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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

New puppy help

24 replies

goodnessgraciousannie · 27/12/2023 20:22

We finally got to bring our gorgeous boy home this afternoon. He's a Jack russel x pug and is 12 weeks old. It's not our first dog but we haven't had one in a long time. I'm just worrying already that I'm doing things wrong.
He has done really well so far and done two wees on the puppy pad and one little accident on the floor. I've been taking him outside every hour but so far he hasn't gone outside. Is there anything else I should be doing? I don't want to be teaching him bad habits so early on

OP posts:

KateyCuckoo · 27/12/2023 20:25

Get rid of the puppy pads.

Stay out until he does a wee, gentle praise and bring him in.

If he doesn't go, keep him on your lap and try again in 10 mins. He'll soon make the association.

Original poster

goodnessgraciousannie · 27/12/2023 20:27

@KateyCuckoo are puppy pads bad then? I just assumed that was what I was supposed to use. Will get rid of them though if it will help him go outside

OP posts:

KateyCuckoo · 27/12/2023 20:28

Well you're just teaching him to pee inside!

Milliemoos5 · 27/12/2023 20:30

agree with PP to get rid of puppy pads. All they do is teach your pup that it’s ok to toilet indoors

puppies tend to poo within 10 mins of eating so also make sure u take him outside straight after food. Loads of excitable praise when he does go outside and start to use a familiar word that he can associate it with in a an excitable tone eg ‘wee wees!’

ir can take anything from 3 days ( if you’re a bit of a pro! My foster rescue pups are usually toilet trained within 3 days) to several weeks (or months if you’re badly inconsistent!) but consistency is the key! It’s hard work but honestly taking him out every hour will eventually click with him

Original poster

goodnessgraciousannie · 27/12/2023 20:32

@Milliemoos5 ok thanks, I will make sure I am taking him outside consistently. He hasn't pooped all day but I have put that down to him being a bit nervous and it being his first night away from his mum and dad. I'll obviously try again before he goes to bed

OP posts:

lolomoon · 27/12/2023 20:33

Get rid of the pads. As soon as pul has a drink or food, take it straight outside until it pees. Praise, a treat maybe, and take him her back in. Won't take long to associate the behaviour with reward.

Milliemoos5 · 27/12/2023 20:34

@goodnessgraciousannie oh yes it can take a new dog a couple of days to do it’s first poo in its new home 😊

ohsheglows · 27/12/2023 20:35

100% get rid of the puppy pads, like the other posters have said, it teaches him to wee inside and you putting him outside will be mixed messaging for him. Continue putting him outside with a 'go wee wee and poo poo' command, and every time he wees or poos, give him a treat to reinforce the behaviour congrats on your new addition!

Milliemoos5 · 27/12/2023 20:35

Just to say that the word association is key, so stick to the same word forever now lol. I still use wee wees in a high pitched tone for my 5 yr old lab when I want him to out for a wee before bed etc and he automatically heads towards the back door

LightDrizzle · 27/12/2023 20:38

Get rid of the pads and take him out:

On waking from any nap
After eating or drinking
After playing
After training segments
If he starts sniffing and circling
If he hasn’t been out for 39 mins.
Before bed

You have to stay with him for this at first until he’s established good habits. I had a lead on mine even though he wasn’t lead trained as such. He then knew that he was outside for toileting and not for playing or exploring as his lead wasn’t on for those opportunities. As he goes, use a phrase like “Busy, busy” or something and praise him after. . If he had a wee whilst in the garden off lead I used the same phrase and praise.

It sounds a lot but it isn’t for very long and it really works. You have to be vigilant and it’s shit in this weather but it’s worth it. My mastiff puppy was housetrained very quickly this way and he wasn’t the brightest.

ItsVeryHyacinthBucket · 27/12/2023 20:40

Our lab was started by her breeder with puppy pads. We got her at 8 weeks. We never ever had puppy pads in the house. She was toilet trained quickly. But any new rug/doormat we put down for the first year of her life got weed and/or pood on as soon as our backs were turned! Agree with the cue word but make it something non-embarrassing, when you’re at a motorway services you probably don’t want to have to call “do wee wees and poo poos”…I say “pss pss pss”. Do this noise every time your pup wees and give lots of praise and a treat when they’re done.

Mudflaps · 27/12/2023 20:42

Has you access to a lawn or grassy area? I always found walking them on grass helped, particularly if the grass is damp. I've adopted, fostered and loved lots of dogs and using the same word associations on grass with lots of praise and maybe a tiny treat works for me. No puppy pads, they are just a marketing success, not needed at all. I had a friends adult collie stay while my friend was on holiday and the poor dog had been trained to pee inside on pads, not happening in my house, he was trained within a few days, even to bark when he needed out.

LightDrizzle · 27/12/2023 20:54

To clarify, obviously the puppy doesn’t understand language so you start by using the word or phrase as they are going, and once you have a regular routine of him going and feel confident of an association with the word, you can try using it as a prompt when you think he’s probably ready to go. if you find yourself repeating “Wee-wees” to an indifferent dog then go back to only using it as he’s actually going and try again in a few days.

Original poster

goodnessgraciousannie · 28/12/2023 14:25

Not sure if anybody is still on this but would appreciate some more help please! So he slept really well last night from 9pm -6am without any accidents. Then today he's had a couple of accidents but most of the time I've managed to see his queues and whipped him outside and he's gone whilst he's out. Given lots and lots of praise everytime he goes when he's out.
However yesterday when we bought him home we had put a puppy pad by the door and he was going over to it every time he needed the toilet. From the advice on here yesterday I then got rid of the puppy pad and have just taken him outside constantly. But now he's not going to the door because the puppy pad isn't there so I'm not sure I did the right thing?

OP posts:

KateyCuckoo · 28/12/2023 14:27

You are, keep going! Don't be expecting too much of him, he's doing well by the sounds of it. He's a baby dont forget.

Original poster

goodnessgraciousannie · 28/12/2023 14:27

@KateyCuckoo ok thanks, just wanted to check as I was starting to doubt myself!

OP posts:

RockandRollers · 28/12/2023 14:31

There's loads of advice on Google and YouTube regarding puppy training, read up all you can, it will make life easier.

Wolfiefan · 28/12/2023 14:39

If you’re on FB look at the group dog training advice and support. Brilliant group.

Tygertiger · 28/12/2023 14:54

He’s unlikely to be reliable for a few months yet. Don’t wait for him to ask to go out - get him going on your schedule, otherwise you end up with a dog that just asks to go out constantly. Right now, every half an hour as a minimum he needs to be in the garden.

I second the recommendation for Dog Training Advice and Support on FB. I followed their toilet training guide and it worked a treat. Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy is also a great read.

The other thing to bear in mind is socialisation. You’ve brought him home at 12 weeks which is quite old for a pup, so you’ve not got as much time until the socialisation window closes at about 16 weeks (again, the FB group above has a good guide about this). Don’t wait until he’s had his injections before taking him out. Just don’t put him down on the ground in areas where there are lots of dogs. But carry him to lots of places and sit with him - outside a supermarket, school, busy areas etc - and just sit and feed him treats. You want him to associate places with nice experiences. A puppy sling is a good investment too.

margotrose · 28/12/2023 15:05

It sounds like you're doing everything right!

Remember, he's only been in your home a few days and he's only 12 weeks old. He'll get there eventually :)

pinkshiny · 28/12/2023 20:45

I'd be taking him out every 20/30mins to see if he'll go and then praise and fuss him when he goes.
Puppy pads arw pointless if you have easy quick access to back garden/take them out very regularly.

pinkshiny · 28/12/2023 20:46

after awhile you can lengthen the times/take him out straight after naps and food. He may be completely clean within a month or two, so don't panic!

ejsmith99 · 01/01/2024 19:34

Invest in Steve Manns's Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezey, you can get it on Amazon. It covers all the basics really well, with up to date scientific methods

Yllasin · 17/02/2024 08:59

8 sleeps till I bring my pup home. Okay, so just to double check (sorry, it's a worry habit of mine), is it total cold turkey on the puppy pads which she and her littermates have been used to in their pen?

It's 17 years since I had my previous pups and I recall having newspaper around in the kitchen for a while, but I don't remember the process taking very long. It was April when they arrived though, so rather warmer than end of Feb.

Thank you!

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