Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Pets

Join our community on the Pet forum to discuss anything related to pets.

How the hell do I house train a puppy??

37 replies

SoupDragon · 04/09/2009 14:05

I pick him up tomorrow and am utterly clueless!

OP posts:
abra1d · 04/09/2009 14:20

Get a clicker. Take him to the garden once an hour and wait with him until he does his stuff. Then click and give him a small dog treat (suitable for puppies). He will start to recognise the click as a signal that he's done something good.

Be very sure to do this every hour. Start to give this 'business' a name/phrase, so that as you click you say 'potty' or 'stuff' or 'do your business' or whatever (but keep it consistent). If you do this carefully he will start to get the hang of it.

We've had our puppy for 2.5 weeks and she's now pretty good during the day. It's hard work but worth it. She'll still occasionally try and do her stuff on the carpets if we don't watch her carefully but mistakes are becoming fewer and fewer.

I think, with many puppies, it's too much to expect clean nights for a while. Their bladders, etc, are tiny.

We use a crate for shorter periods during the day. So if I go shopping for 2-2.5 hours I put her in the crate and she won't do anything in it. She's in it at night but I do let the door stay open so she can use the kitchen floor (tiled) as I don't want her to use the crate and I don't think she can last the whole night yet, though she's showing signs that this might be the case soon.

Clickers are generally helpeful, we've found. Our pup would sit to command within 24 hours.

fruitshootsandheaves · 04/09/2009 14:30

every time he wakes up and 10 minutes after he's eaten take him outside and praise him when he does something. They soon learn.
My puppy had a crate too and was clean at night within days ( I didn't leave the door open but there was enough room in it to leave paper down which he didnt use. after a terrible fuss for the first 2 nights he was brilliant)

It is really hard work always watching them, but you soon get to know the signs that they are about to go!

good luck and have fun!

GrimmaTheNome · 04/09/2009 14:36

In addition: if there is an accident make sure you clean it up well so that it doesn't smell like a place where one wees. Put something wee-soaked in the place where you do want him to wee (eg newspapers if you're using them, or the cloth with which you mopped up accident) and let him sniff it there.

FfreckleFface · 04/09/2009 14:38

How exciting! What sort of puppy?

Take him to the same spot everytime too. Girldog still pees and poos in exactly the same place we took her when she was a pup. She was nice and easy to train in the ways described above - Boydog took a little longer, but he is ridiculously stupid not quite as clever as Girldog. (He is much prettier than her though...)

SoupDragon · 04/09/2009 14:46

cocker spaniel

Thanks. I've set up our old BabyDan Baby Den playpen in a corner our (tiled) kitchen rather then buy a crate - I've also got cheap Ikea bathmats to put down in strategic spots! And a store of newspapers.

we're all very excited.

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 04/09/2009 14:47

How will he cope with a 1h30m car journey home? Should I time it for a nap time and stop when/if he wakes up?

OP posts:
FfreckleFface · 04/09/2009 14:56

Aw...all the time is nap time for a puppy! Are you taking anyone with you? When we picked up Boydog I sat in the back and held him in my lap. I know that you should probably put him in the boot, but I felt really bad for him being all on his own.

fruitshootsandheaves · 04/09/2009 14:57

aww...spaniels are the BEST

and collies

and all the others

lol

minimu · 04/09/2009 15:20

I wouldn't put the puppy in the boot on their first jounery as it can be a bit traumatic for them. But whoever is holding the pup I would recommend that they have newspaper ot a towel on their lap. As pups can be prone to being carsick at first. Tell the breeder what time you are travelling and maybe they could miss just one feed so pup may not be sick.

How exciting for you

SoupDragon · 04/09/2009 15:36

It'll be just me - he'll be in a box (no lid) in the footwell next to me! The breeder advised me not to have someone hold him as he's most likely going to throw up

OP posts:
Blondeshavemorefun · 04/09/2009 19:12

bella was a godsend in ppt - puppy potty training

the amount of puddles i had ,drove me insane

look forward to seeing a piccy SD

FfreckleFface · 05/09/2009 10:29

Good luck today, SoupDragon. Let us know how you get on. Am that you're getting a new puppy-I'm not allowed another one.

dangirl · 05/09/2009 11:11

Hope it is going well Soupdragon.

We are also getting a cocker spaniel (a working one). Will pick her up on the 11th of Oct. Very exciting!!

floaty · 05/09/2009 11:47

Good luck for today soupdragon,have to say housetraining was easy with our cocker puppy,hopefully its a breed trait!!He was prett reliable from day2 and from week 12 we have only had a couple of accidents ,he is 24 weeks now and none of us can imagine life without him.The main thing we found was to take him out a lot ,always wait with him to do business,praise immediately.Don't give any attention at all for accidents in house .

SoupDragon · 06/09/2009 07:50

Well, there were no accidents and no vomit on the way home and he pooed in the garden as soon as we got home - good start. Then there were 2 poos and 2 wees on the floor, he went overnight with nothing, pooed in the garden when I took him out at 6:30am and then an immediate wee on the floor. And he keeps treading in the poo. Which is nice.

It's like having another baby without the labour and hormones

OP posts:
aGalChangedHerName · 06/09/2009 07:58

Having a puppy is very hard work as i am finding out!!

I would echo the poster who said having a phrase is a good idea. When we take Molly out we say 'get busy'to encourage her to perform quickly and it is working. It's proving useful when it's pissing down outside lol.

Good luck and enjoy!! I feel like we have always had her and it's only been 4 weeks.

SoupDragon · 06/09/2009 08:06

Will "FFS, it's 6am, have a poo so I can get back in and have a hot coffee" do the job (so to speak)?

He's napping now, in the old playpen which works brilliantly - enough space for his bed (a poncey wooden wine crate from the Majestic wine Warehouse), food area and a cheap Ikea bathmat covered with newspaper if he gets caught short.

TBH, he's settled brilliantly, FAR better than I imagined given that he's come from a house with 5 adult dogs and his 6 littermates.

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 06/09/2009 09:55

Dill in full flight

OP posts:
noddyholder · 06/09/2009 09:59

He is lovely I soooo want a dog but our garden has no grass is all landscaped apart Could I still do it?Are you at home all day in the week?

Buda · 06/09/2009 10:04

Oh he is so cute!

We have a lab. Got her 21 June and after a rocky start (check out my "Not enjoying our new puppy" thread) I am enjoying it.

Ours has on the whole been pretty good with the housetraining other than the night DH didn't lock her cage properly. She wakes up early though! Starts whining around 5.30/5.45.

noddyholder · 06/09/2009 10:10

Buda I saw your thread and decided no!then saw this and want one again!AAAAAAAh!

Buda · 06/09/2009 10:35

Well we seem to have come out the other side noddy. She is MUCH easier now. Poor thing had a nasty fall nearly 2 weeks ago though and fractured two bones - one in hip and one in pelvis! Poor think was in SO much pain but little tail (well not so little now really) would still wag if you petted her.

She is a lovely temperament. Very calm. Loves just being with someone. Follows us around from room to room and just flops on floor nearby and snoozes!

We are not walking her at the moment because of the injury but I am looking forward to that bit.

So whilst I will admit I hated it all at the beginning, I watch DS with her and I am so glad we did it and so glad we persevered.

And to be honest Codie was really good at night and pretty good on the house-training. I had never had a dog before and just panicked.

Blondeshavemorefun · 06/09/2009 10:38

aww how cute is he?

SoupDragon · 06/09/2009 10:45

Aw, poor thing!

I am home "all" day. Obviously there are school runs and appointments in amongst that "all" though. Panicking about the fact he'll be alone for an hour and a half tomorrow as DD has swimming after the school run. I'm sure he'll be fine [gulp]. Not sure about the lack of grass/landscaped garden. I'm pretty clueless about dog owning TBH. I grew up with one but, obviously, I only did the fun stuff.

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 06/09/2009 10:48

Not sure I dare read your thread, Buda!

Dangirl, Dill is a show type (I think - his mother was all delicate & dainty anyway.) Not that he's going to be shown - I suspect he'll spend a lot of time covered in mud - hence the chocolate-and-white colourway!

OP posts: