House training a puppy etc

O

oldie48

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 April 2013
Messages
7,056
Location
South Worcestershire
Visit site
We've got a puppy arriving at the beginning of next month and it's 14 years since we last had one. we just trained with newspaper but looking at an online petshop I see you can have all sorts of aids. My very elderly MIL lives with us so I'm very keen to avoid slippy floors so can someone explain all this new stuff to me, please. Also, our back door opens out onto an enclosed courtyard which our dogs have used as their loo (we obviously poo pick!) how can I encourage new pup to use a particular area of the courtyard, please. Thanks for your help.
 
I'd take the pup out regularly to the desired spot (when they're tiny they go all the time), use a command (my large six year old dog still responds to 'go and do your wee wees) and loads of praise or a click if you're doing clicker training.
You really need to watch them and for signs like sniffing, circling, pausing, any signs that they are about to go, especially after food or drink.

Just a word of warning though, not all dogs will want to go in the same place all the time. I know there is scent marking but there's also the effect of an overflowing festival portable toilet for some dogs. My own dog will rotate certain areas of the garden and use certain places for a few weeks then move. It's quite interesting to observe.
 
i have recently managed to housetrain my puppy(i was really out of practice as well) i was struggling to get him to do anything in the garden and he came indoors to pee and poo. i decided to use treats and to stay out there as long as it took for him to do something. once he did i praised and gave treat. he is very food orientated and this really worked very quickly...i have had bitches before and they seemed to much easier...however my little boy is now very good so i can relax at last....
 
Lots of dogs (m) also like to pee 'on' something as they get older. That poor traffic cone ;p
And some prefer grass to concrete and vice versa and when older will hold it until they reach their surface of choice.
 
I found that taking them out a lot helps. Pups need to wee a lot and pre-empting this and praising when they went outside seemed to work well with the whippet. So when he'd just woken up, after he'd eaten or had a big drink or after a big play. We'd take him out with some treats and wait a while, he wouldn't go every time but mostly he would and then it was lots of praise and a treat! Also get them out just before you go to bed and as soon as you wake up (before you do anything else).

Also watch them inside for any signs as stated above, circling, sniffing etc and get them outside. If they do do anything in the house get some really good stuff to clean it with and get rid of the smell otherwise the smell will encourage them to use that same spot again.

You can get puppy pads and stuff which are supposed to encourage them to wee on the pad not the carpet/floor but we only really put these down on a night as we didn't want to encourage weeing in the house at all.

I'm sure you know already but if the pup does mess in the house remember not to tell it off after the act! If you just discover it and don't see them doing it then they won't understand what the tell off is for :)
 
Amye said:
I found that taking them out a lot helps. Pups need to wee a lot and pre-empting this and praising when they went outside seemed to work well with the whippet. So when he'd just woken up, after he'd eaten or had a big drink or after a big play. We'd take him out with some treats and wait a while, he wouldn't go every time but mostly he would and then it was lots of praise and a treat! Also get them out just before you go to bed and as soon as you wake up (before you do anything else).

Also watch them inside for any signs as stated above, circling, sniffing etc and get them outside. If they do do anything in the house get some really good stuff to clean it with and get rid of the smell otherwise the smell will encourage them to use that same spot again.

You can get puppy pads and stuff which are supposed to encourage them to wee on the pad not the carpet/floor but we only really put these down on a night as we didn't want to encourage weeing in the house at all.

I'm sure you know already but if the pup does mess in the house remember not to tell it off after the act! If you just discover it and don't see them doing it then they won't understand what the tell off is for :)
Click to expand...

^ this is good advice. I recently trained mine by just watching him and taking him out every time he woke up, finished eating, got cold, seemed restless and saying a command like or " hurry up" and praise when he peed. At night he was in a crate and taken out to pee if he woke up or seemed restless. He was housetrained within 2-3 weeks, no need for pads or newspaper and never told off for any accidents.
 
We go out every 20 minutes for the first couple of weeks (when they are awake), also when they wake up, when they eat and when they drink. It is a nuisance but the last two pups we have had no poos in the house and 2 and 3 wees respectively.
Crates probably weren't invented back then, either, I really would recommend one, current pup goes in hers to sleep voluntarily, it is her quiet space and she fees safe in there. It would be helpful for pup and your mum, I would think.
Of all the dogs we have had the BTs were the worst to housetrain, I think they have a bit of a terrier conscience! The patterdales and JRTs were kennelled so I can't do a fair terrier comparison.
 
Thanks for all the good advice. We have always used crates for our BTs and I'm intending to use a puppy play pen with it. we are home pretty much full time and if I'm not in the garden or the the stables which lead out onto the courtyard, then I'm in the kitchen where we'll have it all set up. I might use a puppy pad at night in the play pen as we are early to bed these days! OH is usually up early though. OH has put tgether a folder on my laptop of the BT we have recently lost and although I still feel very sad, seeing pics of him as a young dog makes me realise how lucky we were to have him for so long and having the new pup to look forward to, certainly helps. I'll post a pic of Stanley when he arrives.
 
Great advice already so far.

As others have already said, take pup out very regularly (even if not showing signs of wanting out - around ever 20-30 mins is what I do) and always after sleeping, eating, playing etc. Praise when pup goes in the required place, but don't make a big deal if he does pee inside (just make sure you are quicker to take him out next time ;) ). Crates are brilliant for overnight and if you need to leave the pup for a short time alone. It is also a great aid in house training, as not many dogs like to soil where they sleep so will cry to be let out if they need to go.

Look forward to seeing pics.
 
Agree with the advice given by everyone else, and agree that crates are a very useful tool if used correctly, and can help with house training. Pups often want a wee when they wake up from a nap, and if they have their nap in a crate they will hang on for a little while, whereas if they are unconfined they may wander off unnoticed for a wee indoors! Used a crate for both of ours and they were both fully house-trained by 9 weeks of age.

The only other thing I should add is that some pups don't like going on paving or concrete, so if you have only a courtyard as a garden you may need to put down a more inviting surface to toilet on, I know some people use artificial grass mats.
 
TGM said:
Agree with the advice given by everyone else, and agree that crates are a very useful tool if used correctly, and can help with house training. Pups often want a wee when they wake up from a nap, and if they have their nap in a crate they will hang on for a little while, whereas if they are unconfined they may wander off unnoticed for a wee indoors! Used a crate for both of ours and they were both fully house-trained by 9 weeks of age.

The only other thing I should add is that some pups don't like going on paving or concrete, so if you have only a courtyard as a garden you may need to put down a more inviting surface to toilet on, I know some people use artificial grass mats.
Click to expand...

Thanks, the courtyard is part paved with a larger area of stones. Our other dogs used to poo on the stones which made it tricky to pick up, which is why I'd like to discourage this. Garden is rather big and not completely dog proof so pup will need to use the courtyard. I'll think about the grass mat, might do the job!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top