Puppy toilet training - are we doing it correctly?

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Ceifer

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I am now the proud owner of a sprocker puppy. He’s 10 weeks old and is the cutest, most hilarious and Daft ball of fluff.

He’s settled in really well. My partner is looking after him during the day until he’s had his second vaccs and he’s a little bit bigger so he can come to work with me.

I’m not sure we’re doing the toilet training effectively though.
He has a crate to sleep in at night and he’s never been to the toilet in it. He’s also never pooed in the house (good boy!).
We take him out religiously twice an hour and he goes to the toilet if he needs.
In the evening the last time we take him out is around 11pm. He then goes in his crate for the night. In the morning I’m up and take him straight out at 6am.

Our first approach was to have puppy pads in the downstairs rooms and hopefully catch him mid wee and plonk him on the pad to try and give him the idea to use the pads.
The problem with this is that he has tiny stealth wees that by the time you get there he’s done it. He also thinks it’s great fun to run off with the puppy pad and try to shred it ?.

I know he’s only young so these things will happen and it’s going to take him time to learn and get bladder control but wonder if there’s a better way to do it?

My biggest worry is that when we take him out, he does two wees normally and then will come back in and do another wee shortly after coming inside and it doesn’t seem to matter how long you take him outside for. He’ll still come back and have a wee on the carpet.

On the advice of a friend who’s trained numerous dogs, she’s suggested setting up a pen with puppy pads and putting him in there when he’s not outside or in his crate and as he gets the idea of peeing on the pads, we gradually take them away. She also says to be strict that he can’t have free roam of the house until he’s toilet trained.
Is this an effective way of doing things? I feel really mean (He looks at me with puppy eyes) and he still thinks it’s great fun to shred the puppy pads ? in the pen. Despite having toys to play with in there.
 
I don't like the pads either, I've never understood how a dog is meant to make the move from "I can pee inside" to "only inside on the mat thing" to "never inside"

Have you cleaned down the old wee spots with something to mask/eliminate the smell?

Id be inclined to have crate time (minus the pads) as they generally don't want to soil their bed, with more regular trips outside.

Just seen the pen is separate to the crate, I guess a smaller area that you could paper to avoid stains would be okay, but I just had them out in the house, or crated, no "in between space" provided the crate is big enough.
 
I wouldn’t do timed toilet breaks, I would take the pup out every time he wakes up, eats or has been playing. Hopefully then he will pee every time and get the idea but if you just keep going outside when he doesn’t need to go he won’t equate going outside means anything much. Once he’s getting the idea of where to go I just leave the door open and let him go when he feels the need. Definitely get rid of the pads, they have a place with very young pups but not at 10;weeks old.
 
Straight outside when he wakes up, has eaten, drank or starts looking round at his rear end, sniffing around on the floor/circling the floor. Stay outside with him until he produces either a No 1 or No 2. I then praise profusely but not sure if there is other thinking about this.

If you don't quite get there in time, scoop pup up and place outside, mid flow if needs be.

I just do not get puppy pads. Surely, this is just making them think it's OK to use the house to toilet in?
 
If his habit is to do a third wee on returning to the house, I'd enter the house, then turn around and go straight back out. Spaniels are pretty good at listening to voice, so add 'wee-wee' every time he goes in the right place, and then wee-wee to get him to go in a week or two's time. (No pads! i agree with the other comments).
And yes, I'd restrict him to a room or two until he is a few weeks older and has a better understanding of where and where not to go! Good boy on not pooing though - you must be doing something right!
 
Ah ok. I’m glad it’s not just me with the pads.
I should have added he does go out straight after eating, sleeping (not that he seems to like sleeping during the day, life is far to interesting to sleep), drinking.
smitty- he doesn’t really sniff around inside when he wees. He just does it.
Tinker bee- we got some pet carpet cleaner stuff that removes the odour from carpet and dettol the tiled floors.
 
Fools Motto said:
If his habit is to do a third wee on returning to the house, I'd enter the house, then turn around and go straight back out. Spaniels are pretty good at listening to voice, so add 'wee-wee' every time he goes in the right place, and then wee-wee to get him to go in a week or two's time. (No pads! i agree with the other comments).
And yes, I'd restrict him to a room or two until he is a few weeks older and has a better understanding of where and where not to go! Good boy on not pooing though - you must be doing something right!
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Thank you ?. I’m so pleased with everything else he does. He comes to call every time I call him and he sits on command.
I do say wee wee to him when we go out and then as he’s in the act of doing it. We then have a tour of the garden or a quick play. Should I be doing this? Should a toilet trip purely be a toilet trip?
 
Personally, I think a toilet trip is just that. My friend combined the two and the pup was so hyper, it just didn't go and then weed in the house on return.
 
Smitty said:
Personally, I think a toilet trip is just that. My friend combined the two and the pup was so hyper, it just didn't go and then weed in the house on return.
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Ok Thank you. will try and make toilet time purely about that haha. He does have a wee spot in the garden he likes so that makes life easier.
 
Spaniels can also be very prone to submission/excitement wees, are they not those? Are they when no one is talking to him?
 
Clodagh said:
Spaniels can also be very prone to submission/excitement wees, are they not those? Are they when no one is talking to him?
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Yes I worry that it may be this too. We don’t have many people around because of the coronavirus situation but when people have come over he’s got over excited and had a tiny wee.
 
I agree with other posters but would add do make sure he is getting enough sleep. A puppy his age should be sleeping more than anything, and if he isn’t really sleeping during the day that will contribute to over tiredness, hyper behaviour and a lack of concentration. He will be much harder to train if he isn’t getting enough sleep.
 
Won’t even begin to comment about those posters who totally slated me very recently for saying I don’t agree with puppy pads but are ignoring numerous others saying the same thing on this thread ?

OP I think you are doing the right thing - it’s a dim distant memory for me which will very soon become reality again, but I am certainly not going to use puppy pads with my new pup. What I will do is take the pup outside every time he wakes up/has something to eat/has a drink/finishes a play session/starts wandering around aimlessly/starts wandering around in circles ? If I find he wants to pee for a 3rd time when he comes inside... then he will remain outside until he pees for a 3rd time outside ?
 
Starzaan said:
I agree with other posters but would add do make sure he is getting enough sleep. A puppy his age should be sleeping more than anything, and if he isn’t really sleeping during the day that will contribute to over tiredness, hyper behaviour and a lack of concentration. He will be much harder to train if he isn’t getting enough sleep.
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Excellent point. Ours are made to rest if they get overtired, or we get tired of them!
 
Squee said:
Won’t even begin to comment about those posters who totally slated me very recently for saying I don’t agree with puppy pads but are ignoring numerous others saying the same thing on this thread ?

OP I think you are doing the right thing - it’s a dim distant memory for me which will very soon become reality again, but I am certainly not going to use puppy pads with my new pup. What I will do is take the pup outside every time he wakes up/has something to eat/has a drink/finishes a play session/starts wandering around aimlessly/starts wandering around in circles ? If I find he wants to pee for a 3rd time when he comes inside... then he will remain outside until he pees for a 3rd time outside ?
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Calm down dear, different situation and on the other post I said I had never used them ?.
 
splashgirl45 said:
sounds like you are doing ok, personally i wouldnt use puppy pads ,i think they are only useful if you dont have a garden, have we seen pictures of the boy? or have i missed them?
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This is an excellent point, we can't make any informed suggestions without photos!
 
I'd leave using puppy pads they are probably more useful for a breeder with very young pups. Don't have timed toilet breaks take him out at the times people have mentioned above.

How you've got away with not posting photos I don't know. I was almost banned and arrested for not posting puppy photos and I got mine mid-lockdown when you could argue I shouldn't have collected the pup at all (weighed it all up and took a risk)
 
I had to force my two (springers) to rest by crating them, Zak was most miffed!

I”m sure everyone has given advice, I’m just going to echo SAujla and ask where the photos are!
 
oh my word! Thats adorable. Name? And don't fret. You're doing grand. He's only ten weeks so he has a lot of learning to do! I wouldn't be too worried about timed breaks but tea him out whenever he wakes up, finishes playing and really just frequently. He'll get the hang of it. No pads or paper inside though. I too am of the opinion that if they're allowed to pee inside how do they ever figure out they should be doing it outside. Very confusing.
 
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