20 week old puppy not letting us know...

[Sellingstress]

When she needs to go out. I think we are getting there with our 20 week old scottie pup who is just bloody ADORABLE. Take her out every hour, does her stuff and knows she gets a treat and has done a Good Thing. Is mostly fine between taking out times but she is still having 1-3 accidents in the house a day if we take our eye off the ball for a split second and will not let us know in any way, shape or form that she needs to go out.

Interestingly and for info, she is dry all during the night, sleeps through and if she happens to be alone in the kitchen (her place).

Just a matter of time, right? Im sure our previous dogs were more on it by this point. Will forgive her of course because of huge paws and lovely puppy ways.

Doggy door bells.

Everytime you take her out to the toilet, ring the bells before you open the door. She'll soon learn that to go out, she needs to ring the bells :)

We got our puppy as a completely untrained older rescue ( 16 weekish) and he was very slow getting it and I’m fairly sure the thing that finally made it click was catching him mid wee , picking him up and running to the door saying ‘outside’ fairly loudly .

So is she weeing more than once an hour in the daytime?

If this is her regular weeing habit I would just be taking her out more frequently than hourly.

She’s only tiny.
If she wees in the house it’s on you.
She will give small signals (not telling you, but signals you can pick up on) E.g sniffing or circling so you need to watch more closely.
At this age she doesn’t know she shouldn’t go indoors if she needs to.

Hourly seems about right I think - the accidents tend to happen if someone not as vigilant as myself aren’t sure when she was last out and we lose our ‘schedule’ a bit.
I can see her running off with the doggy doorbell… what an amazing idea though.

I agree is totally on us - just got to keep at it I guess, and reassuring that at 20 weeks there’s a lot of time for improvement.

And sometimes the accidental wees are sometimes just small circles. Almost like marking? Have abandoned puppy pads as I don’t think they helped.

@icedcoffees

Doggy door bells.

Everytime you take her out to the toilet, ring the bells before you open the door. She'll soon learn that to go out, she needs to ring the bells :)

Depends how smart your dog is - they can figure out that ringing the bell is a great way to be let out in the garden for a sniff and a bark wander 😁

Definitely ditch the puppy pads - they often have pheromones to encourage pup to go on them. For now, I'd perseve with the frequent toilet trips - but if she's urinating v frequently and in small amounts, it might be worth a vet check to rule out an infection.

At that age I'd definitely be popping her out more than hourly, even if it's only a bit more often like every 40 minutes or so; she's still very young.

Yes, as pp said, you need to watch for signs of tracking: nose down on the floor and either walking, quite quickly, in a line or circling.

The more she get it right the more she'll understand how it works.

Depends how smart your dog is - they can figure out that ringing the bell is a great way to be let out in the garden for a sniff and a bark wander 😁

You're right, but I'd rather they rang the bells unnecessarily than had accidents on the floor.

I think Scotties tend to be a bit more difficult to house train than some other breeds? I've never had a Scottie but friends have had several and they have mentioned this issue.

It will happen eventually, though it can take time and patience. Watch her like a hawk and get to know her signals, e.g. she might sniff the floor or start pacing just before she needs to go.

And where is the obligatory puppy pic?

Thanks some great advice, maybe I’m expecting too much - it’s been 16 years since my last pup so perhaps I’m forgetting how long it takes. Plus HT in winter! Not so pleasant standing out there waiting for The Wee with a Gale howling around you. Ah pic - of course!

@icedcoffees

Depends how smart your dog is - they can figure out that ringing the bell is a great way to be let out in the garden for a sniff and a bark wander 😁

You're right, but I'd rather they rang the bells unnecessarily than had accidents on the floor.

I only mentioned it as a couple of people in our puppy group / support group (!) ended up ditching them as their pups were ringing them every time they saw a bird/squirrel/leaf 😂

I am absolutely not an expert but if she knows a wee gets her treats could she be trying that?

Ha yes @askingforafriend80 - she did think that at the start, looked all hopeful every time she did a wee, wherever it was. I think she's cottoned on now that it only happens outside. I think!

I’m sorry OP, I don’t think you can cope with that gorgeous girl, I’m going to be very kind and offer to take her 😂