Paper training puppy!

[rainbowfeet]

Got a pup a week ago.. Paper training not going well.. I googled today & discovered people seem to have more success with crate training method.
I can't afford a proper crate so in my best blue peter style I've sectioned off a section of my kitchen, covered floor in news paper put her bed, toys in etc & when I can't keep an eye on her to catch her (hopefully in time) & put her on paper I've put her in the sectioned bit.. So far she hasn't been but as soon as I let her out she did a wee on the floor.
I have a toddler so I don't get much time to watch her & hope to catch her & train her that way.. Am I being too impatient & she'll get there in time?

Any hints & tips very welcome .. Getting a bit stressed out now thank you.

[rainbowfeet]

Also feel bad that this way although clean up after accidents will be easier she is penned in quite a lot of the day.

[kilmuir]

Dear god why on earth have you got a puppy you don't have time to put out for a wee!
They need to be put out as soon as they wake up, after meals, after play etc. lots of praise etc. i put my puppy out every 2 hours and during night at the start
Training to pee on paper is crazy as you still need to train to go outside.

[Catsmamma]

and how do expect to teach the pup to ask to pee outside??

and how long is she penned in?

[needastrongone]

Toilet training is all about creating good habits. Young pups have very small bladders and very little bladder control so they need to be in the right place when nature calls.

To toilet train successfully in as short a time as possible you must take your puppy to the garden:

When they wake

After eating

After taking a drink

Before, during and after a period of activity

When you come in

Before you go out

Before bedtime

During the adverts

And every twenty to thirty minutes in between unless they are asleep. During periods of activity change that to every ten to twenty minutes.

Stay outside with your pup. Do not nag or distract him just mooch about and he will do the same and eventually eliminate. Quiet praise is sufficient. Once pup has eliminated you can either stay out and play or go back indoors. If you stay out for a game then he will often need to go again before you go back indoors so stop the game and stay out for a while longer to give him a chance to go again.

If you have to take him back in and he hasn’t eliminated outside then either confine him to his crate, sit him on your lap or tuck him under your arm (small breeds only) as you go about your chores and try again in five minutes.

It is imperative that you do this, especially if you have started off with newspaper down or puppy pads because your puppy may prefer to pee indoors and he could simply be waiting to be taken back in. Give him zero opportunity to go wrong.

If your puppy toilets in the house it is because you haven’t toilet trained him yet and didn’t take him outside when he needed to go. When this happens take a rolled up newspaper and hit yourself over the head whilst repeating the words “I forgot to watch my puppy. I forgot to watch my puppy” If your puppy laughs at you when you do this – praise him.



Common mistakes during toilet training.

Using newspaper or puppy training pads. Whilst it may aid the clearing up process it can be very confusing for the pup that is taught or permitted to toilet in the house to make the transition to going outside and will often result in a pup that when playing in the garden will simply hold on until they are back indoors because that is where the toilet is.

Leaving the door open. This does nothing to teach the pup to toilet outside only.

Reprimands for toileting in the house will result in a dog that believes you disapprove of what he did not where he did it and is damaging to your relationship with your pup.

Giving treats for toileting in the garden, again the dog is being rewarded for what he did not where he did it. Whilst this is not going to be as big a problem as the reprimand, the clever dog will learn to do lots of little wees and never fully empty their bladder. The insecure dog may wee indoors to appease you if you get cross about something else because they know that this is something that pleases you and gets rewarded. NB using both reprimands and rewards is very confusing for your pup.

Expecting your pup to tell you when he needs to go out. Once a pup understands that outside is where the toilet is then he may start to let you know he needs out. However if you are not there to ask or you fail to notice him asking then the housetraining will break down. Far better to have a dog go out to the toilet on your schedule once they are house trained.

Giving your pup an ensuite in his crate. Do not encourage your pup to toilet in his crate by putting puppy pads in there. If you have to leave puppy for a while and he is going to need to go then best to have the crate inside a larger pen or blocked off area and leave the crate door open so that he can get away from his bed to toilet.


N.B. Areas indoors where pup has had an accident are best cleaned with a dilute of biological washing powder. Avoid using disinfectant as this contains ammonia and can encourage pup to pee there again.

Overnight.

Young pups will need to go to the toilet once or twice in the night for anything from a few days to a few weeks.

If your pup is sleeping in a crate in the bedroom with you then they will wake and should let you know they need to go out. Carry pup to the garden to eliminate and then straight back to bed again. A few nights of this and it will take you longer to find your slippers because of sleep deprivation and consequently pup is learning to hold on and will soon be sleeping all night.

If you choose to leave puppy in the kitchen or utility room to sleep then do not shut them in a crate and simply clean up in the morning without comment.

Why punishment does not work for house training.

A typical morning in the life of an 8 week old pup.

7:00am Puppy pees in the garden – Owner present. Gets praised

7.30am Puppy pees in the kitchen – Owner present. Gets a reprimand

8:15am Puppy pees in the lounge – Owner not present. Nothing happens except relief

9:00am Puppy pees in the lounge – Owner present. Gets a reprimand

9:30 am Puppy pees in the kitchen – Owner not present. Nothing, just relief

11:00am Puppy pees in the garden – Owner doesn’t notice Just relief again

11:30am Puppy pees under the dining room table – Owner not present. Nothing happens

12:15pm Puppy pees in the garden – Owner present – gets praise

What we think we are teaching puppy is that it is good to pee in the garden and wrong to pee in the house but what the pup is actually learning is that sometimes it is rewarding to pee when the owner is present and sometimes it is dangerous. However it is always safe to go when the owner is not present and that so far the safest place is under the dining room table.

This is copied from a brilliant FB page, please have a read and see what you think .

Having a puppy is exactly like having your toddler, did you have a think about this? It's very hard work and I couldn't have a puppy when my DC were young, I would have gone into meltdown.

[rainbowfeet]

Thank you needsastrongone .. Extremely helpful advice & given without an attitude much appreciated.

My mistake I didn't think she could go out if she hadn't had her jabs.. Communal garden though so will it affect the training if she is taken out on a lead?

Thank you

[HuskyWoman]

No, lead wees in the garden are fine. Mine is 8 weeks. We're out about every hour during the day. Once or twice through the 'night' (12am-6m).

Training is more than toilet, it's behavior, socialisation, everything that shapes the of your puppy will be.

If you haven't got time to research toilet training before getting a pup, or to watch it all the time which pups do need, you may not have enough time for this dog.

[rainbowfeet]

When I meant putting her in a pen I meant times like when I'm upstairs dressing myself or toddler, going to the toilet etc.. So she's not able to soil carpet or left alone with toddler I didn't mean for long periods of time.

[zeedogwhisperer]

Beginning is really the challenging part. Patience and hard work is really needed. Way to go!

[affafantoosh]

It's obviously spam but for the record the info in DEXXIE's link is nonsense.

[Lilcamper]

I am not going to be as polite as affaf, that link is total bollocks.

[Floralnomad]

Its on 2 other threads as well .

[Lilcamper]

Think MNHQ are on the ball because they have all been removed. I wanted to go and laugh at the crap advice but didn't save the link.

[murphys]

Rainbow it is early days. So I guess pup is about 9 weeks old now. It can take months to potty train so you are going ok. Its a case of persistence right now. A little puppy is hard work. You have to be watching her nearly all the time. Im in same situation as you. Pup is 10 weeks and she can does some wees on the bedroom carpet. She is doing well now going out to wee on grass if she can get out, but if not she wees in the same bloody spot on the carpet every time. My room stinks right now. Anyway I have sprinkled bicarb on that spot now and just watch her like hawk when she heads that direction...

I will look back and smirk about it in a few months I reckon. after having the carpets shampooed

[murphys]

Oh and meant to add. We don't do the paper thing either. Just straight out onto the grass. Paper is for chewing apparently .

[moosemama]

This is a zombie thread murphys - it was started back in March.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Going back to communal garden. Do other dogs use it? If other dogs use it do you know if they are up to date on their vaccinations?
If other dogs do use it and they are not up to date or you don't know there is a greater risk to taking your puppy to the garden than if it was your own garden that no one else uses.
Really you need a discussion with your vet who has knowledge of which brand of vaccines your puppy is having to be able to make an individual risk analysis for you.

[catbus]

I know it's draining, but ours is 16 weeks now and has had no accidents (apart from a few when I wasn't on the ball) for about a month now.
I took her out at least every 20 mins, sometimes more, and every time she had played/eaten/drunk/woke up etc.
It was, to be frank, knackering, but very worth it.
Fwiw, I have a toddler too- and 3 other children at home- just look at it like potty training and watch for sniffing signs
Oh yes, I got my crate for 29 quid online- I'm not flush either but put some by from my tax credits.. The crate really helped with overnight

[catbus]

Oh. Just realised OP won't see this!