Toilet Training

[Emily3875]

Im sorry, this has probably been discussed a hundred times before, but I'm very new to all this and it's doing my head in!

I have a 10 week old great dane, she sleeps inside all night and is outside during the day. I usually bring her in when my kids go to bed because she goes crazy! Puppy zoomies and our floor rug has become her chew toy. She has never given any signs that she wants to go to the toilet, she will run around like an idiot then just stop and pee. No whinging no sniffing no pacing/circling, just squat and wee (or poo) I take her outside every 20 minutes and sometimes she will toilet other times she just looks at me like I'm stupid for dragging her out in the cold. I just don't know what to do!! Do I growl at her when she does toilet inside? Do I send her out when she does?? How do I stop this???? Every morning I get up in the morning, she has done at least one wee in the laundry, I don't hear her at night, she never calls out. And to be honest, it's been getting down to the minuses overnight here (was -2.3° last night) I don't want to go out, and I doubt she would toilet in the cold either... Please please help!! This is the first puppy I've had as an inside/outside dog, and I don't want her outside at night, she'd freeze!!!

[melinda10786]

It will take her a little while to work out the toilet training, she's still just a baby.

My girl was the same, she never showed any signs of needing to go, however there are ways you can encourage the going outside. You will more than likely need to accompany her to make sure she's actually toileting and not just going outside to sniff. Take her outside after she's eaten, after she's had a drink, after zoomies, after she's woken up. Make sure you take her outside right before bed time. If she doesn't go, take her outside every 20-30 minutes until she does. Praise her like crazy when she does toilet outside, and you can even offer treats to reinforce. Don't growl at her if she has an accident inside, just simply take her outside so she knows that's where to go and praise and reward like crazy when she goes in the right spot.

Neither of mine were reliably toilet trained until about 5-6 months. Good luck :)

[minimax]

She has never given any signs that she wants to go to the toilet, she will run around like an idiot then just stop and pee. No whinging no sniffing no pacing/circling, just squat and wee (or poo)

That running like an idiot IS her sign that she needs to go! You need to watch her and when she does it, give her the command to go outside.

Mine does the same thing, I can now recognise the silly run and distract her. As soon as I say her name during her silly run, she dashes outside, so she KNOWS where she should be, she just likes to test the boundaries sometimes.

[RiverStar-Aura]

Kirah was like that when she was younger. She'd be in the middle of a game of tug and stop, pee, then go on her merry way. As she's only ever inside when I stay at a friend's house, I didn't really have a problem but now she's nearly 1 and is quite good inside.

The best thing if you're having trouble knowing when she needs to go is start taking her out every 10 to 20 minutes. With Kirah I'd walk around the yard with her which made her follow me around and she'd squat and pee. Then it's lots of praise and back inside.

Zeus on the other hand house trained himself. Being inside is such a privilege that he never wants to go out, so when he asks to be let out, or voluntarily follows me when I take Kirah out, I know he needs to toilet. He's a smart boy my Zeusling!!

Edited April 13, 2012 by RiverStar-Aura

[NOCTRL]

Welcome to puppydom! You need to teach her to toilet on command.

When you take her outsite, put her where you want her to toilet and give your command "toilet!" or "go wees!" ... doesn't matter what it is so long as it's the same every time. And keep at it until she goes. If you take her out, ask her to wee, and she doesn't, and you just give in and take her back inside, you're teaching her to NOT go. (And i know the last thing you want to be doing at 10pm is standing out in the cold saying "go wees" for ages, but it's important :) ) lots of praise when she goes! puppies LOVE to please their humans!

As you re-inforce this toilet on command you will find she will just naturally stop doing it inside. But you must make sure you take her out often enough that she's not put in a position where she HAS to do it inside.

If she does toilet inside i wouldn't scold her too much (maybe just an "UH UH!" as she is doing it...no point doing it after!) take her outside and give your toilet command.

As for overnight, even if she is not telling you she needs to go, you need to get up and take her out. At 10 weeks i was getting up to take our Stafford out at 1am and 4am. Yep, it sucks, but you can't expect the little munchkin to hold on for that long. And putting her in a position where she NEEDS to wee inside will make toilet training during the day even harder. I read that a pup can hold its bladder for a max of its age in months, plus 1. So at 2.5 months, you shouldn't be expecting her to hold on for any longer than 3.5 hours. (Its a rough guide of course, every pup is different, but generally speaking thats about right).

[pesh]

Whilst she's outside and you see her urinate say, "Good Wee Wee." Then plenty of praise. Eventually she'll associate this with urinating and being good.

When you have her inside, take her outside every 20-30 minutes. Give the command to leave the house and wait till she's about to urinate and once again praise when she's urinating.

Keep doing this.

Eventually she can told to 'wee wee' before coming inside, getting in the car, going for a walk etc. A very handy thing to teach.

Her bladder from what I know will not stop developing till she's 6 months of age.

Good luck

Sharon :D

[Tilly]

With the puppy being outside during the day ... she is probably playing and toileting before continuing playing again. She is treating inside the same as outside. As this stage she doesn't know any different.

From day one I took my boy outside from being in his crate ... and he would immediately toilet so I would praise him with "good toilet". If we were outside and he toileted then he also got praised for "good toilet".

I crated him inside day and night and would take him out roughly ever 4 hours to toilet ... he would have outside play time and inside play time but only when I could keep him under close supervision.

Thankfully he only had one accident inside the house ... and that was when a friend came over and let him out of the crate to play with hiim without him being taken outside to toilet first.

[WeimMe]

My pup seemed to pee so frequently that I was convinced that he had a health issue (I had him checked thoroughly - turns out he's fine, he just needs to pee a lot!). After ruling out physical reasons, I decided that the problem was more mine than his and became more consistent with his toileting routine. He's 19 weeks now and still has the occasional accident, but generally is pretty good. This is what worked for me:

Teaching him to toilet on command (use a word like "toilets" or "pee"). Take him to his toilet spot on leash and don't move around or play with him. When he's done, he gets praise, treats and a game.

Restricting his access to the house. When unsupervised, he was in his crate or in his "play pen". He was only allowed loose in the house for a short time after he'd toileted.

I put him on a routine like a baby - with general times for toilet, play, being outside, training and sleep.

At night stay up as late as you can and before you go to bed yourself, take puppy to the toilet. If you are waking up as early as is reasonable and there's still a mess in the laundry, you'll have to toilet him during the night until he is able to hang on.

I know how incredibly frustrating it is when your pup seems to have no concept that the house is not for toileting but trust me, it will get better!

[Dogsfevr]

Yep she needs to learn inside/outside rules & the more time she spends inside the more she will learn the rules & the more you as a family will read the signs plus learning better house manners as a puppy is easier than when a big adult.

Don't worry about the cold ,the weather will only get worse so you need to train now whilst the weather is still good.

Generally dogs do give signs but you need to learn them (running around looking for a spot) & if you aren't seeing them then train her so both understand what is wanted

If she doesn't have access to outside then you need to teach her the rules of going to the door & making it fun & outside for wees.

If your home during the day i would consider allowing her more in time during the day to start teaching her the rules because its far easier than at night when people tend to "forget" or its cold * no one wants to move .

At present her routine for nigh is toilet inside & she doesn't understand any different,the laundry could also be cold which won't help with training

Don't growl but don't fuss if a mess is made because reality is its everyone's fault pup has toileted inside.

You need to stand outside until something happens ,walk around but no games ,toilet time is that,If nothing happens bring her inside on a leash sit down for a few minutes then go outside again with the key words ,it will happen .

[ChloeEastwood]

I found at such a young age the next few or more months requires us to think for them. I had to take them out consistently every 30 mins if indoors, varying durations depending on their fluid intakes, if they were physically active, playing, before and after a meal, upon waking up from a nap or sleep. If they're in middle of playing interrupt the session and lead the way, delicious treats in tow and be patient. Once mission accomplished breathe a sigh of relief knowing they're fine till the next half hour. It seems never ending but with time comes age and with that they're able to hold their bladders and bowels longer. Mine usually didn't realise they needed to relieve themselves until the 11th hour so I had to be one step ahead. Stop whatever they're doing, lead, ask, then order and if they don't comply they may not need to part take but atleast you gave them an opportunity. And lots of love, praise, attention and a to die for mouth watering treat allocated exclusively for toilet training. They will remember that taste and look forward to their next rendezvous.

[raineth]

Hey Emily :)

Does she have a crate?

The reason she is soiling in the laundry us because she can't hold that long, and because the laundry is too big :)

If you would get a crate and have her in the loungeroom or your bedroom (overnight) you will find it a lot easier.

Most puppies at that age can't hold on all night. So you do probably need to have scheduled time at night to get her up and take her out. Sometimes what can happen when they feel the cold is that they bunch up all their muscles and they can't go. So if it's really cold at night the best idea is to get her a coat (yes sadly she will grow out of them very quickly, but she should be able to hold on over night very soon, and then you can maybe sell hem to someone with a small dog to regain some of your costs).

So I suggestt hat when she's inside you have her either tethered to you, or in her crate.

By tethering her to you you can keep a close eye on her and quickly get her out if you think she needs to go.

Take her out regularly (after she's eaten, after she's napped, after she's played). Take her out on lead to where you want her to toilet. Stand still and be entirely boring, don't look at her or interact with her. Wait...

If its been ten minutes and she hasn't done anything then you can take her back inside. the moment she starts to do something then you use your toilet command and throw a party, be very excited and play a game with her :D make sure she knows just how happy you are with her.

Don't stress too much, there likely will be accidents :)

ETA: the crate is good for when its too inconvenient to have her tetherd to you, you make it a place where she feels safe and you can feed her in there, and she won't want to soil in it because its too close to where she skeeps and eats :)

Edited April 17, 2012 by raineth

[Emily3875]

Thanks for all the replies everyone! Great advice! I'm home all day with her, so I've been teaching her the wee command. She is so silly! I've had to stop getting too excited when she does toilet outside, I was singing out in a high voice and lots of praise, she would get so excited and start prancing over while she was still weeing lol! We have come to a fairly happy medium during the night. She comes in at 6:30pm, and I keep taking her out every 20 minutes till 9pm, then it's bed time. Ive set my alarm for 1am and 4am to take her out. Our side door opens onto our concrete driveway/carport, so she has taken to just doing wee's/poo's on the concrete. And that just requires a hose down in the mornings. So I'm happy with that for now. I did make her a little coat hehe. Got my sewing machine out and whipped up a couple for her out of my babies old bunny rugs lol. At least they got one more use! Haha.

[persephone]

some useful communication happening ..:) Love to see her in her coat !!

[ChloeEastwood]

Thanks for all the replies everyone! Great advice! I'm home all day with her, so I've been teaching her the wee command. She is so silly! I've had to stop getting too excited when she does toilet outside, I was singing out in a high voice and lots of praise, she would get so excited and start prancing over while she was still weeing lol! We have come to a fairly happy medium during the night. She comes in at 6:30pm, and I keep taking her out every 20 minutes till 9pm, then it's bed time. Ive set my alarm for 1am and 4am to take her out. Our side door opens onto our concrete driveway/carport, so she has taken to just doing wee's/poo's on the concrete. And that just requires a hose down in the mornings. So I'm happy with that for now. I did make her a little coat hehe. Got my sewing machine out and whipped up a couple for her out of my babies old bunny rugs lol. At least they got one more use! Haha.

Just don't praise her prematurely while she's still in act only once she's completely finished, then go crazy there's nothing wrong with lots of excitement in the praising period.

[Emily3875]

Lol! Yep, now I just say "do wee's" and wait till she is finished then ruff her up a bit and give her lots of loving. She is still wetting inside, but thankfully only on the lino... So that's easy to clean. Once I figure out the best way to share photos from my iPhone, I'll be sure to post!

[Emily3875]

She has never given any signs that she wants to go to the toilet, she will run around like an idiot then just stop and pee. No whinging no sniffing no pacing/circling, just squat and wee (or poo)

That running like an idiot IS her sign that she needs to go! You need to watch her and when she does it, give her the command to go outside.

Mine does the same thing, I can now recognise the silly run and distract her. As soon as I say her name during her silly run, she dashes outside, so she KNOWS where she should be, she just likes to test the boundaries sometimes.

Your so right! I noticed that (once I paid closer attention) that she does this stupid looking backwards shuffle, turning her head from side to side while she is playing, just before she did wee's. So I've taken this cue to get her outside and it's been great! She is a very clever girl, she will pick it up quickly now we are almost on the same page.

[raineth]

Thanks for all the replies everyone! Great advice! I'm home all day with her, so I've been teaching her the wee command. She is so silly! I've had to stop getting too excited when she does toilet outside, I was singing out in a high voice and lots of praise, she would get so excited and start prancing over while she was still weeing lol! We have come to a fairly happy medium during the night. She comes in at 6:30pm, and I keep taking her out every 20 minutes till 9pm, then it's bed time. Ive set my alarm for 1am and 4am to take her out. Our side door opens onto our concrete driveway/carport, so she has taken to just doing wee's/poo's on the concrete. And that just requires a hose down in the mornings. So I'm happy with that for now. I did make her a little coat hehe. Got my sewing machine out and whipped up a couple for her out of my babies old bunny rugs lol. At least they got one more use! Haha.

hahah I so wish I could see those photos she sounds so adorable <3

it's a fair bit of work isn't it, but it will all pay off in the end :)

[ChloeEastwood]

Lol! Yep, now I just say "do wee's" and wait till she is finished then ruff her up a bit and give her lots of loving. She is still wetting inside, but thankfully only on the lino... So that's easy to clean. Once I figure out the best way to share photos from my iPhone, I'll be sure to post!

Without appearing crass there are a myriad of videos on YouTube about doggy accidents indoors. It's quite educational as you pick up the variying signs dogs display before elimination. And in some of their defense they did look towards the individual holding the camcorder for acknowledgement of their request but blatantly ignored.

[Charjas]

I'm still having the odd accident with Jasper inside. He will hang on for ages for a wee but occasionally when he has been chasing Charlie round the house I'd find a poo at the top of stairs or in sons room. Charlie bangs in the back door to go out but Jasoer doesn't really show any signs although once he stopped and looked up at me then ran to the back door.

[sacha]

I also highly recommend crate training for a pup. Our 8 week old pyrenean mountain dog was sleeping through the night from 9pm till about 4.30 or 5.00am a couple of nights after coming home. we had the crate in our room initially so i would hear when he started crying to go out. the crate teaches them to hold it, for an appropriate time for their age. i've never had a pup have an accident in their crate.

our pup (a giant breed like yours) did not have accident in the house after 11 weeks, but we still did the frequent trips outside for quite a while after that and until he reliably went to the door. because we were renting, and because he grew so big so fast, i could not afford to let him get in the habit of going in the house (we'd drown lol). i was really really consistent at taking him out, and always stayed outside with him until he went and praised him. i used the crate when i couldn't supervise him and i never just let him go outside on his own so i would know if he went or not. its painful...it didn't stop raining the entire first 6 weeks that we had him home, but the efforts were well worth it.