Puppy toilet training

[beth_terri]

What worked for you? How long did it take? She is doing really well, got her last Friday and she seems to understand that she needs to poo outside, however she's not grasping the weeing outside and keeps doing it in the kitchen. Every time she eats I take her outside, everytime she wakes I take her outside, everytime she has a mad bout I take her outside. But she doesnt often wee out there! X

 

[Jade--x]

I paper trained my puppy to begin with before putting her outside and she did really well, but then when I put her outside she'd go outside and then come inside and go again inside I spoke to my vet and she said they need to toilet around every hour when they're puppies, as soon as they eat and as soon as they wake up they're the times you need to put them outside and to click and point and say a command word, toilet for example, and not let them back in until they go. It's worked for us she now doesn't do it in the house (most of the time - she gets a little excited sometimes and pees on your foot ) x

 

[beth_terri]

Since I posted that we've had no accidents and she's actually starting to let me know when she wants out as well xx

 

[RachA]

We had an awful time of it with ours. She'd never go outside to wee even if i took her out every 30-60min. She'd always do it as soon as she got back inside. We tried the training pads and they worked a bit.
The trouble is that once their wee in a particular part of the house they always want to go there. We have a wooden floor covered by lino in our kitchen, the lino was chewed up by the dog and the smell of her wee was in the floor boards. We tried using the stuff they see at places like petsathome to spray on it but nothing worked. In the end someone suggesting squeezing a lemon on the floor boards as they don't like lemon and won't walk on it and also the smell gets rid of the wee. As soon as we did that she stopped weeing in the kitchen

 

[Pandora11]

We never bothered with paper, didn't see the point in teaching our puppy to go on that, then teach him to go outside. we put him outside every time we thought he might need to go(which was a lot) it took him a week to pick him up but there were still accidents because remember their bladders haven't fully developed yet.

Oh and, a trainer told us to clean puppy pee with warm water and washing powder since it's one of the few things that truly gets rid of the smell and will stop them coming back to use that spot. stay away from anything that contains bleach or cleaners because although we can't smell the pee after it's cleaned up, those actually enhance the smell for the dog attracting them back. it worked for us.

 

[beth_terri]

Do you think the liquid version or washing powder would work the same coz I don't use powder xx

 

[Jade--x]

The only reason I trained with paper first was because she was so tiny she could fit under the gate and she could get off her collar when I put her on her lead so I had to train her to go in the house first

 

[midori1999]

The best way and quickest way to toilet train is to aim to never have any accidents in the house at all.

Puppies don't know where they are meant to toilet, although if they have been bred in clean conditions they will try their utmost not to toilet in their bed. Otherwise, it's a learning curve! If they toilet somewhere and they get praised for it they'll quickly get the idea that that is where you want them to go. If they toilet somewhere and you don't see them or praise them, eg. nothing happens, then they will continue to toilet there unless the times they wee in the correct place and are praised outweighs the times nothing happens. If they get told off when they toilet indoors they will just learn never to toilet in front of you and you really don't want that.

You are right to take the puppy out very frequently, at least every hour, after every sleep, play and meal and also every time they look like they might need to go. (are circling/sniffing) You need to wait outside until they go and this might take a very long time at first. If they don't go you need to be extra vigilant and watch like a hawk when they come back in so they don't wee on the carpet/indoors.

Obviously this method requires constant supervision which is why crate training can help with toilet training. The crate is the dog's bed, so when shut in there it will hold on, so use the crate at any time you can't supervise the puppy totally and at night.

Paper training/puppy pads prolong the process, since a dog learns where to toilet, not on a particular surface, so if you use paper or pads the puppy almost always still toilets in that area once they are taken away and needs to learn twice where to go to toilet.

 

[beth_terri]

What you just described there is pretty much what ive been doing minus the crate. I feel a bit off the idea, mainly because of night times. What happens then? I cant let her out every hour so how will she hold off to not wee in there?

Shes been really good going from taking up to 15 mins outside before she goes, to literally going as soon as we get outside. Weve only had one wet accident today and no poos which is great! And thankfully the accident wasin the kitchen not the living room carpet.

We didnt bother paper training as I didnt see the point of it, its more hard work! x

 

[midori1999]

Most puppies can hold on from quite young (8-12 weeks ) all night if they need to and the crate is small enough because they see it as their bed and will try not to toilet in there. The reason they don't hold on in the day is that they don't have to and they aren't sure where to go, so just go anywhere pretty much.

Some puppies can't hold on all night and you can choose to either set your alarm and get up once or twice during the night, use a crate that will fit the puppy as an adult and put the bed at one end, paper/puppy pad at the other (this is different to normal paper training as it is just giving the puppy somewhere to go that isn't on the floor and as the puppy grows and their bed then takes up the whole crate they will automatically stop going there) or just leave the puppy overnight and if they have an accident wash the bed in the morning. I personally find that most puppies can hold on most of the time all night and accept the occasional accident, but if they really can't then use the paper in the crate method.

If you use a crate you usually also have to train the dog to accept being shut in there though, this is easier for some dogs than others. Crates must never be used as a punishment or to confine for long periods during the day, but they are invaluble when chewing starts or to give the dog a safe haven if you have children.

 

[beth_terri]

I might give it a try then. She is a boxer but atm is very tiny (she will be 8 weeks old on monday!!) On a night shes started scratching at the kitchen door (only for 5 mins or so until she settles) so I suppose a crate will be good for this.

 

[Caslynn]

We took ours outside very consistently and kept her in a small area so she didnt have run of the whole house. When we took her outside to go washroom, we said "Get busy" and when she peed or pooped we would say good busy, give her a treat and get super excited.
Now she will go busy on command! Best thing ever!

 

[WelshOneEmma]

Most puppies can hold on from quite young (8-12 weeks ) all night if they need to and the crate is small enough because they see it as their bed and will try not to toilet in there. The reason they don't hold on in the day is that they don't have to and they aren't sure where to go, so just go anywhere pretty much.

Some puppies can't hold on all night and you can choose to either set your alarm and get up once or twice during the night, use a crate that will fit the puppy as an adult and put the bed at one end, paper/puppy pad at the other (this is different to normal paper training as it is just giving the puppy somewhere to go that isn't on the floor and as the puppy grows and their bed then takes up the whole crate they will automatically stop going there) or just leave the puppy overnight and if they have an accident wash the bed in the morning. I personally find that most puppies can hold on most of the time all night and accept the occasional accident, but if they really can't then use the paper in the crate method.

If you use a crate you usually also have to train the dog to accept being shut in there though, this is easier for some dogs than others. Crates must never be used as a punishment or to confine for long periods during the day, but they are invaluble when chewing starts or to give the dog a safe haven if you have children.

It depends on the dog. Bigger breed dogs learn to hold it quicker than smaller breed ones.

Our terrier couldnt hold it through the night until she was 12 months old and even now, if she doesnt wee before we go to bed will go in the house during the night.

OP, we used puppy pads as back up but would take her out regularly, including during the night as we were trying to avoid her getting used to going in the house.

We also take her for a quick wee walk every night before going to bed, mainly as in the garden she gets distracted by cats and forgets to wee!