House-training - where am I going wrong?

[basildonbond]

Hi

I posted on the 'new puppy mummies' thread but am wondering if anyone in the wider doghouse has any advice for me

My Toller puppy is 15 weeks tomorrow and while pretty much everything else is going really well we seem to be getting nowhere with house-training.

He's crate trained at night and on the few occasions when he's on his own during the day and has easy access to the garden. I take him out as soon as he wakes up, after eating, playing, when coming in from a walk, basically after any transition and this means I catch most of the wees but I don't think he has any idea that we don't want him to wee in the house and doesn't ask himself to go out

He is praised to the skies and treated whenever he toilets outside and has never been told off for any accident inside - I just clear up, douse the area liberally with simple solution and carry on.

However, this morning there was poo in the crate for the second time this week. I'd put him out before I went to bed but it was pouring with rain and he turned straight round and ran back into bed... This morning he rushed out to do an enormous wee and ran back inside (still raining). I cleared up the first mess then turned round to see he'd done another poo on the kitchen floor as I was clearing up the first mess.

I don't understand why he's not getting it, he's very intelligent and gets everything else we want him to do really quickly (apart from rollover - he's rubbish at that!)

What am I doing wrong??

[Lilcamper]

Expecting too much from him at 15 weeks you sound like you are doing everything right. Try maybe going out with him with a big golf umbrella?

[moosemama]

Basil, honestly I don't think you're doing anything wrong. From what you've just described I think he's most likely just not used to the cold wet weather and prefers to do his business in the warm and dry.

Do you have his toiletting on cue? If not it's well worth doing so, as it will help him understand what you want from him when you take him outside.

Perhaps keep him on a lead in the garden for now to stop the bolting, give him his cue and stand there being really boring until he 'performs' then he will be doubly rewarded by your reaction/treating and the opportunity to run back into the warm and dry.

The only other thing I can think of is whether or not he may have been spooked outside by a stray firework and that's contributing to his bolting back inside?

Stick with it, your persistence will pay off eventually. Some dogs just take longer than others to be reliably housetrained, much like potty training with toddlers.

[DeathByLaundry]

I think it's possible that he's not ready to be "put out". I think you would find he's more willing to go outside if you go with him, perhaps with an umbrella as suggested. If you make it as nice an experience as possible by going with him he'll be more inclined to repeat it. Persevere and avoid leaving the door open all the time so there is a clear delineation between indoors and out.

[basildonbond]

I do go out with him and he won't 'perform' when he's on the lead (not sure why?)

It's quite easy to spot when he's going to poo but he doesn't seem to have much of a pattern and for example this morning he'd done a poo first thing, had just been out for a wee, had eaten breakfast (and he normally doesn't poo immediately after eating) and was busy playing with a chew toy. I nipped upstairs for a couple of minutes and came back down to find a small pile of poo on the kitchen floor :(

I'm making a note of when he poos for the next few days to see if I can actually discern a pattern

We've got him weeing on cue (I think) although sometimes he looks at me with a baffled expression on his face so I'm not convinced .. Poo seems a bit trickier as it doesn't happen as often!

[EvenBetter]

I'm right there with you! I have a 13 week old here and she's never gone to the toilet outside, she has however learnt to do lots of tiny pees on her pad in order to get more than one sweetie!
I read that dogs bowel and bladder muscles aren't fully formed yet at this age, so they're often not in full control. Add to that the baffling knowledge that humans want them to go outside, in all weathers no wonder it takes time!
I'm used to cleaning up explosive diarrhoea from an elderly incontinent dog (sadly gone now) so a few puppy turds are no bother at all.
It sounds like you're doing great, so don't worry, it's keep doing what you're doing.

[Tulip26]

How long have you had him? Are you giving the same food as the breeder? They can take up to being six months old, he's only a baby still. Keep trying!

[basildonbond]

four days in a row with no accidents - yay .... I have been watching him like a hawk and taking him out even more frequently than before - its exhausting but my floor is cleaner ...