Need Advice For A New Puppy Owner :)

[rbrad25]

hey guys im new to the forum my partner and I recently purchased a little lahsa apso puppy shes 8 weeks old.

i understand all the puppy training stuff but my puppy is different well so i think lol..it seems she wont go to the toilet outside unless im there with her actually standing on the grass. she could be outside for at least an hour with me inside, and when i bring her in she immediately goes and widdles in the house. its quite frustrating to because if i stay outside with her and i stand on my verandah she still wont go to the toilet i have to actually go out there with her.

Im just wondering if thats normal? or whether it will just change with time?

thanks everyone

[Tassie]

It will probably change with time - but I would say, at the moment, do what you have to do to teach her that outside is the appropriate place to toilet. I always advise taking a puppy out to toilet anyway, as opposed to letting them out - that way you can be there to supervise, praise, and do a quality check .

For a little pup, this will mean several trips outside a day and probably a few at night - but hey - goes with the territory.

For me, the key thing is doing whatever you ahve to do to make sure the pup gets it that outside is the place to toilet, and inside is not. And if she does start to wee in the house, pick her up and take her outside to finish off.

I also like to use the trips outside as a little bit of lead training, with a very light lead, of course - that way, pup will also learn that it's OK to toilet while you're on lead.

She sounds very cute - are there photos?????

[Stitch]

Yep, normal, you have to train her which means you have to take her outside and stay with her until she does it, then praise her then bring her inside.

You then have to remember for her and take her outside again probably every 1/2 hr at first.

The idea is that you create a pattern in her mind that associates going to the toilet with going outside.

If she learns to go inside then it is very hard to retrain her to go outside so I suggest you make taking her outside to toilet a priority.

There are many articles on toilet training available on the net and in this forum which are recommended reading so you understand what you are aiming for.

Good luck.

[rbrad25]

thanks guys just wondering if it was normal or not phew thank god it is lol

im new to the forums thing so not sure how to put pictures up lol :s

[Tassie]

thanks guys just wondering if it was normal or not phew thank god it is lol ;)

You're welcome - and it's always; nice to know when something is normal or not. ;)

im new to the forums thing so not sure how to put pictures up lol :s

Have a look at this link - that should help.

And :D

[persephone]

Welcome ;)

Click on this LINK for some handy information

[aussielover]

hey guys im new to the forum my partner and I recently purchased a little lahsa apso puppy shes 8 weeks old.

i understand all the puppy training stuff but my puppy is different well so i think lol..it seems she wont go to the toilet outside unless im there with her actually standing on the grass. she could be outside for at least an hour with me inside, and when i bring her in she immediately goes and widdles in the house. its quite frustrating to because if i stay outside with her and i stand on my verandah she still wont go to the toilet i have to actually go out there with her.

Im just wondering if thats normal? or whether it will just change with time?

thanks everyone

Quite normal.

There are quite a few little tricks that can make toilet training a bit easier.

I'd suggest putting her on a lead for toilet breaks. That way you can confine the mess to one area of the garden which will become her "toilet area" which she will associate with toileting hopefully.

You can walk around in a circle to encourage her to go as well.

I'd put a command on toileting. I use "quick quick". It is REALLY useful especially later down the track if you take long car trips, visit other people's houses etc, you can easily get the dog to toilet before and then not have to worry too much.

It is also really easy to teach. As they are going say the command and give a nice reward after (toy or treat). They will learn pretty quickly. It only took my pup a few days to get the hang of it and then toilet training became a lot easier.

[B-Q]

Yep, Quinn did this for ages, she's 6 months old now and she still prefers to wait for me to be out in the yard with her to go. I don't mind, I have to go out with her and get her doing stuff a few times a day as it is and like Tassie said, it allows me to praise and check quality. lol

When Quinn was young I had to tak her out every hour or two, after everytime she slept, played, drank, ate etc. It did pay off though, now she's almost 100%, very few accidents and only when I don't notice she's asking to go out.

Edited November 22, 2010 by busterlove