House training

Clodagh

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How do those of you who have dogs sleep with you from the day they come home teach them to hold on at night?
A friend has a cockerpoo and he is now 18 months old, he gets her up twice a night to go out. He doesn't always even pee, just messes about. She doesn't play with him but has to go out with him as he won't go out on his own in the dark. Her OH is a postie so he is only expected to hold on from 10 - 4 anyway.
If she ignores him he prods and prods her then eventually cocks his leg on the bed. Nice!
We have a dog upstairs, but first they learn housetraining and being alone, so I have no experience of this.
 

Thistle

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Couldn't cope with that! New pup, 9 weeks today has been clean and dry every night overnight, crated in utility with the others. We haven't got up, even when he's cried (did have to move to spare room the first night so we couldn't hear him). He seems to have phenomenal bladder and bowel control, preferring to have a little play before he has a wee. Pretty clean in the house too, if the door is open he just takes himself out, if it's shut he'll squeak and only had 3 accidents so far when I didn't get door open in time.

It's very important that dogs learn to be left alone and also to hold on. They must fit in with our lives rather than us fit round them.
 

Clodagh

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Neither of you have been any help! I suggested she yelled 'Go and lie down,' turned over and ignored him, and if he then peed she told him off, but apprently that is unreasonable...as most people on here would probably agree.
Modern dog keeping is beyond me.
 

Thistle

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OK, does the dog sleep in her bed? Or in his own bed in the bedroom. Perhaps she could have a crate for him in the bedroom, right next to the bed if necessary. He is unlikely to want to use his bed as a toilet.

He will probably be noisy and disruptive for a while but she'll have to tough it out. Buy her some earplugs!
 

Clodagh

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He sleeps in her bed. She doesn't agree with crates. There is no hope really but I thought that perhaps someone who agrees with softly softly training might have an idea. Not you Thistle - you are too horrible, like me!
 

CorvusCorax

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There is no softly softly way without restricting him. Unfair on the dog too. To allow him to behave this way for so long (she has trained him to wake her for the toilet) then suddenly decide 'rule change!' And how does she reward the good behaviour when presumably, she would be asleep and so would he.
 

Brownmare

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Kind of sounds like she is doomed!! The only alternative I can think of that doesn't involve a crate is to put a puppy pad or litter tray in the bedroom for him to use - or maybe a dog flap in the back door and leave the doors open in between there and the bedroom.
 

Clodagh

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I will make the suggestions known to her...like me she really loves her sleep and tbh I don't know how she copes. Eventually she might get peed off enough to man up and do something.
Will let you know if it ever improves. :)
 

twiggy2

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The softly softly approach is to restrict him enough so that he chooses to be clean, in other words crate him.
How much exercise is he getting? if he wants to play at night I would say it is not enough
 

Princess16

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. Eventually she might get peed off enough to man up and do something :)

Hope he goes outside with her ! Sorry Clodagh couldn't resist ! LOL

My pup has been toilet trained from day 1 - had him 3 weeks now (prob had about 3 wee accidents never poo'd in house). Goes outside every time as patio left open. He is crated. I do ensure he goes out last thing at night to wee. Also I never put his water in his crate overnight - maybe that would help ensuring he drinks and wees before bed?
 

Clodagh

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The softly softly approach is to restrict him enough so that he chooses to be clean, in other words crate him.
How much exercise is he getting? if he wants to play at night I would say it is not enough

That is a problem, I have always maintained that a good walk at bedtime would help but he was at a show all day the other day until 8pm, went out and did his stuff before bed at 10 and still got her up twice, which blew my theory.
 

sasha1414

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I'm not sure if this is any help but I had this problem with my Labrador who was kept in a very large pen beside my bed from a puppy and even though he was always clean at night he would have me up at least once a night to take him out way past the age at which he could have held himself overnight. He also used to toilet and then mess around in the garden playing until I could get him in (I did not encourage this play) but this stopped as soon as I started taking him out in the garden on a lead if he woke me at night, he learnt he could toilet if needed but there would be no fun or fuss and since then he sleeps soundly all night. He clearly had thought a nighttime play session was in order every night before that!
 

Princess16

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I can't believe how many people get out of their beds in the middle of night because their dogs expect play ! Never ever start this - a recipe for disaster. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind IMO.
 

Clodagh

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I'm not sure if this is any help but I had this problem with my Labrador who was kept in a very large pen beside my bed from a puppy and even though he was always clean at night he would have me up at least once a night to take him out way past the age at which he could have held himself overnight. He also used to toilet and then mess around in the garden playing until I could get him in (I did not encourage this play) but this stopped as soon as I started taking him out in the garden on a lead if he woke me at night, he learnt he could toilet if needed but there would be no fun or fuss and since then he sleeps soundly all night. He clearly had thought a nighttime play session was in order every night before that!

That is a thought.
 

Clodagh

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I can't believe how many people get out of their beds in the middle of night because their dogs expect play ! Never ever start this - a recipe for disaster. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind IMO.

I was grumpy enough when I had to get up for a baby, let alone a dog!
 

sasha1414

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I can't believe how many people get out of their beds in the middle of night because their dogs expect play ! Never ever start this - a recipe for disaster. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind IMO.

The Labrador was the first pup I'd toilet trained myself so it was a case of lesson learnt as for a long time I genuinely thought he needed to toilet in the night and would never have gotten up if I had thought he had just wanted to play however new pup has been taught to settle and sleep all night from the start :)
 

Widgeon

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How do those of you who have dogs sleep with you from the day they come home teach them to hold on at night?
A friend has a cockerpoo and he is now 18 months old, he gets her up twice a night to go out. He doesn't always even pee, just messes about. She doesn't play with him but has to go out with him as he won't go out on his own in the dark. Her OH is a postie so he is only expected to hold on from 10 - 4 anyway.
If she ignores him he prods and prods her then eventually cocks his leg on the bed. Nice!
We have a dog upstairs, but first they learn housetraining and being alone, so I have no experience of this.

Clodagh, I found this thread while looking for comfort and reassurance re. toilet training our terrier (and I found it - at least he doesn't wee on OUR bed!) - and I just wondered how your friend had got on in the end? Did she start using a crate? Or did she crack one night and let him know in a loud voice that she couldn't take any more and he would shut up and go sleep in the corner? I'm intrigued.
 

vallin

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When we had Daisy she had a very annoying habit of whining at the door from about 5am to go to the toilet, in the end we worked on conditioning her with my alarm clock, i.e. I'd only get up after it had gone off. Started with it going off just before 5 (i.e. before she started whining) and slowly made it later - worked surprisingly well!
 

Clodagh

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Clodagh, I found this thread while looking for comfort and reassurance re. toilet training our terrier (and I found it - at least he doesn't wee on OUR bed!) - and I just wondered how your friend had got on in the end? Did she start using a crate? Or did she crack one night and let him know in a loud voice that she couldn't take any more and he would shut up and go sleep in the corner? I'm intrigued.

No change! although he does now sleep through until 4am and as her OH is a postie that is OK 5 days out of 7.
 

Clodagh

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Hmmm. Well, it's amazing what people will put up with!

It really is. He is completely untrained, as she can't be strict with him 'Like you are with your dogs' (said to me). It does make dogs so much nicer as companions if they don't scrabble at you and yap incessantly, let alone Go And Lie Down when told.
 

Parly

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Does your friend have kids or have they yet to rock up and create a whole new casserole of nonsense? :eek:

Seriously though it's sad and unfair on the dog more than her and the husband because whilst the dog is doing this every night he's almost like a child that's unsure of himself and constantly seeking out reassurance and attention and never quite relaxed or settled in a routine. In the nicest way she can complain and whine and bitch until the cows come home but neither she nor the dog will be any happier unless and until she is willing to read up and research and be more open to the idea of a crate. People that immediately write off the idea don't usually understand the comfort many dogs find in them and I wasn't keen on them once upon a time but only intended to use them with very young puppies and new arrivals that weren't yet safe to roam downstairs during the night.

As it turned out they've all ended up taking themselves in there for naps during the day or when we had a thunderstorm or fireworks were going off and genuinely find it a nice little hideaway / comfort so for that reason I just moved the cage, covered the top with blankets to make it cosy and took off the front door so they're free to wander in and out as they like.

If she must keep him in her bedroom she can put the crate in there with her but top and bottom is she needs to let him know what he should do and when.

Chances are he'll create a Godawful load of racket for a night or two - possibly longer because she's been in the habit of letting him do as he likes for so long but he'll be a lot happier and more content for it I'm certain.

I don't know how people live their lives when it's run entirely by and for animals or toddlers but the truth is neither are happy when they lack a set routine and boundaries.
 
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