Puppy Spent The First Night Outside

[vernie]

Ok, i don't want this to sound like am being mean, but we bought our puppy home yesterday and he spent the first night outside on his own.

he has his basket sat up right near a window which allows him to see us all the time, his blankets and he has a lovely big kennel that i'm hoping he will move into when he is ready.

It actually went very well - he cried for about 20 mins at 2 am, but apart from that, he was great.

My question is, how do i train him to not go to the loo on the deck - and on the grass instead.

Do i follow the same principal as house training?

I don' want to ut to much pressure on the little fella, as he is only 10 weeks old

[alycerh]

Poor puppy.. Doesnt he freeze in this weather? I dont think i could even put my two eldest girls outside elt alone my 14 week old puppy.. How do you know when you need to take him to the grass area to the toilet in the middle fo the night?

I am having the same trouble though with my newest adition to our family, of trying to get him to go to the toilet on the grass instead of our patio.

We are using the same training techiques as we would with house training. It seems to be working but he does from time to time slip up and just cannot hold it in

Edited July 26, 2010 by alycerh

[Miranda]

You can't train a puppy if you're not there to do it, if you leave him outside on his own he will toilet when he feels the urge to go, on or off the deck.

[Aussienot]

yes, you'll have to use the same training plan as if you were house training him for 'deck training' him. You'll need to crate or otherwise contain him. The hard part is that you'll have to go outside regularly during the night to take him to the grass. Roughly every four hours at his age. Remember to praise if he does use the grass area to toilet. If he doesn't, return him to the crate and try again later.

[MavericksMission]

How old is the pup?

Couldn't he sleep in the house somewhere out of the cold? even if it is in the laundry or something? or even crate him?

This way he would be warm (I don't even leave my almost full grown dogs out in this cold), and you would be able to hear when he cries and then you could go and get him and take him to the place where you would want him to go toilet.

Otherwise, if you are not there to show him, he will never know where you want him to go..

Edited July 26, 2010 by MavericksMission

[Red Fox]

The only way you're going to be able to train him not to go on the deck is to not give him unsupervised access to it. You could either crate him at night or pen off a small area, then go out and take him to toilet every few hours. However if he wakes up on his own and you dont hear him he will likely go in his bed/crate which would create even bigger problem..

Is the deck next to you bedroom? Can you hear him when he wakes? If so then putting him in a covered crate out there might be an option, but it's easier to just crate them next to your bed.

If you're house training him in the day (taking him outside every couple of hours to the spot here you want him to go and praising/rewarding when he does, then I guess it's possible that that may carry over to the night time.. But in al likely hood he wont leave the deck alone when it's cold and dark and will go there anyway, which could end up setting back you house training too.

Any reason whey he needs to be outside during the night?

[vernie]

Thanks guys, i appreciate your help.

He has a hot water bottle and lots of blankets in his furry basket - he is on a massive undercover deck, right infront of a big window where he can see everyone when he is not inside.

He ceomes in often durring the day.

it's only day 2 and when we got him from the breeder, he had been spending his nights outside with his buddies.

I can see him at all times and when he's not in his basket, I take him for a wander down onto the grass.

[Dame Aussie]

To effectively toilet train you need to be there to take him to the desired spot whenever he needs to go, after a nap, after water or food, after play. You can't do that if he is outside on his own.

Our pups have slept inside so if they need to go we can take them out. He will just go wherever as he has no direction from you yet.

[sas]

Thanks guys, i appreciate your help.

He has a hot water bottle and lots of blankets in his furry basket - he is on a massive undercover deck, right infront of a big window where he can see everyone when he is not inside.

He ceomes in often durring the day.

it's only day 2 and when we got him from the breeder, he had been spending his nights outside with his buddies.

I can see him at all times and when he's not in his basket, I take him for a wander down onto the grass.

If he can come inside during the day, why can he not sleep inside? I'd reccomend a crate.

You can't toilet train a dog if you're not there.

Edited July 26, 2010 by sas

[vernie]

i understand that being on his own outside at night may not be ideal for toilet training.

it was our first night and he seemed fine in his basket, considering he was away from his other little buddies.

ok, so if i let him sleep in the laundry when we go to bed, will i have a prob later when i want him to sleep outside in his kennel?

eventually he will be sleeping outside.

[vernie]

and surely i can leave him outside when i'm not at home?

i have never had a dog that was a complete indoor dog.

my other 2 came in when those chose to (usually after dinner to watch tellie with us and then put themselves out when we went to bed).

they were both completely happy

sorry if it comes accross as silly - i haven't had a puup for a while and it's all new to me again. plus, i have the whole baby brain thing happening!

Edited July 26, 2010 by vernie

[tlc]

What sort of pup is he? does he have a thick coat? I noticed on your avatar you are in Vic, it is so cold at nights now. I agree with others crate him or let him sleep in the laundry that way if he cires you can take him outside to toilet where you would like him to go. Win win, puppy sleeps inside where it's warm and learns correct toileting at the same time. Maybe if you don't want him to sleep inside forever you could make the transition once he is fully toilet trained?

Have fun with your pup, they grow up all to quickly!!

[Dame Aussie]

and surely i can leave him outside when i'm not at home?

i have never had a dog that was a complete indoor dog.

my other 2 came in when those chose to (usually after dinner to watch tellie with us and then put themselves out when we went to bed).

they were both completely happy

sorry if it comes accross as silly - i haven't had a puup for a while and it's all new to me again. plus, i have the whole baby brain thing happening!

I wouldn't leave a puppy of that age outside on it's own. That's just me though, and I'm sure many people do it without issues. They can just get into so much mischief when they're that small that I like to have a bit of control by keeping them inside somewhere safe.

[sas]

and surely i can leave him outside when i'm not at home?

i have never had a dog that was a complete indoor dog.

my other 2 came in when those chose to (usually after dinner to watch tellie with us and then put themselves out when we went to bed).

they were both completely happy

sorry if it comes accross as silly - i haven't had a puup for a while and it's all new to me again. plus, i have the whole baby brain thing happening!

Of course you can leave the dog outside when you're not home,

My point was it didn't make sense to me to allow the dog in during the day but then have it sleep outside at night and obvioulsy it's a darn site colder overnight that it is during the day.

I personaly don't agree with a baby puppy being put outside to sleep in winter, I personaly have dogs with me....they're my pack and if I need to contain an animal I use a crate.

[Dogsfevr]

i presume a Lab??

[Monah]

I agree with all the other posters. It will be pretty impossible to train the pup if no one is there to train him.

Please either write down or at least think of all the things a pup can get up to at 10 weeks, when outside alone

digging out, tipping water over so no drink, freezing, getting collar caught, snakes, insect bites, someone leaving gate open, crying or barking that annoys neighbours etc., poisoning, so many many things depending on your garden and area. Stairs can also be very dangerous.

It;s also very handy to see what they are passing as then you know straight away if they have an upset stomach, or are not going, or having any health problems.

He would have had the warmth and comfort from his mother and littermates, so just because he has been outside, does not mean that he cannot sleep inside. Hot water bottles do become cold water bottles very quickly too.

Many people have their pups indoors to sleep and they are fine when older outside.

I too am a little confused as to why it's fine to have him indoors but he has to sleep outside? What is the difference? I'm actually really interested to know, not being nasty although on the net it can come across that way, sorry.xxxx

Edited July 26, 2010 by Monah

[aussielover]

Congrats on getting your pup!

Pictures please...

Regarding the toilet training, why don't you block off the deck area and put his kennel and sleeping basket/whatever on the grass?

This way he can't make mistakes.

I'm sure he is peferctly fine outside, many dogs prefer to sleep outside anyway but perhaps it would be a good idea to crate train him and sleep him in laundary for a few weeks especially while it is cold.

Believe me, crate training really speeds up the toilet training process, my puppy only ever soiled her crate overnight twice and is now sleeping in my room with no probelms or accidents overnight (and she is only 4 months old).

[aussielover]

Many people have their pups indoors to sleep and they are fine when older outside.

I too am a little confused as to why it's fine to have him indoors but he has to sleep outside? What is the difference? I'm actually really interested to know, not being nasty although on the net it can come across that way, sorry.xxxx

Totally agree with the first statement!

I think people like to have the dogs sleep outside (even if they are inside during the day) so they don't have to get up to toilet the dog/pup if required.

[juice]

I would say while he is small ,he just gets up and squats where he is, just slosh it down with white vinegar and water.

He will soon make it to the lawn, where it won't run over his feet either, so he will prefer it.

I have had lots of foster pups, and not many have gone on my patio, as they follow the older dogs to the lawn.

As long as he in undercover, and has lots of warm bedding he should be fine, you could always put a smaller box inside the kennel till he grows into it to make is more snug. and a cuddly toy.

[macka]

Puppies at that age are similar to human babies in that they cannot regulate their own body temperature all that well. For this reason, at this time of year, I'd be letting your pup sleep inside in the laundry or similar. You will be able to transition him to outside when he is older if that is what you want (personally mine will always sleep inside as I prefer to know that they are safe and secure overnight and not able to bark or make noise overnight or early in the morning).

The method I used for toilet training initially for both my pups was to keep the pup contained in a crate or similar, then get up during the night to take them to the toilet. At first you may need to get up twice/night, then gradually you can reduce it to once/night, then not at all. This should only take a few weeks all up.

Good luck.