Toilet Training Not Working, Help Needed

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nicola_g

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Need some help please....

My JRT puppy is now 17 weeks old and although he is quite obedient and VERY loving he is proving very difficult to toilet train.

During the day I take him outside at regular intervals, after eating/drinking/playing and upon waking up etc. I also keep a close eye on him and take him outside if he looks like he needs to 'go'.

Problem is that he still hasn't learnt how to ask to go out i.e., he doesn't cry or go to the door etc and if i'm not in the same room or distracted he will just go in the house usually in the same spot as he is confined to the kitchen.

During the night he is in his cage and he goes to bed quite easily without any fuss. I don't expect him to be able to hold his bladder or bowels all night at his age so I put a towel next to his basket in the cage.

He doesn't poo in the cage every night but some nights he will poo in his actual bed and not on the towel. Everything I have read states that a dog will not mess in his own nest. However, my Spanner does!

My vet suggested I put him in his cage more often during the day (he doesn't take himself in there in the day, prefering to sleep on the sofa or on my lap) but as he'll mess his bed sometimes I really don't see how this is going to help.

He is my first dog and I really would appreciate some advice.
 
17 weeks is no age at all, some will take much longer until it clicks. Just be persistent and patient, continue to watch him like a hawk so you can wip him outside when you can see he is looking to go, and always reward him straight away when he has been outside. He will get it in the end! I have one that just seemed to take forever, dont loose faith!
 
I had this problem to start with. My trainer said that some dogs will never learn how to 'ask'. My pups are 8 months and still do not ask. They are let out around every 2 hours (your pup is younger so will need letting out more often) and given the command 'wee wees'. This way they have learnt they are told when to go to the toilet and so they don't have to ask.

By putting him in the cage more often during the day it will get him used to it being his own space. When they see a space as being theirs usually they don't like to mess in it. The only time mine have gone in their cages is when they have had upset tummies and had no other option. It will also get him used to being on his own for periods of time. Have you tried encouraging him to go before bedtime?
 
He is taken out every night before bedtime.

He will usually pee when I take him out and give him the 'wee wees' command however getting him to poo on command doesn't appear to be so easy.

Thanks for the encouraging post temsik. I'm not losing faith, I actually thought he was doing ok but my vet seems to think he should be 'prop' by now.

The little monkey knows fine well that he is supposed to go outside cause when I catch him squatting & say 'no' he runs straight to the door.
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I got mine at 3 1/2 months and they weren't properly house trained until about 6 1/2 months! I have the same command for wee and poo but they are in a routine now (which did take several months to set up!). They know after meal times they have to do wees and poos before they come back in. Well at least he knows he has done wrong, when my girlie gets told off she just stands there wagging her tail like nothing ever happened!
 
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I'm not losing faith, I actually thought he was doing ok but my vet seems to think he should be 'prop' by now.

The little monkey knows fine well that he is supposed to go outside cause when I catch him squatting & say 'no' he runs straight to the door.
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Sorry but your vet sounds very ignorant of the way puppies work and I'd ignore that completely. 17 weeks is no time at all, especially for a Jack; any terrier can be the worst of all types to train, it seems to take a long time for it to stick in their brains!

It really is a case of having eyes in the back of your head, making time to take them out as many times as possible but always as soon as they wake up or have eaten and don't come back indoors until they have performed at the very minimum. Immediately before bedtime, take it outside and play a bit, that usually helps not only tire them a bit more but they'll be more inclined to mess if they're given a bit of a workout, so it's well worth the bother IMO.
 
As above.....J.r.t's in general are harder to house train.....I had this exact same conversation with one of my clients at the weekens....they have an akita....who basically train themselves within the 12 week mark
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and they have gotten a J.r.t, and he is now the same age as yours, he also goes outside, but is still doing it randomly indoors.

You need to do as the above poster suggests, pick him up, when he is crated and take him out, dont give him chance to walk to the door, gets him inot a routine of crate to garden, and in the house, let him out randomly, every hour or so, and after every meal, keep him in the same room as you at all times, and get ready to grab, when u put him in the garden, watch him fromm the window, sometimes hovering over them, encourages them to return indoors early, when he squats, give him a second to get to the middle of the motion, then go and tell him good boy we wee pooh pooh's
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, so u do not disturb the beginning of the passing
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If his crate is very big in proportion to his size, make it smaller, with a plastic bed, the smaller the space, the cleaner they stay, they will not literally want to stand in their faeces/urine....but if they can do it, and step away, into a clean space they will.
 
I think it's harder to toilet train pups in this weather ~ ie. freezing cold or rain. I put my pup (10 weeks parsons russell terrier) regularly but she gets so cold !! I bring her in and warm her up and try again but it's certainly not easy. I am staying up until midnight so we can do wee wees before bed, then I put her in her crate. She then needs to go again at 3 am then I get up for work at 6 am so take her out then. It's exhausting LOL but very worth it ! Is anyone else doing this too ?????
 
RE. the pooing....feed at same time daily then move feed bowl once finished, pup should then be ready to poo at regular time per day....I have 2 short leg JRT bitches age 3....one will ask to go out while the other just goes out if you open the door...both seem to need to pee every time they leave the house....Even at their age accidents have been known to happen....Good Luck...would Love some pics of your pup to drool over....
 
Only wanted to say that I've had puppies that was toilet trained between 10 to 12 weeks of age. But then I don't count the times when a puppy stands by the door 14 weeks old and says it needs out and I answer (as if it would understand me) "No, I'm not letting you out only to play again for the third time during only one hour" and of course that's the time the puppy really needed to pee, I think those times are my fault and I still consider such puppies toilet trained.

However, I've also had one or two puppies that wasn't toilet trained before maybe around 6, 7 months old and then they still hadn't learned to tell that they wanted out, it was more that they could hold themselves until it was time for the next walk. Although I hope I have learned a thing or two during my years as dog owner, I definitely don't believe it's all about how you train. Some just mature later regarding that department, sometimes it's an individual thing, sometimes it can be breed related.
Cala said Jack Russel Terriers is known to be harder to house train and f. ex. when I looked at Boston Terrier info to refresh my knowledge some days ago, I found "These little dogs may be difficult to housebreak."




Since it's your first dog, I want to mention that though some veterinarians also are very knowledgeable about things that doesn't involve actual health issues, but there's also veterinarians that isn't.

It's very easy to be overwhelmed and there's so many things most of us want them to learn, take a deep breath and let it take the time it takes.


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Everything I have read states that a dog will not mess in his own nest. However, my Spanner does!

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It's been a few years since I counted my number of dog books + a few folders, but on a quick count I found 160, my dogs have yet not read a single one of them. I will say no more.


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Many thanks to all who replied.

All very encouraging and as it sounds like we are doing all the right stuff we shall be ignoring the vet
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who also said that he might still be missing his mother and suggested a special collar for SA
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And in response to Jiggy's request here is the little monkey
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....

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Forgot to say.....

Renvarg_Rosie your wee one is adorable. Is she rough or broken coated? I love the hairier Jacks (unfortunately OH prefers smooth) and had GREAT difficulty deciding between my brown Spanner and his little black and white brother.
 
thanks, think he is kinda cute myself
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lol, yours is GORGEOUS!!! an mine is a rough coated one, he goes all curly when hes wet bless him
 
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