Doggy Toilet Location Queerie...

[Cazwah]

Hi everyone, I have yet another question regarding toileting, but it's more about location than training.

I have had Chestnut (miniature smooth male dachshund) for 1 week and 5 days, and he is now 9 weeks and 5 days old. We have been using an indoor doggy toilet to toilet train him (It's a piece of fake grass over kitty litter in a tub). It is inside his play pen (piccy attached). At first, every hour on the hour we would take him to it and reward him with treats for peeing or pooping. Now we interchange confining him to a crate with confining him on our laps for a sleep or on a mat at our feet with a chewtoy. It's working okay but have had more accidents since we made this change. My question is this:

Should I move his indoor doggy toilet outside on the porch while I am at home and take him there on a lead every hour? Or will this now confuse him as we have been asking him to pee indoors for the past week and 5 days?

Our puppy school trainer strongly suggested we make this move, so I guess that is the right thing to do, I'm just concerned the change of location will result in a backtracking with the toilet training. Any ideas? I'm really trying to do the right thing, it's just hard to know what's right sometimes!

Thanks in advance

[Bundyburger]

Take him outside. Is that a bowl of puppy milk in the photo? Are you also giving him water?

He's very cute I like the idea of the plastic on the floor too..

[JudyG]

I would say it depends on where you want the puppy to toilet in the long term. If it is outside then take him outside every hour and praise like mad. I had the same set up in a pen as you have but the toilet was only temporary when I was out or couldn't supervise. Now when I go out I leave her in the laundry which has a dog door. He may back track initially but you should be getting him used to the long term toilet right from the start as the longer you leave it, the more confused he will be.

If you are going to use the indoor toilet in the long term then make sure he can access it when he is not in the pen.

[Cazwah]

Take him outside. Is that a bowl of puppy milk in the photo? Are you also giving him water?

He's very cute I like the idea of the plastic on the floor too..

Thanks Bundy's mum, yes, I've been watering down puppy milk, as he wouldn't take plain water at first. It is now diluted so much it's just cloudy water. Outisde for toileting, okay, better start doing it sooner rather than later right?

[Cazwah]

I would say it depends on where you want the puppy to toilet in the long term. If it is outside then take him outside every hour and praise like mad. I had the same set up in a pen as you have but the toilet was only temporary when I was out or couldn't supervise. Now when I go out I leave her in the laundry which has a dog door. He may back track initially but you should be getting him used to the long term toilet right from the start as the longer you leave it, the more confused he will be.

If you are going to use the indoor toilet in the long term then make sure he can access it when he is not in the pen.

Thanks JudyG, I think we really do want him to toilet outside in the longterm, but as we are in a unit he won't be able to get outside when we are not here. I guess I can still take him outside when we are here, and when I go back to work I can bring the toilet inside for when he is alone? I am afraid I will confuse him as we're only just getting him to used the play pen one at the moment and even then there are accidents. Then again, I do have this whole week and weekend off work to get him used to the new routine! Thanks again

[poodlefan]

I would say it depends on where you want the puppy to toilet in the long term. If it is outside then take him outside every hour and praise like mad. I had the same set up in a pen as you have but the toilet was only temporary when I was out or couldn't supervise. Now when I go out I leave her in the laundry which has a dog door. He may back track initially but you should be getting him used to the long term toilet right from the start as the longer you leave it, the more confused he will be.

If you are going to use the indoor toilet in the long term then make sure he can access it when he is not in the pen.

Thanks JudyG, I think we really do want him to toilet outside in the longterm, but as we are in a unit he won't be able to get outside when we are not here. I guess I can still take him outside when we are here, and when I go back to work I can bring the toilet inside for when he is alone? I am afraid I will confuse him as we're only just getting him to used the play pen one at the moment and even then there are accidents. Then again, I do have this whole week and weekend off work to get him used to the new routine! Thanks again

Can't you install a dog door? You can get them for sliding glass doors.

If a dog cannot have access outside to toilet when it needs to, it will go inside. Its way easier to have one rule, one place and stick to it.

Edited January 11, 2010 by poodlefan

[kiesha09]

Hi Cazwah,

From past conversations with you I think we may have had a little bit of a misunderstanding. If I were you, while I was home I would always be taking Chestnut to pee outside on the lawn (if that is where you want him to go in the long run) every hour or less if that is whats needed. Once he goes to the toilet give him a treat and praise like crazy!!!!!

The reason for the doggy toilet in the long term confinement area is just so that while confined puppy can go on the normal substrate that they would go on outside.

The better that Chestnut gets at going to the toilet outside on the grass (and the more used to it he is) the better he will become at using the long term confinement toilet in his pen.

I never once put my dogs on the puppy toilet, however took them outside to the grass very very regularly. They became used to peeing on the grass and then started using their toilet as it looked like the same stuff as outside.

****The easiest rule is that whatever/wherever you want Chestnut to toilet on in the future, take him to that regularly when you are home and treat/praise like crazy when he goes to the toilet there. He'll quickly catch on in the LTC area****

[Cazwah]

Thanks everyone!

I have put his doggy toilet outside on the porch (no back yard in this unit) and we've had great success ever since. I'm trying to let him go onto it by himself, often he does but sometimes he just wants to play and sniff when we go out there. But I think it is working, better than I had thought it would! I will find out about getting a doggy door for the glass sliding door so he could go out there when home alone. Thanks for all the advice, it really is working. In the time it took to write this post we had a successful trip outside and a pee on the outdoor loo!

[oakeydoak1]

Well done Cazwah! 10 points.

The doggy door for the sliding door are great, easy to instal and not too expensive. Think you can get them from Bunnings but dont quote me.

Edited January 13, 2010 by oakeydoak1

[Simply Grand]

I don't have anything to add other than he is SOOOOO cute!