Puppy toilet training advice, please!

[BitOfFun]

Please help- our four month old Cavalier King Charles pup came to us at 8-9 weeks old practically toilet trained to the puppy pad. Had many subsequent successful wees outside and thought we were home and dry (!)

However, after a week of dreadful weather, things reverted to the pads indoors, and a few weeks later we seem to be stuck in this routine...

Only the other day, I took him out for a long walk in the park, yet the first thing he did when he got in was to wee on the living room rug!

Where do we go from here?

Personally I would get rid of the pads as all that is doing is teaching the dog they 'can' go inside. I toilet trained in the depths of winter and just huddled under an umbrella.
So no pads, back to basics of taking outside after every meal, every drink, every play, every sleep and frequently between. Praise like mad when he goes outside. If he goes inside pick up and run outside and then praise. If you think he needs one and comes back in without toileting then wait a few mins then take back outside.

Thanks, Bitey x

I agree with Bitey. We toilet trained without pads or paper in Feb / Mar of this year. It was hellish and I was quite sure I’d die of hypothermia! The key is you also standing outside so you can be sure they’ve done their business and reward appropriately.

My pup came trained to go on pads too and we are just moving them slowly towards the back door and taking her out every hour, after food and after a sleep etc. Once the garden has her scent and she no longer uses her pads I will remove them completely. This is what I did with our older pup and that worked out great for us.
Good luck op.

Agree with Biteyshark. Ditch the pads. They only encourage the puppy to toilet inside. Take puppy out after eating, drinking, playing, and on waking. Any sign of him making circular movements with his nose to the floor take him out. Lots of praise and a treat (tiny piece of cheese or sausage) when pup wees. Be consistent and toilet training will be sorted very quickly.

I have to say after some great advice on here we ditched our pups crate, never used pads and watched him like a hawk. He’s 4 months now and is almost there. He hasn’t had an accident in the house for 2 or 3 weeks and that was me thinking i could finish the washing up quickly and then take him out. I should have known better :) but he follows a strict schedule.
He goes out on waking, 20 minutes after eating, before bed and after play/training. sometimes he’ll need a wee at around 4AM but that’s getting less frequent.
I’d say get rid of the pads and start from scratch again. Oh and invest in an enzymatic oder and stain remover so he won’t be able to smell where he’s peed.

Yep, ditch the puppy pads. They just encourage the puppy to go inside the house.

You need to take them out regularly - for small puppies it's every half an hour when awake, straight after food/drink, after a nap and after a play session or walk. We used the technique of a code word every time he goes - for us it's "toilet".

So I'll take him out, say "Archie, toilet please" and wait. If he goes off wandering, pick him back up or encourage him back over and repeat "toilet please" until he goes. When he goes, a treat and lots of fuss. If he toilets inside, we just say "no" and take him outside.

He's fourteen weeks (we've only had him two) and while he's had a couple of pees inside, he's never pooped inside. We are getting there - the key for us is consistency and making sure everyone in the house is using the same method for training/praise.

Consistency is really important, take him out frequently, throughout the day. First thing in the morning, last thing at night, after every bit of food and drink, every play session, every sleep, and if he hasn't been in the last hour, take him out. Use the same place and command each time too. Lots of fuss and treats when he goes outside. A firm no and take him outside, if you catch him inside going, but it's important that it is when he's doing it or immediately afterwards, as five or ten minutes later he'll have no idea what he's done.

It's something that can take ages, our younger pup is nearly a year old, and when it's raining she still has the odd accident because she doesn't like to go out in the rain. Whenever it happens we go back to basics, taking her out frequently, using the command, and watching her closely. You just have to be patient and keep at it.