Puppy Toilet Training Timeframe Poll (for 8-14 Weeks Old Puppy)

[GrumpySmurf]

As a new puppy dad, I feel I have some unrealistic expectations on many training timeframe. A lot of this, I think comes from watching youtubes and Caesar Milan showing us how a dog can be trained in 1/3rd of an episode. We've had Kahlua now for 6 weeks and he is only about 80% toilet trained (all our fault in leaving him too long and not spending the time to wait for him to finish).

So, for a 8-14 weeks old puppy, that you just got, how long did it take you to toilet train?

Edited September 6, 2011 by GrumpySmurf

[suziwong66]

As a new puppy dad, I feel I have some unrealistic expectations on many training timeframe. A lot of this, I think comes from watching youtubes and Caesar Milan showing us how a dog can be trained in 1/3rd of an episode. We've had Kahlua now for 6 weeks and he is only about 80% toilet trained (all our fault in leaving him too long and not spending the time to wait for him to finish).

So, for a 8-14 weeks old puppy, that you just got, how long did it take you to toilet train?

Wilbur is 11 weeks old and we've had him for 3 weeks. He's still toilet training and i have no idea how long until he will be fully trained.

I find it difficult to try and quantify a % of being toilet trained. ATM i'd consider our situation to be 'toilet timing'. I make sure i take him out to evacuate after he wakes, after he eats, after he drinks etc And we've still had a few accidents. On the other hand, he's developing good lengths of holding on when he's in his crate over night. he doesn't wake me per se; rather i wake up as he becomes restless (usually after 6 hr of sleep). I assume he needs to toilet and take him out; he always evacuates. Im not sure how he'd be if he were crated in another room and i didn't hear his restlessness.

I don't have any expectations of when Wilbur will be toilet trained.

[Mason_Gibbs]

I would say my big lab was trained 100% in 2 months, my new baby i got this weekend and he has no clue although we are getting better daily. He will sleep in his crate for 7 hrs at night without needing the loo

[wuffles]

Ava came to us at 12 weeks and we didn't have any accidents after 14 weeks. She's a pretty special one though ;)

[Rileys mum]

I can honestly say Riley only had 1 accident during our training and that was 100% my fault with not acting on the signs he was showing me that he needed widdles. He got the hang of it so quickly it really did suprise me. I think the fact i crate trained him helped cement the idea in his head. I religiously got up every few hours during the night and made sure i took him out after meals, naps and play sessions etc.

With my new girl arriving in about a week i think ill find out if Riley was a fluke or if the way i did things did make the process quicker.... who knows....but i certainly wont have a time frame in mind for my new girl.... it will take as long as it takes

[Teebs]

Atlas was trained by the time i moved out, so about 12 weeks of age

Kaos was shocking, she wasnt allowed inside unsupervised till she was 2!

[Bundyburger]

Took until my boy was 8 months. They're all individuals so no two dogs will be the same.

[PennyGB]

Wow I feel really lucky, Archer was 80% at about 10 weeks and I'd say fully trained at our house at about 15 weeks. But I have a feeling he's still not 100% at someone else's house (5.5 months), he's used to using a doggy door and not having to ask to go out, so not sure how he would go without self-access to outside...

[Mason_Gibbs]

My first lab was much easier to toilet train for some reason and i have done the same thing with both of them

[Leema]

I read the poll wrong and voted dog-age instead of how long the dog was with me.

Puppies are normally 80% at around 10-12 weeks, but my two girls were about 10 months + before I say there were 100% (or that I trusted them to be). As my bitches are entire, at least with my first one, she decided peeing inside was okay when she came in season the first time! Waiting to see if her daughter has picked up this trait.

[dancinbcs]

A lot depends on how much effort the breeder put into toilet training the litter. Mine are about 80% trained when they leave me at 8 weeks. A couple of weeks vigilant follow up by the new owner sees them 100% in a few more weeks. The females take longer to get bladder control so usually take about 2 weeks longer than the males and this only applies to puppies that sleep inside. It is harder to train them if they sleep outside.

If they haven't been trained at all when you get them you are already about 4 weeks behind. If they have lived in a glass box in a pet shop then toilet training can be a nightmare. Keeping a puppy confined in such a small area destroys their natural instinct to toilet as far away from their bed as possible. People do eventually manage to toilet train pet shop puppies but I know I wouldn't have the patience to do it.

Remember every time you let the puppy make a mistake you are in fact training him to go inside the house. Then you have to undo the what you have taught. Never let them make a mistake and things progress much more quickly.

[aussielover]

I believe by 4 months old most puppies should be pretty much toilet trained. I would worry if they weren't 99% by 6 months.

They aren't able to hold on for longer periods until 5-8 months depending on the dog.

So although they are toilet trained, they still need to be let out or have free access to outside more frequently.

I believe had I provided free access outside, toilet training would have been much quicker, but unfortunately we got a winter puppy so leaving the door open was impractical and we don't have a dog door.

[Atanquin]

i have been having trouble with Zorro he is toilet trained so to say but will not let me know when he wants to go out so will then do it next to the back door before i can get to him in time if i leave the door open we don't have accidents has he knows speak im asking him to do that before i let him out so he can make a connection

[wuffles]

My youngen doesn't let me know that she needs to go out, but she holds on until I let her out. I let her out at intervals and tell her to go toilet even if she doesn't need to

[jakeyjangels]

Jangels was about 16 weeks when he was 100% toilet trained. Louis a little longer as he was a winter baby so outside access was limited.

It just takes persistence, large amounts of patience & a good routine. As others have said, every dog is different.

Just when you think their never going to get it, it usually happens.

[ktig]

We're starting to get there now. Paddy's 14 wks tomorrow and I'd say we're a good 90% there. As long as he's been out regularly he's reliable, and he holds on fine overnight or if we go out for a few hours and leave him in the laundry. The only accidents we have now is the occasional wee just near the back door on the lino if he's been playing and seems to forget he needs to go until just before it happens! You learn a lot of patience with a puppy don't you?

[Tilly]

My boy was peeing on command within days - which I found amazing. I would take him out to toilet and he would walk to the spot and then look over his shoulder and waited ... when I said "Go Toilet" he started peeing.

He had only one "accident" in the house ... a friend had come over to meet the puppy (we were going out and I was getting ready) and they let him out of the crate as I was asking them to take him outside and tell him to "Go Toilet" ... but as I said "Go Toilet" he did exactly that ...

[kasoo]

My pup is 19 weeks now and I just realised that it's been two weeks since I've mopped a puddle. He always stands by the back door when he needs to go. Sometimes he will get let out when he is just having a look out the glass door.

I'd say he was 80-90% trained at about 14 weeks. From the 12 week mark accidents happened because we missed the signal, you know those occasions when you need to do 2-3 things at once.

[pebbles]

Over the years mine have probably been about average. When I got Ben, Border Terrier, he learnt very quickly, only problem was that I couldn't get him to let me know if the door was shut and I wasn't in that room so there'd be a puddle right next to the door. Put in a doggy door and fixed that. Since then the newies learn very easily and take themselves out when necessary. Only drawback was when I housesat for a friend who doesn't have a dog door, I had to keep letting my guys out as they couldn't find the hole to let themselves out

[Niques]

I want to say that James was fully toilet trained somewhere between 16 and 19 weeks? I think it was during that timeframe I'd realised we'd only had one inside wee in the past few weeks.

At 20 months of age, he still doesn't toilet on command though, the horrid dog. I'm convinced he knows what I want him to do. He just doesn't.