Puppy five and half months - toilet training

[BasiliskStare]

I know there is a puppy thread but I wonder if anyone can help

We have 3 dogs - ( Border terriers ) All put out first thing in the morning and last thing at night and get 2 walks a day and are put outside after food (puppy) and all about 3 or 4 times a day.

Eldest (14) has a bladder like lake Windermere and just waits
Middle one (13) has a bladder like a thimble but he will go to the back door and bark

Puppy - 5 months ( I think because he has seen the other two ) will go out and have a wee. But he is not as good at poos. He will do them by the back door so I think he is getting the point about where he should be but I can let him out and stand by him & then 10 minutes later - ha ha. We have the puppy pads but he would rather chew them than use them.

The older two we used to put them out and if they did everything outside they got a treat. The puppy I think has got the weeing thing but not the rest

Luckily we have stone floors & I am handy with a mop but does anyone have a suggestion for a trick we are missing?

Get rid of the puppy pads as all they do is teach dogs that going inside is an option.

I think you need to let the puppy out much more often and be stricter about standing over him until he goes.

You really need to focus on potty training puppies, and puppy pads don't help at all.

Basically you need to be putting him outside at very regular intervals. After every meal, after every nap, after every playtime, every time he looks like he's having a sniff round. It really helps to have a particular spot close to the back door, and to use a command (guide dogs use "busy busy!" When he does what you want, make a huge fuss of him and give him a treat. Rinse and repeat.

Thank you both @fairylightsandwaxmelts & @hellcatspangle - I have just binned the puppy pads. General opinion seems to be they give mixed messages.

Puppy is having a nap but I will take him out after that.

I suppose it is just we aren't doing enough ( although 6 or 7 times a day ) and we need to do it more for the foreseeable future and reward him immediately when he does the job.

One problem is our kitchen is not always visible from where I normally am - but we have a table there and that is near the back door - I might just sit there for a while over the next few weeks and see if I can spot him looking like he needs to go & then take him out. ( I can do what I need to do on that table rather than my desk - I do not mean I am just going to sit there doing nothing other than watching the back door.

@hellcatspangle - I shall brief DH & DS on "busy busy "

Thank you both

We've a 5 nearly 6 month old whippet and up to a few weeks ago he would just do his business where ever he fancied, we ditched the puppy mats as he just shredded them up.

But a few weeks ago it's like it just clicked. He's learnt to whine at the door, and only has accidents now and then if we're not home. As much as we were told to, if we did catch him doing it in the house or squatting to go, we gave a firm no, and popped him outside. We have never been harsh but it would stop him before he had an accident, then got lots of praise when he went outside.

One problem is our kitchen is not always visible from where I normally am - but we have a table there and that is near the back door - I might just sit there for a while over the next few weeks and see if I can spot him looking like he needs to go & then take him out.

Have you thought about training him to use doggy doorbells, @BasiliskStare?

So, everytime you take him to the toilet, ring the bells, then open the door. He should then learn that he needs to ring the bells to be let out.

@fairylightsandwaxmelts - I have never heard of doggy doorbells - is this a thing or are you teasing me I suppose I might train him to use the back door key as well

@Maybebaby8 - I think vigilance and praise is going to be the answer isn't it. Heartening to hear that slightly older your puppy got the point.

@BasiliskStare honestly we were at the point where we thought it could be a UTI, he would just squat anywhere. But a few firm NO and guidance to the garden he got it. But keep going. I also let the door slightly shut when he was outside, I'd wait for him to whinge to want to come back in, gave him lots of praise and fuss. Not sure if that helped to encourage him to be move vocal about his wanting to go out.

Our Vizsla bitch was toilet trained by 3 months.

We never used puppy pads (these teach the dog that it’s ok to go inside).

When we got her at 8 weeks - we would say ‘toilet time’ and she would be taken out regularly - as soon as we got up in the morning, after every nap she had, after every meal etc….. When she went outside to the toilet outside she was heavily praised.

Within a month she was fully trained.

Personally I would give it a bit more time. Our current pup took longer than previous dogs to get it. I just cleaned up without reference to it. No puppy pads. Took him out immediately after every nap (unless distracted by kids etc) and 10 mins after every meal and said “go wee wees” (other phrase are available ) every time he went and just cleaned up any inside accidents. If I saw him mid-wee or -poo inside then I would gently scoop him up and take him outside and said “wee wee” again. The accidents slowly became more infrequent and then one day I realised we hadn’t had any accidents for a while. Took him till about 8 months I think. My DH despaired a couple of times that we weren’t doing enough and our pup wasn’t getting it, but really it’s just time if you do the regular popping outside after meals and naps. Could be that staying outside for longer would help get poos done outside but I suspect just more time will sort it.

Haha @BasiliskStare they're definitely a thing I promise see photo for evidence!

You can teach the dog to ring them by nudging them with his nose or tapping at them with his paw.

My beagle has been trained to tap or nudge the baby gate when he wants to go out but doorbells work in the same way! The only reason we don't use them is because we have cats who would destroy them 🙈

Dog doorbells are great. Maybe set up a camera by the door, you can have a motion alarm so when you see him in business mode you can catch him first.

@fairylightsandwaxmelts & @MrsWinters - am going to get some doggy doorbells - I had genuinely never heard of them - but any port in a storm . Now I know there are a thing even without barking, pup may jump up at the back door and we can hear that.

Thank you all - today not one poop thus far but early doors - he has had a very long walk this morning and is fast asleep after his lunch ( let out after lunch & did wee) when he wakes up I shall put him out again.

Really appreciate everyone's advice. I have something to do here and Thank you to @Arucanafeather @NorthernSpirit
Perhaps some more observation - dodgy doorbells and just a little bit of growing up may do it.

Thank you all - will report back

Oh I meant doggy doorbells not dodgy doorbells - that would be entirely different

he has had a very long walk this morning

I don't mean to have a pop but just in case it was helpful/new info- at 5 months, your pup should only be walking for half an hour they say (5 mins for each month plus 5) or else she may be att increased risk of arthritis etc later. I struggle with this with my young collie as I am a huge walker myself and she has boundless energy, so I have to set timers on my phone to tell us when to turn back.

Sorry, on topic some dogs take a bit longer to get it than others, sounds as though you're doing everything right, good luck!

@ABitBesotted - I do not take it amiss at all . Puppy ( he ) walks round to park and walk then balls thrown so probably gets more exercise than the actual walk and a bit more in the evening - he is a border terrier which are pretty robust but when I say walk - it is walking and then chasing balls so he can sit down when he had had enough - but certainly has the opportunity for as much exercise as he wants - but thank you for pointing that out - my DFIL's had a labrador and his back legs went a bit in his older age.

Thank you for the encouragement though

My six month old border terrier is still a bit hit and miss. I think some dogs get it quicker than others

Teach him to ‘go’ on command. So similar to training have a marker word or phrase you only use for toileting and when he does go mark and reward - you can use in conjunction with the bells too. Our boy was a stubborn boy to toilet train. Don’t use pads as others have said and mine was taken out on lead so I knew if he had gone. Especially if you have other dogs. You can then mark reward and lift it lots of ott praise.

Thank you all and I apologise if do not mention by name

Today pup went outside and did a poo. We have binned the pads and putting him out more often. He had a fuss for being a good boy. We use wee wee as a general thing for all toilet for all dogs . Not used for anything else - well why would we

Possibly triumph of hope over experience but the last couple of days he has been better, & I do think he might get better just getting older - but he definitely put out more ( e.g. after nap etc ) . My life has become checking the time and putting puppy out - but if it works I am happy

It is 13 years since we hast had a puppy so I have forgotten what got them doing it right.

Thank you all

Nice update.🐕

Hi,
we have a 9 month old male Border.The puppy pads were chewed to bits so we used paper.Toilet training wasn’t brilliant as he would go outside and do nothing and then come back inside & do it on the paper 🙄 In the end whichever one of us got up early doors we went straight outside and stayed outside until he did something and then praised him.It did work in the end.

Our pug was a nightmare but once we binned the puppy pads it got even worse as he was so confused, we taught him to ring a doggy bell and it worked a treat. He was a similar age.

Our new puppy was toilet trained from day 1 as the breeder had been putting them outsdie from a few weeks old. He is a big dog (28kg at 6 months) and opens the door to let himself out we have to lock it to stop him opening it.