Toilet Training Issues

[jacqui835]

I'm posting on behalf of a friend who got a puppy maybe a month or so ago, so I don't know all the details but I do know she's getting desperate.

They got the puppy at 8 weeks, and it is now about 13 weeks I think. The issue is that he still goes to the toilet in the house all the time, even though they catch him in the act, tell him no, and take him out to the toilet every couple of hours. He sleeps all night, and has since like the 2nd night he was home-from about 10pm until 6-7am, and never has any accidents then. But during the day, he will pee on anything, anywhere. Sometimes he goes outside to the toilet, but not always. Sometimes he pees on the seat he's sitting on and continues to sit in it :s He will pee on command, but he will also go in places he has been told not to go before.

He came from a breeder and he doesn't pee in his bed. He has also been given the all clear at the vet.

I don't have any more advice for her, because well, having watched her and listened to her, it seems like she's doing everything I did and my dog was toilet trained in a week. Their puppy is otherwise very obedient, well socialised and trained. He happily accepts pats from strangers and introductions from other dogs and basically seems to live by the assumption that everyone is his friend until proven otherwise. But they're still going through several rolls of paper towels and odour destroyers a week...

Are some puppies just really hard to toilet train or is something going wrong here?

[Guest belgian.blue]

Maybe she isn't cleaning the urine smell away completely so the puppy is confused as the house still smells like a toilet to him?

There are some good products to use but I can't remember the name .. bio something?

[Jigsaw]

It's a puppy, he has a little bladder. He needs to go to the toilet often, he still needs supervision, he's still quite little. :D Tell her to take the pup out at least every hour, after a sleep, after eating (some need to go straight away, some need to wait 20 minutes), after playing. Consistency pays off. It can take up to 6 months old before you can say your dog is completely toilet trained. Wet weather can set training back as pup doesn't like getting wet too. If she can't watch what the pup is doing put him in his crate or tether him to her. If she catches pup in the act don't chastise it, just clean it up with Urine Off or some other enzyme cleaner to remove the smell so there is less likelihood of pup doing it again in the same spot. If you chastise them pup is more likely to go off and hide to do his business. She needs to learn to watch for the signals usually nose down circling, back legs starting to straddle. It does take time before they "get it", like all training. Toilet training for humans takes a while too!!

(Bio Zet is the enzymatic washing powder BB)

Edited April 17, 2010 by Jigsaw

[Addicted to Dogs]

Two things immediately jump out at me. 1 is that the pup is toileting in the house all the time - if he isn't housetrained why is having free access? 2 is that they are using punishment which is as mentioned can be harmful as it can teach the pup to toilet when you're not there rather than not toilet in the house. Also if they've been 'punishing' and it's still going on then they've not been using effective punishment - but I'd avoid punishment at all in this situation.

They need to:

1. Go back to treating the puppy like it has no idea about housetraining - as it doesn't from the sound of things.

2. Restrict it's access to the house unless under 100% (all eyes on puppy for signs of needing to go) supervision.

3. Take the pup out about every hour or immediately after eating, playing, sleeping or drinking.

4. Make a real party when the pup does it outside - which means that they need to be there with it, have treats with them and immediately the pup goes feed it treat after treat (3 liver treats or similar are commonly used) and use praise etc. If after 5 to 10 mins the pup doesn't go then bring them inside to a confinement area like a crate (if the dog is appropriately introduced to one) and then try again in about 15 mins. Repeat until it's party time.

5. Congratulate themselves and their pup for 'going on cue' like it does now but not rely on that or rest on their laurels.

6. Stop the punishment - use a sharp oy or a clap to interrupt if they catch the pup going inappropriately and quickly get them outside to toilet. Then hit themselves for leaving the pup for too long or in the wrong situation - and not do that again.

For more info check out the puppy playroom and doggy den set up at http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/puppy...m-amp-doggy-den and errorless housetraining at http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/errorless-housetraining. Note though that these instructions are for pups living almost totally indoors - so the long term confinement area could be an outdoor area instead.

It sounds also like there might be an element of lack of control and even awareness of his urination so it all might take him as a suprise - so let's hope that he grows out of it.

Good luck and let us know how they go.