Puppy tips

[Anon645]

Hi,
I have brought home my 12 week old puppy today. Despite doing my research prior I'm already feeling overwhelmed and was hoping that if anyone has any particularly good tips or advice for a first time puppy owner they could share it ? :)
Particularly anxious about toilet training.

She isn't crate trained.

She isn't being left for long at all. I'm with her nearly constantly. She is put outside for the toilet plenty of times daily but she will come in and then wee /poo five to ten minutes after she comes back in. It's like she is deliberately holding it in.

As you can see from the pic my carpets are ruined. (I'm not being pedantic, there is no literally no saving them as you can see )

I feel like I can't cope with her.
There's just shit everywhere but I could deal with that and dispose of it ...but she literally sits in and walks in her poo, and then runs through the house with the pooey paes.

There's literally poo on our bedding, my kids toys, sofa, our carpets etc. Because in the couple of minutes it takes me to catch her after she poos she's already got the poo on her paws and run it throufg the room she's in /transferred it onto stuff.

I'm so overwhelmed and I don't want my kids living like this.

Puppies are hard. Really hard. You literally have to stand outside with them until they go. If they don’t then it’s watching like a hawk then out again in 5 minutes and repeat. it’s wearing. And boring but they do get it eventually. The destruction is normal but I can see quite a few things that they don’t need to have got hold of. Dog proof the place they spend time in totally. Remove everything that isn’t their toys or furniture. We took the coals from the fire!

Puppies and new rescues need their space built gradually. Don’t let her near your bed unless you are there to manage her. You can have carpets cleaned very effectively but you need to get the house training cracked first.

Ok, so if you're pretty certain she will need to toilet, take her out and give her chance to sniff, mooch about etc If she doesn't go, bring her in but carry her in your arms, don't put her down. After a couple of minutes go out again. And repeat. Until she goes outside. Don't give her the chance to go wrong!

is she going to the toilet outside? If not leave her and stay with her until she does. Don’t wait for ten minutes go “oh sod this” and then bring her in you might need to be there for a while.

I would also recommend crate training.

I would also say while she’s not toilet trained that she stays in the kitchen when she can’t be directly supervised and if she’s not in the kitchen she’s on supervised and on a house line (like a lead) so she can’t just run with shitty paws for ten minutes and will be easier to catch.

Looks very stressful OP. I gently have to ask if you read anything about having a puppy before she arrived?
You need to puppy proof the space she is allowed into. No shoes, toys, paper towel, blankets etc lying around. She should not be able to get into your bedrooms and definitely not your beds if she is not toilet trained.

Keep her contained in a room with washable floors. Take her out regularly. She may be used to toileting inside now but you need to train her out of that.

Read a simple book like Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy and join the Dog Training Advice and Support Group on Facebook.

I know they're marmite on mumsnet but we crate trained and it works so well for us. Our 3 yr old still goes into her crate for daytime sleeps and can't wait for bedtime. We haven't actually shut her in there for a long time but we could if we needed to without any stress for her.

Oh OP, puppies are hard - they’re really hard! Which is why they’re so cute.

As PP have said, she needs to be outside until she’s done her business, whether that’s 2 minutes or 20. Then treat treat treat and fuss over the good behaviour.

My most recent pup (now 18 months and the toilet training days are a slowly fading memory!) had a lot of stomach problems, which meant very wet poo that was very easily tracked through the house, if she even made it outside. Fortunately she could be confined to tiled flooring and her crate which limited the mess and made clean up easier. Is there any way you can separate an area for her? Giving them free reign at such a young age makes your life a lot more difficult. I know it’s easier said than done but a good clean after the mess has been made makes all the difference, we use vanish carpet cleaner spray for any accidents/sick (inevitable with dogs once in a blue moon no matter how well they are trained!)

She WILL get there, you just have to stay consistent. She is still very young and terriers can be wilful, but keep to the same routine - outside every 30 minutes and after every meal, nap and playtime, and gradually she will get it. The weather will be improving too - you still have to keep an eye out and clean up after them, but if they can spend the majority of time outside they will naturally toilet there and you can clean their paws on their way indoors. Obviously this is a bit different if you’re not at home all day, but that is when crate training can help (I’d never done it before but for the most recent pup it was a lifesaver)

One day you’ll suddenly realise that you’ve had a day without an accident, then two, then a week, then a month. I honestly thought we’d never get through the last round of toilet training, by far the worst I’ve dealt with, but we made it through, and you will too, honest!

No that's not normal. Is she your first dog?

I think you need to manage the situation so she can't do that. You can't have your children's toys having dog poo on them. Like PP says, find an area with a washable floor.

Crate train her - get a crate and put her in with a lickimat or puppy suitable bone at first with door open. In time she will associate it as a positive place.

How is she getting enough sleep in the day?

It is OK to re-home if you can't cope.

There's literally poo on our bedding, my kids toys, sofa, our carpets etc. Because in the couple of minutes it takes me to catch her after she poos she's already got the poo on her paws and run it throufg the room she's in /transferred it onto stuff.

How is there poo on the sofa or bedding? A puppy should not be on furniture.

There are lots of easy fixes here, OP.

Don't let puppy on any furniture (dogs shouldn't be in high places they can jump off until all their joints/muscles/bones are fully developed etc). If you're going to do it, then (A) don't do it until a dog is 100% house trained and (B) never leave the dog alone.

Get a play pen/keep the dog in one room.

If the dog goes outside, reward it when it wees or poos. Use a command word to indicate the desired behaviour.

If you leave your puppy for ANY period of time it goes in a crate or a play pen. That includes nipping to the toilet.

I'd also be interested to know how old your children are, OP. Anything under about 10 is really a no go with a puppy unless you know what you're doing. All kids do is wind dogs up, treat them like toys and reinforce bad behaviour.

I see what you mean, I meant the situation as a whole is not normal - poo on toys etc).

So I have two rooms available to my pup (kitchen and living room, though unfortunately there's steps between them so I have to carry her up and down) and both I've put a plastic sheet down and covered that in puppy pads.
I removed as much as I could from the room that I didn't want chewing. I covered the sofa in a massive old throw. If I'm going out the room for a while, puppy goes in crate. I stick to 1 hour up, 2 hours down. Sometimes puppy whines, sometimes he's ok with it. I'll leave the room momentarily for the toilet if puppy is busy eating as I know he wont do anything else.

It is so hard, it really is. But you've got to puppy proof. I take my pup out a lot to wee, but he always whines until he's taken back in and then he promptly wees inside. So can't help you on that unfortunately.

I agree, I've messed things up by being too kind to the dog if that makes sense...

I was so worried about her feeling lonely and frightened by being confined alone to one room that I have given her free reign over the whole house and to come into any and all rooms as she pleases (so she's never alone). I was worried she'd feel lonely and unwanted hence why I did this. But it was clearly a huge mistake and has caused just mass destruction, lots of broken things, and properly ruined carpets.

I was just trying to be kind toward her, but it's massively backfired as the house hygiene has gone massively down hill now.

A few people have suggested crate training...I'm clueless to this.

What is it ? How do you start doing it?
Is it cruel to the dog ?

Firstly, you haven’t messed anything up! It’s still very early days and you’re at the best time to be able to encourage new habits. Your puppy will flourish by being loved - you just have to enforce some boundaries.

Until she can be trusted not to mess on the carpet, or cause havoc, she needs to be confined to a space where it’s easily cleanable, easily puppy proofed, and easily monitored. I worked from home for the first few weeks(months!) when I first brought our pup home, that way I knew what she was up to almost all the time, and could keep my eyes out for toilet cues. As much as that worked during the working day, it meant that I spent a lot of dull evenings at the kitchen table! Can you set up a playpen in the living room you can keep her in? That way she’ll still be part of family life but cannot cause as much destruction and you can pop to the toilet without worrying what you’ll come back to. If you want to use puppy pads, do. I did with my first two pups and they both ‘got’ toilet training fairly easily.

Crate training was a game changer this time around - had never used one before but also had never had a puppy and small children before. We no longer use the crate (she’s a big dog and it just took up too much room ultimately) but for the first 9 months, she was in the crate all night and whenever she was left home alone. Dogs don’t, typically, soil where they sleep, so crates really help with toilet training. They aren’t for everyone, but I would suggest giving it a try, especially if you know anyone with one you can borrow, or get cheaply from Facebook marketplace etc. Make sure it’s big enough for her to be able to get comfortable in, but not big enough for her to have too much room to wander around. Don’t expect her to love it immediately - but introduce it slowly, and make it somewhere she wants to be. What is she driven by? Treats, toys? Use them to encourage her to go in the crate throughout the day. Don’t close the door at first, just let her get used to it. Some people feed their dogs in the crate (I never did but it is suggested on lots of threads). If you want her in it overnight, you may need to help her settle - our crate was too big for our bedroom so I slept downstairs until she was happy with it. It took ‘shhhhh’ing, stroking through the bars, and persistence, but it didn’t take long for her to know that was the place for sleep.

Does she get plenty of sleep during the day? What mental stimulation does she get? Puppies are more destructive (and bitey!) if they are tired and/or bored. Make sure she has plenty of naps, and plenty to keep her brain ticking over - I used to use 50% of the daily food for sniffy games/treats/training and never fed from a ‘normal’ dog bowl until we went on to raw food. The kong wobble feeders are good to keep them occupied and stimulated if you’re feeding kibble, or when the weather is better you can scatter feed (throw the biscuits around the garden for them to sniff out their dinner)

The thing is with puppies, it doesn’t matter how much you have read up, how prepared you are, or even how many puppies you’ve had before - they can still be completely overwhelming at first. But as long as you’re willing to put the time and effort in, things will start to get better, and before you know it you’ll have a fully matured dog that you couldn’t imagine living without.

We are having fun and games with a new puppy too. She's sleeping through now and is mainly house trained but still has the occasional accident if we haven't noticed her waiting patiently by the door.

OP I don't mean to be rude but there is stuff all over your floor, toys, shoes and random stuff everywhere. It will be adding to the mess and confusion for your puppy. None of that stuff should be there other than perhaps a chew toy. Then you need to be taking her out every twenty minutes and training her by saying "wee wee" or whatever terminology you use whenever she wees and then gradually turn this into a command. We also reward and praise when she goes outside (and we tell her off if she goes inside).

we bought a soft travel crate for our puppy which we use under the stairs. She settles well in it. She didn't like the wire cage one at all. For the first week or so she wouldn't be able to hold in the pee and would be a bit wet when we went downstairs at about 6am but at 16 weeks she's now dry through the night.

I'd get a crate, lots of puppies like the feeling of being somewhere contained and safe. We only used it for our dog for the first 6 months and after that didn't need it.

I really liked the book Easey Peasey Puppy squeezy and found he gave good practical advice.

Is she food and training motivated? Can you teach her simple commands like sit?

Teaching them to go the toilet outside is like training them to sit. You wait patiently with a high value treat (chicken, bacon, sausage) and once they get it right praise and treat straight away.

If she doesn't go when you put her outside I'd put her on the lead in the house and watch her like a hawk, then take her outside again in 10 mins and do this on repeat.

You might have to do this solidly for a few days but once she's got it it will be like a light bulb goes on!

Will she wee/poo on walks?

If it's any consolation I pulled the carpets up downstairs and replaced with hard floors because of having a puppy and he was pretty good on the whole.

How is she overnight? Where does she sleep at the moment?

From my experience, it can take a while for puppies to ‘sleep through the night’ - my first two puppies were relatively easy (no gastric problems) but I was still up with them once or twice a night for a while. Even now it feels like if I’m not woken up by the children, I’m woken up by one of the dogs wanting to go out.

If you can keep a crate in your bedroom, you can (hopefully) hear when/if she wakes and get her outside before any accidents happen - the same as during the day. This helps with the association that the crate is for sleeping, not for toileting.

@curlywillowneeding to toilet overnight is very normal for young puppies - even 16 weeks is early for them to be able to hold it overnight regularly. Not being able to go without toileting overnight for up to 6 months is perfectly normal - their bladders are still so little.

She’s been dry for the past week or so so I think we’ve cracked it already. She’s been relatively easy to toilet train but we spend a lot of time outside and for the past couple of weeks have had the doors open a lot so she can go in and out as she pleases which has helped.

You’re very lucky and I genuinely hope that you have got it cracked because it makes puppy life so much easier if you get a full nights sleep!! My friend’s puppy was dry overnight from almost day one - a complete anomaly, every puppy is different. I just don’t want the OP (or any other new puppy owner) to think they’re doing anything ‘wrong’ if theirs still needs to toilet overnight

OP are you on Facebook?
There is a group on there called dog training advice and support which I'd recommend you join.
There's a puppy support group on there which was a life saver for me.

It's not a discussion group (there is a copycat group of the same name on there which is terrible - you need to join the one that is official and has rules and guides when you join)

It seems like you're really overwhelmed and you need professional advice which you'll get just by reading the guides and posts on that group. You might find you don't even need to ask the behaviourists at all,

I wouldn't overwhelm yourself by crate training, focus just on toilet training (if dog doesn't poo outside you don't let them back in and on the floor - you pick up and carry it around for 20 mins, then try again. Rinse and repeat - pups feet don't touch anything in your house until he's had a poo. This is advice from behaviourists on the above group, it works.

You'll also find it easier if you don't leave the puppy alone. When it's alone it's getting no guidance at all.

Puppy's are so hard. Hang in there (and join that group!)

She is put outside for the toilet plenty of times daily but she will come in and then wee /poo five to ten minutes after she comes back in. It's like she is deliberately holding it in

Our pup did this, the turning point for us was teaching her the word 'outside' and adding it to her toilet command word. Suddenly it seemed to click with her and she understood not to go in the house

She does need to be with someone all the time. You are right about that. My border terrier was tiny at that age - we borrowed a sling and if we needed to do things and keep her with us it was a good option to stop her getting into mischief.

Proper crate training takes months and months to do properly. Both my dogs have taken a year. Your best bet is confine to small area with someone with her or wear her 🙂

Does anyone have experience of playpens ? Are they useful? Thinking it could be good for my kitchen whilst still more spacious than a crate. Anyone found any good ones?

We used one but mostly to fence things off. We still use it camping and if we stay away (ours is 18 months now) but she’s happy to be confined in it for brief periods if we need to do things like set up a tent but that’s because we’ve alone trained her slowly, at her pace.

They are the same principle as a crate. You need to train them to be ok in it.

Im not alone in stressing that you need to be with her pretty much all the time to teach her good habits. Borders are supremely intelligent dogs and really do learn the bad things if you don’t steer them. I’ve taught hundreds of dogs over the years and I don’t think they are easy first dogs as they are so bright and quite wilful and can and do run rings around you.

Have you signed up for a training class? That will help no end.