Question: Puppy Toilet Training

[FragileTitanium]

Hi
I'd be so grateful for some input from experienced dog owners!

We've had our puppy for two weeks now. I've been following the advice Gwen Bailey's book The Perfect Puppy. Her toilet training advice is pretty full on - take them out every hour, plus quite a number of other times and also in the middle of the night and train them to use a voice cue to do wees and poos in the garden.

This has been going fine. The only trouble is that I'm absolutely knackered. Last night, I lifted my little puppy and put her out in the garden at 10.45pm and then she wanted to go out at 2am and then I took her out at 6am. I've been doing some sort of variation of this routine since we got her. It's paying off - she rarely does anything inside now and always asks to be let out to go.

I guess my question is. Is there an end in sight or am I doomed to get getting up in the middle of the night (in the freezing rain last night) telling my puppy to "get busy" in the garden in the pitch black. (Neighbours think I am certifiable and they are probably right).

Does everyone else do this or am I totally bonkers?

I didn't read that book but I did exactly that in the daytime. But at night I crated and left him. I went with the school of thought that you need to train them to hold it all night, not go outside.

I did go against advice in that I had a 30" crate for a teeny guinea pig sized Border Terrier pup. I split it ito bedding and paper. However, he was clean at night first from 9 weeks!

He went from regular indoor accidents to just getting it at around 12weeks. It took a leap of faith from me to bin the puppy pads and he never looked back. At that point he didn:t need turfing out, he came and cried when he needed to go out.

Stick at it because your hard work will pay dividends. My pup is 8 months old and someone dh knows got one at same time. They said it was too cold and wet to be out with it all the time and it is still weeing all over the house.

Pretty much the same as Fan minus the puppy pads! I think we decided to lift our puppy at around 10/11pm then go down if he cried. I think he cried maybe once or twice from 8 weeks and slept through until 7/8am as it was the Christmas break, he gets up earlier now because we do!

You are doing super, it's hard work to start with isn't it? I do think you get back what you put in though to a large degree.

Do you get up only if she cries or get up anyway? Maybe try getting up 15 minutes later each night if you are getting up?

Every puppy is different from what I understand, but it sounds like she's doing super.

Another thing, I have got used to getting up earlier now (about 6.15 rather than 7am) and having no lie ins other than an extra half and hour here and there occasionally. I thought I would struggle with this but you do get used to it. I also suspect our puppy would actually just sleep a bit later if we left him but I am pre-programmed now

Good luck

ps - dh slept downstairs for the first few nights and moved further away each night. We also have a massive crate as it's our friends who have a Vizsla, we have a Springer. I actually prefer that, as I feel he has a bit of space when I go out.

I have to be honest and say that I have a sleeper with the bladder of a camel too! I think it does depend on the dog.

We used to go down to ours at 6am but he started ignoring us! This morning dh went to work at 6 am, let the dog out and then let him come upstairs to me. Ds is watching tv in bed and I am MNing in bed with dog upside down and snoring! Think we best go sort breakfast!

I did much the same as the others but also with no paper/pads . Ours was older when we got him though so probably more able to hold on overnight , I never let him out overnight and only ever had a couple of wee accidents. I suppose one night you'll have to ignore the pup if it cries to go out in the night and see if it goes back to sleep and holds on . Bit drastic but surely if they think you're at their constant beck and call they will keep doing it . I know my dog doesn't sleep all night even now (3) as I can hear him mooching about and dragging his blankets all over the place .

Thanks so much for the comments.
Our puppy is a bichon/shih tzu cross and various people have told me that because they're companion breeds, our puppy needs to sleep in our bedroom otherwise she will get too lonely. That's why I haven't left the crate downstairs - so can't exactly ignore her. Though she doesn't really cry - just makes a whiffling sort of noise, which is my cue to take her out. Our puppy has a huge crate, so plenty of room for paper/bed/water.
I always keep water in her crate at night - but perhaps that is a mistake.

Any views on any of this would be so much appreciated!

On a positive note - the training is going really well!

I would never leave a dog without water personally and mine always had it in his crate. He did drink it but was dry at night from 9 weeks old so I wouldn't worry too much about it too much.

I also leave water down overnight with no problems. I suppose if you've got her in your room you are a bit of a captive audience . Just out of interest does she get left alone at all during the day ?

My dog is a pug and it is a companion breed. She's slept in the kitchen every night since we got her at 9 weeks old. She's 2 now.

We did try and let her sleep with our 10 year ds but she wanted to go back to her own bed.

Water is always available.

I don't leave water down but I that's because I know our puppy and his drinking habits very very well. He has a MASSIVE drink or water just before he settles for the night (almost a bowl full, drinks for about 2 minutes honest!), circles the kitchen exactly three times then falls asleep under the table. I really don't think it makes a difference to toilet training and I would happily leave it down if I felt he needed it. He rarely (never) drinks on waking and will wait until we go on our first walk of the day to find a stinky muddy puddle . Leave the water down I reckon.

Good the training is going well.

I would suspect that you could call many breeds companion breeds maybe? We have a Springer who is, our friends have a Vizsla, whose breed nickname is Velcro dog and they both sleep downstairs. As I said, DH slept downstairs too and moved away gradually But, that's totally up to you where she sleeps.

Yes fan - get going!!

Didn't want to start a debate on water honest after the last one, leave it down

Ha ha! We have decided to skip breakfast and have an early lunch followed by a break for cake at the parks tearooms when we take doggylonglegs out. It is the last lazy morning of the holidays for us, we have to use it!

And dog is so lazy in the morning that I have given up trying to get him to eat before midday anyway...he just won't!

There was a debate about water?

Leave it Housewife, leave it I say!!!

Thank you for everyone's input. As always, I've learnt something, so much appreciated. I'll sign off now!

Hello everyone. I have a 7 month old Bichon/ Shih Tzu cross and she's still not toilet trained!

She sleeps in the kitchen in a crate (we leave the door open) at night and we're always greeted by a wee and poo in the morning.

She knows she is supposed to go outside for the toilet and she often does, but she never asks to go out and we have to keep getting up when she goes in the kitchen to open the door otherwise she'll just do it in her usual spot on the floor. She comes and tells us when she has gone on the floor, she doesn't seem to get that she needs to let us know to go outside.

Anyone know how we can get her to start asking us when she needs to go out?

Any advice appreciated.

Sounds like you need to go back to the beginning and start again . Take her out regularly and introduce a cue word then treat when she does something in the appropriate place . We use 'go quickly ' and my dog will always try and squeeze out a wee even if he's only just been because he knows that's what he's supposed to do .