Wee and flooring

[Flamingmentalcats]

We have decided to get laminate flooring put down as our dog wees and poos on the carpet thinking of would be easier to clean up. She has also dug at the carpet by the door and has ruined it. However, my friend has said that their laminate lifted with their dog weeing through the night. Am worrying now have made a mistake.
What flooding have others got down please? Can't afford Kardean

I would have thought that accidents left for any length of time would cause damage over a long period as dogs tend to pee in the same place if they aren't cleaned up quickly.

I have wooden floors but he doesn't pee or poo in the house so they aren't damaged but would be if he did. Is your dog really young or a medical condition that is causing it to pee/poo on your carpet?

The messing the flooring will be an issue with laminate too. Why does it happen?

She is only 13 weeks old and still learning to use her puppy pads and won't wee outside yet.
Have I just made a huge mistake? Argh

Ditch the puppy pads. Get her outside when she needs to go. So take her out after sleeping or eating or playing or drinking and at least every half an hour! If she doesn’t go then keep an eye and hustle her out at the first sign. On a lead if necessary. Every time she goes to the toilet inside she’s learning that is where she should go. Good luck.

Ah a youngster.

However I really don't rate puppy pads. Yes some people use them and find they help but for me I think they just teach your dog to see the inside as fine to toilet.

When you say she won't wee outside have you considered that is because she can do it inside where is is safer and warmer.

Personally I would get rid of the pads, go back to basics and concentrate on toilet training. The cost of a new floor would be the big motivator for me.

As per previous poster, I’d agree to ditch the puppy pads. Have a look at Pippa Mattinson and the happy puppy handbook-we followed that and it totally worked. Basically taking them out every half an hour to try and teach them that it’s outside they need to go. It’s a ball ache at first as you feel like you are constantly outside but once they get the hang of it it makes life much easier and you gradually extend the time between taking taking them out. The idea is that you try and have as few accidents in house as possible so they know the outside is for the toilet.

It is hard having a puppy in the winter. It is not so much fun hanging around outside in the dark, cold and wet and the puppies dont love it either so does make toilet training less fun (is it ever fun?)

However you do need to take the puppy out every hour at least and everytime they do something different. eg asleep then wake up take them out, playing stop playing take them out, eaten a meal take them out, chasing your feet stop chasing your feet take them out etc.

Not saying this to gloat or be obnoxious but our last puppy did not wee or poo indoors at all - she is not a super dog we were just very on it with getting her outside frequently.

It is hard having a puppy in the winter. It is not so much fun hanging around outside in the dark, cold and wet and the puppies dont love it either so does make toilet training less fun (is it ever fun?)

Yes we had a winter puppy and it was grim but worth it in the end. I felt we were always stood in the freezing rain in the garden.

Mine has a stomach condition but even when it flares up he is so good as asking (albeit with urgency) to go out I think because we never made toileting inside normal from the start.

Thanks all. She is in the house a couple of days a week on her own so she would still wee if we got a carpet wouldn't she and ditched the pads? We do have a dog walker come in on those days for a small walk and a play though

I'd echo others, you need to get your puppy outside. I have one a very similar age (almost 11.5 weeks) and he's been taken outside, day and night, from the off. Accidents very few and far between. Do still happen of course. I said to DP just this afternoon 'it's been 10 days since DPuppy had an accident inside!' Literally 30 minutes later, he wee'd on the carpet.

Can you change your dog walker for daycare or more puppy visits? Mine went to daycare from 13 weeks old and they continued toilet training as it was a small daycare (dog walker who also did daycare for a few dogs).

What you want to avoid is for this to become a habit as habits are much harder to crack.

I have actually been looking at day care today. We are going to do what you have all suggested and go back to basics. We have already paid for the laminate though so might have to pop in and see what we can do

To protect the laminate temporarily could you go to an offcuts place and get some cheap stuff to put down on top where your dog might pee.

Yes it will look rubbish but cheaper than reflooring again and hopefully only until you get on top of the toileting.

Laminate can be a bugger with water. You can get special laminate meant for bathrooms but it might be too late now.

Re the training, echo the others, chuck those pads away and take the dog out regularly. I don't really see how you can effectively train a small puppy to toilet outside if they are home for long periods alone. That's a bit of an issue . I think daycare will be much better all round.

Looking at their returns policy, we will be charged but at least we won't be making an expensive mistake. We have a carpet cleaner so will have to keep using it until we crack it
Thank you all again, glad I came on and asked
Happy Christmas all

If you are leaving a 13 week old puppy alone for two days then she will have to wee indoors.

It would be better to have her taken out more on these days but a young puppy will need taking out a lot so not sure how you manage those days. Do people come and see her to let her out?

You can litter train a puppy the same way a cat - however you would need to have the litter tray outside until they learn to use it exclusively - then it can come inside.

You need a large area and can have soil and turf in it.

A puppy left alone for two days a week? You’ll have bigger issues than not toilet training this pup. This isn’t acceptable. Someone popping in doesn’t make this ok. 😡

Would it not be better to actually spent the money on a dog walker/ day care and toilet train your dog?
the laminate will stink and need replacing and your likely setting yourself up to have a dog who prefers to toilet inside 🤢

We put down a massive piece of tarpaulin in our extension to protect our oak flooring. Didn't use pads, pup crated at night and we took him out every half hour and praised and treated like mad when he wee'd outside. He's 16 weeks now, we've removed the tarp, still take him out hourly or when he wakes up. He wees on command because we always said the same word when he did it, and he knows it means treats! Took him about a week to learn the word and go straight away. After that he only had accidents if we forgot to take him out.

I have laminate and I had a puppy, now DDog. Our laminate has lifted but only where wee was left for a while, like at night until the morning or when we went out. There are two places ours has lifted and lots of places that were weed on.

I'm afraid changing the flooring won't make any difference if you're going to keep leaving her alone like this. Even with a dog walker, it's far too long to leave such a young dog alone.

She needs to go to daycare if you can't be home with her.

OP does not need doggy daycare. Best the puppy gets used to it now if it's always going to be that way. People had dogs for a long time before doggy daycare came along and they were perfectly fine!

Thank you Kendrick, you are right and I don't need a lecture from others thanks, that's not why I posted. I know plenty of other dogs that stay on their own all day and are fine. But am not getting into that as I asked about wee and laminate, so thank you for those that have advised about my question and I will now how out of this thread

@KendrickLamaze OP may not feel they need it but a 13 week old puppy should not be left all day. It isn’t a case of getting used to it and may well develop separation anxiety. No daycare didn’t exist many years ago but often both partners didn’t work. Plus dogs were allowed to roam or just shut out in all weathers. That’s not ok either.
@Flamingmentalcats some dogs may be OK. A 13 week old puppy isn’t.

But we're not talking about adult dogs, we're talking about a 13 week old baby who was only taken from its' mum and siblings five weeks ago - there's a huge difference.

You also said upthread you were thinking about daycare anyway, but now seem pissed off because other people are saying that that is what you need to do

A thirteen week old puppy shouldn't be being left all day. It's not good for their development, toilet training or socialising. I think you probably know that but are a bit defensive because people have pointed out that your flooring problem won't be solved until you stop leaving your puppy all day.

Any flooring you pick now will get destroyed if the dog pees on it regularly - you need to solve the toileting then decide what flooring you get long-term.