and then bolt outside with her. If she did a wee inside, I'd say no, grab her and bolt outside and repeat the mantra. As well as trying to do it regularly through waking hours. Only the first few days did she wee a bit through the night inside.

We moved at 4.5 months and a doggy door was installed the next week. Took her seconds to work it out. Had a few accidents before then, including 1 poo right up near the front door - the wees were always near the back door in the morning if she woke before I did.

Now she's right as rain (6 months next week). She usually starts sleeping on her own bed, but when I go to bed she takes herself outside and does whatever for quite a while before she comes back to settle for the night.

The only accident I had recently was the other night when a load of crackers went off somewhere close, spooked the hell out of her and a big puddle near the front window where she was looking out. Then they did it yesterday morning too and she's spooked but no accidents. I did have to accompany her outside last night though.

I have now switched the no word for accidents to a really hurt tone of voice, she seems to know she's disappointed me when I do.

So my suggestions are: regular outside trips (I didn't use a leash, just followed and watched her), definitely first and last thing. I also find sometimes if she doesn't go quickly that a little bit of exercise - like chasies or throw a ball gets her insides moving and she'll do it quicker. I don't have to do that much now though.

She also does prefer to use the big door too and will sometimes wait for me to open it, if I don't she'll bolt around to her own door. I leave her outside to do whatever and apparently she goes.

[MissAloof]

I do have the crate that she came in but she hates it. Cries and yaps if I put her in it, when we moved she even wet herself in it. Poor little critter. I initially had her sleeping around the corner from my bed on a soft rug, with newspaper everywhere around. At my brother's and initially here, she also stands up next to me in the morning to wake me up, so I'd grab her and stagger outside (I'm not a morning person). So she's not been restricted much since I got her. It wasn't an ideal situation but at the time, the best I could do.