Aaagh.....i'm So Cross With Myself!

[Jules46]

I am really really cross with myself. Am crate training Flynn who is almost 10 weeks old. I am using the Ian Dunbar method of every hour taking him out for his daily routine. Anyway he had been back in his crate for about 40 minutes and I was pottering around when he started whinning. I was just answering a text and telling him I would be there in a minute and the next thing he went all quiet and I knew instantly what he had done.

Poor guy had weeded in his bed. I feel so terrible and he was obviously bursting to go, but I thought I had time just to answer my text!!

I cleaned it all up straight away and took him out to the toilet and had a good game with him. He is now back in his crate and is settled again,

My concern is that if he has now done it once, could he do it again without thinking because the scent is there?

Have I undone all the good training so far?

Any advice for this stupid owner would be much appreciated.....apart from the obvious.....which is stop texting when your puppy is telling you he needs to wee right now!

Edited March 12, 2010 by Jules46

[Niques]

My sympathies - I've had a couple of accidents with James because, although I knew he needed to go, I thought I had enough time to quickly put something away or finish up with something. Lesson learnt!

No advice on the crate training as we're not crating, but in terms of odour, we've been using vinegar on the floor to remove the smell for him. You could try wiping out his crate with it and adding a dash to the wash with his bedding.

[Guest Willow]

Wash the bedding in Biozet (from the normal laundry stuff isle in the supermarket) and don't stress.....I know you feel cross with yourself, and don't worry about setting yourself back in training....yeah, maybe a day or two, but you won't totally have undone all the stuff he has learned so far. You're only human!!!!!

Plenty of owners put in far less effort than you have and still end up with a toilet trained dog eventually....you'll be fine.

[Cazwah]

You haven't undone all your good work at all, don't be discouraged, these things will happen. To sympathise with you, I learnt the 'I need to go' whine the hard way too, only I'm betting you didn't get wee'd on? I was holding my 9 week old pup in my lap in the car (can't remember why he wasn't in his crate) and he was whining and squirming, and kept trying to jump off my lap, but I held him! He did this for some time before he finally stopped and all I could feel was WARM over my lap- Ewww!! In the car, on the way to our first puppy school session! And no change of clothes! He then went in the crate where more whining persisted, then the silence and then the most awful smell- poor little pup had diarrhoea all through his crate and my OH had to clean it up on the side of the road, as well as clean pup up too.. (I was too traumatised already of course, to help with that ) I was convinced that he'd never like his crate after that, would never like riding in the car and might not like puppy school. Wrong on all accounts as his crate is his favourite place to be, he sleeps when the car turns on and he adores puppy school days. So if we can overcome this series of unfortunate events I'm sure you and your pup can overcome a wee in the crate. Just keep going like it never happened, you'll be fine! :D

[Mooper]

All will be fine, I'm sure. It's just one little accident.

And I got a heck of a giggle from reading your subject line and thinking that you'd soiled your dogs' crate :thumbsup:

[Tilly]

When I was crate/toilet training my youngest ... he was a very vocal pup so sometime it was a whine for "I need toilet" and other times it was just him having a conversation with me.

I missed his "I need to toilet" whine twice and he doesn't think the crate is a place to toilet.

Don't be too hard on yourself

[Jules46]

Hey Guys

Many thanks for advice.....don't know what I was worried about......because later that day my OH didn't shut his crate door properly and Flynn got out!!!

Nothing quite like getting the heart going than to walk into the house after an hour of being away to find crate door open and no puppy!!

Great relief when he appeared very pleased with himself having had lots of fun in the living area (he hadn't ventured anywhere else in the house thank goodness!!). He had done a couple of wees, and had munched his way through a magazine and a plastic doggy bag (empty of course!!). I think we got away very lightly!!

Poor Flynn ending up with daft owners like us!!!

Edited March 15, 2010 by Jules46

[Tilly]

Wait until they learn to open the crate door like my little one did. I woke up one morning to find him nibbling on my fingers and the crate door wide open.

I have to use a clip on the door now so he doesn't open it by himself....