Brand new puppy - pee accidents!

[TheBermudaTriangle]

We’ve just brought home our sweet 9 week old spaniel puppy. We’re in the super early days of trying to keep to a routine, including toileting. The thing that is getting me down is that we really struggle to get our puppy peeing outside 😭

When we think he needs a pee, we take him out (using collar and lead) but he just sits there and whines, and doesn’t go. When we bring him back in, he tends to pee within 5-10mins and so quickly, we can’t discern what is an ‘investigation’ / exploring behaviour (he doesn’t tend to pace or whine, just pootles over to a corner and immediately squats), and a getting ready to pee behaviour. This means we end up having accidents.

The smell and clean-up and just lack of warning are just breaking my heart - I have never had dogs before, and I found myself seriously questioning if I had done the right thing on night 1.

Are there any tips you would recommend for getting better at this? Thank you in advance!

I'm sorry but night 1, 9 weeks old? In the kindest way possible, get a grip. He is not old enough to be clean overnight, he needs to go out at least hourly during the day and at times overnight, when I have new puppies I sleep downstairs and set 2 hourly alarms. Do NOT use puppy pads, you're asking them to mess in the house but praise massively when they do go outside and ignore in house. Dogs want to be clean. Puppies are massively hard work and I'm afraid you need to put the time in.

Our puppy 12 weeks old now. Poops during the day sorted fine. The wees hit and miss so we just keep taking her out, lots of praise. I find walking around and keeping her moving gets things going. Otherwise she sits at my feet. I've bought a maglite torch for night training because she's scared of the dark so train the light ahead of her.

What eventually made my rather stubborn terrier get it was picking him up mid wee and running to the garden saying ‘outside’ quite loudly .

Ours is nearly 5 months and we still get the occasional sprinkle,lots of kitchen roll and counting to 10.

HA 😂 yes this

We've always used a lead to toilet train, they learn very quickly learn that playtime is off lead in the garden but on lead it's toilet time. Everyone has their own way though, consistency is the key.

As it's only been a few days you do need to lower expectations a bit, this could well go on weeks, ours was fine for poos quickly but even now 5 months later we get the odd puddle inside. Just have kitchen roll and spray cleaner at the ready and you do have ro keep taking them out every 20mins until they get it but that then obviously gets longer very quickly,

Oh no of course you can't train in a week who's writing books like that.

I have this. I used it for the pups when they were little, but my Oliver hates rain and snow. Snow is no longer a problem as a few months ago we moved from Canada to the Carribean. Now we have an issue if there is a storm. It is set up in the spare bathroom and so far Oliver has used it 2x when it has been raining hard. Gracie his mother does not care, storm proof and drags my husband and I out anyway. Cannot just let them out alone here as they would be stolen in an instant. This potty trainer is awesome as the fake grass lifts off and goes in the shower, same with the tray underneath. I put baking soda in it to absorb if he pees but so far he has not..just the odd poop if it is storming lol.

OOPS
I have THIS

I housetrained my current dogs in a week or less...

They were 5.5 and 14 months respectively though 🤣

Last little puppy I had took about 8 weeks to be reliably housetrained.

oh for gods sake. I am useless at these links.

It can take weeks (if not months) to toilet train a puppy so please don't put all this pressure on yourself to get it done in a week. It won't happen.

Our beagle was surprisingly easy to house-train but even he took a good six weeks before he was asking to go out regularly, and he still had a few accidents up until he was one - mainly when we missed him asking to go out for some reason.

When they're as young as 9 weeks, it's mostly about management - keep them in an area that's easy to clean (tiled floors, for example), use a pet enzyme spray to clean up any accidents and get them outside as often as possible - we did every 30 minutes at that age, slowly increasing it as he got better and better.

We also found it useful to add a command to it - so when he peed, we would say "go toilet" and then when he finished, it was a "good boy!" and a treat that we only used for good toilets. Now we can say "go on, go toilet" and he knows to go into the garden and do his business.

Tsk😃

When they are in the litter the usually just pee wherever as well as being taken outside he doesn't know you or your garden so the little mite is just peeing where he feels safe.

Take puppy out every half hour, after food, naps or exercise/training. Whichever is soonest.

Give it 5 minutes. Use your toileting cue a lot. If nothing CARRY puppy inside and continue to carry. Go back out a few minutes after. Eventually puppy will pee and you can do a huge praise party and puppy will love it

You have to set your dog up for, and capture the success.

During night, have crate in your room and carry puppy outside when it wakes. On lead, out for quiet wee in the dark, no lights on or talking.

They get it, I promise. You need to be patient, calm and consistent, and give puppy every chance to get it right. Once they crack on that wees outside = lots of praise and the best treatos every then they pick it up quickly

Thank you all so much for your advice. I was probably being unrealistic and just anxious / stressed. It's all new for each of us, including pup.

He's had some excellent garden wees and poos this evening - and then a little accident inside.

Could I just ask, if the dog is sleeping in the crate overnight (say 10pm - 5.30am), and I take him out every 2 hours for pees to avoid him soiling his crate - will he get enough sleep? I assume he will be more awake having gone outside, and then will need to take time to wind down / might cry at being left in his crate again.

My god, he is VERY young. Give him a chance. Take him out frequently.

I hate the thought of a puppy that young being left alone in his crate all night.

OP, there is a brilliant FB group called Dog Training Advice and Support. Join it and read their guides. Or if you prefer, they have turned their guides into a book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dog-Training-Behaviour-Solutions-stress-free/dp/B09ZCL5PN9/ref=asc_df_B09ZCL5PN9/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=570480429095&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16780736438408784726&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046652&hvtargid=pla-1721657352677&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

It will be the best reading you ever do. You have had some crappy advice from your breeder, frankly. That group’s guide to toilet training will really help you. You also will need to read their guide to puppy biting as spaniel puppies are bloody awful for it (I have a spanner and I know!). It passes, but it will wear you down if you’re not prepared.

Exactly. Give the poor baby a chance. Did you expect him to be instantly trained?

I have a 9 week springer puppy too, and I’d forgotten what hard work it is - I also have a 2 and a half year old sprocker who I also had at 9 weeks.

She’s only been with us a couple of days, but it really is just persistence. Spaniels are very clever and generally learn quickly but it’s still hard in the early days! I’m more suffering from sleep deprivation as although she slept 6 hours last night before waking, 4am and wanting to play is not fun, and her big sister was not impressed - although luckily is very tolerant!

Puppy tax pic attached for cute value.

I’d assume so, they sleep loads through the day and stuff too.

But I’ve never done that tbh, I either crate train them to be alone in it as in a slow gradual process that can take at least a few weeks, often longer, before they’re in it for any real length of time.

Or I have them in a crate right next to my bed, so I hear if they wake up and then take them out.

You've received a lot of conflicting advice. You have to do what works best for your family and puppy.
I've house trained numerous puppies and older dogs. I've never had a dog take longer than a week to be fully house trained, but you have to be committed.
I never crate my dogs. Each to their own, but I don't agree with them not being able to move freely or regulate their body temperature by choosing an appropriate area (eg tiled floor, below an open window etc). I always have a comfy dog bed in the kitchen - or whichever room has direct access to the garden. I set myself up a camp bed and settle down for the night. I'm calm, don't interact with pup overnight. If they want to sleep on my bed with me that's fine - they won't always do this. As soon as pup stirs overnight I'm up and out in the garden with them, huge praise for correct toileting, then back to bed and silence. It's never failed me yet. Good luck

I'm a couple weeks ahead of you with my Dpup I take her out regularly to the garden and she would sometimes pee and sometimes sit at my feet, if she sat I walked away and told her to go pee pee and she will do it and then recieve a treat. If she has an acci6in doors I say nothing just clear it up quieted not treat. It's working well with less accidents and I have found that a last toilet about 10pm and she now manages most nights until about 5am the next morning and then back to sleep. I just let her roam the garden and I've learnt her body language and can tell now when a quick dash to the garden is needed

My approach is similar to @Justmemyselfandi999and I've had similar results. I don't ever use crates overnight. But even if you choose to have your pup sleep in a crate, I don't think it's right at all to ignore his cries.

Some puppies become easily distracted when outside and forget to wee. So it can be a good idea for such pups to be on a lead for loo trips since it limits the potential for distraction. Also, I wouldn't wait forever if the puppy really seems uninterested in weeing. I'd bring him back inside, maybe keep him on my lap for 5-10 minutes or so, then go back out. Repeat as needed.

Take him a bowl of water outside with you, sometimes having a drink makes them let go.