how long does toilet training take! help me!

**LA62** · 21-01-2007 17:45

My puuy is five moths old and i have been good at toilet training him, for days he will poo and wee out side...justwhenyou think aar that it...hes poo and wee's all over the house

im getting mad!

what am i doing wrong

**reAllytee** · 21-01-2007 17:58

It can take awhile for some pups to learn but others pick it up quickly !

Food rewards & lots of praise & love is a big thing just as you would with your kids.
Do not make a big deal of accidents its too late usually by the time you catch them anyways.
Take away any temptation your puppy may have to wee in a certain area this includes cleaning areas well that have had accidents as to not encourage to make it a spot for toileting.
Another big thing is meal times, if they are set then you should know when it will need to toilet. Dont let your puppy graze through the day or nite as this encourages accidents. Same with water if overnite your puppy is weeing & you have water out make sure it has enough to drink through the day & before bed then thats it.

Ummmm cant think atm but thats what springs to mind from training.

When have the accidents happened ?

**IheartOman** · 21-01-2007 17:59

What sort of pup do you have?

Is he partially trained or not at all?

I would say he should be trained by now but it really does depemd on the breed.

What are you doing to train him?

**LA62** · 21-01-2007 18:35

Originally Posted by Shanilee

What sort of pup do you have?

Is he partially trained or not at all?

I would say he should be trained by now but it really does depemd on the breed.

What are you doing to train him?

I put paper down during the night......its clean he goes out first thing...does his bit...then thats it

i put him out every 20 mins during the day..i have a little egg timer that i use

i was out the other day. i left paper....i came home...paper clear.....put him out came back in and weed in another place

what am i doing thats wrong

**IheartOman** · 21-01-2007 19:08

geez, I dunno! Maybe it's not you. Maybe he's just not that into doing the right thing (please tell me your a sex and the city fan and you get that joke)

ANYWAY! We have a cat door and our puppy has learnt to use that ALMOST always but still has slip ups occasionaly. He is only 10 wks mind you.

A lot of stuff I have read says not to make a big deal when you find they have gone in the house but my DP always gets our pup when he does something in the house and puts his nose in it, yells at him then takes him outside. Me personally I couldnt be so mean but I think that really does work! If I catch puppy going I will yell and clap my hands and take him outside but the thought of rubbing their nose in it when you havent caught them in the act seems harsh. I really think that 'nasty' stuff works though because they dont want to be yelled at so they will eventually think as their about to go on the carpet about when you yelled at them.

The other thing is when I take puppy out to the toilet after he goes I give lots of praise and he gets some beef jerky too!

If none of this works for you maybe try asking your vet (if you haven't already?) Hope it works for you

**Rach77** · 21-01-2007 20:09

one of our dogs was a rescue and it took a while to train him but our other little maltese terrior was pretty much trained when we got him we had afew accidents but no major issues

**reAllytee** · 21-01-2007 22:02

Sorry Shanilee you should try to get your DP to stop rubbing your pups nose in its mess. This makes for a very stressed dog that may end up eating its own poo so it doesnt get into trouble as well as cause other issues. Making a puppy feel bad is like making a child feel bad it has made a mess, its really not the best thing.

LA62 - Do you go outside with your puppy when he goes ? If you go with him & dont let him back in until he wees your more likely to have success. Lots of praise when he does wee & a food reward will go a long way !
Are you using vocal commands ? I would suggest you start this asap because honestly it makes life soooo much easier ! You can ask your pup once trained if he needs to do "wees" or "poos" ( if you dont like using those then you can always use "toilet" or something your comfy with ! ).
You start by taking pup outside for its toilet & when it does something say what word you wish to use then lots of praise & a food reward. Once it starts associating the reward with doing its business it will be happy to oblige, you then start cutting back the rewards but still using your command. It should then get to the stage as i said where you say the command & pup will advise whether it needs to go !
I think my neighbours thought i was mad hearing me at 6am standing at my back door saying " wees & poos Zoe ! " lol my Lab would go outside do her business then return inside until later in the day. I also got to know her habits a little too well lmao ! I knew she did two poos of a morning then of a nite so if she tried to trick me after doing only one i would send her back to finish before she could come back inside !

I shall get shed in here she is a puppy trainer she will no doubt have more advice !

**IheartOman** · 22-01-2007 06:59

[quote=allyoo;1022759]Sorry Shanilee you should try to get your DP to stop rubbing your pups nose in its mess. This makes for a very stressed dog that may end up eating its own poo so it doesnt get into trouble as well as cause other issues. Making a puppy feel bad is like making a child feel bad it has made a mess, its really not the best thing.
quote]

I appreciate your concern but my parents did the same thing to all of our dogs and our animals were anything BUT stressed. They get treated very well otherwise. Giving a dog a rub on the head, or ignoring the fact that he has done his business in the house is not going to teach him to stop doing it. And although I see my animals as my children, they are in fact not human and cant always be treated as though they are a child. I wouldn't rub my childs face in his poo but we are talking about an animal with different understandings and perceptions of the world.

Oh and I better clear up something. After reading back to my DP what I wrote he said it may sound like we rub his face in it. I didnt mean we get him and slash his head in his poo or wee but DP does take him to it and puts his face in it ie. shows him that it is his wee or poo. I didn't mean he gets it on his nose.

**shed** · 22-01-2007 11:15

Dogs learn to prefer a particular "surface" to go on. the more times they go on it the more they prefer it. Your job is to make the surface you want your puppy to go on available when he wants to go.

If the paper is dry then it means he is either holding on or is sneakily building up a substrate preference in the house that you might not know about.

Never make a fuss if you catch him going anywhere. This is the most important part of toilet training. If you have been doing it then you need to stop doing it asap because:

He won't associate the noises you are making with WHERE he is going, he will associate it with WHO he is going IN FRONT OF. Then when you want him to go outside he won't want to go in front of you (because you made weird noises the last time he went!), so then if he has to go (which is likely, since he has been holding on!) he will have to wait until you're not looking, which is usually when you go back inside.

Dogs eventually substrate-preference themselves anyway, you are just speeding up the process to save your carpets etc.

Rubbing their noses in it isn't necessary.

Saying wee wees etc is a good idea. Giving a command means they will go on command if they need to. this is useful if you want to take them in the car or at last thing at night before they go to bed.

Toilet training can be the most frustrating part of having a puppy. Just remember, every time on the grass is one more point towards a grass preference.

**IheartOman** · 22-01-2007 11:35

Originally Posted by shed

He won't associate the noises you are making with WHERE he is going, he will associate it with WHO he is going IN FRONT OF. Then when you want him to go outside he won't want to go in front of you (because you made weird noises the last time he went!), so then if he has to go (which is likely, since he has been holding on!) he will have to wait until you're not looking, which is usually when you go back inside.

I just took my dog outside because I got home and he woke up and he went straight to the toilet (in front of me) and then followed me inside.

Im guessing everyone has different experiences so LA62 I would say take what you want, try it and see what works for you.

My dog is 10 weeks old and is almost completely toilet trained. In the last 5 days he has gone twice in the house. Every other time he goes outside. Including at 3am because the cat door is near my bedroom and I hear him go out there and then come back in and sleep under my bed.

What has worked for my parents and now us may not work for you though!