Puppy arrived yesterday - encouragement needed

[iloverhubarbcrumble]

We are going a little stir crazy here - we brought Lola home yesterday morning, and really things are fine. But we're exhausted already. Please give me some encouragement - I know it's a well worn topic but I coudl really do with some help!

She's a springer, 9 weeks, and has alot of energy as expected. What's actually good - well she's fine in her crate, settled really well for the night (it was me who didn't sleep at all), is playing with and retrieving toys already and has had plenty of naps.

But the house training is another matter. She is weeing on newspaper in the house, and pooing on the floor. We are taking her out on the hour, after feeds etc, but she doesn't get it. As soon as she's outside she rushes around the small garden, picking up soil, chewing leaves & bark, and generally having alot of fun, colliding into things. Heavily supervised by us so we spend our time removing her from a plant and giving her a toy. But she doesn't wee. We come back in and she wees.

We have given up for now as we are worried about her picking things up in the garden. She has just weed off the newspaper now. How to manage this?

We are novices and I am slightly in shock. She is lovely and I know we'll manage in time. Thanks for any replies at all.

Its quite normal especially in first few days of new home. Make sure you clean it up well, and if she is going to one place, put the newspaper there. Loads of praise if going outside and ensure that first thing in the morning and after food she is put straight outside, telling her pee, and then dont allow her back in until she has gone. Its hard work but worth it. We also ended up using bed pads as newspaper is a real pain.

if you want her to do as instructed tell her the word as shes doing it, so as shes weeing say wee, if she lays down, say lay, if she drops say drop ect, but has to be done within 1 second of the action.

I wouldn't bother using paper in the house as you just have to train twice that way. Collar and lead in the garden, lead her out, wait to see if she wees. If she does then go mad with praise and use a cue, we use busy busy for a wee and big busy for a poo. We got our puppy on Saturday and the weeing is going well. You can also give a small treat and praise when she wees. We have an older dog too so been through it once already.

As soon as she wees inside I would take her outside, if you can catch her as she wees then that's better, even if it means dribbles over the floor as she needs to learn the association with outside and wees/poos.

thanks for the tips. We pick up our puppy on bank hol monday so the hints are well recieved. (sorry for hijacking)

Definately agree about not using paper it just confuses the dogs and takes longer to train them.

Personally I would stay out with the puppy until they had done a wee or poo - however long it takes to start with. They will begin to get less stimulated by the outside and I am afraid for a while you will have to puppy proof it.

If the puppy is consistently praised for outside weeing then it will only take a few days.

If you have already used the newspaper inside, then place a sheet outside too, though best not to use it at all.

You have to be watchful and work out when the most likely wees and poos are likely to be....scoop the puppy up immediately and take it outside......then lots of praise if successful.

You also have to spend a fair bit of time outside watching and waiting!

Thanks so much everyone - great to get this help. Pickanimal glad I'm not the only one asking seemingly endless questions.

We are now well into our second day. And an update - first poo IN THE GARDEN today! I can't believe I'm writing this.... in a muddled haze similar to jet lag.

It takes a while to get the hang of it, but the key is to wait outside until she does toilet and supervise her 100% when she is indoors, so if she does start to circle to
wee/poo you can catch her before she does it and get her out. Toilet training is so much easier if you aim for no accidents indoors, ever.

I went through this with my English Bull Terrier (notoriously hard to train). I also had him crated in the night. He would poo in his sleeping area and seemed "not to get it".

In desperation I contacted a well known trainer who had this advice for me: Keep taking outside, hourly if necessary. When you see them squat - dash, pick up and take outside. Use a word to encourage toileting - eg "be clean". When you take her outside don't let her 'play' at first - take her to an area of the garden set aside for toileting and encourage her to go. Use the word and give tons of encouragement. Praise her when she does go to the toilet outside. If she is toileting in the night then I was told to bite the bullet and set my alarm - start at 1 or 2am come downstairs and take her outside. Gradually extend the time until she is lasting through the night.

Oh yeah, and I wouldn't bother with paper i the house - just means you have to train her twice.

Good luck - it will get easier quite quickly.

another one here for the no newspaper. no pooing or weeing in the house is acceptable at all in my book!

i took our lab pup out about every 15 mins or so at firs. HUGELY labour intensive i know, but i had the time and he got the message really well. agree that you must watch the body language closely, like potty training your dcs!

i also used tiny tiny food treats which worked well.

the crate made it very easy too, and was good for giving him/you a break from each other.

good luck

My golden retriever (now 6 1/2 months) got the hang of toilet training consistently and reliably (ie I never came down to pee on the floor) at about 12 weeks. Was pretty good but still had odd accident until then. Am thinking of getting another pup next month - my friend has a litter of dachsunds which are adorable so may be starting this all over again

Thanks again everyone, we are now well into day 3 and using your advice we've got rid of all the newspaper and are just hanging about outside till it happens. Another success today, though L managed to break through an old cat flap (sealed up with cardboard admittedly) to get back in to her preferred spot this afternoon! I've not yet mastered the art of catching her in mid stream inside, but we are working on it.

BooBooC - agree the crate is brilliant - we get predictable breaks from each other for over an hour at a time through the day as she zonks out after eating. Essential recovery period.

Oxocube - good luck with decision - sure if you've been through this once before it must be far easier to get it right straight away!

What some other people have already said, but you are already doing the right thing by taking her out regularly. All I would add is that frustrating as it is, you need to wait until she has done a wee outside so that you can praise and rewards, before bringing her back in. I used "wee-wees" and just kept on saying - much to the neighbours amusement. Our Lab is now 5 years old and still "wee-wees" on demand if we need to go out and leave her for a bit - bless!

It will come, but you really do need to wait for her to go when she's outside, even if she has a play first. Just follow her around the garden chanting the chosen word and when she does it, make a massive fuss.

Also, if she does do it in the house, say 'No' sharply (but DO NOT shout or get cross), just the tone in your voice will hit home.

Truth be told, I don't think ANYONE realises what hard work having a puppy can be until you have one. We certainly didn't realise and I have to say that having my DD as a newborn was MUCH easier than having our puppy!

Good luck!

Ahh, I haven't read all posts, I got as far as 9 week old springer
I'm picking up my 11 week old springer (teddy) on Saturday. Maybe he'll be fully housetrained at 11 weeks?(wishful thinking!)

Nothing to add to all this brilliant advice other than it's normal to go stir crazy with all the watching for the first week, and that it honestly does get easier. But supervision really is the key; I pretty much lived in the kitchen for the first month or so, so our puppy would never be more than 30 seconds from the back door. Whenever I got lax, I paid for it in puddles on non-moppable surfaces.

And totally agree that puppies are incredibly disruptive in ways you don't realise, even if you have a grown-up dog, like we did. There were definitely moments in the first week when I'd happily have handed him back. Lucky that puppies are exactly as cute as they are deranging...

Thanks for the last two comforting messages, deranged pretty much describes me yesterday, had had ENOUGH. Luckily DD had a friend over and between them they took over - thank goodness it's the holidays.

Today back on track, I'm quite pleased to have her again. We took her to the park to view various gurgling babies and a car park and she looked at the vast spaces longingly as we held on tight!

And kid, good luck on Sat, you are far more experienced than me so I know this won't be putting you off at all!

I remember when we got moby at 7 weeks old. He was mental! There were several times that I asked myself if we were right in getting him.

He really settled down at 6 months. He was house trained, slept well, knew lots of commands/tricks, had great recall and was just so handsome.

I just hope my new darling teddy is just as wonderful. I'm excited but nervous too. I've been feeling very upset about moby for the past 2 nights, I still miss him so much. I just know teddy is going to fill the huge gap that moby left in our family.

just an update to say we now have a more or less housetrained dog! Amazing - whines at the door to be let out if needs to go. You have all been so helpful, I am really grateful. What worked for us was combination of word (bingo!) and reward every time in the garden, and no attention at all if in house. Removed all newspaper. That was all. Wow.

Here's my last question on this topic. Lola is in a crate all night, and I still get up to let her out for a quick walk around the garden and back in around 2.30am. Do I just stretch this so it's later and later - and how old was your puppy when s/he lasted thro the night? Or am I knackering myself for nothing. Thanks again.

Moby was about 4 months old when he could miss a night time wee. I'd let him in the garden at 12am and be up at 6am to let him out again.

I've got to go through it all over again!
I've got a crate for travelling in the car, I wasn't planning on using it in the house though as I remember the fuss moby caused when I put him in one! He cried for hours!