Toilet Training - Advice Needed

[Isabel964]

Haha very true I'm sure. We've actually started at a dog obedience club. I did hire a trainer for two hours when I first got her but I want to take her training to the next level. We'll be there on that oval rain hail or shine every Sunday morning through winter.

[Willem]

obedience training in bigger groups is great! ....there are so many exercises where you need this controlled environment with the other dogs and owners. The start can look a little bit chaotic sometimes, but it is amazing how fast the dogs learn from each other and the owners.

Have fun!...your dog will love it anyway....

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I used to live with an Australian terrier - who preferred dry carpet indoors to rain and wet grass outdoors. Mum recently said it was because she couldn't manage the dog door - but I think mum doesn't remember things how I do.

We used to carry the dog out to the middle of the lawn for toilet and not let the dog back in until she had performed. So she learned to perform very quickly. So this was part of the routine on wet days - to supervise potty time in the morning, and before going out and after getting home and before bed.

I have to do the same thing with my evil hound - she'd rather not go when it's raining - so will wake me up at 2am to go out when she realises - she can't hang on any longer because she didn't go at 10pm because it was raining. My fault for not supervising and making sure she goes before bed time.

Hope that helps OP.

Can't help Karen15. I do find it very confusing when someone posts a similar question but with different set up, different age dog and different circumstances and then I don't know who I am addressing my answer to and there's two different answers required anyway. Should have been a second thread. This is not whirlpool.net.au where you're only allowed one thread per topic (eg toilet training).

I have to agree with Snook - I would not leave my dog outside in stormy weather like that. My brother's dog would try to hang itself by jumping the fence while tethered to get away from the thunder. And yes - thunder is expected in this round of storms.

[Isabel964]

Yrs it's all about getting them weather trained and not expecting it to happen without the training. Seems logical in hindsight. LOL

Yes we had massive thunder in Melbourne a week or so ago. Didn't phase my kelpie baby at all - yay!

William, dog obedience can seem chaotic at first - you're telling me!! That's exactly how I found last Sunday. But I also found it inspiring. I believe that dogs have the best quality of life when we make the effort to have them trained to be under our control and well mannered in varied circumstances. So I'm all in. Who knows, we may even do agility one day!!

[Willem]

this morning: a little bit of rain, a little bit wind, not really cold - overall nothing that couldn't be addressed with the right clothing; nevertheless, we saw not one dog / dog owner during our walk this morning. Well, we got our feet and the dog dirty.

@Isabel: the time before and after the official training ads also significant value to the training: always great to see all the different breeds running and socialising on the oval. Luckily we have 2 ovals available allowing concerned dog owners with smaller dogs to have their own oval for socialisation runs so everyone can have a good work out.

This mix of focused training, playtime and socialisation can make it relative easy to raise a well balanced dog - IMO some form of obedience training in groups with other dogs should be mandatory for all dog owners in urban areas.

[karen15]

UPDATE

Willem, thankyou for your suggestions. I've bought them wet weather coats, make a point of sending out multiple times on rainy days and (ick) go to park in the rain. Each rain event has fewer accidents and she's now even seeming happy, as opposed to upset, when getting sent out in poor weather.

Re trained response vs super submissive. Initially I thought her responses were just extreme submission, but after a few months just got the feeling it was a trained response. I say that because once she has realised it's ok not to roll over, she doesn't. Getting her confident enough to sit and stand in the middle of a room has taken work, but she's doing well. She'll sit next to a wall or furniture, but in open space she really didn't want to.

Instigating play makes me so happy and she's playing for longer, which is lovely. She stands and offers toys, which is a long way from where she was when I got her.

I certainly don't think she was rescued. The person I got her from looked after her very well. The home before is the one I think may have trained the behavior.

I was very lucky that a random cocker breeder I contacted before getting her showed me how to groom. I sent her before (#10 all over clip) and after pics (cocker pattern, pet / active version) and she was very pleased with the coat progress. She's very glamorous these days:)

[Rayhay]

I have not read all the responses, but I would simply go back to basics with toilet training.

Spend the time while you are at home teaching the word "toilet" or whatever your command word is and continually ask and show.

If she even looks like she is sniffing around in the house anywhere, yes, you will need to watch like a hawk, the minute you notice her wandering off or sniffing around, immediately ask "toilet" or whatever your word is and show where to go. GO WITH HER and praise praise praise praise when she goes, make a real song and dance about it, do whatever you need to do to make her feel like she just won a million dollars! This will help consolidate your initial training and you are now just reassuring her and letting her know the right way, even in the cruddy weather. Yes, you might need to get a little wet and dirty yourself, but all worth it in the end.

Ray

[Willem]

UPDATE

Willem, thankyou for your suggestions. I've bought them wet weather coats, make a point of sending out multiple times on rainy days and (ick) go to park in the rain. Each rain event has fewer accidents and she's now even seeming happy, as opposed to upset, when getting sent out in poor weather.

Re trained response vs super submissive. Initially I thought her responses were just extreme submission, but after a few months just got the feeling it was a trained response. I say that because once she has realised it's ok not to roll over, she doesn't. Getting her confident enough to sit and stand in the middle of a room has taken work, but she's doing well. She'll sit next to a wall or furniture, but in open space she really didn't want to.

Instigating play makes me so happy and she's playing for longer, which is lovely. She stands and offers toys, which is a long way from where she was when I got her.

I certainly don't think she was rescued. The person I got her from looked after her very well. The home before is the one I think may have trained the behavior.

I was very lucky that a random cocker breeder I contacted before getting her showed me how to groom. I sent her before (#10 all over clip) and after pics (cocker pattern, pet / active version) and she was very pleased with the coat progress. She's very glamorous these days:)

...sounds promising! wrt submissive behaviour: for puppies and younger dogs some submissive behaviour is quite normal, some dogs grow earlier out of this, some later. Be confident, plus a lot of playtime (perhaps also with other dogs with the same energy level) and encouragement and she will grow out of it.