Please help - puppy won't toilet outside

[Puptrouble]

Grateful for any advice. Puppy is 16 weeks old and has been trained to toilet on a grass potty patch - we have fresh turf delivered weekly as we live in an apartment. He's been walking outside now for two weeks post vaccines and isn't showing any interest in toileting outside. I put him on grass outside and use the command 'toilet' but nothing. I've put a grass potty patch in our communal outdoor area in the hope he'll first go there and nothing. This morning rather than open the door to the terrace and potty I took him straight down to the other potty I'd put down there and nothing. I took him for a short walk thinking he'd be busting and go, onto grass by the river again saying toiLet but nothing. As soon as we got home he peed on the chair so he WAS busting. We've taken him out for the day with more commands on more grass and nothing and he held it in for HOURS. I feel terrible, be must have been so uncomfortable. Does anyone have advice please?

You have to take a puppy of that age out every 20 minutes or so until he gets it.
It’s why it’s so difficult in an apartment, although I know some people do it.
Your puppy isn’t understanding the difference between inside and outside yet

Just to hang in there - we have a setter pup and live in a flat and we had the same
Issue at first, he seemed to be non plussed about the idea that anyone would pee outside. We took him to areas other dogs wee'd in a lot, and it must've been just when we were getting desperate around the two weeks post last jabs mark that he started to get it. We even tried taking his puppy pads outside and he just looked at us as though we were barking.

Obviously, if he wees or poos outside act like you've won the lottery and give him ALL the treats.

There's no point saying the word toilet until he's reliably toileting outside. You need to pair the cue word with the action.

Who trained him to go on the grass patch? How did they train him?

Also my pup did the holding on til he got back too - the pup thinks that's the right thing to do, and you have to spend a lot of time and wait them out.

When they realise them going outside also makes you really happy they'll get the hang of it.

Your mistake was coming back inside when you knew he hadn’t gone. Doesn’t matter how long it takes in the morning or if he hasn’t been for ages you just need to stay outside until he does. If you stay outside for an hour or two at some point he will have a wee, and I doubt it will take that long. As soon as he goes give the command at that point and make a fuss/give a treat. Soon he will associate the command with the action (and the fuss/treat).

Thanks all. We'd been outside pretty much all day today thinking he'd go at some point and were ready with all the praise and treats but nothing.

He is sniffing where other dogs have clearly gone and nothing...

Next step maybe a walk with another dog and ask the owner of that dog to praise it when it goes and ours might make the connection?

Yes treats for outside wees and poos, nothing for inside just ignored. Agree you need to absolutely wait it out, outside. Once you get a few breakthroughs it'll click.

Walking with another dog isn't a bad idea - it did take a good week of our pup sniffing other dogs' wee etc before he decided it was safe to try.

And tomorrow morning knowing he'll need to go just stay outside until he does? We have a load of peaceful outdoor space where we live so we don't need to go far from the flat.

Yes pretty much

I would try putting newspaper or an old towel on the patch of grass he already pees on.

Once he's scented it, then take the paper/towel outside and hopefully he'll make the connection and pee outside. Eventually you can remove the scented items as he'll know to go outside.

Lots and lots of praise and treats when he goes outside and ignore all indoor accidents. Make sure you're cleaning them up properly too :)

Thank you fairylights. Will try that too.

We've had an adult dog live with us for six months before so know it can work in our home (same breed, cavalier). We took him out first and last thing and in the day throughout. He knew to go outside though. He went once or twice on the terrace didn't like it and would go when we walked him throughout the day