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Original poster

Help with toilet training, pulling my hair out!

34 replies

Marne · 07/02/2013 17:34

Puppys been with us for 3 weeks now, i take him outside, praise him when he does anything, am now walking him once or twice a day.

Have tried crate training him, during the day it seems to go well, been taking him outside every half an hour or so, praising him if he does anything but then it comes to the evening and i let him out to do training and he poops and pee's everywhere, i take him outside first or walk him but he will go the whole walk without doing anything (as soon as we get in he does it on the floor). I just took him outside where he did a wee, came in and thought i would let him have a play with my other dog whle i wash up, come back in to find 3 poo's on the floor, he must have been holding it in all day so he could do it on the floor. I put him straight out when he's done it but doesnt seem to be sinking in (that he needs to do it outside), he has also wee'd in his crate (in his bedding) and seemed happy to lie in it.

Where am i going wrong? should i keep him crated all day and only let him out to go in the garden? seems mean to do this as he wants to play and we spend time doing clicker training.

Help?

OP posts:
HotPinkWeaselWearingLederhosen · 07/02/2013 17:42

You're doing it fine.

Ignore the accidents.

Praise success.

Remember that soon this will all be in the past Wine

Original poster
Marne · 07/02/2013 17:50

Thank you, he's been great with everything else. My other dog was a nightmare with everything aparet from toilet training (was toilet trained very quickly) but this one is a nightmare. It seems to pee and look at me as if to say 'ha, there you go, get your mop out woman' Grin. He's just peed again n the middle of the room.

OP posts:
HotPinkWeaselWearingLederhosen · 07/02/2013 19:01

I don't think the lousy weather helps. Your trying to communicate he goes outside, he's trying to tell you he'd rather crap in the warm, thanks very much! Grin

Floralnomad · 07/02/2013 19:14

I think you've just got to give it a lot more time as he's still very young and with his bowel issues it is probably even more difficult . Some take weeks or even months to get it .

Original poster
Marne · 07/02/2013 19:57

Thank you, his tummy has only just got better, he's on extra food to build him up ( which is now working and he's gaining lots of weight), I will just keep doing what I'm doing and hopefully he will pick it up in time, I think some of it is separation anxiety as he tends to do it when I leave the room.

OP posts:
Floralnomad · 07/02/2013 20:07

The extra food will give you extra practice then ,but probably won't help! Good luck .

Iamaslummymummy · 08/02/2013 09:18

Exactly the same here. Am off to buy a stair gate to try to protect the carpets from the poo monster. He just doesn't seem to understand that he is meant to go outside Hmm Confused

rhinestone · 08/02/2013 10:23

When he does poo outside, do you then bring him inside? If so he's maybe holding it because he doesn't want to go in yet and you've shown him there's a disadvantage to going outside.

Next time you take him out, wait for him to poo and then have a good amount of time playing or doing the training outside. That's his reward for going outside and he'll learn that poo doesn't equal 'outside fun' is over.

Original poster
Marne · 08/02/2013 11:34

He stays outside until he decides to come in but often chooses to come in as soon as he has done a wee. He was seeing on paper at night but now he's doing it everywhere. He went out this morning as soon as he woke up, I let him out with my other dog, I didn't go out as I wasn't wearing much, he was out there for quite a while, let him in and then I went into the kitchen and he pooped on the floor, he seems to do it whenever I leave the room as if he knows I don't want him to do it.

OP posts:
Floralnomad · 08/02/2013 11:41

Perhaps the paper has confused the issue , I've never used paper or puppy pads as I think it gives mixed messages . I think you need to go out with him and stay out till he does something then play for 5 minutes and then bring him in . Do you have a command word ? I use go quick or quickly and still use it now at 2.6 years if I need him to do something before I go out .

Pizdets · 08/02/2013 17:19

Hi Marne,

Sympathize with you on this so much! It felt like forever for our puppy to 'get it' but it really was actually only a few weeks.

The one thing which really cracked it for us was using the crate more. I had a few intensive days where he was in the crate WHENEVER I didn't have my full attention on him. It literally took 2/3 days of this to go from being very patchy to 90% there, which was a huge relief.

Something else which worked for us was rewarding him for standing by the back door when he wants to go. So he'd scratch at the crate when he needed to go, I'd sit him by the back door and treat him then let him out. He seemed to catch on quite fast after that.

I know you said your puppy was ok to soil in his crate so sorry if this is irrelevant but hope it might help a bit!

Piz

Original poster
Marne · 08/02/2013 17:23

Most of the time when i take him in the garden he will pee as soon as i say 'go wee wee' but wont do it on a walk and poo's are hit and miss, he seems to think once he's done a wee thats it, time to go in or he just sits by my foot or on the grass looking at me.

I am now only using paper at night to save our floors because if its not mopped up straight away my floor will be ruined (rubbish laminate flooring). Last night i slept downstairs with him so as soon as he woke i could let him out, he woke at 1am so i let him out and then again at 6am but then at 6.30am he had wee'd and pooped on the floor Sad. He's now in the crate and i'm taking him out every half an hour, just took him out and was outside for 20 minutes (in the cold) and he just sat on the grass and stared at me as i wondered around the garden saying 'go wee wee'. The week after i got him he was happily peeing on the paper at night and never on the floor but would poo anywhere, now he's peeing everywhere and pooing on the paper.

I will be able to spend more time walking him next week, dd2 has been home all week so its been tricky, plus he had a bad tummy at the begining of the week (vet told me not to take him out with a bad tummy).

I hope we crack it soon as i hate the smell of puppy poo first thing in the morning .

OP posts:
needastrongone · 08/02/2013 19:50

Oh you have my sympathy, I don't have any answers I am afraid but it must be bloomin' frustrating. Good luck.

youfhearted · 09/02/2013 11:58

I FOUND if our puppy slept on our bed she was fine -and i carried her downstairs and put her in the garden. but obviously that is not a full term solution.

it is a slow old process isnt it

Notcontent · 10/02/2013 22:26

Hi Marne - just wanted to say I am having exactly the same issues! It feels like my puppy just wants to do it inside.... And yes, early morning poos on the kitchen floor. Lovely. No advice, but wanted to say you are not alone!

Ilovemydogandmydoglovesme · 10/02/2013 22:43

What are you cleaning the floor with? If he can smell where he's been it will be marked as his toilet area for ever more. You will definitely need to bleach everything and I think you can get some stuff that apparently masks the residue, not sure about that but ask your vet or local training school.

Notcontent · 10/02/2013 22:59

I think you are right about the cleaning thing. Will try harder!!

HotPinkWeaselWearingLederhosen · 10/02/2013 23:04

Just use biological powder or washing liquid to clear up and ensure no smells. Smile

Original poster
Marne · 11/02/2013 08:07

I'm using bleach and floor cleaner (on laminate) Sad. We seem to have a good day where he will mainly go outside and then a few bad days where he will pee everywhere.

OP posts:
Original poster
Marne · 13/02/2013 14:22

Still not getting anywhere, just spent 20 minutes in the garden, he did a wee and then just sat there on the grass refusing to move, we came in and he pooed on the floor. I took him for a run in the field yesterday and let him off the lead in hope he would do something, we walked all across the field and he did nothing, he came home a peed in the floor. Feels like he's getting worse.

OP posts:
HDee · 13/02/2013 14:25

How are you reacting when he wees or poos in front of you?

If he is only doing it when you leave the room, buy a long lead, and tie him to our belt, so that where you go, he goes.

youfhearted · 13/02/2013 14:46

I READ recently you should set your alarm to take them out in the night! but i dont do that, just put up with poo on the kitchen floor, but in the day she touch wood, has cracked doing poos in the garden. lots of praise seems to be the trick.
and ignore the mistake in the house Grin

youfhearted · 13/02/2013 14:46

oh and on a walk she doesnt do anything but i take her in the garden as soon as we get home

youfhearted · 13/02/2013 14:48

oh and a reward in the form of a treat for a wee in the garden. that seems to work

youfhearted · 13/02/2013 14:52

plus i have started to feed her last meal earlier in the hope of poos coming before bedtime